After our stressful exit from Sri Lanka, we were very grateful when we finally touched down in the UK. This was Miki’s first time in the country and was most likely a very strange way to experience it, when most things that help create the culture and atmosphere are closed or off-limits.
We had flown into London, so we had a long drive up to Louth in Lincolnshire where we were going to be staying with my mum and step-dad until lockdowns began to ease. We felt extremely lucky to not only have somewhere to stay, but somewhere spacious, with a garden and some green walks nearby, as well as some good company to spend it with. We knew many across the world were dealing with much worse lockdowns at that moment.
On the odd walk through town I would point out nice quaint English-feeling pubs to Miki, and he would point out that they were closed and we couldn’t go in…
I recall that many times we went out in those first few months we would barely see any other people, even when venturing further afield to the city of Lincoln, it felt almost as though we were the only ones there.
It was during this period that I made the decision to start studying accountancy. Teaching English had been more a go-between than my calling, and it seemed the perfect time to begin making the change toward something I had more interest and passion for.
Following our time in Louth we moved onto Leeds to stay with my dad and his partner, Mel. Restrictions were beginning to ease by this time so it was possible to have the odd outdoor meeting with other friends and family I knew in the area. We were also able to show Miki a little more of England.
Miki and I took a day cycle trip to York, a 60 miles/100 km round trip that was partly for the scenery and largely for fresh fudge made at the Fudge Kitchen. On other days we cycled through and around Leeds to meet some of my friends. Dad, Mel, Miki and I also went on a few days camping trip to Robin Hood’s Bay, a famous coastal area on the east coast of England where we enjoyed a few days of sunshine and where Miki finally got to go to a pub!
At the end of July (having first arrived in the country in March) we made a plan to head south with our bikes, take the ferry to France and then arrive in Italy by the power of our own legs. Restrictions were being lifted by this point and Miki was anxious to return to visit his family who live in the northern part of Italy, east of Milan.
We made a couple of stops on our route out of England, firstly in Derby to visit my dear friends Storm and Gary, and then onto Birmingham where we stayed with my stepbrother and his girlfriend for a couple of nights. Though we had mostly taken trains to these destinations, we were getting back into the cycle touring spirit with the odd section of cycling and loaded bikes once again.
