Every day of this journey is going to mean long hours on the saddle. But the early starts do have some advantages, This morning I had Dartmoor to myself and, despite it's reputation for being bleak, today it was calm and peaceful.
My route logic may seem odd to some. Why on earth would you cycle right over the top of Dartmoor when you could quite easily go round it? That's not easily explained. In large measure it's about seeing the best of the country as I travel my thin ribbon from south to north. But there's also that perverse cyclist part of me that wants to ride the climbs. If I follow the logic of taking the easy route I may as well just stay at home on the sofa.
Of course, the other advantage of the hills are the descents. The long drop into Exeter was rewarded with a delicious tea and scone sat in the sunshine of the cathedral close. Leaf tea and a fresh warm scone, served, as you might expect, the traditional Devon way with clotted cream and strawberry jam.
From Exeter the route headed up and over the Blackdown hills. This necessitated a tough little climb up onto the heights, but then rolled along the top for several miles before dropping down onto the Somerset levels.
There's no avoiding the distances I have to do in a day. But when you begin to flag there are remedies. With fifty miles still to go, and having discovered that the Somerset levels aren't quite as level as I had hoped, I made a detour into Somerton and sat outside the Market Bar just long enough to down a double espresso. Apart from a nasty pull out of Wells, that little cup of coffee saw me most of the way to the end of the day.
There can be fewer more welcoming places to end your day than at my old friends Neil and Gail's lovely home. After a hot bath, I reacquainted myself with Neil's spaghetti bolognese, a recipe unchanged since our flat sharing student days. A perfect end to a long day.
You inspired me to get back out on my bike yesterday. DId just under 50 miles...That's nearly the same as you...isn't it?
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