Sunday 07.06 25  

Oakhampton - Tiverton  60.5kms    2000' height gained

Well, after yesterday anything is going to be better and so it was. When we arrived at the Fountain Inn and stowed our bikes in the very small secure room, much of said space had already been taken up with two touring bikes and while we carefully but unobtrusively, surveyed the dining room, we were unable to identify the other cyclists. However, on retrieving our bikes, we found ourselves sharing the loading space with, surprisingly, the other two cyclists. They were a Dutch couple on a three month tour around the UK and Eire. If we thought we carried a lot of weight, these guys took it to a whole new level. I have to admit to being open mouthed at the amount of gear they/ he was carrying -  made us look very inadequate. And he actually managed to make the bike move! Off they went and we made the mistake of following them without giving much thought to our route. We should have realised even quicker than we did as we were not going uphill! Very soon, we were doing just that!

Sun was shining, weather dry and warm so a few hills were of little account. By lunch time (and a few more hills) we stopped for lunch and enjoyed a long conversation with a lady and her whippet on the merits of bike riding and, particularly, of borrowing her grandfather's bike to ride  into Crediton 4 miles up the road. (Lunch rolls are now about four or five days old). Need to buy some more ,I think. Kate gone into meltdown?..

We did only get lost once but it was a goody. At the top of another kilometer push, and consulting the route, Master Navigator announced we were not where we should have been! In fact it had been an unnecessary effort. Can you believe it. I just smiled and if you believe that you are way off. Anyway,  not lost for long. Cornwall and Devon have many beautiful small villages and we see even more of them when we  meander off the trail?....

Much of today has been along quiet lanes with little traffic but the last 15 kms or so not so quiet. It is at these times that we notice the continual evidence of collisions -  mirrors, bumpers, windscreen glass, wiper blades - so caution is the key. So far, dead bodies have been mostly of the rat variety but one roe deer had, sadly, met its maker.

Hoping for a less hilly day tomorrow?.......but just as much sunshine. Mmm.....

Flatlands await