5 May – 17 Degrees

As I was getting my bike ready, I got talking to a really friendly window cleaner called Martin. He knew everyone and everything. He reminded me of Gullane’s Glyn Aitken 🙂 Not so much … ‘Aahh-but’ …. more like ‘Ohhh Aaarrgh’. We both shared our stories of scuba diving and he invited me to join his group that were diving a little later along the shore at Mevagissey. He tried to entice me with “….And one of my mate does a mean home-made Scrumpy”. Alas, I had miles to accomplish but promised to look up that dive sight next time I’m in Cornwall.

I hit my first problem of the day approaching Golberdon. First I had a puncture. Sadly, I can’t change a tire as quick as Lewis Hamilton’s Mclaren team can. Nonetheless, I got it all sorted in about 20 mins and decided to stop for a lunch break. My stop meant I was on the go again about 45 mins after my enforced stop.

Then, I had to detour because a road on my route was closed due to road maintenance works relaying the asphalt surface.

I then got a little bit lost and ascended and descended a steep hill several times before realising the road sign that was referred to in my book, which I was looking for, had according to locals, been blown off during the January storms and was nowhere to be seen. This wasted time and energy would cause me an issue later.

As I left Cornwall and crossed the River Tamar into Devon. It occurred to me this is the county where member of parliament Neil Parish serves. I thought about dropping in and asking if I could watch some tractor videos with him 🙂

Today was a strange day in that I had very little interaction with people. The roads continued to be very agricultural and very quite with little traffic.

I enjoyed an 8 mile off-road cycle using a reclaimed railway line known as ‘The Granite Way’ which stretches from Lydford to Okehampton.

The Meldon Viaduct was completed in 1874 and I enjoyed crossing this magnificent structure and enjoying the views and marvelling at how deep the gorge was below.

I must confess I started to become a little concerned. It was 7.00pm and I still had 17 miles to my final destination of Crediton. The sun was beginning to set and I didn’t particularly want to be on the roads as is daylight faded.

I was agonisingly close (2.9 miles) when I felt a little dizzy (I think my sugar levels had dropped) so I pulled over and quickly scoffed an apple. That did the trick and saw me cruise downhill into town at 8.45pm.

My landlady at the Crediton Bed & Breakfast greeted me and was so kind in making me a bacon and egg sandwich (everything nearby was closed and I hadn’t had a meal since my enforced stop). I nipped across the road to the local pub and downed my pint of lager in about 45 seconds.

I slept well!

Today’s trivial facts

NO. OF MILES CYCLED TODAY :    74

MOMENT OF THE DAY:   The sense of relief getting to Crediton before subset!

WEATHER:         Sunny & warm, 17 degrees (another reason for today’s title)

FUEL: I stocked up before I left Fowey. Quite simply, I can’t get enough fuel in me. I had a good breakfast and lunch and ate snack fuel bars, bananas and peanuts in between. I had a couple of bottles of sports energy drink, a pint of fresh orange and lemonade at a pub enroute and loads of water.

SONG OF THE DAY: Things can only get better – D-ream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwWfE4DAyao

% of FUNDRAISING TARGET REACHED:  53% (Thank U for sponsoring me)

TOMORROW’S STAGE 2 DESITINATION: Crediton, Devon (65 miles)