LeJoG Days 7 and 8 - What a Contrast!

We spent a lot of yesterday (Wednesday) on very busy roads between Gloucester and Leintwardine (in north Herefordshire).  It's really not much fun on a bike, when there's a constant flow of traffic going past, especially when a lot of the vehicles are big lorries.  The part of the road where bikes travel is also the part where the nearside wheels of those lorries travel, which means it's rutted and potholed, which makes cycling over it at best bumpy and at most quite dangerous - your wheel could get stuck in a pothole just as a lorry is trundling past.  But generally those roads are faster to travel, even on a bike, and in that part of the country there's not much choice.

We hadn't managed to be as well organised on Tuesday evening as we were on Monday, which meant a later start.  A couple of unplanned stops also took some time, so once again we didn't quite get as far as we'd intended.  But it was lovely to be able to relax at my Mum's overnight, and enjoy her cooking!  If anyone had asked me 20 years ago what we'd be doing on our 20th Wedding Anniversary, I don't think this would have been at the top of my list of possibilities!

Today (Thursday) we got going early - thanks to Steve who sent the rest of us off on our bikes and then went back to pack the car.  We spent most of the day on quiet country lanes, as we travelled on from Leintwardine towards Wrexham.  We made sure that we planned our stops more carefully.  The result was that for the first time we finished where we intended - at home!  As St Joseph's School is fundraising on the back of our ride, we came into Wrexham past the school gate, where there was a welcoming committee of a dozen or so school staff waiting to cheer us on!  It really is a boost to have completed more than 60 miles in a day, and to be on schedule!

The only photo from Day 7 - an 18th century
commemoration of a 15th century battle

We've been through a few counties since Devon,
but this is the first time we've managed a photo!
(Actually, we'd only seen one other county sign since Devon)

The Crown Inn at Wentnor very kindly let us use their toilets

Looking back towards the Shropshire hills

We stopped in Ellesmere for an ice cream,
and noticed this sign - our route is longer than this suggests!

There was no indication that we'd just entered Wales -
but we knew we were close to home when we saw this one!

The two boys were very embarrassed to be greeted by
a crowd and required to pose for a photo!