LeJoG Day 6 - Around and about the M5

A minor miracle or two occurred today - we got ourselves organised and out of the hostel by 8.40 am, and we cycled further than any other day so far - only 3 miles short of the intended end for today, which was fantastic, given the conditions this afternoon.

I'm so proud of Nathan and Joel - they're getting on with everything with the minimum of fuss and complaint.  They won't admit they're enjoying it (!), but they're both determined to complete our whole challenge.  Nathan was quite disappointed that we didn't quite manage to cycle 60 miles today!

Our route today took us up the Severn valley.  It's amazing that it's so flat, so close to Bristol and all its hills!  After the excitement of crossing the Avon on a footpath/cycleway alongside the M5, and then crossing two or three different motorways several times, we got into a good rhythm and trundled steadily along back lanes and through quiet villages.  We were very pleased to find that the church at Olveston (http://www.stmarysolveston.org.uk) had a porch to shelter us from a shower as we had our lunch (it was even one of the those church porches with a stone bench down each side for us to sit on!).  We had a quick look inside the church and were glad to make use of their toilet!  Despite the weather forecast, we managed to dodge most of the rain (apart from a couple of showers) until mid-afternoon.  By then we'd just left the towpath of the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal with great relief - it had been a real boneshaker.  We stopped for ice creams in Frampton on Severn - which is a beautiful village - and the lady in the shop, (who apparently lives in a boat on the canal, and has cycled the towpath frequently) told us that we'd do much better to go back to the towpath and cycle up to Gloucester that way, than follow the suggested Sustrans cycle route round the lanes.  She assured us we'd just cycled the worst part of the towpath and the rest "isn't too bad".  I'm not sure what she'd call "awful", but I certainly wouldn't recommend that towpath!!  

We arrived in Gloucester thinking of Dr Foster (in case you don't remember, he went to Gloucester in a shower of rain, stepped in a puddle right up to his middle, and never went there again!)  In our case it was a bit more than a shower, but although we found plenty of puddles, none were quite as deep, thank goodness.

Tomorrow we'll be cycling into Shropshire, so there'll be more hills than the last two days.  We're due to spend the night at my mother's house, where there's no internet, so there'll be no Blog post.  On Thursday we continue to Wrexham, and get to spend one night in our own beds!  

Thank you again for all your prayers, and the messages of support on Facebook and elsewhere - please keep praying that we'll stay on track, and be as well organised as we managed today.  

Yes, we were about to go across there!

The footpath/cycleway across the Avon by the M5

The river Avon from the middle of the bridge

Motorway traffic was very close to us 

We enjoyed this message in the porch of Olveston Church

'Bikes of the day' - one of several similar
installations in Berkeley

Another of the Sustrans Millennium signposts -
there are four different styles -
I'm not so keen on the yellow!

A barge going through one of the swing bridges on
the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal

Day 5 - The Levels

"There won't be any hills today.  It'll be easy . . . " (we said).  "We'll be able to pile on the miles . . . " (we said).

It was certainly (relatively) flat, as we started out through Taunton, then along the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, across the Somerset Levels, and ended the day along a disused railway.  But we failed to pile on the miles - we did quite well, at just short of 50, but tomorrow's route is supposed to be about 65 miles, and our plan to do some of those today failed to materialise.  We weren't helped by my failure to take a turn before Bridgwater, and then losing my sense of direction completely when we found ourselves in the town centre.  Eventually, the combination of downloaded OS map combined with the GPS on my phone helped me to get us back on track - there are definite advantages to modern technology!

The Bridgwater to Taunton Canal is home to the Somerset Space Walk.  I remember cycling past a similar installation between Selby and York 10 years ago - a scale model of the solar system.  This one confused us though, because the first 'planet' we noticed was Neptune, then we saw Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, Uranus (in that order, I think!)  We didn't see the Sun at all.  It turns out that there's one Sun, halfway along the canal, with two sets of planets stretching in each direction.  How we missed the Sun, I'm not quite sure!

We discovered that there's a problem cycling across a very flat area . . . the wind whips across, and no matter which direction you're travelling, it always seems to be against you!

To round the day off, we found that the second section of the disused railway was closed.  The diversion took us along a footpath through a wood, which someone in their wisdom had decided to cover in wood chippings to make it 'bike friendly' . . . whoever they are, they've obviously not been on a bike in a long time!

We passed The Fat Pig Forge, and this caught our eye!

A view of the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal

The Earth installation on the Somerset Space Walk

It's amazing to think that the conditions on Earth
are just right to support life

Kings Sedgmoor Drain is big enough to look like a river

LeJoG Catch-up day

Today's ride took us to just short of Taunton, to catch up to where we should have been last night.  It started with 8 miles alongside the Grand Western Canal, which was beautiful and very peaceful.  We had lunch by a bridge, in the company of lots of ducks, who had to do without sharing our lunch, but had theirs provided by a local lady who came along to feed them.

After we reached the end of the canal, we meandered through the lanes, and ended the ride with a drink at the pub where Steve met us with the car.  It meant a much shorter trip back to YHA Minehead, and a much more relaxed evening!

We're trying to sort out a plan which will get us out of our accommodation by 9.00 am each morning.  Please pray that we'll succeed, because we do need to the extra time to cover all those miles.  Pray too for our safety - thank the Lord that the only accident so far was Nathan's on Thursday.  Also for good nights sleep - and that we manage to pick up all our belongings each morning as we leave our accommodation!

As I've been pedalling, these words have come to my mind these last few days:

The Road goes ever on and on

Out from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

Let others follow it who can!

Let them a journey new begin,

But I at last with weary feet

Will turn towards the lighted inn,

My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

(JRR Tolkien, The Return of the King, Book VI, Chapter 6)

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

the rains fall soft upon your fields
and until we meet again,

may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

(Traditional Gaelic blessing)

So far, God has blessed us with fair weather - may he continue to do so.

Bridge over the canal by our lunch spot

Lunch! (1)

Lunch! (2)

The ducks got waitress service!

LeJoG Day 4 - More hills!!!

It was far too late to think about blogging last night, by the time we'd got ourselves into the hostel and eaten.  Minehead YHA is about 25 miles across Exmoor from where we finished our ride yesterday, so it all took time.  And when we got here, we found that we had to unload the car from just down the road and carry everything up here, so it all took even longer!  But we're staying here for two nights, so it was worth the effort.

We cycled through some more beautiful countryside yesterday, but still with lots and lots of hills!  The last few miles, though, were along a disused railway and then a canal towpath, so they were nice and flat.  By the time we finished, we were 19 miles short of where we had planned to end the route, so we've got some catching up to do today.  Nathan was struggling because he was so tired - his leg is healing well, but either that or the muggy heat was taking it out of him.  We've been very lucky with the weather, but yesterday there was next to no breeze so it felt very close.

After tomorrow (Monday) our planned routes become longer, which means we really do need to become more efficient in getting out in the mornings, and sorting ourselves out in the evenings - not a natural Errington trait!

A view of Devon countryside, complete with sheep!

This art installation, seemingly in the middle of nowhere,
is called 'Equinox Bell' (see photo plaque below)

Information plaque attached to art installation above

We enjoyed this view as we ate our lunch

Nathan and I both stopped to take a photo of this sign -
Joel walked halfway back down the hill to take his!

Sustrans put up about 1,000 Millenium Mileposts -
I thought this one looked good painted blue

At the end of the day's ride!

LeJoG Day 3 - Farewell to Cornwall

Our route today took us over the border into Devon.  Thank you for your prayers - we've had a much better day, starting out from where we finished yesterday at Wadebridge, and taking a route through north Cornwall and eventually over the border into Devon near Bridgerule.  There were no accidents or injuries, and once again we've had very pleasant weather - not quite so sunny or hot as Wednesday and Thursday, but being cooler meant that it was much more comfortable.

After three nights in youth hostels - Lands End, Perranporth and Tintagel, all in stunning locations on the Cornish coast - tonight we're staying at the same B&B as Monday night.   We've had a meal out with our good friend Alwyn, and we're ready for a good night's sleep in slightly more luxury than we've enjoyed the last few days!

A traditional old signpost in the back lanes

We've left Cornwall and entered Devon!

The verges are full of these pretty flowers

Ready to go again after a 'pit stop'

LeJoG Day 2 It's even more difficult than we thought!

Today has been a struggle.  We didn't quite complete our planned route yesterday, so we had a few extra miles to catch up.  Getting out and ready to cycle took just as long as yesterday, and tempers were getting frayed as we watched the day ticking by.  We decided that if necessary we would reduce the number of miles and hills by taking an A-road for a few miles . . .

Once we did get going, we were doing well for 10 miles or so.  But then Nathan fell off his bike and gave himself a nasty graze on his leg, as well as a shock!  We ended up having an extended lunch break as we tried to clean him up.  The A-road short cut became a necessity if we weren't going to fall a long way short of our intended stopping-point.

So, as you'll see from Strava, we only cycled about 25 miles today, finishing at Wadebridge.  We'll return there in the morning, ready to continue.

Those of you reading this who pray, please pray that we'll start sleeping better - even a day's cycling yesterday didn't do the trick last night.  Pray for Nathan, that he'll be able to continue cycling tomorrow.  Pray for Joel, who had to exert mind over matter in a big way to get out of bed this morning.  And pray that we'll get more efficient in getting ourselves out and ready to go in the mornings, and sorted out in the evenings.

With everything else, we didn't manage many photos today.  But maybe this one sums up the boys' feelings!

When the going gets tough . . .
the Tough lie down on the job!

LeJoG Day 1 - We're off!

The time has finally arrived, and our adventure has begun.  We all slept badly, all feeling daunted by the challenge in front of us, questioning whether we can really do it, worried about all the things which could go wrong.  But we made it to Lands End, and set off in glorious sunshine - it's been beautiful weather all day, although slightly too hot for comfort on a bike.  They were even ringing the bells for us as we came through Penzance - anyone who knows my mobile phone ringtone will realise that the sound caused some confusion for a moment or two!  If you want to know our exact route, the Strava file will show you where we've been today.

Unloading the bikes from the car

By the famous sign (although you can't get closer without paying for the privilege!)

On the start line (or finish line if you've come from John O'Groats)

From this angle you can see the post which says 'start'!

We went past St Michael's Mount this morning

Joel spotted this old lifeboat moored in Hayle

The view from Perranporth YHA, where we're staying tonight