Cider Rider

Yet another sunny day. Overnight we had stayed at Coleford, on the edge of the Forest of Dean. The ride up to the campsite had been a killer at the end of a long day. But this of course meant the beginning of the ride was all downhill, a great way to start a day on a bike. Very soon we passed into Herefordshire. The picture was taken as I descended to Symonds Yat.





We then spent the next couple of hours criss crossing the river Wye. Herefordshire is very beautiful, with some of the best views of the trip. so far.

Looking towards Sugarloaf Mountain, Abergavenny

The villages are also very pretty.

And not forgetting the cider.
We passed Dunkerton Cider Mill, no time to have a real look round or a tasting though.
http://www.dunkertons.co.uk/
Impressive barrels

I stopped for some late lunch in Pembridge and the manager of Sally's Pantry kindly made a donation to Help for Heroes. Thank you.

Today's ride was tiring, partly because it was so hot, but also because of the 'rolling countryside' a nice euphemism for hilly. But I would certainly recommend Herefordshire for scenery. The ride finished in Wentnor, which is in Shropshire. Unfortunatley we usually miss the signs for the counties because we go on such small lanes.

This is my £10 Decathlon tent. This has been fantastic, 2 seconds to put up and about 10 seconds to put down in the morning(after some practise. Pictured to the left is the goat used to keep the grass mown on the bank. Fortunately, he was tethered on a chain or I am sure he would have eaten my luggage.

Gorging It

One of the nice things about cycling so far is that you can eat quite a lot! Breakfast, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Today I had a very nice breakfast at our campsite(unfortunately not a full English though). We then cycled over the Somerset levels, which ordinarily would be pleasant, but unfortunately we were cycling into the wind and it was very hard.

14 miles later we got to Cheddar and I had a nice pot of tea, with Oat biscuits. Then we had to cycle up Cheddar Gorge. Fantastic scenery, but very long and steep.

I cycled with a big group this morning and it was nice to have some company and help with the navigation.

Here they are as we finally could see Wales in the far distance. I then split from the group to go and visit my friend Ray. Pictured here in the back row middle. This was in 1981 when we did an Army course together.

I am the one with the dodgy moustache!

Unfortunately he wasn't in, but his son made me a very nice cup of tea.

Finally we arrived in Wales

Unfortunately I got a little bit lost today and ended up doing an extra 3.5 miles finishing the day with 78 miles on the clock. My knees are aching and my thighs are burning, but I am having a great time.
Thanks again for all the support. I am very near to my target of £3,000.

What a load of Quantocks

Only 61 miles today, but when we had the briefing in the morning, Kevin the trip leader told us that the climb over the Quantocks was one of the hardest on the whole trip and we had all day to look forward to this as it was within the last 1o miles of day's ride.


The day started cloudy and cold and the clouds looked stormy.

Richie descending
This is Richie who works as a graphics designer in Barcelona descending down a typical lane. The scenery in Devon is sublime, with rolling hills and a great new view around every corner.

However, these steep descents can be dangerous and hard work. One of the riders, Mike from the Wirral, swerved to avoid a pothole and then slid in some gravel and crashed his bike. Unfortunately he ended up writing off his bike, although he was relatively unscaved. The support van took him to the nearest town and he had to buy another bike.

As the ride went on the sun came out for the last 3o miles. Unfortunately because we are headed in one direction it is easy to get tanned unevenly. Currently one of my legs is tanned, but the other is still as pale as a sheet.

A typical Somerset View.

Finally the dreaded Quantocks were ahead. This was a very long slow climb and very hard work. But the ride down the other side was brilliant, quiet wide roads and down hill all the way to Bridgwater.

I am now 3 days into the ride and although it is hard I am really enjoying it. It is incredible how much the landscape changes as you go from one area to another.

Moor Moor More

Cream Teas on Bodmin Moor



One of the joys of cycling a long way is that you can actually eat quote a lot and still burn it off. After a very nice breakfast we cycled up to Minions on the top of Bodmin Moor. This was quite a slog and we ended up at over 1000 feet above sea level. As we were shortly going to leave Cornwall, I figured I really better have a Cornish Cream Tea. Didn't realise this came with two massive scones, jam and clotted cream!

Sat next to me in the photo is Phil. He has come over to the UK from Seattle just to cycle Lejog (Lands end to John O Groats). He is smiling partly, I am sure, because of the USA's great performance against England the night before.



After leaving Bodmin Moor we dropped almost to sea level, whilst we could see Dartmoor in the distance. After a short break in Tavistock I then climbed 1500 feet up on to Dartmoor. This was tough, but possibly tougher for the line of impatient motorists having to wait for a suitable spot to overtake.
The descent was even better, as I went over 40 mph. Slow in a car, but scary fast on a bike, and I wasn't even pedalling!


Dartmoor Ponies














After descending this hill I stopped for an ice cream. Real Devonshire cream and only 20p for a flake. Anyone who knows me, will realise how much I like a bargain, so I only wish that I had asked for two.

Finally finished the day with 70 miles on the clock after several more killer climbs. Apparently Day 2 is the hardest in the whole trip, but I am reserving judgement until I get to John O Groats.

Land's End and Blind Cats

1000 miles to go

Here I am at Land's End. I felt a bit cheated by the distance on the sign. But I am assured that the route we are going is a lot further. Started cycling about 10am following the coast. Although cold and windy at first, towards the end of the day it started to get really hot.

Being as we were in Cornwall I felt obliged to have a cornish pasty for lunch. Very tasty and perfect fuel for the ride.

What on earth have I let myself in for. After 70 miles and over 6 hours in the saddle I pulled into the campsite, just in time to walk a couple of miles to watch the England game.

We never saw the blind cat but apparently someone saw a dead one lying in the road!

A big thank you.

Thanks to everyone who has donated to my fund raising efforts. I have now raised over £2,300 and I expect to reach my target of £3,000 shortly. Tonight I will be packing my bags and getting ready for a train journey down to Penzance. The weather looks pretty good for the first 3 days riding.

Getting ready

My bike is being picked up by a courier on Tuesday, so I have spent this afternoon putting it away in a box. It was a real struggle to fit it in, even though it was the same box it originally came in.

No more cycling now until Friday.

And now I have to pack, which is not my favourite activity.