A little bit of our journey

Sal.....in all her cold weather kit including ski goggles !

On one of the many bridges on the Kennet and Avon canal

Charlie Howell came to meet us in on the canal path in Bath. He forgot to bring his saddle !

Cornwall at last. This was taken on the horrendously busy A30 at rush hour on a Friday evening. It definitely wasn't as tranquil as this looks!

On the other hand Penryn Harbour was very tranquil !

In Cornwall at last

 Since Sal left me in Wookey Hole on wednesday i have slogged up yet more hills. The weather is coolish which is fine by me. (Jelly babies and bananas keep me going)  I have stayed in some delightful places but I think the landlords feel I am fitter than I really am because they keep sending me on the most horrendous detours saying 'You'll love this, its a really fun route' so although i am nearly there, having finally reached Cornwall and have about 53 miles to go, its the Hills ? HILLS ? OMG ! I think i have been up some vertical ones today. Certainly at least 10 of them were more than 12% and they were just the ones that were actually marked. I'm quite sure i didn't come down nearly so many. In Launceston tonight and had a horrible last 4 miles along the new A30. Should have gone on just another mile and got on to the old A30. I think I have now cycled  310 miles. i have met the most amazingly nice and helpful people along the way. it really makes me proud to be British. A lad of about 17 stopped to ask me if i was Ok the day before yesterday ( I was cycling along minding my own business in Street, Somerset) and we got chatting, Before i knew it he had cycled 6 miles with me and got me going on my next stint. At the end he called ME inspirational. Actually i think it was the other way round !

We're half way !

We made it to Stanton Drew, 9 miles south of BRISTOL where my friends Ros and Rupert live.  Lots of hills at the beginning and end and a lovely gentle canal path then old railway track in the middle. We cycled the last 8 or 9 miles in the dark and the last couple of miles down a completely dark and hilly track!  when we left the railway track we were helped along the way and one nice chap took us nearly halfway to our destination. ....unfortunately for us he was a seasoned commuter and was able to climb a 3 mile hill at break neck speed. Sal and i were completely finished by the top but of course had to pretend we were perfectly fine ! Charlie Howell met us on the tow path in Bath and then took us through the centre of the city to get us to the tow path on the other side of the city. We must have been quite a sight....2 middle age ladies flying along in our bright orange and pink tops, behind a young lad with no saddle! We amazingly made it in one piece.  Another 52 miles completed.

Maidenhead to Reading yesterday and Reading to Pewsey today,

About 80 miles over the last two days. Yesterday we followed the Thames to Reading and then picked up route 4 on the Kennet and Avon canal. It was very tough as most of the Thames path is gravel or grass, gates every 2 mins (They clearly don't like cyclists cos we had to turn our bikes upside down to get them through !) and because it was the first hot sunday this year there were thousands of walkers! We had lunch in Henley which was lovely especially watching so many people 'messing about in boats' The canal route through Reading centre was strange......cyclists mixing with shoppers ? mmmm don't think we were very popular !  My old school chum Sharon came and had a beer with us and our ridiculously overpriced hotel in the evening and then this morning we set out for Pewsey having made ourselves porridge in our tea cups to avoid breakfast costs !!! We set off along the canal and had a horrible fright when a man ran after us and tried to grab the back of my bike. He didn't like the fact we didn't have bells and told us to walk. I just managed to get out of his way but my heart was thundering for a good 20 minutes. I thought he was going to knock me into the canal ! The second half off the day was HILLS. Plenty of them too, after all this is Wiltshire/Wessex.We are exhausted tonight but have found a quirky b and b with electric blankets would you believe and the softest beds imaginable. BLISS. Night Night

First and second day

Ella works in the building next to the double decker bus!

Dare we go where no cyclists are allowed ?

A hazy spring day with our new house in the background. Shame they had to build it so close to Heathrow !!

Lost again !

We've had a fantastic day. Gorgeous weather and some beautiful places...BUT we have only done 30 miles!!!! Eek. The Route 4 is so confusing from Weybridge to Reading and added to that we had to do a massive detour where they are building a spectators bridge for the Olympic canoe park.  We cycled through Staines and into Egham and then turned a corner to go over a bridge only to find we were in the centre of Staines again....an hour later ! We even managed to get lost in Great Windsor Park. (Why have neither of us been there before?) Looking down from the highest point in the park to Windsor Castle was just breathtaking even though planes from Heathrow were zooming over every minute. Bruce reminded us of the American tourist who asked ' why did they have to build Windsor Castle so close to Heathrow Airport?'
Getting lost just did not matter although we have only reached Maidenhead. Tomorrow we loop all the way round and back to Reading....anything to avoid accidentally getting onto the M4 !!
No beer today !

Off we go!

....Well we nearly started with a disaster. Got onto wrong platform at Norwich and realised we were too late to get our bikes onto the train.... it went without us.! All ended well though and no horrendously expensive extra ticket..Everyone felt rather sorry for us !
Boris J has done the most amazing job of cycle paths in London and we zig zagged our way from Liverpool St Station to Weybridge crossing the river 5 times ! We stopped to have lunch with Ella in the shadow of Big Ben and The H of P. It took us about 5 hours in the end to get from East to West and with our rather circuitous route (not getting lost once) we travelled about 50 miles along the Thames. Only one 'near miss' We were on one of these new Super cycle Highways in Chelsea and Sal slowed down for a taxi pulling out of a garage. He thought she was stopping and put his foot down. How Sal managed to swerve round him I 'll never know, but she did, with me SCREAMING at anyone who would listen as broken hips and squashed bikes flashed into my brain. Both our hearts thudded for quite a time after that !
There is so much to be proud of in London. It's bustling, clean, exciting, dramatic, fast and furious and beautiful. The river traffic changed at every bridge starting with HMS Belfast, ferries and working boats then the houseboats, then the rowers and then the cruisers. We passed through fabulous old markets, soaked up everything in Westminster, goggled at the houses in Chelsea. We crossed Richmond Park and cycled passed Hampton Court which is completely breathtaking. Today we saw bits of London we just didn't know existed. Off to Reading tomorrow and the kennet and Avon Canal Path.