LEJOG day 5

Today had its different elements, as we will explain.....

We dragged ourselves reluctantly away in the morning from Harptree Court, mindful of 60 miles to cover. Charles and Linda Hill are the most gracious hosts, and included among the many luxuries of their house was a lightning fast wifi connection. Martin was able to broach the 351 msgs which had accumulated for him since LE.

The morning ride was hilly and fiddly and we were consulting maps constantly. On one occasion we were just hanging out in the middle of a rural road checking our route, when along came a small car which could only just squeeze past us. The driver gently remarked: “I see that it’s getting difficult to find anywhere to park bicycles these days!”.

We ended the morning at Pucklechurch where the HFT (Home Farm Trust) HQ team were there to greet us. A lively and sunny celebration at the Rose and Crown.

Rain had been forecast for the afternoon, a light shower or two we thought. But what came was a thunderstorm of biblical proportions, and we were all completely soaked. This gave us experience of riding through heavy rain on busy roads, which will come in useful during the next few days. Wearing lycra pants means that the nether regions dry out pretty fast, and we all have rain repellent jackets. Peter even has something like a bath cap to wear under his helmet to protect what remains of his hair.

We have now all retired for our Sabbath rest after a hugely enjoyable and often testing 281 miles. Normal service will be resumed on Sunday.