LEJOG days 6 and 7 (Peter)

Day 7 required the musketeers to be at their steeliest, esp. Martin and Peter. Richard and Stewart had presciently ridden on the Sabbath to Worcester, and so missed the morning’s steady cold rain. Martin and Peter, who had gone variously to Hay-on-Wye and Oxford on Friday, were scheduled to ride from Tewkesbury to Worcester on Sunday morning.

The rain was not so much the “interesting” part, as was the blustery, anti-prevailing Nor’ Easter. And so the two were pleased to get, damply, to the Old Rectifying House, a fine pub by the banks of the Severn in Worcester, to sit by a warm radiator, to catch up with Richard and Stewart, and also with Stewart’s gracious daughter, Laura, and her beau, Duncan, who teaches Poker..... The couple were headed to Hay-on-Wye to hear Jimmy Carter et al at the book festival.

After a restorative lunch, the team set off, delayed slightly by Peter having two punctures and needing to replace a gashed outer. The rain had stopped, but the wind hadn’t, and it was barely 50F at best. Any thoughts we may have had that the N.Worcs and Shropshire countryside would be as benign for cycling as it is for its scenery were quickly dispelled. It was like the more rugged parts of Cornwall, and we had 37 miles to travel. The best part of the journey, undoubtedly, was arriving at our destination, the very pretty and historic market town of Much Wenlock. And a very hot bath!

Day 8 takes us into Cheshire and through Nantwich where we hope that the dust has settled from the earthquake which was last week’s by-election.