Tuesday, July 13th
After about 30km of cycling across relatively flat farming country, we arrived in Cheddar for morning tea (elevenses in the UK). It was overcast, and threatening rain, but we still enjoyed being outside.
Strange (for me, anyway) to find an Austrian themed cafe in such a British, cheesy sort of town.
Departing Cheddar we climbed one of the highlights of the ride - the famous Cheddar Gorge. There seemed to be some trepidation before the climb, but in reality it's a fairly steady and not too difficult ride (no photos, unfortunately).
After the Gorge comes the task of finding ones way onto the Severn Bridge and crossing virtually into Wales (well, the border between Wales and England).
By now the forecast rain has started and some of us are already in wet weather gear - notably me and Catriona. Robert and Teresa are more hardy, apparently. It's not cold, just drizzly...
We pose for photos, and try to decide which side of the bridge we're supposed to be on for the Bike Adventures exit.
It turns out we should have been on the other side, but there was a convenient under-pass up ahead. There were also grey skies to the west, and some rather ugly power poles. Even the water looked unattractive and uninviting.
The rain got heavier, but fortunately it wasn't too far to Tintern, rest stop for the night and home to one of the nicest ruined Abbeys I've seen, if that's not an oxymoron. This is the view from our (superior) hotel.
And this IS our superior hotel. It was here at the end of our 4th day that I first started to question whether I could make it all the way to John O'Groats - I was wet, sore, tired and just a little miserable.
I think it was also just after here, having made a few changes to my riding position and gear, that I realised I might just get to John O'Groats after-all. What a difference saddle creme, saddle height and drink additives can make.
I set off alone to explore the Abbey and surrounds.
It looks very wintry, but it was quite mild, if damp. However, I reckon winter in this valley can be particularly bleak. Which begs the question - why build an abbey here? And what caused its eventual demise?
You learn something every day on a ride like this! Some smart monk worked out how to make brass here in the 16th century. I guess he (?) just wanted a better bell!
Almost nobody lives in this picturesque valley these days, but it must have been home to tens of thousands in its day. Perhaps it was easy to defend.
At this point I'm looking for a drink and dinner. This turned out to be a couple of large ciders with a steak (very large) and chips. I dined alone, the others having dined elsewhere, but I needed some time for reflection.
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