Day 3: Cheriton Bishop (East of Dartmoor) to Clevedon

July 19, 2023

[A day late as I fell asleep in my clothes on top of the bed!]

I thought it would be easier today… what a naive person I am. All was fine until accumulated fatigue, distance, navigation mistakes and, at the end, weather all conspired against me. I was really pleased to finish another epic day.

Pack it up, pack it in. Let me begin.

I camped but didn’t sleep well at all. I woke up a few times in the night and eventually got up at 7 something. It took an age to pack (I repacked everything!), and then eventually set off about 9am.

The ride to Crediton was lumpy and about 7 miles. I pressed on without stopping, having not eaten the night before or that morning (a couple of small snacks aside), and made it to a place selling glorious farm breakfasts. Oh my! A slight communication breakdown though. Having not eaten hardly anything in 24 hours, I inexplicably ordered a side of a milkshake to go with my Full English … or at least I thought I had. We realised that a mild communication breakdown had occurred when the waitress brought a bowl of chocolate ice cream to accompany my breakfast. Whoops!

Cash in the bank

Most of today’s ride was just getting the miles in, through parts of Devon and Somerset that wasn’t a patch on the beauty of Cornwall and Dartmoor. The reason for that was the route.

Lots of gravel canal paths (fine gravel generally with some parts containing larger stones), coupled with some overgrown sections where you had no choice to get hit by foliage. Also, for a few miles, genuine mountain bike single track, which I didn’t expect.

Weirdly, the parts of Somerset I was riding through often looked just like North Lincolnshire. Flat as a pancake, lots of farms, lots of drainage channels. For a much of it, if you would have told me it was North Lincs I would have believed you! Devon and (in particular) Cornwall were much more distinct.

To hello or not hello

It was noticeable that fewer people acknowledged me as I went past today. It was strange. I’d let cars through (as I usually do) by going out of my way to pull over - no acknowledgment usually (no wave or thank you). I’d also pass people (walkers / joggers / people taking dogs out on country lanes), and smile or sometimes say hello, as I would always where I normally ride. Often nothing. Anecdotal but it happened a lot and I found it quite perplexing. I didn’t notice the same thing happening in much more rural Cornwall.

Going well until…

I though it was a straightforward day until I starter feeling very tired about 30 miles from home. Poor sleep the night before, a few heavy days of riding and questionable base fitness all had a part in it I think. I was really flagging and had run low on food. I changed the route to McDonald’s at one point but changed my mind. One of my remaining 150 calorie snacks did seem to pick me up quite a lot. I’ve also got some saddle sores that were starting to make things much more difficult.

I pushed through, counting down the miles to

home, but made the mistake of switching to Google Maps about 20 miles from the (by this time) cheap hotel that I’d booked. It was only £30 more than the one convenient campsite and the forecast was for rain.

Deja vu

The rain promptly arrived and, once again (per Day 1), it was too wet to use my phone for directions. I did try but my problems were compounded by Google Maps suggesting an utterly ludicrous route; via a muddy field that I don’t thing was even a public road (no thanks) and a very busy A-road (again not for me). I eventually managed to get back on a quiet route and the last 8 miles or so were on an off road old railway track called the Strawberry Trail. At last, home.

The weight of the bike is really draining, even on a less hilly route. It’s was still undulating and hugely slowing me down, even on the flat. That’s part of the challenge though in my mind (others seem to disagree!).

Dinner is served

Once in the hotel, I went down for food (it has an attaching pub), but the kitchen was closed! Devastating!! I was having thoughts of last night’s debacle but luckily one of the two places open on Just Eat was Domino’s. A Veggie Volcano later - eaten in the pub - and I was ready to doze off fully clothed on top of the bed.