Notes from a Damian

Highlights?
The company of course.
The hostels. The variety was great.
The whole area around the Wye Valley was really nice. Wells Cathedral was fantastic. Clifton Bridge amazing.
Riding over Dartmoor was great including that thrilling descent.
Some great cafes including the National Trust one and that one in Leominster.

Lowlights (if any)?
That road through Plymouth
Every time I go to Cornwall it rains!
Stopping in Lancaster rather than John O Groats

Best hostel?
I liked them all in some way. It was the variety that made it interesting. Liked Exeter for its facilities and comfort, Street for querkiness, Bridges for strangeness and that other one in the Wye Valley for being scenic [Welsh Bicknor]

Top Tips / Advice for others?
Shorts and knee warmers, arm warmers and gilets for flexibility.
Get nutrition and hydration right (little and often; carbs only whilst riding, plenty of protein in the evening). Shakes were really good.
Wash stuff rather than carrying it.
Use Gator Skin tyres.
70 miles per day seemed about right for challenging riding and sight seeing.

How do you feel now it's over?
Great memories, already thinking about the next adventure

How do you feel about the Scottish section?
Bring it on!

Anything else you would like to share? I think cycle touring is tremendous. There's always something around the next corner and all you have to worry about is where the next toasted teacake is coming from.

Ian's Story

What were your Highlights?
The run along Wye Valley picking up a bite at Tintern Abbey. Then Monmouth.
The drizzly drag over Dartmoor. Challenging but very satisfying. Lovely horses.
That last 12 miles into Exeter.
Damian's navigation.
Cycling over Clifton Suspension Bridge (It's a civil's thing).
Buying Savlon.

Lowlights (if any)?
I was looking forward to showing the gang Looe, Cornwall but it looked terrible on the day. Felt a bit guilty dragging them around.
Leading us to Wells church causing Rachel injury [Don't worry it's just a large bruise due to co-ordination/pannier error]
That pub that locked its doors on us just as the taste buds were getting excited.

Busy A roads, probably a necessary evil.

That bus that nearly tagged us - very neat side shimmy though Rachel.
Putting on and taking off blinkin duvet covers.

Best hostel?
I've tried to put them all out of my mind, but Golant was quite nice. There was a soccer buz going on and the Peroni was tasty and the huge dorm was almost empty. Not that I'm antisocial or anything.

Top Tips / Advice for others?
Be really, really disciplined, ruthless and sensible about packing. Think hard and logically about it. I didn't and hauling useless stuff up hills really annoyed me.
Make sure your bottom and your saddle are the best of friends.

How do you feel now it's over?

Physically fine. Mentally, pleased that I managed it and didn't let anyone down. Happy that my old bike fared well too. Told you I wasn't going to puncture this time. Glad we all got on well over the week.

How do you feel about the Scottish section?

Suppose it really has to be done. With Annie and Jake.

Anything else you would like to share?

I didn't know until sunny Friday that you can get sunburned through
lycra shorts. Skin on lower back and upper butt is glowing red.
Did this happen with any of you? [No but my hnads are very red/brown especially the right, along with my right thigh and calf]

The end of the road

Well the bags are unpacked, the washing is done and the bike's been put away for a little rest.

I feel like I've had more sleep in the last two nights than I had all last week and apart from a rather red right calf due to excessive sun on our race for home on Friday I feel quite refreshed. Although I've yet to get back on my bike, think I will leave that for tomorrow.

Along the way we often discussed the route we were taking and what we could have done differently. We hadn't put a great deal of effort into the planning to be honest as we decided to follow (half of) the 14 day CTC YHA route, which by it's very nature is restrictive as your days are decided by the location of hostels.

All in all it worked well and the directions proved to be pretty spot on - with some excellent interpretation by our guide de jour Mr Bonsall.

I kept a brief summary of our journeys and hostels which I will post later on - even so many villages, roads all start to blur into one. I have failed to identify locations on several photos already. Oh well.

We have arrived!

The Final Push

It's only quarter to eleven and we're already in Ormskirk (in a contemporary tea room nonetheless)! As we've taken the most urban route possible we've been going at a fair old speed along the A roads. Not the most scenic by any stretch of the imagination but I think everyone just wants to get home now.

Set off in full sun just before 8am along the A41 to Birkenhead to catch the Mersey ferry at 9am. Arrived with a good few minutes to spare except we were at the wrong terminal. Luckily it only took us 5 minutes to get to the right one at Seacombe, and with enough time to buy a breakfast pastry and partake of the FREE tea & coffee.

We've been round more roundabouts and through more sets of traffic lights (about 67) in the last 30 miles than we have all week.

Fastest/shortest day today from Bridges (Long Mynd) to Chester. The first few miles were up and down (although the 'big hill' failed to materialise?) then it was lots of downhill/flat miles.

Managed to add about 3 miles on by going in the wrong direction but all in all we've made very few directional errors - thanks to Damian and his bar bag reading. I suppose a little bit of getting lost/confusion is to be expected, and at least we haven't lost anything else although Ian rescued my sunglasses twice (in one day) and left his wallet in a pub. Not like the guys who stopped us on the road between Lands End and Penzance who had managed to lose a bike from the back of their car!

We arrived in Chester early for us - around 3pm in glorious sunshine. We're staying at a backpackers place just a few doors down from The Edge - so we popped in and had a quick look round on our way into town.

Feels quite strange being so close to home - doesn't feel like quite so much of an adventure now, especially when tomorrow's ride is basically to get home.

Still trying to work out our route back to Lancaster tomorrow. Expecting it to be around 75-80 miles - including our 4th and final ferry trip. Forecast looks great for tomorrow - just a pity it wasn't like this back in Cornwall so we could have gone for a dip.

Think once we're back home we will have more time to reflect on the trip, contemplate what we might have done differently and share any tips.

Anyway hasta manana. Lancaster aqui venimos.

A bridge too far

Wednesday 1 June: Another delayed entry due to lack of signal in Shropshire and a small accident involving a toilet and mobile phone.
Anyway here goes:

Another day that turned out to be a bit longer than expected at almost 70 miles. Good weather in the main but perhaps a bit boring. Lovely countryside but no real places of interest.

Fairly flat but on day 5 all slopes start to feel like hills and all hills like mountains. Felt a bit like it was just cycling today - turning the pedals. Damian had his 2nd puncture.

Arrived at the hostel to find out that the next door pub that offers food was closed for refurbishment and the next nearest one was 3 miles away. In the nick of time we managed to order in house: 3 courses for just £10 - the catch? You have to wash your own dishes. And no beer!