Friday 1 August 2008

Day 3: The good times?...Exeter to Cheddar






Really knackered on the last few hills of north Devon, but we dragged ourselves in to Cullompton for tea and teacakes. Rest of the ride was fab, with a great, sunny 12 mile stretch along the canal from Taunton to Bridgewater. Encountered some local kids leaping/tombstoning off a lock gate into deep water. We both agreed it was the kind off dangerous stuff we wouldn't want our kids to do but would have ourselves!

Met a very genial, retired Geordie chap at Bridgewater Morrisons, who introduced himself as a fellow 'bicyclist' and offered, very enthusiastically, to load our bikes into his van and take us back to his house for dinner and a free bath! Hmmm.


Encountered a bizarre optical illusion coming down to Cheddar, on a hill going steeply down which required a fair bit off pedalling.

















Met by a highly grumpy lady at the hostel who played James query about a Sauna and massage with a straight bat/face: " We're a hostel. We have showers." Ouch. We'd left dinner a bit late but found a local pub where I bartered for an extra chicken fillet but got a rasher of bacon and extra fries instead. Back to the Hostel to be told off by miserable dragon lady for not returning the washroom key. Complained to the manager next day to be told:" Yeah. I know all about that lady...She's my wife."





















Sleeping was hard due to a canny old cove whose outrageously loud and erratic snoring (coupled with the musical farting of a big naked chap in the bunk opposite me) drove us both to sleep downstairs in the lounge. The one thing we both had desperately needed was kip. We got about 3 hours!

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