Some worthwhile delays

Worst nightmare: slippy road down a 12% incline

Had to stop a few times and took a wrong turn that set me back about ten minutes(the town is back that way) but I was seeing another sleepy town and country roads so that beats the back of a lorry any day. Crossed onto the A389 which was a nice stretch then got to a T-junction and saw the sun setting so the race was on to get to the coast before it went down.

It wasn’t to be though. First I got myself hilariously delayed climbing up an icy hill. I got off the bike and walked up the right hand side but wasn’t far enough over to the edge so after a couple of metres on the ice I started slowly sliding backwards. My runners weren’t gripping at all so I pulled the brakes and hung on in there wondering what to do next. How had my panniers not toppled me over yet I do not know. Spotted a dry gap in the ice, managed to get one foot on it and then reached further over to the grass at the edge and dragged the bike over.

It was only around this point (50k in) that my feet started getting cold so the cling film was once again a great success. I’d experimented and individually wrapped my right foot toes and group wrapped the left foot. Individually wrapped definitely worked better cause it was only really my left big toe that was feeling bad. Went on a bit further and got delayed again by this.

Yeah that’s right, a fucking dolmen in someones front garden. I set out hoping to see something like Blisland which was you know nice but not as classy as this. This was a proper trip now. 40 miles a day was the perfect amount to have time to stop and take pictures. Imagine going by Stonehenge and not having time to stop and have a look. I saw an old lady in the garden and figured once again I probably wouldn’t say anything to her and end up regretting it but luckily she said

‘would you like to look at the stones?’ Turns out she wasn’t an old lady but an old man. He said he was into druids and that sort of stuff and he’s been on the telly a few times

‘they love you if they think you’ve lost your marbles’ and even Thatcher paid him a visit once. First he showed me a plaque on the wall. Really wanted to get a pic beside everything but old Edward was struggling with the camera. First time nothing happened. Second time zoomed in then walked too far back so couldn’t see me anymore, then he thought he took one

‘oooh I’m not appy with dat Nay-ul, I’m not appy with dat.’ Ah that would be the menu screen, that’s not me at all. Same thing happened a few more times.

‘I got one glass eye and one…’ something something. I don’t know I wasn’t really paying attention. Finally he got one.

Almost there

It'll have to do

“If you haven’t got any money, stay close to they that have.” That’s my whole philosophy.

Showed me a couple of stones that he got from the Falkland’s and we rocked a rocking stone together and made a wish. Then he went inside to get me some information. Alright, don’t you go dyin’ on me.

Falkland stones and rocking one on the right. They really were way bigger than they look