We did it!

We've cycled 1072.4 miles in sixteen days. Top speed of 35.5 mph (lowest speed of walking). We have been rained and hailed on, had scary downhill moments, long, long uphill moments, and been shot at. We've eaten lots of cake, tea on cold days, ice cream on hot days (+ gallons of water), seen amazing views, lots of birds & a variety of plant life, some of which bit back. We both have a list of places to go back and visit again with more time, and we're both looking forward to scrubbing away the sweat & WD40, eating an enormous meal and going to bed with our lovely shiny medals.
We've met an amazing variety of people, and have been helped and heartened by support from all around us.
There wasn't a proper signpost thing, but this one pointing back to John O'Groats.

Par

It's 17.14, and we've just done 1000 miles! Yay us!

Candlelit dinner with Tessa & Barry

So we're belatedly coming back to write this, to try to keep things a bit in order. So after we'd climbed the steep hill out of Uplyme, we had a good fast run into Exeter, straight along the A road, but which wasn't too busy. Inevitably, we got a little mislaid in the outskirts of Exeter, but soon sorted ourselves out, getting to Starcross for the Slowest Lunch Ever. Seriously, it was a nice sandwich, but it took ten minutes to eat after fifty minutes of waiting. So then we were behind again. Jude's cold was developing apace, and the next part to Totnes was a bit of a struggle. Eventually though, we hit the wonderful A road past Ugborough (smooth surfaced and downhill) to a wonderful restful evening with Tessa & Barry, who fed us enormous food and fixed our bikes, and Beth got a cat for the night.
The next day we had a good run to Plymouth, had a little difficulty finding the Tamar ferry and then were in Cornwall with a fair run to Boswinger ( although it was on the way there that some lads shot us with a bb gun).

The ducks welcome us to Cornwall!

Photo Tash

In Bristol, sad or hungry?

Good breakfast

Early start, seems to have worked well. A3052 was good from Uplyme to Newton Poppleford (35.5mph with a hearse behind us) then got a little too busy for comfort. Took an unintented detour to Topsham, but then quite a good cycle path towards Dawlish instead of the anticipated A379.

Falling on your feet

Today was a slightly unplanned day, we hadn't booked anywhere to stay. This can be a good thing, like today, when we decided that Honiton was Just Too Far Away, so stopped in Axminster instead. It can also be a bad thing, as today, when there was nowhere to stay in Axminster.

Eventually, we called at what seemed to be the town's only B&B, (no vacancies) who suggested we tried Lyme Regis (8 in the evening mind).
So we went to Lyme, and onthe way passed the Talbot Arms in Up Lyme.
They are marvellous. We have two huge plates of food (outside serving hours) a lovely comfy warm room with plenty of hot water, and the promise of early breakfast tomorrow :) so Steve is on the postcard list.

Day 12 - 4 Counties and 2 Countries in 1 day!

... and we had welsh cakes which are similar to chorley cakes but different. We gobbled 2 ice-creams but sadly no joke on the stick... gone are those days. We had a beautiful shady ride through the Wye Valley where we met Gary and Dave who are on day 4 heading north, and shared with them the tips and tricks we've picked up on the way. And so we arrived into Bristol and have been well fed, watered and bathed

Tintern Abbey

Wye Valley

Monmouthshire

Leaving Herefordshire

Early start

Misses some of the heat. We're in Hereford having second breakfast and map check. Trying to keep off huge scary fast roads whilst not going miles and miles out of the way is sometimes tricky.
Hereford looking North

Food!

It's the end of another beautiful day, and we're at Leominster Y.H. We had Chorley cakes at lunchtime - it suggested they should be buttered, but there was none, and they were very nice without. We've seen some of the loveliest English countryside today, looking like pictures out of a tourist brochure.
Garden at Leominster Y.H.

Day 11 A Famous Five Day

In Aston Munslow eating a very well deserved lunch sitting in a field :) Another cloudless blue sky is taking us through surprisingly hilly Shropshire- sun lotion on.