LEJOG Day 3 - Bridestowe to Wellington

It started raining as soon as got my bike out of the shed it had been stored in. I was so tired yesterday that I forgot to clean and lube my bike. So I gave it a little bit of tlc before I started off today.

We’d spent a comfortable night at Collaven Manor House and enjoyed a lovely breakfast - our third Full English in a row - Jan is downsizing to just cereals and toast tomorrow but selected Full English again for me! Something to do with needing calories to burn I think.

The first part of the ride was along the Granite Way - it was superb: 4 metres wide and smooth tarmac!!

I had a stop to take photos at Meldon Viaduct - none of the actual truss work of the bridge but several great views. It also marks the start of The Dartmoor Railway - this is actually Network Rail having reopened the line from here to Exeter!

The cycle route took me to and through Okehampton and with the occasional shower (including one of hail) I tackled a series of hills all the way to Crediton where I met up with Jan for lunch in a nice square - I fancy it looked like some of the squares we’d seen in Tuscany, especially as by now the sun was shining.

I thought the afternoon would be kinder on the hill front but I was wrong. After three or four of the beggars I needed a break and found a shady bench in the village of Bradninch. I didn’t actually manage to sit on it though - I got chatting to a local (albeit a Scouser by birth). After 10 minutes of chatting we were joined by a passing villager and after another 5 minutes I felt it was time to go (I’d eaten my energy bar and drunk about half a litre of water).

As a parting comment the local had said “the hardest hill around here is at the end of the high street” - they weren’t wrong and I was almost immediately down to granny gear for almost a mile of steep uphill!

After that the gradients eased a bit and I also enjoyed a couple of swooping downhill sections. A random “Road Closed” board suggested a possible problem but no, my route was completely free of blockages - I suspect the signs are going out early for village street parties for the Queens Jubilee. I crossed the M5 for the second time in the day and arrived in Wellington where, using Find my iPhone I located Jan at tonight’s B&B - the Blue Mantle.

We had a short walk around the twon and popped into a pub for a very pleasant evening meal...

Todays Stats:
Distance: 51.79 miles
Avg. Spd: 10.4 mph
Max Spd: 37.4 mph
Climbing: 3,707 feet
Accumulated Distance: 158 miles