Day 8

Started the morning with a bad choice of route, giving me 35 miles of punishing hills! Any would be end to enders reading this blog would be well advised to avoid the A466!!

Greig went home last night to get cleaned up etc, (it was needed - scruffy git!) and returned with his car to meet me at Chepstow. He then went ahead at 15 mile intervals to meet me for breaks to sort me out with energy (Mars) bars and energy drinks (not Guinness!!). He also found time to persuade a petrol station sales assistant to shout stuff at me through the forecourt tannoy when I went past!!

I decided to try and put in a really big day today to break the back (and possiby mine!) of the rest of the trip. It was a tough day - when I wasn't climbing hills, there was a relentless, fierce at times, headwind, which I had to swear at a lot. But with support from Greig, I didn't have to stop for so long so I finished the day in Exeter after nearly 11 hours in the saddle and 134 miles covered.

Saddle and achilles soreness now beyong belief. Tomorrow is Cornwall, which apparently is a nightmare of steep undulation. I need this to be over soon!!!