A rest day

Today we took it easy. Kind of. We were staying at Horton near Ilminster and meant to take the whole day off but changed our minds when our hosts, Chris and Rose, went off to a wedding. We sorted out a b&b at Culmstock, some 3 miles beyond Hemyock and set out about one-thirty. We had only about 14 miles to go - a doddle you might think. Chris and Rose supported Harry against Gigi and we took what appeared to be the direct route. We soon understood why Gigi had recommended a more roundabout route. We climbed and climbed and climbed. Sadly Gigi took umbrage and turned herself off for no reason. She has never played this particular trick and I am at a loss to know the real reason but the details of that particular section of our journey appear to be irrevocably lost. A pity because i am convinced the record would have been stratling for the change in elevation. In this part of the world hills are so normal that the roads have normal names like Uffculme Road when they should have names like Horrible Hill, Horrendous Hill, Humungous Hill, Hairy-as-a-very-hairy-indeed-thing Hill and so on. It took about half an hour to get up the first one, which rose from Horton and went on and on. Then we went down the other side (the hairy one) and started thinking about finding a bike shop to get new brake pads. Eventually when I was at breaking point we found a most excellent pub which I whole-heartedly recommend called the Candlelight Inn which fed and restored us even though it was after two thirty. "The best sandwiches I have ever tasted" Harry said. Plus they had a little garden with lots of butterflies. And very good cider. The young (about 40) publican encouraged us saying the hill ahead was the last serious one on our journey and his personal best doing it on his bike was 7 minutes. It took us 15.

I should mention finding the Hastoe scheme at Hemyock. I had no post code nor address so I Googled it and got an idea that Hastoe's houses were on the site of the old St Ivel milk processing factory. We tracked this down eventually and then on the way out of the town I spotted a development which looked the sort of thing Hastoe does and sure enough it was so. I'm inclined to claim that as two schemes if my sponsors will put up with that.

Tomorrow we expect to have another half day and that will make up our full day off, spread over two days.