Day 11 Taunton to Bodmin

Waking up in another decent bed was followed by Chris unexpectedly knocking on the door with a cup of tea. Sadly that was the highlight of the day and it was all going to be downhill from there on in. After breakfast we waved goodbye to our kind hosts and set off aiming to get Somerset and Devon done and dusted.

The weather forecast had promised rain and high winds for all of today but we arrived in Tiverton without getting too wet. In Tiverton we got our bike tyres pumped up by The Bike Shop and and the lass who was working in Subway let us bring our bikes inside whilst we wolfed down an early lunch. Thank you very much indeed!

Just outside of Tiverton we encountered the first rain shower of the day which saw me scurrying for waterproofs but Chris elected not to bother. Five minutes later Chris had obviously had the better foresight when the rain stopped and we were presented with the Bickleigh hill. That was a hill and a half, and was the first of many climbs that we would have on the road to Okehampton. And each hill was an evil little devil full of spite and switchbacks that promised summits but delivered more gradients.

Eventually we arrived in Oakhampton were with rain clouds looming we decided to stop for tea in a fabulous cake shop called W T Endacott which served hot pasties and scrumptious cakes. Suitably refreshed we decided to head out into the cold just as a shower had started. We bought four bags of skittles and started climbing towards the A30. We had planned on sticking to the minor roads however the hills that we had faced on the way to Okehampton convinced us that the main artery through Devon and Cornwall was going to be the only route to making decent ground.

Just outside of the town the shower became a downpour and we took shelter for five minutes under a tree until it had backed off a bit. By the time we arrived at the A30 slip road we had only covered 5 miles in two hours and realised we needed to get a wriggle on as there was still 40 miles in front of us that day. Just before the slip road we had seen two very low flying BAE Hawk jets in black and white colours flying around, at one point crossing below one another. It was a great surprise to see them roaring around in the leaden skies.

Although progress was faster on the dual carriageway it was still very hilly indeed. To be honest the 40 miles on the A30 were virtually all the same, either pedalling against the wind or climbing up long and drawn out inclines. At the summit of each slope we could usually see another two we would need to climb. Fun it wasn't... The only notable events were coming to the welcome to Cornwall sign, having the inside lane to ourselves for a few miles where half the road had been coned off due to resurfacing work and at the top of one particularly arduous climb seeing a very low flying GR4 Tornado complete with loads on the pylons banking only a few hundred feet above us. That properly lifted my spirits!

Eventually we found the turn to Bodmin and descended into the town. I'd never have believed I would be glad to see Bodmin but after 96 of the most cruelest miles I have cycled I was so happy to stop. We had some food in the local weatherspoons, a beautiful building that had once been a church then found accomodation in the White Hart Inn for the night which has the distinction of having the best shower of the trip outside the hotel and two very nice chaps running the place downstairs.
Tomorrow we should be in Lands End before 4pm with only 58 hilly miles to go and that will be the end of this adventure.