Days 19 to 23 (Monday 13.9 to Friday 17.9.10)

Day 19:  after the scrambled eggs and updating the blog we had to ease ourselves away from Pat and Richard's;  Richard had given us excellent instructions and Alison and I applied them differently;  no doubt Alison correctly followed the route as I not only was slower than her (nothing to do with pedalling) but I watched a series of signposts go by that seemed to place me closer to Farway the further I cycled, the best being at my cycled  distance of 6.5 miles being only 3 miles from Farway.  Eggs no doubt can be heavy, especially when free range home hens have handed them in, which must have been the reason that I had my second walk of the trip up one of the early hills.  Sad though I was to leave the area I locked on to the main road to Sidmouth with a little relief.  My next excitement was not long to come, I got to Budleigh Salterton;  not only is this where Giles Wembbley-Hogg (if I spelt his name right) is from but it was first sight of the south sea (since the 'north sea' at John O Groats).  From here I went straight on to meet up with Alison at Exmouth to cross the estruary;  Alison hastened me to catch the ferry but I got so enthusiastic that I went past it and she had to keep phoning me to come back while she held the ferry back by engaging repartee.  Once on the ferry I ate the eccles cake she had given me and chatted to a young man cycling from Dover to Land's End;  he started out with a mate but he had injured.  We helped each other with the bikes, and his panniers, across the railway tracks at the other side and then he seemed to feel under some sort of obligation to cycle at my pace;  I soon suggested that he be on his way, the road was too busy to chat much further, and away he went;  I was then searching for a cup of tea and more to eat;  Dawlish was not much to my taste and cycling up the, long, hill out of there I was surprised to see the young man walking his bike at the top;  this gave me an extra lift to get over the hill before he did.  His panniers were really heavy.  He soon overtook me and disappeared.  I enjoyed apple pie and ice cream with a pot of tea in Teignmouth where I got a reply text from Alison that she was in a car park at the top of a hill the other side of the estuary;  finishing my repast I set off and finding signs to a car park after climbing for a while I went back down to sea level to see Alison at the car park;  it was the ferry car park;  Alison really was at the top of the hill;  I now could really appreciate the extent of the hill as I did not have an interruption to the climb before I saw her.  I did not stop long to chat to Alison, she was off to find the camp site for the night and my legs were so eager to get going again that they were shaking.  I obviously got so much into the cycling on the next part of the day, again, that I subconsciously felt a need to cycle some bits twice;  Torquay saw quite a bit of me, going round / taking the odd short cut and seeing Babbacombe again (north of Torquay) before getting a proper run at it and getting out the south end to get to Brixham.  Alison had been having a similarly successful time and found that the camp site she had chosen had closed (a while back) and had to find another;  this soon done we reached the site pretty much together in the rush hour (though I doubt it lasted that long; it was busy and people seemed well focussed on getting away from work and back to their homes).  52 miles average 11.1 mph.

Day 20:     dawned wet and windy;   I decided that I wanted  to go with Alison to visit her aunt Winifred in Brixham; I realised that this would mean a late start, maybe even prejudice my setting off at all for the day;  I thought I could live with this, the forecast being to rain and adverse strong winds all day.  It was a rest day;  Alison made sure that I did not stiffen up too much by setting us exercises of going up and down to the sea at various places (101 steps down and 101 back from where we parked the van just to get lunch in Brixham being one of them).

Day 21:  Wednesday;  was still first thing though the breeze got up before I set off.  It was sunny pretty much all day.  Alison thought we might meet up at the ferry across the Dart;  we did not as I took the 'higher' one and she the 'lower'.  Mine used the chain ferry (as on Windermere);  Alison's used a tug to shove and pull the ferry about;  her's had narrow roads to approach and depart by.  I think we think that I was the luckier.  We met at Kingsbridge for a bowl of soup and a chat before agreeing to meet for the night at Looe where Alison has friends.  Before we could get to Looe we had to go through Plymouth and we thought we might try for the same ferry (another chain ferry);  signposting for the ferry is for those how know the way in Plymouth.  I got a long text from Alison with some directions and sense of despair that I would ever be seen again (she does not have much confidence in my following directions even now).  I did not even try to follow her directions;  I did not even read her text until after I was on the ferry as I had asked my way;  3 people came to my aid from the one request;  the first said he did not know and the second not only stepped in to help but walked me across the footbridge (I must really have looked incompetent, or he might have been going that way anyway) and when I got to the other side a cyclist was waiting for me, he having passed us as we walking and talking our way across the bridge;  the cyclist was 76 and showing the benefit of so many years training;  I managed to tuck in behind him and kept up with his rapid pace round the Hoe, through the traffic, ignoring various signs to the ferry (I did not have breath, inclination or time to ask why) and arrived at the ferry to be waved off with instruction to go the right side of the ferry as you get off first.  I was and am most grateful to him.  From there it was a simple matter of making my uncomplicated way to Looe, a little wearily as I had not had anything to eat since Kingsbridge;  I got another text from Alison saying that she was in a cafe at the top of another hill at Looe;  I was about 9 miles away and had been hoping for something before I got Looe;  instead I ate the second, I think, banana of the trip;  they are good.  So fortified I cycled the rest of the way through to Looe.   Alison was out of signal so I went along the top road putting off the descent into the town;  it was a steep descent;  having noticed that the front brake blocks looked a lot thinner that morning I had been favouring the back brake when I could that day;  I started down the narrow, steep descent, with a little front brake and heavy back grip.  Fortunately a car came up and I had to get off to make room for him;  the rear brake was making disturbing sounds.  Alison rang me when I got the bottom of the hill;  we met up and I cycled up a lesser hill to our night's accommodation.  Very generously Graham and Gill put us up in their hotel 'Barclay House';  very sumptuous;  wonderful food;  excellent company.  Wined and dined we slept well.  62.5 miles average 10.8 (slowest of the trip thus far)

Day 22:   third week on the road.  After a little test I was much relieved that the back brake had had a good night too and recovered.  Graham had commended using two more chain ferries (leaving the Poole one as the only one in England I have not been on).  Well  breakfasted I set out;  the Fowey ferry is picturesque as is King Harry's ferry.  There are hills associated with ferry crossings and I was 'fine' with the exits to both;  I got suckered by signs after the King Harry ferry cutting off a corner to go through 'Come to Good';  I went and had to get off, one hill too many / too many riches together ?  I walked a bit of a hill.  Then I joined the busy dual carriageway and it was to be A roads to meet up with Alison;  Alison had found a site to the west of Helston;  we met up on a hill out of Helston and pedalled the last 5 miles to the van together.  Another dry and sunny day.  62.5 miles  11.5 mph average

Day 23:  Friday 17.9.10:   only 18 odd miles to do;  it went remarkably quickly;  the usual sunny dry morning to set off with;  I met Alison again cycling towards me about 2 1/2  miles out and we cycled in together.  Having just got over the 'finish' line a shower of rain came in.  Who cared then?  18.2 miles average 13.5 mph.

Total distance JOG /LE  1,205

We have come on to the Isles of Scilly for a few days (maybe even to cycle them)

Alison has been fantastic;  she has driven nearly all the roads, little and big that I have;  she has had the stress of finding us somwhere to stay and the additional stress of wondering whether I would find it when she had.  If she had not gone to John's funeral I do not think I would have carried on the trip.  Just a big 'thank you' to her.

I am also most grateful  to everyone else who has encouraged and guided me along the way.

If any of you felt that you would like to give some money to a charity as a  result I would divide any received between Alzheimers and 1st Responders (Gamblesby, Melmerby and Unthank).

I may add a note of our Isles trip when we are back home