Dan's blog.

Day 3 and I’m in the rhythm of the ride. Another 9 hours of cycling – and whilst i didn’t reach Glastonbury – I got to Bridgewater – about 20k short (130k ridden today). Still, I arrived with a smile on my face and Ive made it to Somerset.

The day started with another lost in a town moment. I’d studied the directions and the map as my ability to lose the cycles path in towns has been consistent. So, I got up in Barnstaple. Visited a bike shop, then spent time riding round an out of town retail park, lost again. The council had bamboozled me by closing the cycle bridge over the river and frankly – this put my pretty weak navigation skills into a tailspin.

Eventually I found the way out of Barnstaple and started the longest climb so far to the peaks of Exmoor. Whilst the climb was hard, it was made a bit more interesting when the heavens opened in a Singapore style series of downpours. This meant that my waterproofs were on, then off, then on again, whilst trying to negotiate a seriously long climb. Still – it took my mind off the hill. A lovely, straight forward pub lunch (the Bridge Inn, Dullerton) was just the ticket to restore some energy and chat with friendly faces after miles and miles with only sheep and cows.

The journey became a lot easier as it meandered alongside the Bridgewater canal to Bridgewater where I’m staying tonight. The Inn is really good (the Bower Inn). The pub staff have offered to tumble dry my very wet cycling clothes. It’s amazing how often people are kind, isn’t it?