This trip is not going to let us slide gently over the finish line. We left Plymouth via the ferry into Cornwall. In case anyone thinks this is cheating as we didn't walk round the estuary with a ~50km detour, Mark made us walk up and down the deck for the whole time we were … Continue reading Day 51 – we’ve reached Cornwall and it has decided we need more hills….

Today we've been in Plymouth seeing our youngest son who starts his chemistry degree here next week. We didn't have any preconceived ideas of what Plymouth was going to be like, beyond the single day Mark had spent here viewing Connor's flat and then dropping him off in July with the family cat, Suki. To be … Continue reading Day 50 – a rest day with more than 15km of walking!!

We finally escaped the BnB owner's tales of farm management, lack of gate closing, dead sheep and escapee cows, over breakfast, and got going at 9am. After two appalling nights' sleep in a row (last night the result of the world's most uncomfortable mattresses) we really didn't need the main road first thing. So, to … Continue reading Day 49 and it’s a slooooooow one

Today is our longest day for a while (Strava's best initial guess is 36.98km), but also the one with the highest overall  elevation (Strava's best guesstimate is 1,189m), all contained in one huge uphill feat. In summary, I've seen the FTSE 100 look calmer than this during a financial crisis. So we really wanted to … Continue reading Day 48 – requiring a different strategy for a very different day than expected 

We started the day in a Marston's Inn waking up in what was described as a "super comfortable bed" by the manager. Anyone who has slept in two single beds pushed together knows this is a lie. So, aching still, we went for breakfast which turned out to have far too many rules for me … Continue reading Day 47 – Marston’s Inn or Japanese restaurant?

The day started really well, because, you know: beautiful people, coffee and porridge with fruit, nuts and seeds in it is a combination I could stick with all day. We were really glad we decided to come this way rather than via Taunton. However, we had to leave the fabulous friends we stayed with last … Continue reading Day 46 – impatience is setting in

We left Burnham on Sea after a lie-in this morning, which was lovely.... both the leaving Burnham on Sea and the lie in. I did think the cycle stands in Burnham on Sea were quite cute, but at the same time did wonder why a whole town of people on mobility scooters who are never … Continue reading Day 45 – a town and country divide

Thankfully it's a rest day as our legs are aching so much, the first key trip out of the hotel was to top up the supply of paracetamol and ibuprofen. It's not just us with mobility issues though....... Burnham standard ratio: two hospice charity shops, three mobility scooters A quarter of residents in Burnham on … Continue reading Day 44 and we have mobility issues

Today's route was supposed to be 33.9km and ended up being 35.5, but that's nothing new. Likewise the elevation was 210m, which I feel is called "a step" in Scotland. So that wasn't impressive either. Even the environment being grey and dull from the start couldn't stop us. Although the sound of rush hour traffic … Continue reading Day 43 – a psychological journey rather than a physical one

It's always a dream start to the day when you've been kept awake by the people in the room above until gone midnight and you're making a porridge pot up with a Travelodge kettle. However, sliced banana and a tiny jar of honey made it all worthwhile and got us off to a good start … Continue reading Day 42 – a day of two halves…..