Day 2 took us through more of Cornwall, Devon and into Somerset, getting us started on the tradition of taking photos of county signs which continued for the whole trip. It was also our biggest day of climbing, with 6240 ft of elevation gain, and 6 hours of pedalling. The big focus of the day was getting over Devon. Though in parts it’s beautiful it was tough, with endless hills and some bumpy roads! I think I’m going to feel its effect on my legs tomorrow, but I’m sure I’ll recover and there’s a lot more adventures to come!
The day started with real excitement when we cross the Devon-Cornwall border then immediately met a 9% hill climb in Devon.
We celebrated this first border crossing and big hill climb by stopping in Tavistock where I went for the the regional classic of scones with jam and clotted cream – kick starting the big debate of which should be added to the scone first. I went for cream then jam which seems to be the Devon way. In any case they were enormous (and delicious!).
After enjoying the beautiful wildness of Dartmoor we stopped at another garden centre for lunch where I carried on ‘regional eating’ by ordering a pasty. Then we hit the road again riding down country lanes on into Somerset.
After 6 hours of cycling from Liskeard to Wellington, riding 78.5 miles across three counties, with 6240ft of elevation gain we were ready for a rest! Day three was really hard work, the hills were bigger and my legs more tired! This certainly isn’t like an 80-miler round Oxfordshire!
