LEJOG Day 4! What a day! 3 counties, 79.5 miles, and 4213 ft of climbing and we’re now in Shropshire! It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come in just 4 days and all powered by our own legs (and copious amounts of cake!).
Today started with the BEST surprise, a completely unexpected visit from M&D, who appeared at the hotel just as we were preparing (/ faffing with) our bikes ready to leave. It was so good to see them both and I started the ride with a smile which lasted all day long (even on the hills!)!
Once we set off we went on a not so scenic tour of Gloucester’s town centre and industrial areas, including Gloucester Quays and Kingsholm. Soon enough we were out in the countryside again and pleased to see some flowers and quieter roads again in the sunshine.
June flowers always make me smile! These were extra special as we had finally escaped from our tour of Gloucester industrial estates!
Next we were on to our next border crossing, this time out of Gloucestershire and into Worcestershire. I loved the Worcestershire and Shropshire countryside. The hills were rolling, the fields were green and it was just one of those days where you feel so lucky to be able to explore by bike! After the wildness of the Cornish and Devon countryside this felt much more familiar and was really beautiful.
Next stop was the pretty town of Bewdley, spanning the River Severn near the Worcestershire and Shropshire border.
Next we crossed the border into Shropshire and after such a good day cycling in the sunshine, working so well together as a team decided that we really deserved a drink when we made it into Bridgenorth. We’re working so well as a team together now and I’m looking forward to seeing what we achieve over the next 8 days on the road! We’ve also cracked the county sign group selfie!
The last sight of the day was Ironbridge, somewhere I’d never visited before, but do remember having a postcard from here a long time ago. Sadly the bridge was covered for repairs, but I did buy my daily postcard with a picture of it for Nana.
The final challenge of the day was a 9% hill out of Ironbridge, before we were at our hotel and I had a chance to ice my sore foot and check out the day’s additions to my tanlines!
Worcestershire and Shropshire have definitely had my favourite countryside so far, and I’ve also enjoyed nosing and lots of lovely houses, with many unusual chimneys, and passing by beautiful and fragrant gardens. It definitely seems the right time of year to cross England with all the roses out!
Thank you again for all your support and lovely comments which really make me smile 😊 and for all your generous donations to Alzheimer’s Research that are helping them fund vital research into finding a treatment or cure for this horrible disease. If you’d like to donate, please visit my JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/harriet-bowyer-lejog