Day 3 - Okehampton to Bridgwater - the long version

As expected the day started with a climb out of Okehampton but thankfully nothing too steep. Soon we were making good time on a rolling B road towards Crediton. We passed over the Dartmoor Railway and also saw a rather stunning house made from the local stone surrounded by an immaculate garden.




Eventually we came to the point where the road to Crediton joined the main route between Exeter and the noth Devon coast. Deciding that it looked rather busy {a fact no doubt made worse by the fact that it was the first weekend after most schools broke up for the summer} we decided to cut the corner, missing out Crediton, and headed towards Tiverton on a network of small roads.

Big mistake. BIG MISTAKE. It started with a manageable climb and then a short spell on an undulating road. It turned out that the “hills gods” were just lulling us into a false sense of security! We were quickly forced to revise the view, expressed yesterday, that Cornish hills are steeper than their Devon counterparts as Devon responded to the slight in spades!

Christine seemed to spend at least half her time walking and the remainder clutching on the brakes for dear life. Stephen initially refused to be beaten and ground his way him - even resorting to his “granny gear” in which you cyle little faster than you can walk. In the end, however, even he succumbed and started pushing.

After an hour and a half of leg-breakingly slow progress, we decided that we had seen enough of this part of Devon and headed down to the main road (by now a different one from that thronged with escaping schoolchildren and their families) in the valley. A fat, 1½ mile downhill ensued and we were back in the land of the speeding car upset at being held up for a few seconds by two impertinent cyclists having the temerity to use the road, for goodness sake!

Thankfully, we made our way into Tiverton safely and enjoyed a late lunch picnicking in the Tesco car park. {We know how to live!}

Back on the road again, we unknowingly crossed into Somerset, Christine being piqued that the county of her birth did not see fit to put up a sign for her to photograph! We had hoped to meet up for a quick coffee with Betty and Peter (Christine’s parents) as we passed through Taunton but the slow progress in the morning meant that it nearly 6 o‘clock by the time we got to the town and we still had a way to go.

At least it was flat as we joined the towpath beside the Taunton (home of the mighty Somerset County Cricket Club) to Bridgwater (as appealing as Slough or Basingstoke) Canal but there was to be another twist of fate. A puncture! The first of the trip and hopefully the last. With a new tube fitted we were back on our way and were thankful to reach the hotel just before 7.30. The Boat and Anchor is an old canal pub right on the towpath and within earshot of the M5.