Princes Risborough - Lawshall

Miles 97 today
In 6hrs 10mins burning 3024 Kcal climbing 4380ft

Miles total 130
In 28hrs 22mins burning 14584 Kcal climbing 24560ft
Most miles in a day : 105.2

The roof light to the bedroom had water on it this morning. Not again! Yes, not again, this time it was fog. The problem was that we couldn’t see passed the end of the garden, although the garden was quite long.

By the time I left the B&B my sponsorship fund had risen as the owner, Miv, had made a donation. This was a real surprise and I am grateful.

I hit the road and started climbing. The first few miles was fine, but then despite keeping to side roads the traffic increased. I figured out later that I was close to Luton, and traffic was avoiding it much as I was. Somerset now losses its’ crown and it passed to the bit south and west of Luton.

I had arranged to meet an old school friend at a pub at 1pm about 60miles from the start. This put a bit of pressure on to try and get there not too late. I’m not that great at getting places on time, but the closed road at Codicote nr Stevenage didn’t help. I asked the workmen if I could squeeze through, but it was clear that there was too much going on. The diversion took me back the way I had come, back up hill, and I have no map to figure out where I am being taken. I managed to get back on the route and upped the pace. I crossed the A1(M).

Buntingford and everything changed: Little traffic, rolling roads, and I had some sort of tail wind. Fields of stubble everywhere. Essex is brown in a nice way. It was Uttlesford District, where colleagues at work may remember Nick Ford came from and then went back to.

SQUIRREL!

Lunch at Debden. Sophie and youngest daughter had come from Cambridge. I reckon I haven’t seen her for 25 years so I hoped we would recognise each other. She had to look out for a cyclist in an orange top, I had the hint of a 7 year old. Appaternly I was at school with Sophie from the age of 9 to 18. She then went to Oxford (University) and I went to Dorset Institute of Higher Education (Insert your own witticism here). I was only 45 mins late, and it was really nice to chat over lunch if only for an hour (the pub closed!) I have been in contact with a few school friends over the last few years, some of whom may be reading this. Sophie was the one who contacted me first and gave me the impetus to contact others. So blame/thank Sophie. It was good to see her happy and content.

It still hadn’t rained and I was too warm , irony of irony. I had put more clothes on due to the fog and forecast showers which then failed to materialise. I will now continue to wear too much to keep the rain at bay.

After lunch the soup sat a little heavy in my stomach so I took it easy and rolled along, after the drive to get to lunch. I ended up on another of the Tour of Britain stages, expect this one to be fast.

B&Bs are now booked up to Sunday night so I am going to have to keep going, but I feel fine. I am not really pushing that hard, just getting it done in a reasonable time, and stopping to take photos and that. I am eating when I finish, but I am not ravenous so things seem to be in balance.

Tomorrow is east then west so I am going to pick up the wind somewhere I suspect.