Day 3

I love Devon, some of my happiest childhood memories are from when I lived here between the ages of 3 and 10. But I have to seriously question the ability of Devonians to give directions or describe a route. It started yesterday when we were in South Molton and asked to locals for directions to North Molton - the next village. I was met with blank incomprehension, head scratching and comments like "I know i've been there but i'm not sure how to get there. I felt like I had stepped into Royston Veysey. Eventually a nice lady gave us directions and we got to our B&B at 8.30, 11 hours after setting out.
The next episode of bad directions came from the locals in the pub that night. We asked about the next days route and they described quite accurately a 4 mile climb onto Exmoor then said it was "flat all the way to Bristol". I think what they had in mind was the M5 motorway which is pretty flat. But the route we followed, like the 2 previous days, was a bit more undulating. Not that i'm complaining (I don't want this blog to be a whinge) but after Exmoor which is stunningly beautiful but also a bit hilly came the Quantocks - another range of picturesque hills.
Still, the going was considerably easier than days 1 and 2 and we made much better time and had lunch shortly after 2 sheltering from the rain outside a Tesco One Stop in Bridgewater. After that we finally found the Somerset levels and flew along all the way to Cheddar.
The South end of Cheddar Gorge is a bit of an eyesore but once you get past the tat shops it is a natural wonder, but also quite a climb.
Finally after leaving the Gorge we had quite a short fast ride past Chew Valley Reservoir to our B&B in Chew Stoke. We got here around 6 which felt much better than an 8.30 end.
As tonights stop was the closest to home my wife and daughter came out and had a meal with us which was lovely but made me feel a little home sick. We went to the Crown Inn in Regil which is very friendly and does massive portions of superb home cooked pub grub. We got hopelessly lost in both directions, but if you can find the Crown Inn I thoroughly recommend it.
Part way through the Somerset levels we stopped and photographed Alex's speedo showing 200 miles - a landmark. And a short way into tomorrows ride we will pass the quarter way mark. Although we have had some tough times we have not thought once of giving up - and 25% through makes me think "hey, we can actually do this!".

A couple of comments about cycling hygeine. Weve not bothered with waterproofs and modern man-made cycling gear dries out pretty quickly once the rain stops (although the shoes full of water take longer). But the problem with cycling in wet clothes is chaffing. If a video of me appears on YouTube standing by the side of a road with a pot of Vaseline in one hand and the other down my shorts - it chaffing, right! And can somebody please recommend a solution for sore nipples.

Tomorrow is day 4 and I pass within 17 miles of home but I will carry on with the challenge. Looking forwards to cycling over the old Severn bridge and up the Wye valley past Tintern to Ross on Wye.