Adrian's John O'Groats to Land's End bike ride!

Thankfully not due to weather, so still open for cyclist and pedestrian crossings

I left Sharon and the hotel over an hour later than planned so immediately felt behind schedule. Then when I got to the Severn Bridge a mild moment of panic... a flashing sign saying the bridge was closed! Thankfully though, this only applied to traffic and not pedestrians and cyclists. Crossing the bridge felt like it was quite an occasion. (Oddly, I remember feeling similar when crossing the Firth of Forth.) Today also happens to mark what has become a personal milestone on this trip - moving to a new section of taped together roadmap pages, in this instance the last one! Once across the bridge, the confusion caused by the road closure and the fact that I hadn't warmed back up to the cycling mindset, I took the wrong road. A little while down the road the names on the sign didn't look familiar so I checked the map. I was really annoyed by this cock-up especially as I was now even later than planned. Normally this has little impact but today I'd arranged to meet up with my sister, Gail, so that she could take my panniers to give me the best chance of making it all the way to her place in Sampford Peverell (mentioned that especially for Nas :) ). To speed up my navigation to the A38 I got the satnav to plot the shortest route and set off, pushing hard. I had planned to circumnavigate Bristol but the satnav sliced a line across the city - no big deal on a Sunday. However, later on a local mentioned that 'my gaaadget' had taken me on the hilliest route and had I gone around the city it would've been pretty flat. Not what I wanted to hear. On the plus side though, the route took me through Clifton giving me an opportunity to take a picture of the Suspension Bridge and also meet up very briefly with my cousin, Chris, who had run there from the city centre whilst on a cheeky extended lunch break. Good work mate. I met up with Gail and off-loaded my panniers. The plan to get to her place was now completely screwed, but kindly, Andy, my brother-in-law, had offered to pick me up from wherever I ended then drop me back the next morning. Ideal. Unladen and after some hilly terrain the road flattened out and I started making good progress. Of course, things had to get worse, and true to every other day's cycling it started raining. Not just normal rain - it absolutely pissed down. Stubbornly I carried on, riding through the river that the road had now become. I was soaked but was keen to make as much out of today as possible. Eventually I made it to Taunton and a rendez-vous with Andy. Back at the house it was amazing to see my nephew, James, walking! He even managed to stand up without assistance from anyone or anything, something even Gail hadn't seen before. Magical. The roast pork and loads of vegetables Gail cooked was also pretty magical :)

One factor why I was late leaving...

Pink champagne, pink champagne truffles, room service dinner last night. Room service breakfast (finished off by the resident mallards!), full body massage. More pink champagne truffles. Lewis Hamilton on pole at Silverstone, England vs West Indies 3rd ODI - OK, so we lost, but at least I had a chance to watch it. Wimbledon - Jamie Murray making it to the mixed doubles final. And the sun was shining. Shame it wasn't on a day that I was cycling, but you can't have it all! Above all though, a day off with Sharon :)

Wales on the left, England on the right!

Putting on soggy trainers is not the most pleasant sensation. They also stink and had imparted their aroma to Ed's cellar, sorry Ed. I set a good pace in the morning, buoyed by this being my last day before a rest day with Sharon. The terrain was quite flat, weather OK, and even the A49 past Ludlow then Leominster to Hereford was OK. I ate lunch in Hereford - another city with a nice feel to it. The afternoon was a little tougher - next to no rain (!) but the route to Monmouth then Chepstow was a little hilly. The latter section follows the River Wye and must ultimately be downhill, but as the road flits either side of the river and up the valley sides, there are many climbs involved. I was quite disappointed that there wasn't a Welcome to Wales sign, or that I'd missed it. Arriving at the hotel in Chepstow was a great feeling. My second furthest distance, 68.5 miles, bringing the total so far to about 680 miles and a very deserved day off. :) Sharon's train journey from London had been a nightmare... someone had driven into a bridge. Eventually she made it though - great to see her.