Blogs from Devon, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 21

Today we left Carrie's to drive to Cousin Liz's at Collumpton near Exeter. It was quite a long drive and we were held up due to a traffic accident which added an hour to the trip. We arrived at Liz's and were made feel very welcome. Liz and Jerry are lovely people. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and chatted well into the evening.... read more

Dartington Hall We walked to Dartington Hall by way of the riverside footpath. The grounds were very interesting with friendly robins and sculptures. We went to have a look at the retail opportunity, but mainly high class stuff with very little local input beyond the obligatory arts. Totnes Went back to Totnes town in the rain to finish off where we got to at closing time the day before. Totnes certainly outstrips Malvern in interest and weirdness, but not in charity shops. Session (English unaccompanied) The Albert was very close to the campsite and we did't even have to cross the river. The pub brews its own beer and had interecting characters. One was a German with a motorbike he worked on his room. He had recently discovered his landlady was a witch. We do live ... read more

Back to Murvi Arrived at Murvi just after 9. There is not much in Lee Mills. The famous Lee Mill is now part of the Edinburgh Woolen Mills so not that special. There is also a large Motorhome sales place to the west of the village. Not tempted to exchange Pic (yet). Back towards Murvi there is a largish Tesco to fritter away the hours. When we were thinking about lunch, we had the call to pick up the van. They had found a sticking solenoid and had added silicone sealent to the wastes. On to Totnes The site at Totnes (Steamer Quay Caravan Club) was all it was reported to be. Very convenient for Totnes town and very very convenient for the boats from Dartmouth. All pitches are grass with no electricity, but there is ... read more

Lots of training since I last posted an entry. This includes a 101 mile ride around Dartmoor so I am up to doing the longest leg of the JoGLE which will be about 97 miles. However this will be after about 3 days of hard riding so it is not a true comparison. I have had the pleasing news that my daughters partner Ewen will be joining me for the first 4 days of the ride, JoG to Edinburgh, which will ease the potential lonliness until I am well on my way. Since my last entry I have managed to do some reseach ( Google ) on manboobs. Here is what I have found out. The medical name for the condition is gynecomastia. However most of us ( well maybe not you, particularly if you are ... read more

Amazing that 16 days have passed since my last entry. I have not been idle and have done approximately 250 miles on the bike with a few less miles running. I don't keep much of a record of my activities because I don't get a lot out of keeping statistics. However I do have a couple of measures of progress. One is an uphill mile run from my house which at its best last year was 9 minutes. Well I did on one occasion recently do it in 8.1/2 mins. The other measure is the rise up to Haldon on the old bike. Again I managed to gain 30 seconds or so. So I can at least say that I am fitter than last year. However I did not do the JoGle last year. I ... read more