Day 5 N Petherton to Exeter
Quick facts:
Sunny with cloudy periods
H 22/ L 9
Wind 10 kph
Start: The Walnut Tree Hotel North Peterton
Destination: University of Exeter Holland Hall dorm.
53.4 miles/ 85.44 km
AS 8.37 mph
Ascent: 2,116
Breaks:
Coffee - Costa Taunton
Lunch - Martlet Inn in Budville Langton
Check out Corner to Corner, Day 5: North Petherton to Exeter activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/6OFQdiBQpsb
Today started with a gorgeous sunrise and although a cool 12C it promised to be another perfect day. The Walnut Tree formal breakfast (Eggs Benedict for me) was lovely but put a damper on our plan to eat at 7:30 and get an early start.
We headed out about 9 o’clock with Ralph taking time to visit the beautiful Minster Church of Saint Mary the Virgin across the street from the hotel. His pictures show the incredible interior work of these centuries old buildings.
These photos and many others can be seen on his website Cycling4charity.org.uk.
Our morning ride took us along quiet bike paths through farmland where wheat was harvested and along the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal shores.
The path was superb. Fine stone dust or smooth pavement most of the way. Swans with teenage cygnets swan in the waters which were clear enough to see fish as I biked along.
The coffee break at the Costa in Taunton was unremarkable except for the exit. Everyone in the group headed back down to the canal to head west. Well. That wasn’t our route out of town this year! Garmin and I got tangled up in off course messages and one hour later I had seen alot of Taunton and was now back at the Costa coffee shop, pointed in the right direction.
This picture is the central square opposite the Costa. I became very familiar with it as I passed it three times .
As those who have traveled in Britain know, there are very narrow country roads with high hedges. A reasonable fear is of what is just around the next bend in the road and will there be enough space to pass?
Well today I met a tractor with a very wide trailer stacked with straw from the wheat fields. I wish I could have taken a picture of this moving « cork » filling up every inch of space hedge side to hedge side. I had to backtrack to the most recent intersection in order not to be run over .. and that seemed important at the time. I do regret not getting that picture!
During the afternoon we left the flat calm of the Grand Western Canal and spent the next many hours slowly climbing up these Somerset Hills and quickly racing down them heading to Exeter. These were « warmup » hills for our finale climbing up to Holland Hall at the University of Exeter . Brett commented that there was « snow at the top ». Ralph commented that we were all closer to heaven. We were literally at the highest point in Exeter and that was pretty high!
Pizza was ordered to be delivered to the dorm. Our finale with the Cox/Robinson team was sitting on study desk chairs in the middle of the dorm hallway toasting Ralph for the splendid route today and all week long! None of us wanted to walk down that hill to a restaurant in town. Besides, the ambiance was so special in the dorm.
Tomorrow Ralph and I head by train back to London to swap mountain bikes for road bikes to continue the rest of our journey. The annual family ride is over for us until another year. From now on the Strava/Ride with GPS routes can be found on Ralph’s website and we welcome any cyclists to join us or use Ralph’s routes as they wish.
Thank you Ralph.
Safe cycling
Lorraine