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More from Alan Lowe’s 3500 mile Sponsored Motor Bike Ride around the UK….
Day 10 5th of July
I’m up for 6am and on my way by 7am good early start today as I have 300 miles to cover. weather is pretty good and traffic low, as I skirt the coast on the A39 and the roads are great, twisting and turning and dropping steeply down to sea level and back up again.
but as I come out and get to the top of the hill (Exmoor National Park) the weather takes a dramatic change for the worse! The wind is blowing a powerful gale and the rain is driving as hard as I’ve ever seen it, this should put my waterproof measures to the test.
I ride with increased focus and concentration with the wind driving the rain straight at me with only a few occasions of side winds unsettling my bike. As it gets worse I pull in at a café and have breakfast hoping things will improve. No such luck I’m afraid but I’m still dry and I push on towards Lands End.
I would like to say the views are great but the heavy rain and wind bring the visibility right down, I keep a close eye on the spray from the cars to see where the wind is coming from and to prepare myself for any cross winds, this proves very effective and I cope well by doing so.
As I get into Penzance is sing the ‘Pirate King’ from ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ (I couldn‘t help myself I‘m sorry) as I get to Lands End I take a quick photo and head back….
when disaster… I notice my fuel is now on reserve and not a petrol station till I get back in Penzance, oh dear! I coast a lot of the way and just make it to a Tesco’s fuel stop and fill up(new record for a tank of fuel for the bike 186 miles nice), as I leave my bike to pay an impatient driver cuts round the queue and comes from the opposite direction, on a one way only petrol station, and parks up close to my bike, at the pump I was using , he then attempts to fill his car directly over the very hot exhaust of my bike, not clever, then struggling to do it and knocking my bike in the process, decides to move his car forward a couple of yards with the hose still in the petrol tank, oops, as I come back out and point out his folly, he angrily tells me, that if I was Cornish I would have had the decency to move my bike out of his way as Cornish are more courteous, pot/kettle jumps to mind and I have a few idea‘s what type of abuse that is but I‘ll let you all make your own mind up. I tell him that he’s a silly man and head for Plymouth.
By this time the wind is behind me but the damage has been done and I’m soaked through and my boots, have set up their own private swimming pool for each of my feet, which was nice of them, its not as cold as when I got wet in Scotland and don’t feel the chill as much even though I’m far wetter. I get into Plymouth at 2:30pm and my digs for the night are good (right on Plymouth Hoe) and get to drying my stuff.
Big day tomorrow with around 400 miles to travel and the weather report saying that it will get better the further across I go, wish me luck, Alan.
A hearty breakfast and I’m away for 8am, the Kynance guest house was spot on , they gave me use of there dryer and I got all my stuff nice and dry. It was still raining in Plymouth but the wind had dropped right down into a breeze, and the weather was to clear up for most of the day.
I got on the A38 and headed towards Exeter, the roads were covered in a lot of water and the spray from the cars was unpleasant, luckily not to much on the road being a Sunday or so I thought as when I got to the M5 traffic jam, booo! Not to worry I’m shortly off there and on the A30 all the way to Salisbury, and it’s a fantastic road through rolling hills and beautiful country side.
As I head out from Salisbury I can see storm clouds looming in the distance and sure enough I’m in the thick of it again, just like yesterday woohoo!! I keep dry this time and my feet only get treated to a paddling pool by my boots and are very disappointed.
The A27 is good and has lots of picturesque villages lining its roads, as I get into Hastings the sea is very stormy and the sky is looking a bit dark….
but its not long till I get to Canterbury, 5pm long day, and get settled in and have a walk round the town and Cathedral, it is spectacular and the town is old and beautiful.
Been a long day today and it’s the last day of the trip tomorrow, looking forward to getting back and seeing everyone and catching up, until tomorrow, Alan
Keep up to date with Alan’s future updates HERE and you can still sponsor his ride if you wish by going HERE.
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