Day 3 Wed 17th Aug Whiddon Down to Bridgewater 60 Miles

We left the rather basic Travel Lodge at Whiddon Down and crossed the path to the Little Chef for breakfast. Another good evening last night at the Post Inn Pub. My roommate Dave has many amusing tales to tell, being ex-RAF and a Drama Teacher, just retired! Turns out he used to teach where my youngest daughter Sarah is going to University this year and his daughter lives very close too. For some bizarre reason I keep calling him Bob, like a kind of nervous stammer my brain in saying Dave but Bob keeps popping out!
Jenny and Jane are proper petrol heads both with soft top sports cars. Jen's got a Pink Merc called Pearl and Jane an MR2. No pictures of their children on their phone's just  cars! I kept quiet about my Renault Clio...

We set off at 8.30, the weather was drizzly. We were soon passing through the market town of CREDITON, then crossing the river Exe to COLLUMPTON. Most of the roads were ok but when you got near a farm they were covered in S**t and Muck and it was becoming a bit of a pain picking your way across the narrow lanes to avoid the debris.  After Collumpton we only had a few miles to our stop in CULMSTOCK. Which was a lovely little convenience store called 'Strand Stores'. Where we sat down to enjoy a bowl of soup and a cake, with a hot drink. The shop sold everything.Veg, fruit, drinks, alcohol, hardware, cheeses, preserves and was a post office and a cafe'. Very handy for the locals.
We stayed for 45 mins and just when we got up to leave down came the rain again.

After another 10 miles we reached the QUANTOCK Hills. Stopping at the bottom, it was a hell of a steep climb for 1.5 miles. Jane soon a distant blur on the horizon., she can climb that lady! I struggled on and eventually got to the top of the wooded  hill. Jane patiently waiting at the top. We began our descent, a little way down the hill there was a break in the tree's so I pulled over for a photo. I could see Wales! My learned friend Dave later told me that in fact I was  looking across to Cardiff.

A Distant Cardiff!

Having taken some Pics I set off after Jane only to see her climbing back up,thinking I'd punctured. Oops! sorry mate. We carried on our descent to the outskirts of Bridgewater. By now the rain had abated a little as we hit suburbia, so Jane popped onto my back wheel and we let the Satmap guide us to the Holiday Inn on the other side of town.
We were again allowed to take our bikes into the room. By now  we had sussed that the van was never going to be there for us " Flyer's" as Tony called us. So we had taken a change of clothes with us today.
An hour later we met up in the bar and had a bite to eat, while waiting for the group to arrive as it was still only 4pm.
Jane's husband Rob was coming to meet her later which I thought was a nice touch.
To our surprise Christine was the first back, being one of the 'Posh' she wasn't even staying here but apparently their hotel was a further 4 miles away and she "was not going to bloody well cycle an extra 4 miles in the rain" and was waiting for the van to take her to the luxury she was accustomed to. As if by magic Tony arrived and promptly delivered her to her desired location.
Very soon everyone else was arriving and we agreed to meet at 7.30pm for evening drinks and a meal..
We met at reception and went in only to find Caroline and her hungry boys already munching their way through dinner. So we sat down at a table opposite and were joined by Tony and Ken. Rob having decided not to intrude on our holiday had already left

You Can view today's route on this link.
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/167455938