Now that’s better

After yesterday’s unfortunate turns, it was very nice tohave a day where everything either worked, or at least ended up working out.

Weather in the low 70s, no rain, and a couple of successful parenting moments all came together.  Firstly, it is always best to start with a bakery

Cups of tea and pastries help to dispel memories of damp days and uncertainty.  Then we discussed as a group whether if we had a solid goal in mind, with a guarantee of food and a campsite, if we could go further.  The answer was a resounding yes, so we set as our goal a place I had come across on the internet while researching things months ago, which advertised itself as a proper English pub with camping in the back.  Aguarantee of not having to go door to door searching out lodging again was enough to get the kids’ solid support, even though it was a full 38 miles away.  So, off we went (into a day-long headwind).

Spirits were high, the weather was beautiful, and there was a sense of well-being that hadn’t accompanied us the day before.  With hedgerows to cut the wind sometimes, and at the speeds we travel, it doesn’t really matter that much. We saw a full day of lovely countryside .

The Bruce did in fact have camping, and while the website was a little ambiguous about the food, the patrons all discussed it amongst themselves and decided which local Indian restaurant was the right one to get to deliver for us.  So a bunch of food was ordered and consumed at a rapid pace.  Even Ruby ate heartily. A long day in the saddle can do that  for you.  The Bruce is accurately described as a purveyor of libations,and so the local brews were duly sampled.

Final thought for Brooks and Armen: We ran into some cyclists this morning, and the woman declared, “You’re Loony” which was wonderful to hear in its appropriate accent, although she then went ahead and included Daft and Bonkers for good measure...

Tomorrow Avebury and perhaps as far as Stonehenge...

Dave