Maps 190 to 192 – A Scary Halloween washout

My original idea, when I conceived this mad enterprise, was that I would ride until the clocks went back near the end of October. That was two days ago and in fact I have cycled on until the very end of the month, because the weather has obliged. So why not?

Even with blue skies and sunshine, which I had for much of today, I knew it would be an issue to have lost an hour of cycling time. I got away with it yesterday because I was only cycling the relatively short distance from Okehampton to Bude, three hours or so of ”unofficial” east to west miles, after a morning on high speed, underground and other regional trains from Folkestone. The final stage to Okehampton is one of the most recently reopened stretches of railway in Britain, and the station at the end of the line is quite a timepiece. But today was a proper test and it was almost November. I would be pushing the limits of what was possible – or at least enjoyable – from a cycling perspective, with weather and daylight at the forefront of my experience.

With all that in mind, I set out in fine, breezy weather for a day ride that was intended to be a bit shorter than the previous few. And so it turned out, although still not really short enough.

The day began in Bude in spectacular fashion. The sun shone, the waves pounded in, and it felt good to be alive and on a bike. I didn’t really want to leave Bude; it is rather a likeable place. I had an amazing view of the beach and the cliffs from my hotel room, and I had to tear myself away from the window seat where I had watched the sun setting the afternoon before. This morning there were a few surfers making their way out into the waves, and the temperature was still quite mild for the last day in October, Halloween.

The ride was going as well as any other all morning, and I finished my lunch on a sunny bench in a quiet churchyard in the strangely deserted small Devon town of North Tawton around 2pm. No cafes seem to be open in these parts on a Monday, so it was a Spar meal deal today. But that was a useful time saver. I had enjoyed the quietest of lanes all the way this far and the sky was the brightest blue over the distant high, rugged Dartmoor hills to the east. I paused briefly in a couple of delightful, quiet villages, notably Shebbear, Sheepwash and the larger Hatherleigh, but largely kept moving.

The clouds moved in after lunch; but it was still fine as I passed through the ancient Bishop’s seat of Crediton, home once to St Boniface. Today, the church is a magnificent reminder of past importance, while the town is a rather drab affair. But it was livened up by a stream of small school children making their way excitedly home over the road in front of the church, at a crossing point patrolled by a proper old fashioned lolly pop man, just like we had when I went to primary school. This elderly chap was giving the job his full energy, directing the traffic with the most animated of arm waving.

I expected to be challenged by the light near the end of my day in the run in to Honiton; but I hoped to get all of the fiddly stuff out of the way first. I failed. Things were still acceptable until around 4pm, when, back on small lanes with high hedges, I passed through the substantial and rather delightful village of Thorverton, with a stream running through the centre of the village, some old, overhanging buildings and a ford! A few miles after that, I was still on track, pausing to gaze through the fancy iron railings at the National Trust estate of Killerton. But after that, it got noticeably darker, not helped by the low rainclouds and overhanging trees. At the same time, it also got wet. Very wet. Large puddles began to form. These two unwelcome elements together make a huge difference. Add in a significant amount of rush hour traffic on still small, unlit roads, and things quickly became unpleasant. In these adverse conditions, I managed to add a few miles unnecessarily. Decision making gets much harder when you are surrounded by headlights and huge puddles on small, tree covered roads. For the first time in a long time, I began to wish I was doing something else.

I recovered my route and after a while the rain eased. Near a major development of new homes, not on my map, I passed a mother and 2 young children in Halloween fancy dress, hurrying along under umbrellas. We exchanged knowing glances. ”We’ve given up”, she said with a shrug. ”I don’t blame you”, I replied. I felt like doing the same. I wasn’t going to… but my bike seemed to have other ideas. The front disc brake chose this moment to stop working. It was no time or place to do much about it, so I carried on gingerly, knowing that I was almost there, and that the dark, wet road went in a very straight line to Honiton. And I got there safely and found my overnight pub accommodation. After a shower and a pint of Old Speckled Hen (in a specially shaped glass!), things felt much better. But I had some thinking to do. I had at most two more days of cycling before commitments would force me to take some days off. There were 3 train strikes planned on alternate days immediately after that. I urgently needed a bike shop, which at best would mean a delay. I had nothing booked after tonight. And then there was the weather forecast. The Met Office was issuing severe weather warnings for the rest of the week in the South West. High winds and very high chances of rain all day for the next two days. Outside the pub it sounded like it had already started. Hmm.

And so it is that I am writing this blog on a train heading to Birmingham, where I will change for one to Chesterfield, and a lift home. I have cycled almost continuously since 15th September, something like 45 long and mostly wonderful days of exceptional weather and rewarding places – over almost a hundred OS maps – since map 95 in the Isle of Man. It had to come to an end. This, I am sure, is the right moment. For now.

My plans for maps 193 to 204, which is all that remains, will appear as soon as I know them myself. So watch this space for updates, the latest trip statistics and more, all coming very soon. There is unfinished business.