Today was the gentle respite that I hoped yesterday would be! A few tough climbs out of Bridport and Abbotsbury gave a kick start to the morning, but things levelled out a bit later on in the day. The route around Abbotsbury and Weymouth was actually part of a training ride we did a few weeks ago and in the true adage of "better the you know" it was certainly easier going knowing what to expect. Away from Weymouth, we ventured again into the unknown which came also with our first major navigation error. I say "our" but Dad's the one with the map so really it was his fault! We ended up taking a main A-road route which had been purposely avoided in the planning! This actually added a small distance on to the day as we found an alternative back road to get us back on the planned route. The next section took us towards Wareham and thanks to the River Frome's flood plain, this was a pleasantly flat section which lasted about 10 miles without sight of anything more than a mild bump in the road! Once in Wareham, I was back on home turf as we followed one of my favourite paths around Poole harbour via Corfe Castle and Studland. We arrived at the Sandbanks chain ferry with perfect timing just as it finished loading up and took a quick breather before rolling off on the Sandbanks side and continuing on. This was where Dad and I seperated. My route took me back around to Poole Quay and a refreshing night staying at home, making my total distance for the day around 65 miles. Dad, on the other hand had a little further to go to stay with my Grandmother on the Christchurch side of Bournemouth. For now I am not envious of the extra 10 miles or so he had to do today, but I pay for this tomorrow morning as I have an early start to catch up with him by 8.00 in the morning! All in all, this was the best day so far and my aching limbs are definately not so bad tonight. Perhaps that means I'm finally getting into the swing of things!
No comments:
Post a Comment