Day 3 - Taunton to Monmouth

The morning started with a self made breakfast in my room (porridge pot x 2, banana, orange juice x 2, coffee). Wheeled the bike out and was on the road just before 8am. Eventually found my way out of Taunton and hit the A38 which I would follow for the next 40 miles all the way to Bristol. The sun was shining, there was a cooling breeze and my left knee no longer hurt. Right knee was still not playing ball but I've decided to call its bluff. I can live with pain so unless it decides to explode then it needs to start obeying me. We'll see who wins, and it won't be the knee. Or maybe it will.
Better news was that the roads were like normal roads with none of those ridiculous lumps put in them that force me to wince and swear and select the lowest gear possible. In fact there were no hills of note until I reached just before Bristol airport. But now as a seasoned king of the hills I took it in my stride and wheeled down the other side into Bristol. I sat and had lunch underneath the magnificent Clifton Suspension Bridge (9 mini flapjacks, a banana and an orange juice).


Then it was a 15 mile ride along the Avon, up the Severn Beach (less a beach, more a playground for articulated lorries to whizz past you in frightening fashion, thank goodness for cycle paths) and then onto the old (but still the best, the new one cheats by having all those pillars underneath) Severn Bridge. It was a blustery crossing and there were several other cyclists crossing too including one with the same cycling top that I was wearing (oh the embarrassment, he should have rang beforehand).


Once back home into lovely, lovely Wales I turned up into Chepstow and faced the second hill of the day. I was tired by now and in no mood for hills but up it I went and was glad that I did because the descent that followed into the Wye Valley was amazing. 4 or 5 miles continuous downhill on the smoothest road I've ever cycled on. No bumps, no cracks, no brakes! After what seemed like ages I rolled down into Tintern and took a snap of the famous abbey (with added cows).


Wye Valley is very pretty and great for cycling as the rest of the day was pretty much flat with the odd slope here and there. I arrived in Monmouth before 4pm which allowing for a few stops along the way is easily the quickest of my journeys so far which goes to show what a killer those hills were. Monmouth is the only Wikipedia town in the world. All its historical sites have QR codes that you can scan and will take you to the Wikipedia entry! It also has free wifi all over the town.



Tomorrow is supposed to be of a similar level as today. Let's hope. The hotel (Bistro Prego - an Italian restaurant that also rents rooms) doesn't do breakfast until 8:30 but they have said they might be able to do 8am for me so I hope to be on the road by 9am.

Things I have learnt so far -
1 - Hills are evil
2 - Drivers are pretty much kind to cyclists and leave plenty of room even on the narrowest roads. Except for the bastard in the Clio who almost clipped me on the way into Bristol (you know who you are!)
3 - There is nothing better at the end of a day's cycling than lying on your hotel bed drinking a cup of sweet coffee. NOTHING!
4 - You don't have to eat like a pig. Just eat enough of the right foods and you'll be ok. The body has enough stores of fat to provide the energy you need.
5 - If you are wearing cleats remember the fact that you are wearing cleats! Otherwise you might find yourself at a red light in a race against gravity to see if you can twist your foot out of the pedal before gravity wins!
6 - The body adapts and recovers quicker than you think. A good meal and a sleep and you're ready to go again.
7 - The days in the saddle are shorter and longer than you think. Continually moving to your next checkpoint breaks the journey up and makes the full journey far more achievable (and quicker) and yet thinking of those things that you listened to or thought or saw in the morning can feel like they happened yesterday.
8 - Sometimes it's better to take the headphones out. I cycled for 10 miles through the Wye Valley just listening to the noises of nature around me. Bliss.
9 - Having said that, nothing puts a smile on the face or speeds up the pedals like Neil Diamond (I will try this out with other artists as I go).
10 - Hills are evil. This cannot be stated enough.

Day 3 route:

View Day 3 in a larger map

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Location:Agincourt Square,Monmouth,United Kingdom