Did I mention that today started with 400m of flat along the Valency River from the Boscastle YHA past a few pubs? Then went up at (felt like) 10% for a kilometre before slackening to about 7% for a couple of kms? Burning leg time.

Google owes us demurrage on our holiday – four people, 4 phones with Google Maps, 6 different ideas on where to go and how to get there (Sustrans has their own ideas). The hours we’ve lost developing interpersonal negotiation skills about which route to take (Chris S., Andy L., you listening?).

Long ride short, about 900 m of climbing, 80 km of distance mostly on back roads and some excruciatingly pretty vignettes of wooded lanes on the way.

We were all fascinated by a large (4WD) tractor pulling a folded 30′ hay rake past us. Very careful navigating through afforesaid picturesque country lanes and quaint bridges. He pulled into his work field and within seconds, without leaving the cab, unfolded the rake and went to work. Amazing.

Tractor drivers ferrying the hay to the silage pits on rotation will be the first to lose their jobs when automatic self- driving vehicles come in. Regular routes, simple loads, low speeds, repetitive. Job automation please.

The hills are definitely getting us. So many. It took half the day to get 30 km to Holsworthy done with 47 km left to go. A Cornish pasty sent me on the road, past the quaintly named hamlets of Sheep Wash (a friend’s grandmother is buried there), Little Cocks and many others to the seven km gentle downhill railtrail to Bidesford. Magic and well used by locals at 4pm. Finally into Westward Ho! at about 17:30.

All tired so dinner at the pub and bed (in minutes from now).

Added a squashed hedgehog to the weasel (live) I saw yesterday.