Day 2 Okehampton to Shipton

The day started with rattling windows and a dash to the nearest food place to fuel up. After watching the morning forecast and getting further put off, it took me a while to get going. Barely had peddled down the driveway and was wet straight away. At least the ride started with a big downhill section! I had to keep the speed down as I couldn't really see on the downhill sections, but the wind wasn't too bad...so just kept on trucking. 

Stopped and spoke to another rider on his second to last day doing Jogle (same ride, opposite direction) in an impressive 8 days. He was looking a little broken after some 200 mile days. Good luck mate, nearly there...

Just out from Okehampton I picked up a second puncture and did a very wet and muddy road side "quick fix" no.2, and I was back on my way without much fuss except getting cold from being drenched and not peddling. Maybe because of a wet bike, and a wet bagelonabike, but I felt really sluggish and lethargic all morning, it was painfully slow going and very undulating terrain:

Finally the rain eased off around 1pm, I still hadent reached my lunchtime target but spirits and pace lifted and suddenly I was in Taunton where I'd intended to take a break. I first found a bike shop and picked up a couple more spare tubes and rather cautiously also grabbed a high quality folding tyre in case these puncture problems continue. The guy at the shop was a pro racer and extremely helpful, also tuning the gears for no charge. Awesome service, any other LeJog rider passing through, http://www.kingscycles.co.uk/ will look after you.

I had a quick bite and decided to keep going while it was dry, heading out towards Glastonbury and checking out Burrow Mump along the way

Which had some great views up top, and brief blue sky

Started making good time at last, perhaps buoyed on by the SIGN OF THE CHEESE

I had a very quick stop in cheddar, a place I've always wanted to visit, before the last hill climb over to a town called Shipton, my target for the day. The day was shorter in terms of distance at just shy of 90 miles, but am on target still.

A longer day needed tomorrow and the tricky bit is Bristol and the Severn Bridge. But, I'm heading North now...no more of this North East rubbish!