Beer was a very different place this morning, a sunny Saturday brought everyone out after a day of rain.
Cars jostle for position in these tiny towns causing anger and frustration- at least they are not truck drivers on the M20 however as Operation Stack continues for the forseable future.
Our first climb over to Brandscombe earned us a pause at the Old Bakery and Forge. Sue pondered a purchase from the forge showroom but realised that the extra steel in her luggage would not help with the hills. The tea shop garden served nice coffee but they couldn't add up and nearly charged us an extra £3.
The rising valley after Brandscombe was very pretty and efficiently got us up to the Donkey Sanctury before Salcombe Regis followed by a rim warming decent to Sidmouth. We stopped for an icecream and watched the world relax while listening to an old chap singing the sun has got his hat on.
The climb out of Sidmouth is sustained and steep but gave great views across the coast ahead.
We picked up a disused railway from Budleigh Salterton that eased the climbing and got us traffic free to Exmouth. Here the NCN 2 continued to Exeter on a fantastic smooth surfaced track along the estuary. Board walks, bridges and even bird hides make this a very popular place for huge numbers of cyclists and walkers.
Everyone was out enjoying a bit of sun and the small village of Limpstone was preparing itself for the Annual Furry Dance, an ancient event of dressing up and dancing in the street and said to originate from when sailors brought furs back from Nova Scotia.
Finally the NCN 34 along the canal brought us right into the heart of the city at the popular Quay. This is a very unusual appearance and approach to the outskirts of a city in Britain, we wound our way up past the cathedral and checked in for two nights at the Pensylvania student accommodation at the University of Exeter, a perfect place to rest and dry out the tent!
Figures:
Distance:- 51.4 km
Cycle Time:- 4 hours 47 minutes
Average speed:- 10.7 kph
Total Distance:- 5630 km
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