DAY 4
St Briavels to Shrewsbury

the plan:

77 miles skirting in and out of Wales, from St Briavels into Monmouth and then onto Hereford and our destination for the night, the Travelodge at Shrewsbury.

the reality:

Woke up to really high winds whistling around the Castle, and so were a little amprehensive about the day's ride (and how much rain the wind might bring!). Fortunately the winds were Westerly, so whilst a bit unnerving in parts, they generally helped rather than hindered us - and the rain kept away. Had a fabulous descent the first few miles of the day, from St Briavels down to Monmouth, through beautiful rolling countryside. A bit of a climb out of Monmouth, but the great views continued, and a good combination of short(ish) climbs and long downhills kept us happy. Rod's parents kindly provided us lunch today at Craven Arms, and then we had a great last 20 or so miles into Shrewsbury, where we zoomed along with the wind (mostly) behind us and arrived at the Travelodge at a very civilised 4.30pm!

Distance travelled: 76 miles (cumulative 340 miles)
Total time taken Day 3: 7 hours 35 minutes
Cumulative time: 35 hours 07 minutes
Ride Time: 5 hours 7 minutes
Day Leader: Tom

Number of punctures: 0

mm of rain: 0!
Wind: 35mph Westerly

Highlights of the Day: fantastic scenery throughout day, and particulary first 9 miles of downhill into Monmouth. And then finishing the ride by 4.30pm!

Lowlight of the Day: Paul having to get in the van 25 miles into the day, because he couldn't cycle one-legged any more (which he'd done for a few miles - not quite sure how) and his right knee couldn't cope with being clipped into the pedal any further. Fingers crossed a bit of rest will help it recover sufficiently so he can do the rest of the trip

Quote of the day: Harriet - "Smelly and comfortable definitely better than clean and uncomfortable" (to Steve B when he was deciding whether to change his very uncomfortable but clean cycle shorts at the morning break.)

Bottom discomfort score: 5-6/10

Thank you's of the day:
- to Joyce and Ronald Cullen for our delicious lunch
- to the staff at the Bush Inn at Bush Bank, where we stopped for our morning break, for their hospitality and donations


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