Day 3 – to Cheddar (66 windy miles)

Having seen the look shared by the couple who ran the B&B when we explained our planned route via Exmoor, Simon decided to ask for some advice on the easiest route to Cheddar. As there was a strong head wind, we decided against the 'scenic' route in favour of a slightly longer, less hilly route.

Slowly, the vicious hills of Cornwall and Devon gave way to the calm, rolling hills of Somerset. The hedges provided welcome protection against the wind and the views of the countryside in spring were stunning. (Side note – another advantage of riding on the back of the tandem, other than views of Simon's behind, is that Simon provides protection against both wind and insects which he eats with surprising regularity)

For lunch, we stopped for sandwiches in a beer garden a couple of miles before Taunton. We then headed down the A38/A39 towards Cheddar battling what seemed like gale force winds and an army of rude white van drivers. Eventually, we turned onto some quiet country lanes where we found a “cider mill” for a quick break over a bottle of dry apple juice.

We reached our B&B at 4pm - less than 5 ½ hours in the saddle, compared to over 8 hours yesterday. Simon is writing this over a Cheddar Valley cider in one of the many pubs in town (Brittany is on J20 with soda water) and we are about to have an early Chinese meal (yes, a 'cheeky Chinese' - including deep fried chicken with salt and chilli – I may have actually earned it this time) in one of Cheddar's two (2) fine eat-in Chinese restaurants.