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Clear blue sky greeted us when we awoke but luckily there was a breeze so it wasn't stifling like yesterday. We enjoyed a lovely run along the canal, well used as an amenity by the locals, children and adults. Passing under the M5 motorway we laughed at the sad motorists stuck in nose-to-tail traffic crawling towards the coast while the Virgin HSTs flashed past. |
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We
took the optional detour into Bridgewater for an early lunch at the famed
vegetarian no-smoking Cycle Inn only to find a sign boasting of a "Back
to basics" pub and "Due to change of ownership, limited menu available"
on the board inside. So a total waste of time.
We decided to press on to Glastonbury for lunch so we returned to the canal - no change on the M5. We soon had to cross the canal by the railway bridge which involved removing our rear panniers and struggling up and down the steps. At the bottom we chatted to a well-laden Dutch couple, cycling north to south and staying at camp sites. We'd chosen south-north in view of the prevailing winds but given the weather it would have been better to finish in Cornwall with a rest day on a beach. |
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For a while we thought we'd got hopelessly lost before realising that we'd been directed onto what on the map is marked as the proposed route, though it wasn't exactly as shown. For a short section we had to cycle along a fast unpleasant main road. At Edington we saw this signpost, a poignant reminder of the Somerset & Dorset coast-to-coast line fron Burnham to Bournemouth. The station was Edington Junction where a short branch diverged to serve Bridgewater. |
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We
passed through a number of large villages but all were deserted apart
from the odd passing car. Ice-cold water from a village store would have
been very welcome - the loss of such amenities is bad news for touring
cyclists and we had to continue to Glastonbury before we found refreshments.
South of Glastonbury we encountered vast peat excavations, dropped peat
on the narrow country lanes made us glad we were travelling on a Saturday,
when the lorries weren't operating. The railway line passing right next
to the peat beds was ripped up years ago - we cycled along a short stretch
of it into the town.
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It was late afternoon by
now, and a little cooler as we turned off along the Long Drove, a dead straight
and quiet country lane where I caught up with a lone cyclist and we chatted
cycling along two abreast. It's not often roads are sufficiently civilised to
allow this. Then we were directed up a delightful leafy track which led to a
cycle path along a main road into town, past the ugly industrial estates and
into the centre of Wells to check into 17 Priory Road. We were dismayed to note
it was a busy road but luckily our room was at the back and the road noise didn't
bother us at all. We received a very friendly reception in a comfortable large
Victorian house.
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Before searching for somewhere to eat we had to take a look at the awesome gothic cathedral which gives this small settlement city status. The low evening sun emphasised the deep honey-coloured stonework. Tucked away down an unpromising alley leading to a car park, Alley Cats Bistro was very quiet while the smart places in the town centre were doing a roaring trade but the specials were excellent value, as were the side salads - recommended! |
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After
dinner we took a closer look at the cathedral with its facade of carved
stone figures. Close by is Vicars Row, a street of 14th century houses.
There is an overwhelming sense of the mediaeval power of the church in
the town centre, despite the twentieth century incursions of cars and
their lo-fi systems
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