Bude to Hatherleigh: 44km
We decided today to change our plans. Our itinerary, based on 80+ km/day, is proving to be difficult to achieve, at least while we are still jet-lagged and traversing hilly Cornwall and Devon (Marius, you were right!) We are also spending a lot of time stopping to consult maps to determine the best routes and, of course, there is much to see and to photograph.
We are trying to follow National Cycle Network #3, which takes us away from busy roads, for the most part, but the downside is frequent long, steep hills and mixed surface. Because it shows up irregularly on our Garmin, it is difficult to know for certain the distance to a destination. Today, by noon, we had only gone 16 kms! Over lunch in Filter Through Coffee, in Holsworthy, we realized that we were not likely to get to Tiverton before 9 pm, again. This was confirmed in the afternoon, when we made little progress following the NCR #3 to Okehampton.
We eventually switched to the A386, a busy road with no shoulders. Stopping at Hatherleigh for a break, at 5 pm, we decided to call it a day. The plan tomorrow is to cycle to just north of Exeter, where we will take the train back to Uphill, and continue our trip cycling to Berkeley on Thursday. Although we can expect fewer hills after this, our itinerary may require further tweaking, to make for more manageable days.
We are staying in an old country pub (with 3 rooms), the Tally Ho!