I think the night at home made me lose my momentum. It was very hard to get organised this morning and I was daunted by the thought of packing for the next ten days. It serves me right for leaving it so late I suppose. All my concerns (and guilt) associated with work also resurfaced and for a moment I thought ‘I can’t go away, I’ll just stay here’, before realising it wasn’t really an option. I also had to squeeze in my Pilates class and a trip to the library before I could hit the road and start the long journey up to Shrewsbury. Most days I’ll be meeting Ben halfway, but since he had company on the ride today I drove the whole 120 miles in one go. I was feeling quite glum to start and the steadily increasing motorway traffic wasn’t helping (nor were thoughts of Cornwall). But once I was off the motorway and heading into Herefordshire I started feeling more positive. Ben and I have spent a few weekends around the Shropshire/Hereford area in the last few years, all for bike races. Usually I would see Ben off at the start and then go round exploring, so lots of the roads today felt familiar. The scenery is quite lovely and looked very dramatic with the heavy rain clouds rolling overhead.
Wenlock Edge
It is a great area for local produce and farm shops, especially apple juice and cider. I was tempted to pull over several times when I saw signs, but felt I should keep going in case the Bank Holiday traffic really started to pile up. I’ve never been as far as Shrewsbury and had a shock at the Brummy accents when I went to book in for camping. I blame the sat nav for my temporary loss of bearings, I’m unaware of anything outside the 2x3inch screen!
Now the van is sat in a sunny field behind a pub and I’m watching a few rabbits chase each other round the grass. This idyllic scene is soundtracked by the roar of the A5, so I’m extra glad I packed my earplugs.
Pointless piece of tat of the day: Which part of this, exactly, is therapeutic?
Perilous van moment of the day: Almost buying a 24v travel kettle.
Best driving song: Radio reception was intermittent –and therefore frustrating- most of the way. I did get a burst of 99 Red Balloons somewhere along the A44 which cheered me up, though they cut the German bit. Damn you, Europhobe local radio stations!
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