Day 8 - Prees to Wellington - Busy and quiet

Distance - 68 miles
Total distance - 666 miles
Average speed - 11.8 mph
Maximum speed - 33.9 mph
Time - 5 hrs 42 mins

No real drama to start today. I found the key to my lock straight away. We ate breakfast that had been bought the night before, packed away and went on our way. The main difficulty today was picking a route. Initially we hit the A49, a continuation of the previous day. The going was good, although perhaps not quite as good as yesterday. Fatigue is creeping in. After a little while we made it to Shrewsbury, which seemed like a pretty town, from what little we saw. After successfully navigating Shrewsbury we continued south on the A49. Our next target was Craven Arms, where food was waiting...

Before that we had to tackle a narrow, busy and ultimately tricky section of the A49. I can't say it was always fun, but we made it to our lunch stop, where Jonny's parents, spending the weekend in the area, awaited with a picnic. And what a picnic. They had very generously bought a bit of everything. On first sight it seemed a lot, but it didn't last too long! We're burning at least 1500 calories a day, which need to be replaced somehow. Usually, without the kindness of Jonny's parents, the calorie count is kept high by carbohydrate-rich meals and regular sugary snacks along the way. Thanks Barry and Anna.

With plenty of food stored away we turned off the A49, finally, and took a more scenic route towards Wellington, where we had booked a campsite for the night. The road was undulating, but the scenery was attractive, if not dramatic. After taking in a little more rolling Herefordshire countryside we made it to Wellington. We stopped a little sooner and earlier today, because we had arranged to meet a couple of friends, Claire and Lizzie. We were spoilt even more. They greeted us with cake and then treated us to a meal in Hereford. Another hugely generous act. Thanks girls. Everyone has been massively kind to us since we've been doing this. Therefore, we're soon off to bed, we don't want to let anyone down.

And yes, out total distance really is 666 miles!

Night.