I had booked a bike fit from RIDE in Plymouth to sort out my creaky knees before setting off on our Great Divide ride and thought we could combine the trip across the moors with a bit of training.  Bernie set us a route to avoid any lane we had cycled on before; which as this our home turf was no mean feat.   We meandered on lush green lanes down between Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, skirting Launceston and Callington.

Progress was slow as we were carrying a full touring load and the route was seriously steep and getting steeper the further across we went.  After 80 km my legs went on strike so we cycled the last 10 km into Saltash on the main road.  In the morning we crossed the Tamar back into Devon and along Plymouth Hoe.

The fit at RIDE was great.  I was straightened out and he rectified the fact that my left leg had not really been doing much.  My left leg muscles were certainly screaming all the way home!  We planned to camp that night at the highest point on Dartmoor, at Princetown, home of Dartmoor Prison.  Although it was only 40 km it was all up and I was suffering from yesterday’s exertions.

We were cycling small moorland roads with free roaming sheep and horses and suicidal drivers.

I checked the OS map for the following days route and found that we had three hills with two lots of double arrows.  I staged a one woman mutiny and changed the route to one that was merely steeply undulating!

I was pretty tired when we got home having done 5100 m of climb in two and a half days of cycling.  Did I mention that the scenery was stunning?