On the road

Sun 11th Sep 2011
Day 1
Start: Putney, England
End: Littlebourne, England
Distance today: 130k
Distance so far: 130k

Well I'm on my way. The route was from Putney to Littlebourne, near Canterbury, where my cousin Rachel lives. The sun shone and the Kentish countryside was a pleasure to cycle through. I saw two pony and traps, something I wasn't expecting to encounter until Albania. Towards the end I overlapping with a charity bike ride. "Not far to go", someone shouted. "No, only 3000 miles", I didn't reply.

It was hard work though. It's not a flat part of the country and I was reminded how much extra effort a fully loaded bike requires on hills, and how much it takes out of you. After feeling pretty good earlier in the day I did struggle a bit later on, in particular when crossing the North Downs. Made me think again that planned distances over mountainous stretches later in the trip will be too ambitious.

About to leave.

I was very grateful for Rachel's superb hospitality at the end of the day. A tasty chili and rice was perfect for refueling and I slept very well.