Day 51: Looe to Chepstow

I wake Mum briefly to say goodbye and slip out of the house in the early morning.

Small fishing boats rock gently on the mirror-flat water in East Looe river as I turn and head inland towards the A38 and Plymouth.

I find a quiet lay-by and pull the bike up onto it's centrestand. The final drive chain needs sorting. I've heard it rattling against the chain guard since France but I've been in too much of a hurry to fix it.

Bags off, tool roll open, I take the guard off and am dismayed at just how slack the chain is. I loosen the rear wheel and carefully pull it back with the adjustors, making sure to keep the adjustment the same either side; it's important to keep the wheel straight in line. 

The view over the fields toward Keveral is stunning- mists and rising sun. I stand and soak it in for a moment, then lift my leg over the saddle and head on through the lanes towards the main road.

I hit the A38 and the traffic is starting to build. It takes a long time to find a gap so that I can cross and turn right onto the dual carriageway. There follows a couple of hours of head down, mirror-watching riding as I stick to the left lane and let the lorries, vans and commuter traffic hammer past me.

The West Country on a sunny day has scenery to make the spirits soar. As I head from Devon into Somerset I leave the A38 and enjoy the gentle back roads that lead through little villages, across old stone bridges and through some of the finest countryside you could wish for.

My route takes me through Bristol and under the iconic Clifton Suspension Bridge. I decide to cross into Wales on the Old Severn Bridge. The motorway is quite today and the crossing gives me a chance to look down at the brown waters below, dividing England from Wales.

It's only a short ride into Chepstow, where I've booked a roim in a pub in the middle of town. The landlord is a sociable man who suggests that I ride the Honda into the pub, past the bar and out into the back yard, where it will be more secure.

I head to my room, intending to come down at six for a pub dinner. After a shower I lie on the bed for just a minute and... it's half eight and the kitchen has closed. I head back to my room looking forward to tomorrow, my final day of this mammoth journey and the day I finally get home to Sian and Floss the dog.