Day 16: Stroud to Frome

After a very comfortable night in the yurt we spent some time chatting and playing with the Lockharts before a quick trip around Stroud Waitrose to stock up on “essentials” such as cereal bars and malt loaf and then setting off riding again.

It was very, very hot again today which I am finding very difficult and that combined with the never-ending up hills, the worst Tarmac surfaces I have yet experienced anywhere in the UK and the (occasional) terrible drivers made for a very long day today! 

Pa rode with me from Nailsworth to Sherston on mostly back lanes, where we had a quick pasty pit-stop before he turned around to fetch the car again. 

I continued south to Bath to meet with Charlotte, my oldest friend (we shared a childminder from when she was born!) for a delicious late lunch and a good old catch up. 

The hills into and out of Bath were nearly the end of me in the heat today, I had to take an embarrassingly large number of rests on the worst ones, with pedestrians almost making it up faster than me!! The legs are starting to really suffer now… 

Tonight we are camped in officially the most difficult-to-find campsite on the planet which had me at my wits end by the time I finally rolled in at almost 7pm! Thankfully the shower is warm, the people are lovely and the “Shepherd’s hut” super-cute (complete with outdoor fire-pit!) that all is forgiven! 

83km (I did not take the direct route!), 1065m+