Land's End to Okehampton

As Sean has already commented, it all went well yesterday and we arrived at Land's End without incident.  Romeo was relatively well behaved during the journey and particularly enjoyed seeing Stonehenge,

but did get rather excited at seeing other cars with dogs in them, so after that had to ride on my lap.

I didn't do terribly well at dinner - the "carrot mash" that came with my fish turned out not to be mashed carrots but in fact mashed potatoes with bits of carrot in it, and I was so busy making sure there was no milk or butter in it I forgot to ask them to hold the sauce.  So yes, people, I actually ate some potatoes, and whatever of the sauce I couldn't manage to scrape off.  As far as I can tell the world is still revolving.  I was glad I had set aside the time to do some qi gong before we left that morning, as once dinner was done with we were fully focused on preparation for the next day and I don't think I would have been in the right mood.  I felt terribly nervous going to bed, I guess it suddenly dawned on me the enormity of the task ahead and I just wanted everything to go well for Sean.

This morning dawned absolutely glorious, and after a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs and mushrooms we were ready to go.  We had the obligatory shot at the start

and then I waved Sean off.  There was such a great atmosphere at the hotel with a group of cyclists and a few runners, all tackling the challenge in their own way and for their own reasons.  The excitement and positivity was infectious although I did feel a pang seeing Sean ride off, thinking whatever the day would bring, he would have to tackle it alone.

As I had a little free time before check out I decided to run the long form on the paved area outside the hotel, which seemed almost made for the purpose and had a spectacular view over the sea in three directions.  With a cool breeze over the cliffs it was truly an inspiring experience.

Then it was off to Okehampton, where we are staying in a 17th century coaching inn.  The interior seems not to have been refurbished since the 70s, giving an intriguing mix of decor.  I had my lunch on one of the tables outdoors while the room was being made up - celery, carrot, cucumber and pepper with a can of salmon, which worked out pretty well and is what I'm planning to have every day.

In the afternoon I visited Okehampton Castle, which is a medieval motte and bailey castle about 20 minutes walk from the hotel.

There's not much left of it but the audio guide really brought it to life and I enjoyed meandering around.  Getting to the top of the motte was a bit of a challenge but once I was up there the views over the hills and town were fantastic.

Romeo stayed back at the hotel, saying "castles are boring" but I expect he just wanted to have a good rummage around in the bins.  Just as well he didn't come, as the audio guide informed me about gentlemens' pursuits in medieval times, which included hunting animals considered noble such as deer and hares.  Foxes were not hunted by gentlemen in such times as they were not thought of as noble enough.  I don't think he would have been very impressed by that!

Sean did very well today, although I'll let him tell you about his endeavours.  We're just off to the hotel restaurant now, where hopefully I can be a bit more vigilant about my evening meal this time.