Day 48 – Westpoint Arena, Exeter to Okehampton
Actual distance 50.26km or 31.23miles (or 1,005.2 lengths of an Olympic swimming pool (as we were that wet!))
Total Ascent 679m (or the height of 1,697.5 ducks (it was nice weather for them today!))
Staying with 1st Okehampton Scout Group
It was tough today.. really tough.
We started bright and early in traditional Devon ScoutEx style with ‘Wakey Shakey’ to get us going- after Ollie, Bethan and Jennie had done some dancercise to some classic cheesy music we headed for breakfast courtesy of Taff and the Ice House team (pancakes and for the GF pair mushroom omelettes!)
Our plan for an early get away was slightly scuppered by us moving the vehicles to Okehampton fist thing in order save time later. The drive to Okehampton was fine but the on returning we got stuck at a roundabout 2km from Westpoint for 30mins! Once we finally got back we realised it was lunch time and wouldn’t get very far without feeding the younger team and so we went back to see Taff again! Once full there was a quick round of goodbyes and off we headed under dark skies for Okehampton.
However, we didn’t get too far before we had to stop as we found the security gate to exit the Westpoint Arena didn’t recognise bikes- even 5 of them together, so we were trapped! Ollie managed to squeeze through a little gap in the gate to call one of the businesses on the site who kindly opened the gate and we were off. We flew into Exeter via some lovely cycle paths. After about 10km we stopped to say hello to Kate and family, one of Jennies old Uni friends. Following a warm welcome we had soup, drinks, crisps and sweets to fortify us for the next leg. We even managed to avoid a very heavy shower leaving us feeling smug, but did head off again under very, very grey skies.
On we went, with the gradient going up, and up and then up a little more which was quite an assault on tired legs! Then the showers started. Linda, from the 1st Okehampton had warned us that it was a wet area but we were hoping that the rain gods were going to remain on our side.
On and on we went, getting wetter and wetter. A quick pub stop helped with fuel but we were all struggling, particularly with a cold wind that made us feel cold to the core. With about 16km left of the day we called in the cavalry and Hattie finished the day in the support car. The rest of us continued, but so did the rain. We got as wet as it is possible to get, but we made it to Okehampton by19:00 to be greeted by our support team (Elaine and Phil) and Hattie in a warm, dry HQ with food ready prepared!
We all had a quick shower to warm up (one of Phil’s highlights of the trip as he was so wet and cold!) and then tucked in to fajitas followed by home made Rocky Road or Bara Brieth- just what was needed after a tough, wet day!
