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@jaeyukdapbap
Part one of day two - We started with a downhill dash along the a-Road underneath the most beautiful star filled sky. Tundling along the Tarka Trail we debated using the flat of the former train line as a chance to get ahead of time and pushing on or jut rolling through casually and enjoying it. We rolled - that’s what the weekend was all about. The sun was rising over the marshes along The Torridge and set a start to the day of just being mesmerised by beautiful scenes. There was a plan to dip back into Barnstable and grab some food for the day. It wasn’t likely a Sunday through small hamlets would prove fruitful so we wanted to stock up for the day. Pasties were brought for £1 each from the Asda Superstore petrol station. So many pasties.
Swinging out of Barnstable towards Muddiford we didn’t consider the irony of what was about to happen as the road was closed and we road three abreast through the valley just talking about how great life is, how great the outside is and just how great getting places on bicycles is. Glorious road, would ride again even if open to cars.
To get out of spending too much time on busy roads I’d found a small track coming out of Muddiford in the direction of Combe Martin. Up we went along, I don’t know what you call the type of road service but that type where it’s made out of concrete slabs laid out one after another. The climb up was beautiful, lightly tree covered through the combe towards some small farm buildings. That’s where Muddiford lives up to its name and turned into a mud bath. We battled cows, climbed fences, did that thing to get through bushes a bit like where Homer Simpson disappears into a bush in the famous gif. The tracks were rocky steep and tough and not quite suited to the adventure bikes we were on designed for adventuring. Looking back the right turn after Muddiford up Whitefield Hill which we later joined would have been a much better option as its was again just glorious and we were back to talking about how excellent everything was.
Further down the road we see a great white farm building on a junction where we are turning to shelter from the wind for a break. The sun is out - it’s pure golden balls. Whilst we’re stood around chatting (probably about who’s got the biggest willy or something) some old dude pops out from one of the lanes and grins wildly as soon as we all make eye contact. “Ere lads. 68 I am an still ridin’. Fit as a fiddle!” He’s sat atop some run of the mill 90’s mountain bike. He tells us all about the Tour of Britain coming through the area and asks where we’re going. His jealousy is wild and enthusiasm for the scenery we’ll come across high. We all ride onwards together briefly before he beckons us to shoot off ahead while he spins up an incline. We’re climbing towards the descent into Invention Wood. At the peak we get the first real glimpse of what is ahead of us for the rest of the day. Pure unadulterated scenery porn.
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