Day 3 - Bath to Wells, via the Cheddar Gorge

Had a wonderful dinner at the home of cousin Chris,his wife Debbie and son Matthew, and we were also joined by my cousin Nick and his wife Suzy. These are the adult children of my mom's sister - my mom was a war bride and came to the U.S. in 1946. Great conversation and wit, not to mention a lovely meal. We did not get to sleep until WAY after midnight, not exactly the best plan to prepare for Day 1 of the tour route, but who cares?

After breakfast at the B & B we packed our panniers (wow, forgot about that extra weight!), and after 10 AM set off on the first big biking day. We estimate that our pannier/packs add about 30-35 lbs. to our bikes, and that was a big change for us from fast and flat in MN. There was no flat terrain after the 6th mile of 44 today! Two climbs were so epic we walked about 200 yards of them as we ran out of low gears and leg. But the scenery and charm were unmatched - gorgeous vistas were the payoff of those incredible climbs. The day was highlighted by climbing through Cheddar Gorge (pictured), a rock canyon that rivals any natural wonder in the U.S. - we were not thrilled with the massively commercial tourist traps at the "base" in Cheddar, but as luck would have it by the time we finished a late lunch and started our climb, the traffic and frenzy had died down greatly. And yes, we bought some cheddar cheese.

When we finally "summited" at a small campground store outside of Priddy and 5+ miles of climbing later, we were told by the proprietor that we had climbed over 1,000 feet from the Cheddar base - whew!

Cheddar Gorge

High above Wells

BTW - weather was perfect, albeit a bit windy, but at our pace the wind was not a factor - 60's and cloudy and NO RAIN.

Had some hair-raising downhills through Wookey Hole (love that village name) and arrived in Wells tired but very pleased with our toughness on a big first day. Showers and the pub grub never felt so good! The best part is we have 2 nights here, so tomorrow's ride will be a short loop WITHOUT PACKS - we will feel as if we are flying. We'll also visit Wells museum and do the evensong at the medieval cathedral of Wells - it will be a big day!

Look!