L2T2: Tiverton Parkway to Teignmouth

Cycling over the previous few days has felt like the Argentinian economy: either soaring up or plummeting down, and with perpetual U-turns.

But today Normal Cycle Touring Service was resumed: unremarkable but agreeable back-lanes cycling through undulating countryside. It was south Devon, but could have been anywhere in England.

At Broadhembury, a pleasant thatchy village (above), the nice people in the teashop – impressed by the unconventional frame shape of Nigel’s Airnimal – opened specially for us at 9am.

Clearly unconventional is what they like here, to judge by the position of this door (above), mysteriously located halfway up one of the house walls. Perhaps their builders were as unreliable at following a brief as the ones that did my annexe.

From Exmouth we took the ferry across the Exe estuary to Starcross (above). It took 20 minutes thanks to the unfavourable tide – about the same time as it took us to hike the bicycles up and over the bike-unfriendly footbridge at Starcross station to rejoin the road.

We got to Teignmouth (above and below) and enjoyed watching the local gulls dropping cockles from a great height onto the promenade to break the shells. Perhaps this is why there’s No Cycling on the promenade – to save you from punctures from the shrapnel.

Lynmouth to Teignmouth has been a fine representative coast-to-coast slice of Devon, which in two days has covered hills, plains, moors, valleys, a canal, countless lovely villages and back lanes, a cliff railway and a ferry. Very enjoyable. I’m currently sitting in an Exeter Wetherspoons with a pint of Neptune, and saying what I usually say in such circumstances: I like cycling, don’t you?

Right: Barrow to Jarrow next...

Miles today: 42
Miles since Lynmouth: 98
No of cups of tea/coffee each: 7
Minutes of rainfall: 1
Highest speed recorded on Nigel’s GPS: 16,300mph (poss. error)