Day 5: What could possibly go wrong?

It all started off like a perfectly normal Dr Pepper Advert. The sun was shining; what’s the worst that could happen?

What a lovely day

The first bad omen came after about 20 miles: a sign for Shrewsbury – 46 miles – and the realisation that our camp was some way the other side of it. Next came the rain, twice hard enough for us to stop and shelter under trees. Then it was a puncture. (Fortunately, this repaired itself within about 3 seconds in a dramatic spray of sealant at 30mph, somewhat reminiscent of a Catherine wheel.) After that came the bee sting.

When we reached Shrewsbury, still in the rain, it was rush hour and, as one local pointed out, “there must be something on at the theatre” – gridlock. On top of that, we got lost in the one-way system and ended up crossing the same bridge twice.

We finally made it to the camp site (yes, it was still raining) at 19:15, with 90 miles on the clock.

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