Day 3 Moretonhampstead to Glastonbury

Weather forecasts proved correct with gale force winds in Moretonhampstead overnight and wet conditions to start the day - a reluctant gaggle of cyclists gathered at the Sparrowhawk for the morning briefing. Steep hill ascent out of the village tested legs straight away whilst wet weather gear made us feel like we were cycling in a Turkish bath. The effort required to get up the hill compounded by an overindulgence in the Union pub the previous evening ! "Hairy" descents in the rain or on wet roads were compounded by gritty / sandy conditions throughout the day which are taking a significant toll on our brake pads. First near miss RTA on the descent  into Exeter when a fruit and veg van decided it was a good idea to try and overtake us whilst  playing chicken with the oncoming traffic. Resulting screech of tyres on the road was accompanied by the sound of veg rolling around the back of the van -smashed potatoes anyone? Got to Exeter  safely and decided to bin the waterproof leggings as they were wetter inside than out. Finally getting the hang of the GPS and made it through town without too much trouble. Numerous ups and downs both to terrain and spirits passed and we eventually made it into our 3rd county before taking a lunch break at a Jet garage - courtesy of "Cordon Gingsters" Refueled with Lucozade and mars / snickers we made our best progress of the day over the last 20 miles cracking on at a good pace. Final navigation error of the day when the GPS tried to take us off to the Street YHA - checking with "Direction Meister Gareth" reveled we had lost the route notes so it was another "Dumb and Dumber" phone call to the ever patient Steve who sorted out our directions to the B&B for another early finish in Glastonbury. Tiring and testing day but one that we were glad to complete - (75 miles and 4400 feet of ascent)  looking forward to an "easier" day Wednesday when we only have  a flatter 68 miles to ride !