Road Closed, Journey Open

Daily miles: 35.34 | Total miles: 16,557.73

I woke up feeling much better than yesterday. Whatever had knocked me out on the train seemed to have passed, and I was grateful for that. I knew roughly how many miles I wanted to cover today, but I still hadn't decided on the exact route. In the end, I decided to just get ready and figure it out as I went along.

Just before leaving, I realized there was one thing I should probably do first: download the UK Google offline maps. With the amount of countryside I was planning to run through, that felt like a wise decision. Once that was done, I packed up, met Chris briefly before heading off, and started following what looked like a cycling route south.

During my JOGLE preparation run through the UK, following cycling routes hadn't always worked out perfectly, and today turned out to be another good example of that. Several times I came across signs saying "Road Ahead Closed," but every time I continued cautiously and never actually found a closure. At one point, I stopped a cyclist to ask whether he knew about any roadworks ahead. He wasn't aware of any and seemed as confused as I was.

Later, the route led me down what turned out to be a dead-end road, which then became a narrow path through high grass before eventually disappearing into what felt like a giant nettle field. Not exactly ideal when you're pushing a buggy. I turned around, worked my way around it, and eventually found my way back toward the cycle route.

Just before rejoining it, I met Dick and Sheila. Dick has been cutting the grass around an old Roman church for the past thirty years, and both of them seemed incredibly knowledgeable about the local plants and wildlife. Right in front of us were two pyramid orchids. Dick explained how rare they are and told me a little more about the local flora. Encounters like these are one of my favorite parts of the journey. You never know who you're going to meet or what you're going to learn.

There were still a lot of miles left to cover, so eventually I had to move on. Around halfway through the day, I reached Beccles and stopped at a beautifully decorated café for a break. What started as a quick stop turned into a wonderful pause. I enjoyed two iced teas, had my first scone with cream and jam, and ended up having some great conversations. It was one of those places where it's easy to stay longer than planned.

But the miles weren't going to run themselves.

Eventually, I said goodbye and continued south through the Suffolk countryside. Luckily, the day felt very different from yesterday. I still had a bit of a headache and felt somewhat tired, but overall I was okay. After the nausea, dizziness, and uncertainty of yesterday, it felt wonderful simply to be moving again and enjoying another day on the road.

Now I'm writing this at the end of a long day. To be honest, I'm too tired to write much more. The miles have caught up with me, and my sleeping bag is waiting.

Tonight, I'll be sleeping under the stars in Neil's garden.

Good night, Andrea