LEJOG Day 3 Riding Oakhampton to Taunton in Somerset
62 Miles Cycled
3757 ft of Climbing
After a restless night’s sleep in the Betty Cottles In near Oakhampton, I set off on day 3 of my solo Lands End to John O’Groats ride. The noise of the main road alongside the hotel woke me on a number of occasions. I saw the father and son LEJOGer’s set off at around 6am, my start was a little more relaxed.
I made the mistake of setting off in to Oakhampton which meant a downhill followed by a long uphill, this could have been avoided if I had double back on myself.
The route at first followed a main road and I have to say that it was not very interesting but as the day progressed I eventually found myself on some quiet country lanes again. Devon like Cornwall is awash with narrow lanes surrounded by huge hedgerows. A nice decent in to the town of Crediton taking in the surrounding countryside then I joined another route named Robs Passage which took me down towards the A396 and on to Tiverton.
I got a puncture early afternoon and I sat in a gateway fixing this in the sunshine, a leaky valve seemed to be the culprit which was quickly fixed and I was on my way.
I have to say that the few miles along the A396 to Tiverton was one of the worst sections of this whole ride. Cycle.Travel the publishers of the East East Coaster say that the roas is “Busy not Dangerous”, I disagree. The road was busy, fast and offered very little room for cyclists and I was glad to get to Tiverton so I could relax again.
Cycling NCR 3 amd the Great Western Canal
From Tiverton today’s route then took me along NCN route 3 again and on to the Great Western Canal. I am a fan of riding along canals. There is always a lot to see and this canal was no exception. The canal was busy with paddle boarders, boats, walkers and cyclists.
I followed the Great Western Canal for what seemed miles. The canal eventually came to an abrupt end and I was back on to the road again in search of Taunton.
Nearing the end of day 3 and the road to Taunton seemed to go on and on. After leaving the canal NCN route 3 took my along some excellent country lanes and eventually I found myself in Nynehead.
Cycling up Nynehead Hollow
The road out of Nynehead took me up Nynehead Hollow, a sandstone gorge which was a unique riding experience. The road is bordered by steep sandstone cliffs with high trees on each side give welcome shade on what was a very hot afternoon. Narrow at times it was a wonderful cycling experience cycling up a smaller version of Cheddar Gorge.
A few miles later I found myself on the edge of Taunton which was a welcome site after a long day. My bed for the night was another Airbnb situated close to the town centre. This Taunton Airbnb was hosted by Judith and was my first experience of staying in someone’s home. A comfortable double bedroom close to the town centre for £44.43p was an absolute bargain.
I headed out in to Taunton for the evening calling it at yet another Wetherspoons.
Day 3 of My LEJOG was a long one but the scenery was superb. It felt great to clear Devon and finally be in Somerset.