Day 27: Hadrian had a right task on his hands!

Cramlington, Northumberland to Brampton, Cumbria
57.42 miles (1500.19 miles cumulatively)

2 things really stand out from today. 2 things that will stay with me for a very very long time. One of them was to do with a person that had a task in front of him, and one of them had to do with a person that had a task in front of him.

Let's start with one thing. Hadrian. Blimey. For anyone that doesn't know, he's got a wall. Or at least, he had a wall, and a bloody big one at that. For the most part I cycled a lot of it today and crikey, did he have a task on his hands designing and building the thing! It's is/was incredible and I have to say, if it wasn't for one particular thing which I will talk more about in a second, then the day would have been breathtaking in an immensely exciting way. The countryside was simply spectacular and I knows that I had seen some of the area whilst driving through it, but if there's ever been a way to feel a part of it, on the bike, cycle England has shown me a new side to the area - incredible.

As I said though, if it hadn't been for one thing...the wind. Now I know that I have mentioned in passing (yeah right) the matter of the wind before today, but whatever I have said and however much I have complained before, scrap those ideas - today was unbelievable, it was something else. The head wind was devastating and relentless and I cycled into it for 55 miles. Wow, was I exhausted at the destination today. I've mentioned before, as well, about smug drivers and how they annoy me. Well, today, I've discovered a new smug-ness that really cuts. Smug cyclists.

Picture, if you will, a cyclist leaning back on his bike, legs up on the handlebars, in their smoking jackets, and smoking on a pipe whilst the wind pushes them along. They look at me, wink and pass like a flash whilst I am pedalling and striving into the wind, the endless wind.

Smug cyclists - an all new low!!