Day 6

Sleeping location: Rebecca’s house, Richmond upon Thames
Distance (km today/total): 129 / 621
Estimated climb (m today/total): 700 / 6600
Interesting things seen: 0
Day in three words: Commuter belt dreariness

A flat and boring day with the sole aim of getting to Richmond in time for a dinner date (success!).  The scenery switched from “pastoral English fields” to “endless dull suburbs” around Basingstoke, 50km in, and never switched back.  It’s also noticeable how much worse the driving becomes the closer you get to London, everyone seems to be in a rush to get to the shops/hairdressers/pet cemetery  and there were some desperate overtaking manoeuvres.

The one saving grace was a nice towpath along the Basingstoke canal, which I hadn’t previously been aware of. It wasn’t quick (at one stage I raced a dragonfly and the dragonfly won) but it was quiet and stress free.  It went on for so long that I actually switched back to the road for the last 10km, just to feel a bit of speed.

Well-earned rest day tomorrow, which involves a beer festival so maybe won’t actually be that restful.

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