Having done the lion's share of riding yesterday, I only had about 35 miles to go to get to Cambridge. I was up and out by about 8:45. Bury St. Edmonds is a large town that is the nexus of several "A" roads. Further, I was in the town centre and didn't have a map that would show me the way out to the country lane I wanted to take to Cambridge. I had to ask three different people before I managed to get on the right road, which just happen to take me over the highest point of Bury St. Edmunds on its way out of town!
The weather was very overcast, a bit windy, and I had my rain gear at the ready. While I did feel some drizzle, it never did come down enough to force on more clothes. I didn't take any pictures this day for two reasons. First, the light was so bad that most pictures wouldn't have come out very well. Second, there wasn't anything new to see (and I didn't cross over any pretty streams!).
Instead, it was a tough up and down ride, made harder by the fact that it was day number six without a rest, there was a bit of a head wind, and I was psychologically exhausted. The previous ride, with all that wind, had beat me up psychically. The novelty of bike touring, the pretty countryside, the lilting accents, the freedom had all worn off. What I was left with was a 35 mile bike ride that I needed to do but didn't necessarily want to do.
Once I got outside Bury St. Edmonds, I was back among the small villages and country lanes. The first 15 miles were relatively car-free. But, as I neared Cambrige the traffic started to pick up. The last 10 miles was like riding through any other bike-aware big city. I had to be a bit more careful but I made it to Carolyn's place without incident about 1:30pm.
I was relieved to get off the bike in her front yard and for the last time!