South Downs Way - day 4

SDW - day 4

Usual breaky except Steve goes healthy. Boys set off on bikes whilst I drive back to Steyning in order to pick up the trail where I left it. I race across a couple of hills and I'm back at Pyecombe on 90 minutes. People are paragliding off Devil's Dyke and at the other side they seem to be rolling down in "hamster balls". As I'm passing Hobb's Cottage again I get Wendy to fill my bottle (cheeky!!). I then set off chasing the boys hard, foregoing the services to pick up lunch and race after them so fast I miss a sharp right turn and head down a big hill back a T-junction where there are no signs for SDW. I fly down a big hill and hit a T-junction with no signs. Five minutes with map and gps (that would be iPhone then) confirm I've gone wring and I need to climb back up that hill. Fortunately, it is tarmac so does not feel so hard. I take my frustration out on the pedals, not even stopping at the ice cream van!!! I catch the boys just in time for lunch and we ride that afternoon together. I'm wearing my sleeveless v-necked T-shirt in order to try to get some colour up my arms (this has been referred to as the "muscle man" T-shirt which causes Steve to comment that I might be breaking the trade descriptions act!) Anyway, it works, I get good colour and probably only the repeated administration of lashings of aftersun stop me being in pain.
Towards the end of the afternoon the winds gets up. The good news is that it is pushing us home but it is also quite cold. I only have half a shirt on and Steve starts getting ear-ache so ends up with his gloves hanging down out of his helmet (sorry, no photo).
The last parts of these rides are always the best. After around twenty miles you are tired and in spite of the great time you are having you are ready to arrive at the welcoming B&B. Once you crest that last hill, see the village you are aiming for and know it is all downhill from that point, the rest is just awesome.
We arrive at the B&B in Alfriston in good time where the landlady tells us that the single room has not been used all week and the bed still has the same sheets on from when Andy slept in there on Sunday night. Well, that's tonight's sleeping arrangements sorted then, thanks.
After retrieving my car (Andy drove me back this time) we all shave and shower and head off hunting for dinner. The boys have been drooling for a steak all week and as this small village seems to have three pubs serving food and a restaurant so we have choices. The guys get their wish, whilst I enjoy some lovely lamb (and banoffee pie for the second night in a tow). We spend the rest of the night in the pub across the road because we think it is new to us but as soon as we walk in we remember that we watched Top Gear in there on Sunday night. In all, we have five drinks each, the majority of them "Lady Lagers" before heading off for some well-earned sleep.
Steve and Andy 21 miles
David 26 miles