Day 3: Tavistock to Watchet

Our third day introduces what for me will be one of the hardest parts of the ride - constant tiredness. We've had a reasonable sleep, but I wake up tired, and know we have another 70 miles in front of us through Devon, and more particularly Dartmoor.

I'd especially wanted to cycle through Dartmoor, and while the first climb of the day is long and hard, the scenery is truly inspiring. Looking back through the photographs of some of our days, it's hard to say why a photo rarely represents a view properly - whether it's the medium, or the sense of achievement when you've cycled to the top of somewhere for the view. Anyway, when we finally finish the final climb of Dartmoor and look out over the surrounding area, knowing we're about to drop down there, it really feels worth the work.

We descend to Moretonhampstead, and then to Crediton for lunch. I've found getting started first thing, and after a long break difficult, and the first hill after Crediton really starts to get to me. The road afterwards, along the River Exe is more rolling, but I know we have to cross the Brendon Hills before we get to the coast and Watchet, and after a short stop in Bampton, we start to tackle these. By now I'm very low on energy, and dragging the bike through the hills. The sea is a welcome sight, but I realise I've again underestimated the distance: we've done 87 miles today by the time we get to Watchet.

One of the odd things about cycling is that while you can really suffer in the saddle, the pain is usually over fairly quickly, and sitting on a pub bench looking out over the harbour, waiting for your fish to be cooked is one of the best ways to do it. The world doesn't seem so bad after a couple of pints, and we know we have shorter day to Bath tomorrow, and have hopefully seen the end of the sort of hills we've found in Devon and Cornwall.