Saturday 3^rd April, 129 South Main St. ,Madisonville, Ky

21/.00

A funny old day today. After breakfast in the hotel we set off, only to be immediately forced back by a torrential gale. I was all for checking in again and spending the day in bed. Sadly the wind eased off after 40 minutes and we were away again. Still wet at first then sunny but the wind picked up again which made it heavy going. It’s soul destroying to be on the flat and trying to do ten miles an hour,

Lunch at a diner just outside the quaintly named Slaughter. The old fashioned diners are good fun and very friendly and the food is much better than the fast food places. Still mainly fried meat and potatoes but it is home made, and the special - usually road kill of the day and home-fries - is often worth having. The people usually, but not always, older, are always very chatty and hospitable Sadly these places are dying out but you'll usually get at least one on the outskirts of a big town.

We had been warned about the strong chicken odour around the town of Sebree, where there are huge hatcheries but apart from a short sharp blast we didn’t really notice. Quite English countryside here. A lot of today was like riding through Surrey.

We were about 5 miles from home when one of us got a puncture. Mercifully, it wasn't me. Particularly mercifully when the puncturee found that his spare inner tubes did not fit his wheel and had to borrow one from his fellow cyclist. Any giggling at this point would have been fatal. I have to add that takes me at least an hour to sort out a puncture, including a ten minute lie- down afterwards - this one was done and dusted in 15 minutes; text book stuff.

We arrived at our pre-booked B&B half an hour later. It turns out to be a magnificent, 5 bedroom, 19th Cy mansion , that we have entirely to ourselves. Beautifully decorated and furnished. The owners, a doctor and his/her/ wife/husband (not sure which) use part of it as a surgery but let it out as well. They live up the road and their daughter let us in and showed us round. Incredibly trusting to leave such a beautiful place to two sweaty oiks on bikes.

We lazed around happily for a while then went out for food. A local deli/diner/sports bar provided steak, bottled Guinness and Cabernet. (That's it over here, just Cabernet), all excellent, .and lots of basketball. Mike was watching this and declared that Baker was brilliant. until I I pointed out that it was the name of a team, at which point he said that THEY were brilliant.

Mellow as newts we tried to get another bottle of Cabernet to take away. After a long delay this was deemed outside their licensing capacity. I decided to have one more glass in the bar while Mike sensibly went home. Half an hour later as I left the bar, I bumped into him grumpily heading back towards me.. His key didn't work. (See previous remark about the dangers of giggling.).

Now ensconced in our gigantic, separate chambers. Tomorrow we're staying in a tiny place on the banks of the Ohio River so we might as well enjoy this while we can.