I was prepared for the many hills on this route —no getting around topography — but I wasn’t over keen on the steady morning rain. Mind you, it made for some moody images. The grouped Neolithic stone circles known as the Hurlers, and St Michael’s church atop Bren Tor would certainly look prettier in bright sunshine but there’s something otherworldly evocative seeing them partially through the mist. The Hurlers are just outside the hamlet of Minions. Is it just me or has the local highway authority deliberately made that movie minions silhouette with the sign and the speed roundel? The weather cleared up by late afternoon and the receptionist at the Mercure Exeter said the city had been bathed in sunshine all day. In the evening former transport planner and now National Trust cycling bod Zsolt Schuller popped over to the hotel for a chinwag. We were going to record a podcast about his role but decided to do it at a National Trust the following day instead.