Blogging at 22:00 on Saturday 22nd June from N 54.35086°, W 00.93784° / http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loc:54.35086%2C-00.93784
Up on the tops again. Typical upland birds around and about and, amongst others, I've seen golden plover, red grouse, curlew, meadow pipit and lapwing. Pic is my view from the side door.
There are loads of what I think are butterflies darting amongst the heather here but they're very restless and in spite of numbers I haven't seen one settle. They're a bit fritillary-looking but I can't work them out. They could be day-flying moths even: really not sure.
I'm feeling pretty achey having checked out sections of the race course for tomorrow. It's not what I was expecting (apart from the brutal climbs). Much of it is on really rough and muddy tracks and mixed with what - to all intents and purposes - are no more than rooty and rocky overgrown footpaths. I've been nettled and grass-lashed and even had encroaching cleavers and hawthorne snagging the handlebars on both sides at once. Some of it is very technical to the point of being almost unrideable. Gates, too! There are loads of them and the instruction is clear. Dismount, open, go through, close, remount.
It's going to be a long 20 miles...
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