Another hot day

East London, north of the Thames, is no place for a cyclist, especially when the temperature is in the high twenties.. Busy roads, little of interest to see, lots of derelict properties. But it's all part of Britain's amazing coastline. We must count our blessings that we live on a relatively small island that has such a diverse and interesting coast.

Unlike the south side of the river, there's no Thames-side path. It's impossible to even see the river, let alone view any of its quays. They're all hidden behind warehouses and other industrial complexes.

As elsewhere, I tried to use National Cyucle Routes where possible. The trouble is, though, I don't know where they're heading. For example, I found myself on Route 13 (they often seem to mimic the local A-road number). But at some point it seemed to turn back on itself, so I left it and continued along my pre-planned route. This gives me an opportunity to list the problems with NCRs, as I see them, and to suggest some solutions.

1. The condition of the road or track is never pre-announced. A lovely smooth off-road tarmac trail can suddently deteriorate to a narrow path, strewn with rubbish and glass, with brambles in your face and nettles attacking your legs.

2. Some routes include steps, but there is never any warning. By the time you reach the steps you've often come too far to turn back.

3. Barriers are often added to prevent motorcyclists from using the route. There is no conformity in their design, and sometimes it's difficult, or even impossible, for a cyclist with wide panniers to negotiste them.

4. Signs are often missing, or ambiguous. Possibly local vandals enjoy twisting them around, or removing them altogether. Some signs just show the direction, whilst other better ones include a destination and mileage.

5. There is little if any promotion of these routes. You can look them up online, and print off a section of route, but this is time-consuming and not always possible if you're on a long ride.

My proposed solutions include:

a) Getting local cycling clubs on board to advise on signage and to report errors. There should be a named contact in every area for reporting to. In Suffolk there's a 'signing guru', who ensures that there are sufficient unambiguous signs on all the routesw in the county. This needs to be repeated elsewhere.

b) Local Sustrans groups appoint volunteer rangers, but these are either few in number, or not doing their job properly. They should be responsible for a section of a route, even going out with dustpan and brush to clear up glass, if necessary.

c) Where obstacles are present, signs must make it clear, well in advance. Signs such as the one in Dover - 'Alternative wheeling route...' - need to be amended (this one included about a hundred steps).

d) Councils should consult local cycling clubs before installing barriers. Many are just unnecessary, and could be replaced with something less elaborate and expensive.

e) Sustrans should produce leaflets for each route and place them on sale (cheaply) in local shops along or near the route.

So that's my twopennyworth. Perhaps I'll forward these ideas to the local Sustrans group, although Suffolk is one of the best areas; some other parts of the country are not so blessed.

Finally today, my 'Thought': 'Keep your promises'. If you say you're going to do something, make sure you do it, and on time.

TV nightmare

02.45 in the morning and that damn television in the next room at the hotel where I was staying was still blaring out. They must've gone to sleep and left it on, I thought. I'd only slept fitfully up till then and at that time in the morning it was impossible to get back to sleep. So I rang the night porter, who went up to the room and turned it off; apparently they had checked out the previous day. In the morning I tried to get a discount for the inconvenience, but the manager was having none of it, saying it wasn't the hotel's fault. I maintained it was; once a guest has checked out the room is their responsibility. So what should I have done? I wish I'd stuck to my guns and paid perhaps £10 less than I was being charged. But I gave in and paid the full amount. I'll follow it up with a letter, but I doubt if I'll get any joy.

After a tour of the Isle of Grain, getting as close to Thamesport as I dared without being mowed down by container lorries, I looped back along minor roads and off-road tracks to Gravesend, where I met Stephen Craven at the railway station. Together we cycled to Dartford, and then mainly along riverside paths to Woolwich and eventually to Stephen's house in Greenwich. Some of the off-road tracks had barriers designed to keep our motorcycles. But I find they also restrict my bike, with its wide panniers. I don't know whose responsibility these barriers are, presumably local councils, but I think local cycling clubs and/or Sustrans groups should campaign to have them removed, or at least to have the design changed.

It had been the hottest day so far, and after some 60 miles of cycling I was pleased to get into a cool bath.

Stephen's wife Linda had cooked an excellent roast chicken supper, and an early night now beckons to make up for last night's lack of sleep.

Finally, the Thought for Today. Don't be a moaner. Other people don't want to hear your problems or complaints. Keep them to yourself. Sort them out 'in-house' and find your own solutions to them.

Summer has arrived!

Once I'd reached the coast near Birchington, it was excellent off-road cycling all the way to Whitstable. Kent seems to have solved the cycle track problem, with generally good signage and surfaces.

Plenty of interesting harbours today, especially Whitstable where the public is allowed to wander around all its quays, except the cargo-handing one. I was pleased to be able to visit several 'new' places, including Faversham, Oare Creek, Conyer Creek and Otterham.

I reached Sheerness mid-afternoon, but the campsite was for caravans only, so I pressed on as far as Gillingham. Tomorrow I will be meeting Geograph-er Stephen Craven, who will be putting his bike on the train to Gravesend, where I'll meet him at lunchtime. We'll then cycle together back to his house in Greenwich.

Thought for today: Think positively; don't let negative thoughts pervade your mind.

All four corners

Passing through Kent today it occurred to me that I had now visited all four corners of Britain - John O'Groats, Durness, Land's End and Dover. Another milestone.

Today is Bundy's birthday, and yes, I did phone her this morning. Asked if she's looking forward to me coming back home, she replied "well, yes and no". She's got used to being on her own, just as I have. It's going to take a while for both of us to re-adjust.

On the ride I've seen perhaps a couple of dozen roadside memorials, at least two of which have been to cyclists. It's touching how relatives want to remember the spot where their beloved was killed, but also somewhat macabre. In many cases the flowers have long withered, the teddy bears are soggy and the photos are peeling.

When I reached Hythe this morning, I caught my first glimpse of France. Now there's a thought....

Today's route, once I reached Hythe, was mainly off-road, on National Cycle Routes 2 , 1 and 15. These were excellent, except at Dover, where I chose 'the alternative wheeling route to Deal'. Now wouldn't you think that means it's suitable for bikes? I should've learnt my lesson; earlier in the ride I chose the 'coastal route' rather than the road route and nearly got stuck in cow pats and sand dunes. This one started with a gentle ramp, and then came the steps - three sets of them, a total of nearly 100 steps. That 'wasted' half an hour, but at least the views from the top of the White Cliffs was spectacular, with individual buildings clearly visible across the Channel.

At Ramsgate the route took me along the busy clifftop promenade, where the cycle route was shared with pedestrians and children on bikes. One youngster, no more than eight years old, decided to turn right in front of me and - crash! - I hit him broadside. My first 'accident'. I was fine, except one of the panniers had fallen off and the front mudguard had become detached. The little lad was fine too, apart from a grazed knee, but he said to his parents, "I'm never going to ride my bike again". The parents, fortunately, were just as concerned for me as for the lad, and didn't blame me at all.

I ate my first blackberry today, a useful source of free food over the next few days, hopefully.

Today's 'thought'. Never say, 'I haven't got time...' or ' Sorry, I didn't have time to....' Always make time, especially if you're doing something for someone else. Just think of those hours you waste watching TV.

A quarter of a year

Today sees 13 weeks completed; I've been away for a quarter of the year! I'm sure that at no time in my life have three months passed so quickly. I can recall days from early on the in the ride and they feel like only a few weeks ago. And it certainly doesn't feel as if a fortnight has passed since I arrived in Penzance on 15 July, more like a week or even less.

I haven't felt fitter, or more alert and alive, for years. I've now lost two stone since I started training in the middle of March and I'm determined to keep to my current weight of 12 stone. That will probably entail a change of lifestyle when I return home, cutting down on certain foods, especially bread. Also there'll be no chocolate, unlike each day when currently I get through at least one Mars and one Twix bar, as well as a flapjack.

I said yesterday that from now until I finish I'll be giving a daily 'do' or 'don't' for the future. So, my first one is "to accept the rough with the smooth". Not every day, or hour, is going to be fun. There'll be bad days and unhappy moments. But overall it's a good life, so learn to enjoy all of it.

Today I zipped along the A259 to Eastbourne, coping with two long steep hills at Exceat and East Dean, before hugging the coast to Pevensey, Bexhill and Hastings; I hadn't been to these last three places before, for some strange reason. Then it was on to the pretty towns of Winchelsea and Rye, before crossing the marshes to New Romney where I needed a B&B to top up with electrical power after three nights' camping (as well as needing a shower). This is my first B&B since Bude, in North Cornwall.

Joe 90

This particular 'Joe' has now clocked up 90 days on the road. Just eight days to go. Of course, I'll be pleased to get back, but I'm still enjoying the ride so much that it'll be a pity to have to stop!

When I was in the extremities of Scotland and Wales, I didn't think about what it would be like to be near the end of the journey; I was just enjoying each day as it came, savouring the scenery and meeting pleasant people. Now I am near the end, I'm starting to look back on earlier parts of the ride, especially those with dramatic weather conditions, or where I'd like to return to on a different sort of holiday.

I've also had time to reflect, and to ask some questions about myself. What sort of person do I want to be? In what way(s) should I, or do I need, to change?

I learnt an important lesson from a 75-year old gentleman who ran a restaurant in Bude. He asked me a question: "If you try to give me something and I refuse to accept it, who does it then belong to?" The answer of course is that first person. He then likened this rationale to giving someone a hard time, or moaning about something to another person. If you decline to accept whatever it is they are saying, then the problem stays with them, not with you. I may not have expressed this very clearly, but I was quite impressed at the time.

Starting tomorrow, when there are seven blogging days remaining, I plan to give a daily 'do' or 'don't' which I intend to stick to for the rest of my life. Whether others agree with me is irrelevant. There'll be nothing earth-shattering, just some thoughts and beliefs that have crossed my mind as I've cycled nearly 6,000 miles. I've had plenty of opportunity to reflect.

Back to today, which was a doddle. I called in at the Port of Shoreham, one of my major sponsors, then in Hove visited my 'Uncle' Bill, who will be 92 in a couple of weeks' time. Then on to see Lucy and Jane (ex New Zealand) who also live in Hove. So, three fairly short visits, but I still made Seaford by 15.30. This evening I met ex-Norwich chess player Keith Osborne, who now lives in the town. He treated me to a beer and a meal at a local hostelry.

I'm bang on schedule and for anyone interested in welcoming me back, I plan to arrive at the Old Custom House in Ipswich at 16.00 on Friday 5th August.

What hills?

They're just a distant memory; no hills of any note for a couple of days. But there will be more, I know, especially Beachy Head on Friday.

What I love about the British coast is its sheer diversity. Where else could you go and experience, within relatively short distances, the different landscapes that Britain has to offer? Of course, it's not all good - remember Mablethorpe and Brean - but those are more than balanced by such places as the west coast of Scotland, Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Devon. I have been very lucky to experience all these places in a single sweep. It has given me a real appreciation of the richness of Britain's coastline.

Today was another winding tour through towns and countryside. Into Portsmouth along a poorly signposted cycle route and across Langstone Harbour on the passenger ferry to Hayling Island. There I was able to renew acquaintances with Nigel Jardine, the Harbour Master, stopping for half an hour for a coffee. Then it was through Emsworth to Bosham, where I met Geograph-er Matt Eyre for a beer and a baguette. At Itchenor I also met the new head of Chichester Harbour Conservancy, who wants me to return to give a talk about the ride.

A few more quays later I reached the outskirts of Littlehampton and took advantage of a campsite at Ford where there was a pub next door. It had been another disappointing mainly overcast day; I'm looking forward to seeing the sun again.