Day 5 - Ross-on-Wye to Shrewsbury - projected distance 80 miles.

After a highly palatable pub meal at the Riverside Inn last night, followed by a hearty breakfast as well at the hotel this morning, I was refuelled and ready to go.

The A49 was to be my home for the day - my route was pretty much straight north, through Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, and then through Shrewsbury to the village of Wem.

I set off up the A49 to Hereford in the light rain, just enough to wake me up. After a few miles though, I was perplexed that I seemed to be going rather slowly. Instead of 15mph-18mph, I was creeping along at about 11mph-12mph. It was only when I reached the crest of a hill and looked at the elevation on my GPS that I realised I had been steadily climbing a hill, up to about 600ft. Coming down the other side, I managed to improve my average speed.

As I meandered through Shropshire, enjoying the smooth tarmac of the main road, the scenery was unremittingly rural. The countryside was fairly attractive, mainly agricultural, though with fewer animals than I might have expected. There were plenty of tractors. I have to admit that one of them beat me away from the traffic lights in Hereford, but I recovered some pride when I overtook two on the road into Leominster. I considered a Tim Henman pump of the fists, but thought better of it in case they caught up with me again.

At Ludlow I stopped to have a look at the town, just missing Sarah and the children, who were just leaving. In need of refreshment after the first 40 miles of the day, I went into De Grey's traditional tea room, which also featured some fairly traditional surly service. I'm not sure they see a lot of lycra in there, but I forgave them because the toasted teacakes were sublime. De Grey's has been a tea shop since 1570, so they've had plenty of time to perfect their snacks. In its leaflet, the teashop said that Ludlow is frequently referred to as "the most beautiful town in England." Hmm - by the tourist information centre, perhaps, but I would have to demur. The prominence of Woolworths and Somerfield in the town centre is not that magnificent.

Shortly after Ludlow, I noticed my GPS had gone off - I think I must have flicked it off accidentally. It might not have recorded a mile or two, but it would not have missed much. It's invaluable, and I look at it very frequently. In addition to the directions, it also tells me my speed, distance travelled, distance remaining, elevation, estimated arrival time, and a few other things. The data helps to keep me going, and it helps to keep my mind occupied when I'm not watching the road, fantasizing about hills that only go down, or thinking of things to write in this diary.

In general, the bike is well set up, and I have the right gear, which helps a lot. I can only think of two things I have changed since Land's End. The first is that I take a small backpack each day now, rather than trying to stuff all that I need into my jersey pockets. The second change is to wear a buff under my helmet, which prevents sweat from running down my face and stinging my eyes. Yes, I thought you'd like to know that.

Today's ride was long, but not too arduous, and I eventually reached Shrewsbury, where I skirted around the town. I have never seen so many cycle lanes - and not of the usual variety, covered in glass shards, and 100 yards long. These were pristine and ran for miles. I felt compelled to use them, even though it is seriously uncool for a road cyclist to go 'off-road' for any reason at all. I did scare one young girl who turned around and looked horrified to see me - I think perhaps she has not seen too many fully-equipped road warriors.

Finally, after nearly five hours and almost 80 miles, I cycled into Wem, where we are staying. Apparently the village is the home of the Eckford sweet pea. Now you know.