92 miles of cycling and I had arrived at my first hotel stop on my adventure up to Liverpool. The Best Western at Falfield which is the Gable Hotel if I remember correctly comes with my recommendation; the staff I encountered were super friendly on reception, my room was spot on with both a bed and a bathroom, and after a soak in the aforementioned bath I got ready for some dinner.

What was I thinking; surely you can't just wander into the Marco Pierre White restaurant within the hotel for dinner ? Turns out that's exactly the case, a table for one request was met with a small amount of distain from the staff member I asked, who 30 seconds later was a little less dismissive when suggesting I could order the same menu of Marco Pierre White inspired food whilst sat in the hotel bar!

What a result; simple macaroni cheese with mushrooms , a chocolate based dessert who's name I have forgotten and an accompaniment of water / coca cola and I was well on my way to replacing some of the estimated 4500 calories or so that my days cycle had consumed.

One of the single best pieces of advice I received in the build up to this cycle ride was the products best suited to protect my bottom.....and the possibility of around 27 hours in the saddle over three days, and the problems that might cause are not to be sniffed at (pun intended).

After a generous application of suitable barrier cream prior to setting off I was at least able to sit down without significant discomfort to enjoy Marco Pierre Whites finest food in the hotel bar, and in fact this cream was to play a significant ongoing role in the protection of my bottom.

Food and drinks consumed I headed back to my hotel room, a phone call update with Jan (who did ask how my bottom was....even she was concerned!) and I got ready for bed. I'd be lying if I said I had an excellent nights sleep, because I didn't. Leg wise they ached, but the consumption of fluids with my dinner meant a middle of the night bathroom visit and I struggled to get back to sleep afterwards.

I was asleep however when my alarm went off, and after a shower I strolled back through the hotel to the Marco Pierre White buffet breakfast where I proceeded to load up on carbs before returning to my room, packing the bike and getting ready for day two in the company of Satnav and Buble.

Every one of the gang was also recharged and refreshed for the day ahead, and Satnav guided me away from the hotel through the Gloucestershire countryside, which was really lovely. Quaint villages, farms and lots of countryside was the backdrop to my cycle, and once again the weather was on my side.

Its worth also noting a couple of issues I will resolve in any future similar cycling adventures - whilst the pace of cycling is perfect in my view to allow me to take in the surroundings as I cycle there are an awful lot of hedgerows in the UK all of which are taller than I am on the bike so there were lengthy sections of the ride where I didn't see that much. The other issue was the ambitious distances I was looking to cover each day, which in hindsight meant I didn't give myself the time to enjoy the places I was cycling through.

Satnav however was on top form, assuming I felt confident to trust her. A couple of sections of the journey took me from country lanes onto the tow paths of canals, especially heading into both Gloucester and Worcester, and whilst tow paths by there very nature are relatively flat they were, like the earlier bridleways constructed with horses not bikes in mind.

The barrier cream was great, but my slightly delicate butt cheeks and under carriage were a little impacted by the rough surfaces on these tow paths, and later on some dedicated cycle paths that had previously been railway lines. I can't really complain though because as well as an almost complete lack of cars and other motor vehicles I was able to see my first Kingfisher , lots of other water based birds and very few people over the course of the second morning.

Gloucester Sainsburys supplied my lunch and other essential snacks for day two, the sun continued to bless the ride with its warmth (with the exception of a brief shower in the middle of the day) and I continued along a variety of national cycle routes for most of the rest of the day.

After at least 75 miles of the ride all was going well, no punctures or issues of any sort. Satnav, powered by Buble had been very clear in her directions, and although I felt a little more fatigued than the day before I knew I was capable of finishing the second day of the journey.

With this feeling in my mind I began free wheeling down towards the centre of a town which I knew was on my route to Bridgnorth, and when I say I knew this is mostly because the last section of day two would be on the banks of the River Severn and looked on paper at least to be relatively flat.

Sadly after a stop for a breather, a photo or two of the river and taking on some much needed water, I stumbled across a barrier to my travels - a locked gate and laminated sign announcing that due to flood damage the footpath was closed. The earlier free wheeling downhill section came back to haunt me because as we have already established what goes downhill must involve going back up again.

Now 80 miles into the day, 172 miles since leaving home I was faced with a long steep climb out of the town which reminded me of earlier hills back in west Dorset. This time however I dropped into a low gear, found some energy and inner strength from somewhere and pedalled my way out of the valley and onwards towards Bridgnorth soon back onto country lanes.

The last section of the second day was conventional roads into the town of Bridgnorth and I managed to find my hotel just as the heavens opened and an almighty downpour of rain arrived.

Via earlier email messages the hotel had very kindly organised some secure overnight accommodation for my bike, not quite a stable but it was a safe, dry location, so locking my bike up I then took all my bags off and into the hotel reception.

182 miles in the bag, two days of cycling complete, there is a chance that my recollection of what happened next might be impacted by delirium . I pushed open the reception door and stepped onto an old fashioned carpet to check in.