Practice makes perforations

I spent the weekend riding as a final prep-run on the bike. Whoever said "practice makes perfect" lied. I've burnt a hole through my panniers on the exhaust side (combination of cheap panniers and poor fitting on my part).

When I got home and emptied the pannier, I could smell cooking. It turned out to be my jeans.

Mental note: If you take the gas cannisters with you, put them in the left pannier, away from the exhaust.

Nic has agreed to use her industry sway and give me a sample of the wonderful Marmoleum that she sells (flooring). Since it has great fire qualities, carrying a piece of floor at the bottom of my pannier should hold things together for a couple of weeks on the road. I don't think the panniers will last the whole trip, but we'll give them a go.

I stayed the night at Wyke Down Farm surrounded by moo makers...