Longest ford ever; broken bikes, and sea spewing spray, foam and froth

We loved the way you are modernising the flat, although it seemed fine the way you now have it.  The first floor gives you great views from the lounge window without too many stairs to climb.  It was fascinating to watch the crashing seas, the explosion as water hit rock, the mass of white water shooting up and the plume of spray like smoke then being blown way over the headland to the right.  A few years ago, I sat in the car, for ages, watching a similar scene on the glorious coast road near Durness.  This is the very furthest northern road on mainland Scotland.  I was waiting for the gale force N wind to abate - again one April - to climb the nearby Foinaven, a very high and very long Corbett, with four summits and one of the very best Scottish mountains.

We cycled every day except Wednesday, after my front brake cable broke on the way back on the Camel Trail.  On Friday, cycling near Trerice, Linda's rear axle broke and I had to get the car to execute a smart cycle rescue and recovery!  The first time I have ever had an axle break with any of my bikes.

You were certainly right about Carnewas.  Excellent food and a main course £2 cheaper than what we paid the next day on our way home at the Huntsman's Inn in the village of Ide, three miles from Exeter.  Ide has the longest ford I have ever seen that is signed as a ford but where cars and motorbikes are prohibited!  So what is the point of the thing?  The ford is a great length of river in front of the footway and a row of cottages.  I suppose it is meant for farm tractors only.  It is deep at one point.  Do you know it, Gordon?

Eating at Carnewas needs cash only and lunches stop at 3pm.  I very neatly penned that on your Explorer map, without obscuring anything important, for future borrowers of the map.  I hope you don't mind!  Linda and I rustled up £12 in coins for two main courses, with only 20p left and the lovely lady serving us very kindly gave us two big mugs of coffee for free.  For that Saturday trip, Linda hired a brand new Claud Butler mountain bike that was too small for her from the House of Fun in Fore Street, Newquay!  The bike, on the return trip, behaved so badly that we thought we should return it to the House of Horrors.