8 days to go - skin is waterproof

A longish (38.6 miles) excursion around Cambridge north and west villages. Started off fine, if a bit sluggish. Quite hard going for some reason. Went smoothly until I encountered a hill (not many in Cambridge). No problem, a few barley sugar sweets later and I was ready. Got to the top of the hill and was immediately impressed at the view from the top. I was equally pleased to see the several mile decent in front of me. I bombed down and reached a cross-roads I wasn't expecting. A check of the map: I decended down the wrong side of the hill and off the side of the map. After faffing with a compass I realised my new smart phone had GPS, so problem solved. At least I didn't have to trek back up the hill.

Then the thunderstorm. A proper thunderstorm. If it wasn't for my lightweight waterproof jacket I would definitely have been wet to the skin. Despite being cold and tired, this was quite exciting: completely enveloped by the environment.