Still waters

7am: sheep running crazily around the tipi, baaing like mad crazed camper eating beasts.

7.15 am: sheep grazing happily at the other end of the field.

Supposition: farmer having some fun with the crazy tipi dwellers in his field.

With another day's hard paddling ahead of us, we got an early start with a good breakfast of bacon and sausage cooked in the tipi. The second day's paddling is estimated to take 4 hours, but without the wind in our faces we were speeding away and made it to Ross-on-Wye in about 3.5 hours. The trip was a lot of fun, and the kids had a great time watching all the birds on the river and making up rude songs about us, but I have to say if I did it again I would take a small cushion to ensure a more comfortable ride!

The photo is a paddler's eye view of the river.

Once I got the feeling back in my buttocks and we were dropped off back at the car, it was on to Beechenhurst Lodge in the Forest of Dean for a long walk (like we hadn't already had enough exercise) around the sculpture trail. Some amazing sculptures, photos to follow.

We (ok, mainly I) really couldn't face another night under canvas of any kind, so wimped out with a lovely warm soft comfortable room in a hotel in Coleford. I had possibly the longest hotest shower known to mankind, and a very fine dinner too.

Camping's all very well, but civilisation has a lot going for it.