Day 7: 12:30PM - The gravel pit

We had to make a choice between staying on the main road, the 5, which would lead to the 6 or to take a yellow road and save 60km. Not wanting to lose our lead we gambled on the yellow, which, other than the fact it was alternating lanes from one side of the dual carriageway to the other every kilometre was not too bad and Ivan took it at his usual Grandad speed.

Until the diversion.

The next hour was spent completely off-road through the worst potholes yet. They were so deep you'd go down one side and your ears would popfromthe altitude drop before coming back up again on the other side. I'd imagine that the potholes were so deep that they'd be indicated by their own set of contours on a map.

The gravel and chunks of stone that make up the foundations of the road are exposed. The road has effectively been disemboweled before us, the thin skin of tarmac seemingly having been spread in places with a butter knife.

By percentage, I'd say that there was more pothole than road when you looked.

Nick is furious that our lead is about to be wiped out

"Shit we should have stuck to the 5!" He yelled

It's with this that Nick's Mr Hyde side came out and he decided that, to make up the time, he'd better take the reins. He then proceeded to whip the shit out of, what was essentially an obstacle course.

The next hour was spent sandwiched between lorries bouncing up and down down til my teeth near rattled out of my head.

Nick took the road like a motocross driver, dipping and jumping all over the place.

posted by Andytgeezer @ 12:30 PM