Day 3. Kintbury to Wilton.

Kintbury to Wilton. 72 km. 4.40 hrs.

We set off from Kintbury on a country road rather than the tow path, and made good time to Hungerford where we found a quaint coffeeshop for our morning fix. Ended up in the butchery buying sausages from the friendly young butcher who showed us all his dry-aged steak.

The road then followed the canal along a very pretty section to Great Bedwyn. Chatted to an old fellow taking his narrow boat through the locks. From Great Bedwyn we had a steep climb up to Wilton where stopped to look at the historic windmill. From here we followed the 254 cycle route heading south over the Salisbury Plain; wide open spaces of wheat which inspired Sting's Fields of Gold. We were repeatedly warned about the presence of tanks so remained wary as we cycled down the valley towards Bulford. This is an army camp; we were tailed by a military vehicle who was obviously wary of our presence especially as we kept checking our map and GPS in an area of many twists and turns. He eventually tired of us and disappeared. We had a baguette on a bench while watching 3 guys pulling underground electrical cables before we set off to Amesbury. 

After a quick wiz around Tescos and a furious disagreement with Garmin, who insisted that we should go on a busy road to Wilton via Salisbury, we wound our way down the Avon Valley through the Woodfords, (Upper, Middle and Lower). We were a bit early for our arrival in Wilton (a different one) so stopped off for a beer on side of the river at none other than The Riverside Inn - a lovely spot. 

We were blissfully unaware of Snake Hill that lay ahead. Fueled by Heineken we tackled this 12% gradient which I'm quite sure was as challenging as anything the Tour de France riders were taking on in the Alps at the same time. We then plummeted down into Wilton where after a few wrong turns we arrived at my aunt Pat's house.

A great evening was spent with Pat, cousins Pete and Sally and their families. Sally and Camilla provided a great spread, and we all sat outside for a lovely summer evening while catching up with all the Burgess news.