Well, I usually go west on my rides out so have been getting a better tan on my left side, to redress the balance I headed east into the depths of Kent, next it will be south, if I go north I hit the river after a mile so that’s out.

I decided to ride to Faversham on Thursday, home of Shepherd Neame breweries, funny how cyclists will identify routes with particular beers. A very hot day, I decided to ride the main A2 all the way there and I could see the heat haze coming of the road surface, with the school holidays now in play the traffic was reasonably busy but I was afforded plenty of space by drivers, as is usual when riding a recumbent trike.

My plan was to do a 40 mile round trip, returning by a more rural route. The main road is more or less straight, passing through a few villages and one major town (Sittingbourne), there are a few hills but only one major hill, even this is preceded by a fantastic downhill though so at least half of it can be coasted, I arrived in Faversham sooner than I imagined and after just 17 miles, even though I was not making a particularly fast pace, so I rode to the other side of town then round the town ring road before alighting at a pub for a pint of Guinness and a bag of crisps, it was just to hot to eat lunch.

After the break I headed back following much of National Cycle Route one, missing the off road sections, I had forgotten about the one killer hill going this way just outside of Faversham but it gets the heart pumping so no harm. The road wends its way through various villages and homesteads and I had forgotten what a beautiful part of the world I live in, riding through here reminded me why Kent is known as the garden of England, with its rolling fields of crops, country houses and quiet hamlets it was an entirely pleasant ride, I have been asked a few times by Americans to organise a trike tour in Kent and will probably do just that from next year just so I can get paid to do what I enjoy so much. There is so much great countryside here that you can easily be complacent about it when you live here.

My tan is a bit more even now, although I look a bit cut and shut with brown arms and legs but a white torso.

Total miles 42.6, average speed 12.5 mph, highest speed 38.1 mph.