Day 6, part 1 : Market Drayton to Nantwich

Well, not the normal start to the day! Joe woke up not feeling too good and blaming over-eating the Chinese meal. We left the fantastic Hermitage Cottage after a hearty breakfast and took it very slowly to see how things went. Joe's heart rate was elevated and he still felt washed out so we soldiered on slowly aceoss the flat, pretty back-lanes until we reached Nantwich (at 18.4 miles)

We searched out the pharmacy at Sainsbury on the edge of town where he had a BP check and a precautionary call was made for an ambulance. To cut a long story short, Joe will be kept in Crewe hospital for a few days for tests so it is with great sadness that we have to announce the end of the tour for him. It is worth stressing that it's nothing serious, but is sufficient to keep him off the bike for a while (especially with the Lancashire Dales looming tomorrow).

Maeve is still in the vicinity and so is on hand for the medivac and cycle recovery. From now on this will be a solo ride.

Joe is bitterly disappointed so I'm sure he will appreciate all your good wishes for a speedy recovery and repatriation (he's not supposed to have his mobile on, but can probably read a sneaky text, or a comment on this blog). I shall miss his company and the whirr-clickety-clickety-clickety-clickety-clunk of his maladjusted front derailleur as he tries to engage the granny-ring (often followed by a curse as the chain overshoots and droops off!)

Finally: a huge vote of thanks to Julie and the pharmacy staff at Sainsbury, Nantwich, who were fantastic in the help and support they gave us. You should all buy your groceries from Sainsbury!

The journey continues ...