LEJOG day 6 - Stratford upon Avon to Newark on Trent

146 km  Elev gain: 1040 m  (90 miles / 3412 ft)
3 °C (real feel 1 °C)

My plans for a shorter easy going Sunday lunch ride with my friend Ian go out of the window with the weather forecast. Predictions of incoming snow showers makes want to flee the midlands as quickly as possible.  I put my head down and ride through Warwickshire into Leicestershire, eventually re-joining the national cycle network near Barton In The Beans. Just the name of that village cheers me up.

Approaching Nottingham I pass near the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station, one of the 3 remaining coal fired power plants in the UK. It's as old as I am and is set to be decommissioned next year (the power plant, not me - I hope)

Ratcliffe-on-Soar 2000 MW power station

While I do love a bit of industrial architecture, today is the least interesting of the ride so far, and the outskirts of Nottingham in rush hour do nothing to change that - it's one hellish ride around the ring road.

Figuring that Newark-on-Trent is within reach, I make a quick booking at the Travelodge and push on, arriving well after sunset.  

Newark market square

The Newark Travelodge is perfect - cheap, central and recently opened so that it smells like a new car, and just like Premier Inn, there's no issue putting my bike in the room. There's no restaurant however, so after a shower and a bit of bike fettling to resolve a niggling gear change issue, I head out in search of food.

Dining options on this damp Sunday night are limited. I'm looking for sustenance, not fine dining, and am quickly drawn to the bright lights of Weatherspoon's across the market square, near the grade I listed St Mary Magdalene with its octagonal spire. I order a pint and a steak, marvelling at how they make it so cheap, and telling myself it's probably best not to think about it.

I can't help noticing the breakfast deal on the menu as I leave.

Running total: 702 km  Elev gain: 7678 m  (436 miles / 25,190 ft).  35 hrs 18 mins