Saturday 5^th July

Route: Bognor to Glynde
Distance: 53.92; 1455 miles so far
Weather: Bright, sunny with westerly wind

Breakfast with Maureen, Alan and Catherine before Tjeerd arrived with his wife Vega, and son Rembrandt and daughter Salome to accompany me asfar as Littlehampton. They had worked with L'Arche in The Netherlands before coming to Bognor last autumn. It was sad to say farewell to everyone in the house where I was looked after so well. It was yet another example of how it is possible to have a relaxed atmosphere in a house which is efficiently run by a good team who are attuned to core members' needs .

We headed out of Bognor through back roads then picked up the Sustrans cycle path which avoids the busy roads, and were soon in Littlehampton where I visited the bank to deposit accumulated donations and had a coffee with Tjeed and family before continuing along the ocast to Hove and Brighton past Worthing where they were having a Birdman competition at 1.30. Bognor has one of these events too where aspiring human birds take to the pier and normally plunge to earth, or rather the cold sea water, sooner then they would like. The cycle way along the sea front has been well thought out, apart from in Shoreham where I lost the signs and then found myself heading along a peninsular of up market houses with no means of getting back. A short stop for lunch at Shoreham Station before continuing in perfect weather with the wind in exactly the right direction. Lots of other cyclists were taking advantage of the dedicated paths to the point of congestions at one point. Brightly coloured beach huts, striped deck chairs and wind breaks beside an inviting aquamarine sea. Then past Hove and Brighton which were inundated with tourists decanted from at least 100 coaches parked up the approach roads. Past Rodean School, dominating the cliffs, musing at the possibe conversation surrounding this posh establishment's name “We can't call it Rottingdean, my dear, much too common. Let's call it Rodean”

In the distance I could ow see the white cliffs so often associated with Dover, but stretching up as far as Peacehaven where I stopped at Williamsons Pharmacy to get some athlete's foot powder and had a nice chat with the staff there who were somewhat impressed by my mileage. Good to meet you, Frankii, Ruth and Gamil.

From here the road drops down the the estuary that forms Newhaven, and turns inland up towards Lewes. I realise the route is taking me alongside the river so no major climbs. Before I knew it, I was riding into the beautiful village of Glynde looking for Hannah and Ben's house.

I've known Hannah Goss since arriving in Silsden in 1990 and going round to her house where her mother, Anne, hosted some of the rehearsals for the Carmel Players. I had unwittingly picked up the role of Nanki Pooh in The Mikado back then. Hannah had subsequently worked as an assistant in the Inverness Community and then L'Arche Cork.

Ben and Hannah have a fabulous cottage rented from the Glynde estate, I was soon sitting out in their garden, overlooking The Trevor Arms, with a village cricket match visible in the distance. Not so obvious was the residents' outdoor swimming pool. Within minutes I was plunging into this inviting fresh water pool fed from a spring in the village. Absolute bliss. What a fantastic facility. If that weren't all, the village sports a station with a direct line to Brighton, probably opened to serve the opera house, Glyndebourne, just up the road.

The cottage has an enormous allotment just over the road (and visible from the sitting room window) which Hannah and Ben are enthusiastically cultivating - radishes and lettuce were duly harvested for tonight's salad.

Christine, a good friend of Hannah came over for a barbeque and a memorable evening was spent al fresco in an idyllic setting. It turns out that Christine's mother worked with Therese Vanier when they were both working in Africa! Thanks Ben and Hannah for the great meal, and Christine for the yummy pud.