After a rather eventful night I was the first one at the continental breakfast today. Getting all kit sorted in a dark room with three people sleeping was difficult, but finally I was off before 8, still in the dark. Surprisingly I found my way out of Newcastle and Gateshead easily, and passed the Angel of the North in the first light. Knowing that I had to gain some ground today didn’t make the first kilometres easy, but witj the sun my mojo rose as well. What followed was a beautiful but crisp day, with passing York Cathedral as the highlight. By the time dawn was over I had already done 175km, but added another 41 to a total of 216km today, the most I have ever cycled with a fully loaden bike. With an average of 24.1 I managed to spend almost 9 hours in the saddle. I even found a cheap place to stay, a single room for £15. Same goal for tomorrow, maybe I might be able to see the famous cliffs of Dover.