Dartmoor Day 2

After another night at lovely Meadowlea B&B I packed my stuff into the car but left it parked since I wanted to cycle another two routes from my guidebook nearby.
First went a good 5 miles along the Granite Way which is just like the Bristol Bath cycle path a former railway path that was covered in tarmac to be used by cyclists. The weather was excellent from the start with some sun and clouds but the later the day better it got up to a clear blue sky from mid afternoon on. Yeah!
Views were really nice and the going quite easy all the way from Okehampton to Lydfort. Had a short break at Lydfort Castle which was first used by Normans as a prison before it was turned into a keep. I really wanted some milk and chocolate but there was no village shop to be found. Instead I had a coffee and a piece of raspberry chocolate brownie at a small cafe at the Lydfort Gorge car park.
Then set off into the backcountry climbing a steep grassy slope at first which had me out of my breath in no time. Grass looks nice, is nice for walking, but with a bike the going is so slow and feels like someone's pulling you back that it took me ages to reach the top.
This way I could at least enjoy the excellent views to the north with green farmland as far as the horizon. Kept on going on a rocky bridlepath, past a farm, then on a small country lane to Peter Tavy and Mary Tavy, then turning back to Lydfort again. Really enjoyed the ride as it was very different from the day before. Lots of different underground to ride on and lots of different things to rest your eyes on.
Back in Lydfort I took the Granite Way back to Sourton and had a pint and a piece of lemon pie in one of the coolest pubs I've ever seen. It's hard to describe. It was a mixture of a pirate tavern and a witch's house with the most funny woman behind he bar.
Rode some more grassy and stony tracks back to Meldon Reservoir and finally back to Okehampton,  got into the car and drove to Gunnislake near Tavistock where I had booked a room in a small hotel the night before. Why camp now on my last night,  hehe.
Done 54km today. Not bad.  Didn't feel as tired as the day before but still just relaxed in my room, watched some snooker on tv and had a pint later on down in the hotel pub talking to the barman about travelling, exchanging stories.