"Does that say what I think it says?".

Wazza's words hung in the air as a tear mingled with the raindrops on my face.

The success of our journey from Leominster to Bath depended on being able to cross the River Severn via the cycle lane on this bridge.

Our Sir Baldrick-style cunning plan to get off the busy main road in favour of a more direct route had already backfired.

Shortly after my prediction today would be "a piece of cake" we encountered the most brutal, leg slaying hill-climbs of the trip so far.

Then the heavens opened to drench our already dampened spirits and the bridge was our only gateway to salvation.

Then we approached the second Severn Crossing to see a sign proclaiming it was shut.

Just as the Tourette's was at its most blue a cyclist emerged out of the gloom.

We asked, and he confirmed the cycle lane on the bridge was still open.

I was shaking with a mixture of cold and relief.

As we tried to convince ourselves we would have coped anyway, a bloke on a well travelled bike pulled up and asked about the bridge.

We told him all was well and he told us his name was Craig, he was cycling around the world and had been to 72 countries.

He was clearly Australian.

Craig joined us for the rest of our journey to Bath, and as we made for the shelter of our hotel, he said was going to look around town before heading for Stonehenge.

Land's End may now be on the horizon but somehow I suspect the adventures are not over yet.