I am writing this from windswept but sunny New Romney, very close to the sea and only about 25 miles from Dover, our gateway to the next phase of our adventure. Fortunately the wind was behind Phil as he set off from Hastings and then meandered along the eerie and remote by-lanes around Rye, Camber Sands and Lydd. Very different to the elegant chic of Brighton only a couple of days ago. That is one of the many joys of this trip – the variety of landscapes and characters encountered.Here for example is Frank whom I met yesterday by chance on the seafront in Bexhill.

He accosted me while I was eating lunch on a bench and became one of Phil’s greatest fans after I told him his story. We have some great supporters!

Back to today and in true Premier league scorer-style Phil took off his shirt to celebrate his arrival in New Romney.

So far so good. He has now ridden 240 miles and so we are now more then ten per cent of the way there. We took it easy this afternoon on the campsite and managed to avoid the temptation for more premier league action by taking to the nearby football field.

Tomorrow Phil rides to Hawthorn Farm campsite on the outskirts of Dover and I will be driving the campervan on the left for the last time until October. Many more adventures to come methinks!