Day 5: Weedon to Apsley

05:45am. Virgin's finest Pendelino hurtles by at 125mph about 20 metres from my tent and the my slumber is well and truly over. A few beers and a late-ish bedtime make for a bleary eyed camper. A casual approach to packing is once again engaged and I've covered 10 miles by just gone 09:00. I arrive in Towcester, hungry. The last of the oats, a banana and a small croissant have not been enough so I stop at a coffee shop. No out of date food here yet, but the kind manager supplies me with a couple of rounds of jam on toast and this hits the spot. Again this kindly donor would like to remain anonymous. I take a photo to remind me. Revived, I find some extra squirt and cycle onwards towards home. Next stop in the book is Fenny Stratford, once I reach there I will know the way back as I have cycled it several times whilst researching the trip at its early inception. The A5/ Watling Street/ Old Roman Road is a pretty straight line once I hit Stony Stratford. Here I stop and have a chat to a local group of volunteers who are cleaning up the pavements/road signs and generally doing their bit for their little piece of England. They confirm I'm on the right track and before long Fenny comes rolling into view. Very little to report here I'm afraid and the longing for home sees me fly straight through. 11:30. Starving again and it begins to rain so take shelter in a bus stop and prepare the last of the rotten/vintage goats cheese with some smoked sausage and smear all this between a couple of bagels. £0 spent today or yesterday, home in sight and I've still got 4 packs of noodles and a voucher for a free meal at a fast food joint. I spent £6.10 on food in the first two days and nothing since. I have actually found a 20p coin a 5p coin and a 50 euro cent coin. Not to mention a superb orange luggage strap and a helmet. Therefore I've spent just over a fiver on food and accommodation for five days. Pretty close to target. I'll be at home for next the two days so I can eat what's in the freezer so actually works out to less than a pound a day. I'm happy with that. From Monday until August 27^th my girlfriend Maddy will be cycling with me. As this is her only holiday and her birthday and it is in fact our five year anniversary today I think it a little unfair to impose the £1 a day target on her. So normal frugality will not resume until I am on my own again. I hope you can last until then dear reader for more tales of rooting through bins, licking puddles and sleeping in the lift at the Ritz.

Fenny Stratford to Home via Berkhamstead (the birth place of my ruse). Full of bagels and chatting on the phone to Maddy I suddenly realise I don't know where I am. Classic Fail! Took my eye of the ball for just a sec and now I'm heading North again. I'm only 30 miles from home and I've never heard of the village I roll through. Serious looking at maps and tapping of compass takes place and arrive at a road travelled on not 30 minutes earlier. The embarrassment hurts more for being so close to home. As the huge white lion of Whipsnade zoo comes into view carved in the side of the Chiltern Hills a little wave of excitement goes through me as I think of home comforts. The zoo by the way have still not replied to my Lion Poo letter. I don't have the energy to take on the zoo on a Saturday in school holidays so that little gem of an idea will have to wait.

I seem to be really lacking energy today and the last hill before I reach the descent to Berkhamsted Castle is hard work. I shoot in to the castle and pass on my blog details to the volunteer who is in the information site. Dacorum Heritage trust who are responsible for the site seem to have been the supplier of much of the info on Stevens on wikipedia. Unfortunately the lady knows not of the man. So I fill her in. Then off to Castle Street; home of Thomas for the first 17 years. A few photos and race off home for a massive milkshake, a massive bath and a massive nap.