Winchester

Another nice day, mostly cloudy but some sun, 70s. Very jetlagged and a bit hungover, I continued adjusting to life on the left, 58 miles worth today.
 Late start after big breakfast chatting with Naseem about bikes -- seemed happy to delay going to work, usually doesn't stay overnight but his boss thought it would help him bond with the other, older guys. Busy narrow roads, fast traffic, bucolic rolling terrain, quaint towns. Simplifying my life I rode on A272 almost the whole day.
After 18 miles stopped for tea and crossa
nt in Petworth, then long lunch break 17 miles later in Peterfield at a health conscious veggie/juicebar cafe "The Apothecary" still crowded at 2pm. Could have been Northampton. Grilled Halloumi (Greek cheese), eggplant, hummous and "rocket" (aruglia) sandwich on sourdough. And much too much food, so only ate half, tucking the rest on the bike for later. Easy conversation with folks pressed in around me. Stuffed and lagging, I rode on to Winchester, passing a huge outdoor music festival site (Boom Town) starting tonight, large fields and tents, huge stage (think Woodstock) on hill. Told later that the natural amphitheater site was where Ike and Monty addressed troops before D-day.
Steep descent into town, traffic, 5:30pm. Exhausted and confused I finally find a cyclist who kindly leads me to the B&B I had reserved, no one home. Wait, ask neighbor, who calls Saskia who's visiting her father and gives me code to key box and I'm home. Shower, half sandwich, and walk the town to Cathedral. Which is closed for the night, much renovation going on, but I wander around and see some people entering back door. Woman asks me if I'm a bellringer, since that is the access for the 20 or so people gathering. I chat with her and she says go on up for a look. Up narrow stairs, along tight corridors, up steep stone staircase getting ever narrower and tighter with rope handrail finally ascend to room where the bell pulling ropes hang down.

Fun to watch as they start yanking and the bells begin to sound.
Then beer and food at the Old Gaol House pub, where the last woman hanged in Britain was incarcerated in 1955. Talk with friendly and slightly odd (and drunk) local guy who takes me to the oldest pub in town, built in 1564 and buys me a beer. Tom said he briefly lived above this bar, in room said to be haunted by the ghost of a woman hanged across the street in the 1700s.

Then walk back to B&B to meet Saskia and try to catch up on sleep. Good day.