Long Way Down. BBC2 9pm Sundays. A green and pleasant land.

Now it's gets better! The change is possibly because in the first 2 episodes they were trying too hard to dramatise the whole thing, to be honest so many people have ridden across Europe in the rain and to a (not so) tight schedule that it seemed to be trying too hard to make it interesting, riding in the rain is really boring. Now they have hit the harder stuff I am finding it much more interesting. The ride through the sandstorm in heavy wind was quite scary, any of you who have ridden in sidewinds will know how difficult is it to keep a straight line and when you pass something like a lorry or even a building the wind will drop and you have to straighten the bike up again all the while preparing for the next blast of wind, that's very hard work! The scenery is getting spectacular and I don't mind admitting that part 3 made me start getting itchy feet again and that's what I have been waiting for, perhaps that is why I have felt disappointed with the first two, they didn't make me want to jump on my bike and get going… somewhere… anywhere! Now I do!

This one felt more natural and not so scripted, I also now know why it has felt a bit disjointed, Charley and Ewan didn't exactly plan it well, it looks like they just pointed at the map and said "We will go here and here and here…" without thinking about the time or anything else really. That has pushed them up in my estimation, FTW!!! and lets go!

Despite my initial fears the improvement is great, I feel for the two of them a lot more now and want to shout advice at the screen, there are a few things that still don't sit right with me, Ewan getting tips off of Charley for riding in sand??? Did he not remember his last trip or something? Charley has settled down quite a bit, I think all of his bluster and aggression at the beginning was due to nerves, I think he just wanted to get going, all riders know that feeling before a long trip, which is why we forget things like can openers, the small things become forgotten and unimportant with the urge to get going. The relationship between the two of them has come out a bit more and I sometimes get the impression they resent the film crew being there and that they just want to get on with it at their own pace, Charley always looks a bit miffed every time a schedule is mentioned, they both want to enjoy the trip but time and filming pressure is starting to tell on them. I am amazed at the shocks giving out on the bike, it just goes to show how difficult the terrain is, and not having spare shocks is a bit of a mistake really, that's one thing I would have had spares of, but then it's easy to criticize from an armchair.

I am gobsmacked at the number of people they meet who are traveling around on their own, I would not have thought that many people would be doing it and how many are there that they are not meeting. I also wonder about the trouble they had getting visas and stuff.

One thing does annoy me and that is the way they got to see the inside of the pyramid on their own, and anyone else acting the way they did inside would have been arrested (don't ask me how I know…) is this just me being jealous of their celebrity status or do I have a right to feel aggrieved at their use of their fame to get special treatment?

Looking forward to next week's episode a lot more now.