To Trelill

Ludgvan to Trelill (64 miles)

Our first real day of cycling. The weather forecast is for sun and heavy showers with a very strong southerly wind, so it is time to pack all the waterproofs. And because of the wet roads we set off with feet wrapped in neoprene overshoes. The first part of the day will be heading east but once we turn north for Truro there seems to be a chance of wind assistance. So the south to north prevailing wind theory appears to be correct. (Our actual experience of Scottish north-easterly winds is more than a week and another country away).

Breakfast conversation is a resumption of CAB technical stuff between Sheila and Jacky. I am already picking up enough of the jargon to keep my end up in a conversation and by the end of the two weeks will be an expert. If NACAB ever require someone to carry out the definitive comparative study of CAB offices management styles and coffee making facilities then I am the man for the job. Clive had been down to the coast to check on the state of the surf and confirmed that the wind was “fresh”. Discussion of our intended way out from Ludgvan reveals that the junction with the A394 is in fact an underpass, so confirming my decision to take the more hilly back roads to the coast at Marazion.

We are on the road by about 9:00 a.m. and with a good bye wave we make a freewheel departure from the village. As we go we bid various dog walkers good morning, while keeping a wary eye open for extending leads. There is a greyish sky and strong wind at the coast where we stop to take a photo of St Michael’s Mount. From here the route follows delightful small lanes with lots of hills but none that are too wickedly steep, so it is all pedalling with no walking required. Spring flowers are all well out in the gardens including some spectacular displays of montbresia on front walls and of ceanothus. Primroses on the verges and banks are here in profusion and are the one flower that we will see in bloom throughout the trip. We head on through Goldsithney, Millpool, Godolphin Cross, Nancegollan, Porkellis, Carnkie and Stithians. Today is one of the most complicated of the whole tour for route finding as we thread our way along little lanes with innumerable junctions.

At one point, having peered into the depths of a ford and then opted for the bridge beside it, we discover that we have a puncture. Not counting yesterday as a proper day of cycling that makes three punctures in three outings – We really must try to appease the puncture gods somehow. Anyway it is not raining and a nice grassy bank at the entrance to someone’s front drive provides a comfortable spot for a relaxed change of inner tube. I manage to snap a tyre lever in the process, but we have two more, which is plenty. The house owner comes out to discuss matters with his gardener and must have spotted us but he manages not to rush over and offer us a coffee. Not to worry, I am fully self-sufficient in the banana supplies department.

My right leg is still not feeling too good but it is not noticeably any worse and does not seem to hinder the pedalling although I can feel the calf muscles all the time. It is just slightly worrying that this is not the best form in which to take off for a 1,000 miles cycle ride.

There is some good wind assistance as we head north towards Truro. Having successfully negotiated the intricacies of the lane junctions around Perranwell Station, including a succession of right turns that feel as though we are navigating down a helter-skelter, we then manage to lose our way a short time later by missing a turning on a high-speed piece of road. After consulting the map and plotting how to return and cut back across to our intended route we end up totally confused by the obvious landmark of a railway that should be on our right appearing on our left. After a short foray up a road that turns into a dead-end track we retrace our way again, peer at the map and consult a passing walker. Once we realise that there are two railway lines and we are beside “the other one” the geography falls into place and soon the landmark of the monstrous 1960s slab of Cornwall County Council offices comes into view, followed by a run down into the city centre itself.

Locating the pedestrianised centre of the city and the library is not difficult but we cannot find the CAB office. We know that they have been forced to move premises from their former base at the library, and had not managed to secure new premises when we last contacted them. There is no indication at the library as to where the CAB has moved, if indeed it actually has a new home. The finger-post sign in the pedestrianised high street still points at the library. We have a short walk around during which I manage to scuff the rear handlebar tape on a concrete bollard and then take a photo of bike + library front door. Deeming it to be lunchtime we then dive into Marks and Spencer to buy lunch. This is eaten sitting on a bench in the main pedestrian area watching the bank holiday shoppers, some of whom in turn look at us and read the sign on the back of the bike and point out the tandem to each other. I also superglue the bar tape tear and nip into "Smiths" to scrounge a plastic bag so that we can pack away our wet and grubby overshoes now that the roads have dried. A short stroll through Truro after lunch includes a photo stop at the cathedral, before we head on our way.

Improving weather and a good afternoon run takes us out beside the River Allen and then on through St Newlyn East and St Columb Major to Wadebridge. There are some very small lanes with plenty of grass in the centre for some stretches. We manage to go off-piste again at one point, but retrieve the intended route with only a few miles of detour. On the way we pass the preserved Lappa Valley Railway. The final stretch to Wadebridge involves climbing over the highest point around up onto the open downland of St Breock Downs with superb views in all directions; and then it is a fast downhill blast all the way to the centre of Wadebridge. The CAB photo stop at the Town hall / CAB office involves the full works with banner and other publicity boards. A short cycle around Wadebridge, remembering bits from the West Country Way cycle trip, leads us out for a short spell on the A39 before turning off through St Kew Highway and on to the B&B at Trelill.

No sign of Peter or the car when we arrive at the B&B and we discover the downside of having one’s baggage transported independently while we wait for more than an hour tired and grubby before we can have a shower and change of clothes. Not many marks out of ten for back-up performance. It turns out that having arrived Peter had then decided to go off to have a look at an interesting church. We resolve to make it clear that evening sight-seeing is fine but, “please drop our bags off first”. The tandem is left out in the garden on the leeward side of the house and we wrap it over with the new cover. Sheila pioneers the spin the clothes request – “We are going to wash out our cycling kit, do you think you could spin the clothes for us?” While not 100% successful this simple ploy leads in most cases to an instant offer to wash and dry our kit for us by the morning, so making the one-on and one-off system of cycle kit not absolutely essential. The joys of B&B over camping (and choosing places to stay from the CTC or Ramblers lists probably helps).

Dinner was taken back in St Kew Highway at the Red Lion, and as I can’t remember it at all, it must have been just one of those pub meals. During dinner Sheila tries to understand the workings of the mobile phone that she has borrowed from Sue. This goes on throughout the journey, but by the end she has just about mastered the essential functions. We decide in view of just how long it seems to take to get ourselves together in the mornings to opt for a 7:30 a.m. instead of 8:00 a.m. breakfast.

Trelill to Great Torrington