Cornwall

I've had a four full days to recover since my adventure riding through Cornwall, and I am still not completely back up to speed. Cornwall is a beautiful place, and my ride in many ways was exactly what I wanted: a chance to test out my bike and gear in a place not too far from help and where people speak English. It turned out, however, to be quite a challenging ride. The hills were endless - there is not a bit of flat land until one walks into the ocean. It was windy - especially when riding in sight of the ocean. And it was rainy - the last day I rode through wind driven downpours that turned the edges of the roads into streams. The good news is I did survive, my bike held up well, my tent didn't leak, and my gear worked well. The only thing I will change when I leave for France in a couple of days is to double wrap my camping stove so that the gasoline fumes don't permeate my food and clothes.

Here are some pictures and a brief narration:


On Monday, I left Bere Alston and headed north to Gunnislake, the nearest crossing of the River Tamar. This picture was taken after I had climbed up out of the Tamar River Valley. It is a steep climb of several miles in which I had to stop several times. It was a cool and overcast day.



After stopping for a snack in Liskeard, I left the major roads and spent the rest of the day on narrow back roads like this. Nearly all smaller roads in Cornwall and Devon are lined with hedges. The hedges are made of stone, which one can see right after they have been trimmed. The impression is of riding through a green tunnel.


Even the smallest village has a church with a grave yard in front. This was taken at the end of the first day; I was about ready to lie down with the dead.


This is me and Will. We met outside a pub in Blisland, Cornwall. He was on the first day of a solo Land's End to John O' Groats ride. He is probably close to Scotland by now. Good luck Will!


Will and I set up our tents in a vacant sheep pasture near Blisland.


The sheep were next door and woke me up in the morning.


On Tuesday I rode through Bodmin Moor, a beautiful and barren land - except for the sheep and gorse plants.


Gorse: prickly with small yellow flowers.


Even rural areas are well signed.


In the afternoon I finally saw the ocean! This was my first glimpse. Next up: Tintagel. The legendary sea-side home of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.


Not so formidable anymore. This is all that remains of the castle. Tintagel is quite the tourist trap now, although the coast is stunningly beautiful there.


Another remnant of the castle.


That afternoon's ride from Tintagel to Bude was some of the most beautiful riding I have ever done. I took back roads that hugged the coast. It was also some of the most hilly riding I have done.






I rode through many small villages situated next to the outlets of streams. These are often the only areas that one can easily access the ocean without climbing down a cliff.





Can someone explain to me in geological terms what I am looking at?





Sunset near my campsite in Bude. The town of Bude has a canal that terminates on the main beach. It is an impressive site to see a lock right next to a surfing beach.


Wednesday's weather was not good. I walk up to rain and heavy winds. Instead of going north to Exmoore like I had originally planned, I decided to take the most direct route back to Bere Alston. I discovered my waterproof pants are not actually waterproof.

This is a shot of a bridge over the River Tamar. I am back in Devon!