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Day 1     Friday 23^rd April 2004

Land’s End Youth Hostel to Carnon Downs near Truro

The day for the start of the big ride had actually arrived.  I was well fed at Land’s End Youth Hostel with a breakfast of Weetabix, bacon, scambled egg, tomato, hash brown and toast – not all on the same plate – and managed to make a start at 8.45am from the hostel.  It was a short 5 mile ride to Land’s End itself but before I was a couple of miles along the road a friendly gull had given me a message which landed on my helmet to wish me good luck.  Unfortunately my helmet, like most, has vents for letting hot air out and messages in.  I think it was only a number 1 if that is possible, or at worst a short number 2.

I arrived at the end – or should that be the beginning – at the same time as a group of motor cyclists.  Their jackets proclaimed that they were doing the end to end for charity in under 24hrs.  The best of luck to them.  I will be taking a little longer and stopping to see the sights on the way.  The “end” has changed a lot since I was last here probably 20 years ago – it is much more commercialised with the setting up of “the village”.  I was lucky – it was April, it was 9.30 in the morning and there were very few people around.  I probably saw it at one of its better moments.  For once though, I wanted to do the standard tourist thing of having my photo taken next to the signpost which says John o’ Groats 874 miles.  I knew my mileage was going to be far more than this but with no idea of what it would be, 874 was good enough for me.  One thing I have learnt from other author cyclists such as Josie Dew is that you don’t need others to take your action photographs or even posy portraits.  I was equipped with a very small tripod and so with the delayed timing on the camera, the lack of suitable Armstrong Jones’ in the area would be no problem.  However, just as I was about to set up, who should walk up but some Japanese tourists – not a coach load – just two.  For once the tide was turned – it wasn’t the Japanese who were trying to get photo’s of themselves in front of famous landmarks - it was my turn to ask them to take a photo of me.  With a couple more photos in the bag, of the lighthouse and rocks, I then found the reception area of the hotel.  The receptionist signed my log sheet and she provided me with end to end book to sign my name against all those others who had previously started off on the trek.

It then occurred to me that I should buy a postcard to send to mark the occasion.  This I did, wrote it on the spot, and then went to find the post box. The first box I came across was no longer in use – I could have easily posted my card in it but fortunately the writing was big enough for me to read even without my glasses on.  There was no barricade across the opening.  The second box was found in the village and had just at that moment been opened by the local postman.  There’s service for you.  A fellow visitor had also just caught the post.  He commented that he had written three cards this morning – a feat almost unheard of as far as he was concerned – the postman replied that it was probably the Cornish air that was affecting him.

So now I can say that I really have started the ride.  The sun had broken through the morning mists and it promised to be a gorgeous day.  I proceeded to cycle along the south coastal road in the direction of Newlyn and Penzance.  As I said yesterday, the hills in this part of the country are quite tiring.  They are short and steep and twisting.  Therefore it is impossible to take advantage of any potential energy at the tops as the next descent can be treacherous and there’s no knowing where the next corner will be or how steep the gradient will be.  I will leave the dare devil riding to the Tour de France cyclists who presumably have some fore knowledge of the road.  It was a case of hands on brakes and descending fairly gingerly – I was carrying a bigger load than they do anyway!

The first deviation from the route came when I saw the signpost to Minack Open Air Theatre.  The last time I went it was open to all – free to wander round and take photos – in its dramatic setting on the edge of the cliffs.  This time there was an entry fee of £3.00 and even though I took a short walk along the cliffs I was not able to see any of the theatre.  The trip will get very expensive if I am to call in on places like this only to stay a few minutes and take a few photos and then move on.  I gave it a miss and took photos of the lovely Porthcurno beach instead.

On then into Newlyn and down the steep hill to the coast negotiating road works that had completely closed off the road I had intended to use.  With newly laid tar on the road I find is best to avoid this sort of road works even if you can get through as a pedestrian.  The tar gets stuck to your tyres and then bits of gravel get stuck to it – not good for cycle tyres.  Then on into Penzance, passing the station I had arrived at yesterday, and on towards St Michael’s Mount.  I stopped here for the first refreshments of the day – a hot chocolate – and to buy three postcards for the offspring.  I thought about crossing the causeway to the Mount.  The tide conditions were right but there’s no way you can cycle it.  At this stage of the trip I was still a bit wary about leaving the bike unattended and completely out of sight for any length of time, so I carried on along the coast to Marazion where I found a good bread shop that sold me my lunch of a Cornish Pastie  and two bread rolls.  I still had some cake and an apple left over from yesterday.

The CTC cycle route now left the coast and took a fairly direct route along the country lanes towards Truro , missing the town of Helston .   By 1pm I had reached “The Great Work Mine” at Godolphin Cross.  This was quite unexpected as it was not shown on my map.  A suitable place for lunch I thought.  I had completed 30 miles out of an estimated 45 so there was plenty of time to have a well deserved lunch break.  The cycling had been quite tiring – a combination of the extra load up and the hills to conquer. And what’s more I had the mine all to myself – apart that is from the crows nesting in the ruins and cawing loudly, it made for a peaceful break.

I did not experience any trouble with the CTC route directions on this first part of the route.  The idea of highlighting the map was working quite well and meant that I didn’t have to keep resorting to the printed information.  I could just about read the map without my reading glasses in the bright sunlight.  The sunlight was however bleaching the highlighter pen marking quite rapidly and it could be that by the end of the day the marking would be invisible! 

It was in the village of Porkellis that I nearly made my first mistake – well OK I did make a mistake.  The CTC directions say “continue generally east”.  My map had the correct route highlighted.  The road I was on was a white minor road and the road I needed was also shown as the same.  However when I got to the village, the road I was on, which was the more major or less minor so to speak, veered to the right while the road I needed to take kept straight on and had a give way sign to indicate its lesser significance.  Not having a compass I decided to keep to the “main” road.  I had only just got round the corner when a lady came out of her front garden and shouted “If you want John o’ Groats it’s that way”.  Here I was hardly 35 miles from Land’s end and people were able to direct me to John o’ Groats – marvellous.  Somebody was looking after me.

I continued on in a general eastward direction and had to get off and walk for the first time in the day at one particularly long and steep hill.  I was approaching my destination of Carnon Downs and the afternoon was still young.  The lady at the B&B was out preparing for a monthly church bazaar where she was in charge of the veg and plant stall so we had agreed, when I’d rung her a couple of days before, that I wouldn’t arrive until about 6pm.  So another deviation from the route was required – this time down towards the village of Deveron which is close to the estuary just north of Falmouth .  Here I spent about an hour just sitting by the side of the water watching the birds come and go and trying not to get sunburnt.  I also used the time to write up the day’s diary – I had already done 46 miles and there was still a little way to go. 

Just before 5 I started to make my way to Carnon Downs – it was only ½ hour away – and there was no one in when I arrived – well we had agreed on 6pm .  I made myself comfy on a chair in the front garden.  About 6pm a couple turned up – an elderly man and a middle aged lady.  I introduced myself.  Then they rang the door bell – they weren’t the owners – just more guests.  (Perhaps that’s why they looked puzzled at my forwardness.)  The door was answered – the owner had entered via the back door sometime in the last half hour unknown to me.

We were all made very welcome.  The elderly gentleman turned out to be a retired vicar who was very wobbly on his pegs – I’m not sure of the lady’s relationship but they were sharing the same room.  Some of us were made more welcome than others!  I was provided with a pot of tea, apple juice and cake.  The landlady sat down on the settee with me telling me of the best places to go for dinner and somehow in her gesturing managed to rest her hand on my knee.  She was embarrassed and apologised. Her embarrassment probably wasn’t helped by my response “I’ve only known you for a few minutes”.  (Fortunately husband Richard was out in the garden.)

I was directed to the Punchbowl and Ladle – about 2 miles away.  It was still only 7 when I got there, thinking that, being early, I would fairly easily be able to get a table or a meal at the bar.  It didn’t get dark to well after 8.30 so I hadn’t bothered to take my cycle lights with me – this turned out to be a blessing.  The first response to my request for a meal came back with the reply “the first table will be available at about 8.30pm ”.  There was another pub closer to the B&B so I began to wonder whether I should try there – but it hadn’t been recommended.  I decided to have a look at the menu before making up my mind whether to return for my lights and come back later.  By 7.15 the waiting time had been reduced to 20 minutes – the story about having to go back for my lights had obviously had some effect – can’t let the old man cycle all that way.  But I persisted with the story saying that 20 minutes was just long enough to cycle back to get my lights.  This produced the desired result and I was fed and watered and out of the pub before 8pm !  The meal was very good apart from the fact there was no veg with the meal – a man on a bike needs his greens and of course his carrots to see in the dark.

Back to the B&B for a nice soak in the bath and the writing of my diary for the day.  I finished off the day by watching Gardener’s World on the tele and then I turned in for an early night again. 

The total mileage for today was 53.01 at an average of 8.6 – not great but a bit higher than yesterday.  The hills and the extra load will probably mean this will remain the norm for a few days to come.

The only bit of bad news for the day was that my chain came off twice.  This is not a problem I’ve noticed before, but is something to do with the rapid changing of gears on the steep hills round this area.  It was therefore not something I was going to notice in the Hinckley area.

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