Day 11. Trethurgy to Portreath.

Day 11. Trethurgy to Portreath. 71 km. 

I had been concerned that this was going to be a tricky day as the route was quite complicated. For once I wasn't wrong. We woke in our private mansion to a beautiful morning and headed down the main road to St Austell, home to Cornwall's biggest brewery, before the traffic started. We found out on Wednesday evening that the 2 and 3 cycle paths on the Sustrans map to St Austell are narrow sandy tracks with poor signage - not an ideal start. 

From St Austell we found the road to Mevagissey, but then ended up on a trail to Pentewan in a pretty forest. After doubling back, we were back on the 3 with a long climb up the hill above Mevagissey, where I had spent a few days on holiday as a teenager. The thought of the climb back up trumped any urge to visit again, so we turned right to the Lost Gardens of Heligan. 

The Heligan estate is a 200 acre property which was a thriving community with a massive garden and big almost self-sufficient farming operation. After WW1, the farm was essentially abandoned, became totally overgrown and became lost.  It was rediscovered in 1990 by a descendant of the original owners, and became Europe's largest garden restoration project. There are a large walled kitchen garden, flower garden, Italian garden, sundial garden, greenhouses, a forest of absolutely massive old rhododendrons as well as a working farmyard and "jungle". 

We had an interesting, but quite quick walk around before heading towards the King Harry Ferry across the Fal estuary. It was a pretty but hilly route through Polmassick and Veryan before a steep descent to Carne beach which was effectively a dead end. We pushed the bikes through a section of sand and rocks, and fortunately found the Route 3 signage on the other side. Not ideal. More hills and we reached the ferry.

After a steep climb up past the Trelissick Garden, the 3 put us onto a rocky path down into a ravine and then a awkward push up the other side. A young cyclist then advised us to avoid the 3 to Carnon Downs, but to take the B-road. We fortunately found a garden tap to refill our water bottles as this was the hottest day of the English summer. In the confusing section through Carnon Downs we met a Dutch couple on a tandem heading for St Austell in the wrong direction. Relieved to find that we're not the only folk to fight with maps.

We had a pleasant section of cycle path to the Bissoe bike park where a the presence of mountain bikes should have indicated what was ahead. After a short distance in the sand, we turned back and one of the cyclists (an older-than-us South African) told us to head up the appropriately-named "Horrible Hill". 

Having disagreed with Garmin for most of the day, she found us a good route through Scorrier and Mawla down to Portreath where it was so nice to find Gilly and Mitch who had driven down from London to join us for a long weekend. We explored Portreath together, a pretty little resort which was at one time the busiest harbour in Cornwall. 

Day 10. Camelford to Trethurgy

Day 10. Camelford to Trethurgy. 56 km.

Dave, our Airbnb, host waved us farewell as we set off on a beautiful day. We managed to find Route 3 quite easily which kept us on the B 3366 for a short distance before we turned off onto a smaller country road on route 3 in the direction of Bodmin. We joined the Camel trail, which is a disused railway track along the Camel River, south of St Breward. The Camel Trail streches from Padstow on the Camel estuary to Bodmin and is a very popular cycling route.This was a high traffic zone, with lots of people out on their bikes. The surface was good and very flat cycling.

We had to stop off at Camel Valley wines just outside Bodmin to taste what the Brits rate as their best winery. Camel Valley has been around for 30 yrs and they specialize in bubbly. We tasted their Brut and Pinot Noir Rose Sparkling which has won the best Rose bubbly in the world, three times in a row, as well as their Bacchus Camel Valley Dry and their Camel Valley Atlantic Dry, a blend of Chardonnay and Bacchus. 

At Bodmin we left the Camel Trail and picked up some supper at Tesco. The rest of the route took us through small country lanes and dedicated cycle tracks through the beautiful Cornish countryside to our accommodation for the night at Knightor Winery. We had the whole Manor house to ourselves which was amazing. 

As the wine tasting was still open,David gave us a most interesting tasting of the wines available. We tasted the Carpe Diem White which is a blend of Huxelrebe, Bacchus, Reichensteiner and Chardonnay a beautiful fresh wine with apple and citrus flavours on the palate. Madeline Angevine a fresh light wine with good acidity; we had not tasted the French varietal Angevine before. The Chardonnay was fresh and light with very little evidence of wood as the barrels used were all third fill. The Carp Diem Rose a blend of Schonberger, Siegerebe and Pinot Noir was delicate and fruity with aromas of rose petal and raspberry. The Carpe Diem Red is a blend of Pinot Noir, Regent and Rondo beautiful aromas of red berries and vanilla with a hint of pepper. 

The sparkling wines we felt had more gravitas than the Camel Valley Sparkling wines; the Blanc de Blancs and the Brut Classic Cuvée were delicious. It was interesting to hear that their Pinot Noir grapes rarely ripen and turn black, they were looking forward to seeing some colour in them this year with the heat that they were experiencing.

The Eden Project was just down the road and fortunately only closes at 20:00 in summer. We jumped on our bikes and spent a most informative few hours marveling at what has been achieved there. There payoff line says it all: Transformation: it's in our nature.

It was built on a reclaimed china clay quarry which is now dominated by two huge adjoining domes made from inflated plastic hexagons. The domes house thousands of plant species from around the world but what was fascinating is that each dome emulates a natural biome, one simulates a rainforest and the smaller one a Mediterranean environment. It also has an outside botanical garden which is home to many plants and wildlife that is endemic to Cornwall and the U.K. in general.

After climbing out of the quarry up the hill we realized how big and deep it is, we made our way back to Knightor Manor for a delicious picnic supper and a good bottle of wine, the Knightr Carpe Diem White.

Day 9. A sort of rest day in Camelford.

RDay 9. A sort of rest day in Camelford. Port Isaac and back. 31 km.

A slow start as we planned to explore around Camelford. A drizzle set in so we had a few false starts before setting off towards Port Isaac sans panniers. Just as well because there were a few mean climbs on route through St Teath. The weather improved so we had a good view of the rugged North Cornwall coastline.  

We descended off the plateau to Port Gaverne, and from there had to push our bikes up a steep incline to the parking area in Port Isaac where the Mme Dawes where told to wait. Port Isaac is a typical but touristy Cornish fishing village, probably changed forever by the filming of the Doc Martin TV series here. We wandered past the harbour, bought Cornish pasties (the real deal - lamb with mint to give Nanaga a run) and headed up the hills towards St Quin for great views of the coast.

We returned on the busy B-road. It was easier cycling but we had to concentrate on the passing holiday makers. We had a relaxed evening at our self-catering Airbnb. Good old porkies washed down with a Sicilian white blend.

Day 8: Hatherleigh to Camelford

Day 8: Hatherleigh to Camelford. 82 km

We set off on a cooler day after a delicious English breakfast made by Janice in the dinky dining room of Pipers Cottage. 

We are now back on Route 27 which took us along small country lanes through Highworthy at Sheepwash the route split with one going down to Plymouth and the other to Bude we changed to route 3 but had to take a short diversion as there were road works. It was a pretty straight forward cycle however there were some steep hills to negotiate to Hollworthy where we stopped for coffee and ate the delicious coffee cake Janice had baked. As this was the last biggish town we would be passing through, we picked up some lunch and set off. It was quite a challenge getting out of Hollworthy and we had to rely on Garmin which is always a gambol, after coaxing her with the name of the next village we eventually found our way out of the town.

As we crossed over the border from Devon to Cornwall at Bridgerule we caught the first glimpse of the ocean on the horizon and with that we found that the distances between the villages have become longer and at times we felt quite isolated.

To psyche myself up for climbing a hill as we approached I thought that with every stroke of the pedal I was getting closer to the exhilaration of riding down the other side with the wind blowing through my hair but all too soon I was laboring up the next hill. Fortunately it was a cool day which helped with the recovery.

The last 10 km was along a disused runway through the stark Bodmin Moor with its grazing cattle, sheep and horses.The approach to Camelford was up a steep hill and through the upper part of the town where we eventually found our B&B,  a modest self catering establishment on the outskirts of Camelford. Supper was a ready cooked pasta dish from the Co-Op and salad which was delicious.

A modern barn.

Green energy.

1st world recycling in Holsworthy.

Norman churches are throughout Cornwall.

The umpteenth hill for the day.

At our lunch stop.

Bodkin moor

Camelford 

Day 7. Cove to Hatherleigh

Day 7. Cove to Hatherleigh. 64 km.

After an excellent breakfast of muesli, yoghurt, croissants and coffee, used the early Sunday morning opportunity to fly down the A396 back to Tiverton. From there we were back on the small roads to Calverleigh and then a serious climb to Templeton. We were passed by umpteen old tractors on their way to a tractor rally in aid of various local charities. 

We thought we had done the worst of the hills, but were informed by a farmer that the worst lay ahead. After a sharp descent to Templeton Bridge (beware of any name with bridge, ford or crossing because it always involves a treacherous downhill followed by a killer climb), Templeton hill rose up in front of us like a black slope. We jettisoned our bags, cycled up and then walked back to fetch the bags. Slow going.

We were now on the brown part of the map amongst the wind turbines heading for somewhere called Nomansland which was very encouraging. A few more climbs past wheat and oat fields and we reached Black Dog. We then tested our map reading skills and made our way through Morchard Bishop to Lapford where we found a Spar to buy a sandwich.

More hills and a fight with Garmin who sent us up a steep hill and then demanded a u-turn, we reached Monkokehampton. We passed a large horse stud with fields of beautiful thoroughbreds. We had been warned about the hill to Hatherleigh, but in spite of it being long and hot, the Mme Dawes could smell beer. We watered them at The George, bought a picnic supper and headed (up again) to our B and B . We enjoyed a lovely warm evening in the garden of Pipers Cottage. This is a tasteful B and B but built for dwarves. Climbing the stairs required a visit to the chiropractor for realignment. 

A Sunday gathering of tractors.

The hills were alive with the sound of panting.

Off to No Man's Land. Wonder if there's a way back again.

Very pleased that we weren't allowed to go fast up this hill. Beware of the black dog around the corner.

Hope they weren't serving dog.

Our Airbnb hostess has green fingers.

Day 6. Stoke St Gregory to Cove.

Day 6. Stoke St Gregory to Cove. 68 km 5:00

We set off from Meare Green after a hearty breakfast cooked by Hannah our hostess. The route took us through small country roads and lanes through Knapp and then onto the Bridgewater-Taunton Canal tow path at Creech St Michael. We stayed on the path until Taunton where we made a detour into the Centre to buy some lunch at Morrisons. 

After Taunton we went along small country roads until we got to Greenham where we joined the Great Western Canal. Just as we got onto the canal we stopped for lunch across the canal from the Waytown Lime Kilns. These were built around 1810 to provide materials to restore the canal. The surface of the towpath was good and it took us 4 km beforeTiverton were we turned onto a beautiful path through a forested green belt into the town.

We picked up some supper at Tesco on the outside of town and cycled through the centre which was pretty ordinary. It took a while to figure out how to get out of town and to where we were going. And Garmin was not performing. Fortunately we spotted the tourist info were we picked up a map which pointed us in the right direction to Cove. We were now off route 3 and had to rely on Garmin and our maps. 

We made our way over a hilly road passed diary farms up the Exe Valley with a serious hill to negotiate where our trusty steeds dug in their heels halfway up and had to be coaxed and pushed to the top. 10 km from Taunton we free wheeled into Cove and down to our B&B, The Old Mill, where we were very well looked after by Jane and Chris. Supper was a picnic beside the Old Mill which we enjoyed while watching the iridescent flash of kingfishers as they darted up and down the stream.

L

Day 5. Charlton Horethorn to Stoke St Gregory.

Day 5. Charlton Horethorn to Stoke St Gregory. 74 km

After a hearty breakfast of rolled oats we rolled out of Charlton Horethorn with Chris leading the way and showing us the route to Glastonbury. It was great to have a cycling companion as we weaved our way through attractive small villages and pastures with cattle, sheep and the odd lama in perfect cycling conditions. It was a flat route so we made good time (for us). We could see the the Glastonbury Torr on top of its hill from far off. 

Glastonbury is an interesting town - looks like it inspired Hogworths and I bumped into Dumbledore as well as a few other wizards and Druids. It's easier to buy crystals there than a cappuccino. We found a quaint little coffee shop (Over the Rainbow) where we squeezed our bikes through between the tables to the garden at the back. 

Re-energized by the Ley lines with the help of caffeine and an organic cheese muffin, we set off across the Peat Moors, an area drained ages ago to allow peat cutting so there are numerous small lakes with good birdlife. This flatland is called the Somerset Levels and some parts are below sea level. Saw a green snake, about a meter long with a bright yellow collar - disappointed to find out that it was only a Grass Snake.

We then bid farewell to Chris who was to cycle back home. At least he could now cycle at a reasonable pace instead of our slow wobble. We really enjoyed our time with Chris and Linda, and it was lovely to be accompanied along the way by Chris with his knowledge of the area.

From the Peat Moors we headed south over the Levels, and then had a vicious climb to High Ham - not called High for nothing. From there it was rolling hills to the busy town of Langport where we stocked up on liquids for the evening. A kind cyclist showed us the correct route out towards Curry Rivel and then on to Stathe. Here we turned down into the dairy farming area and meandered our way through Stoke St Gregory to Meare Green Farm.

We were met by Hannah who was very accommodating. We heated up our lasagne in their Aga stove and had a quiet evening.

Setting off with Chris.

Country lanes.

Glastonbury shops.

Coffee stop.

Peat moor.

Lunch on Peat Moor.

From High Hampton.

Our dairy farm overnight stop.