If I see another hill…

After yesterday’s cycle, I woke up wondering how my legs would feel.  It’s all very well planning a 14 day cycling trip only to find your legs give up after day one!  I had had a good sleep, and this was followed by an excellent full-English breakfast.

A quick word about planning.  I have booked accommodation for all 14 nights, so I don’t need to worry about where I am staying, or spending hours on the phone trying to find somewhere when everything is booked up.  I was wondering whether that was going to be too restrictive, in that I may find I am cycling quicker or slower than planned, but in hindsight I think it was the right thing.  I have been past many B&Bs with ‘no vacancies’ signs outside them, and I think this would stress me out wondering where I am going to sleep after a day’s riding.  Most places were found on tripadvisor.

Last night I stayed at Hormond House in Fowey.  I can’t recommend it enough: Bella and her son were very friendly and welcoming, it was clean, the breakfast was great and it should have cost only £35.  When I say should have cost, Bella didn’t have £5 change for my two £20 notes, so gave me £10 in change, so it only cost £30, and was insistent that was all it was going to cost.  Highly recommended. www.hormondhouse.com

The first 10 miles were fantastic – blue skies, cycling on a costal road surrounded by green fields full of cows.  More than once I couldn’t stop myself laughing out loud!

I took a very steep, single lane road downhill, and was worried I had taken a wrong turn (I hadn’t), but ended up at an great little bridge in the middle of nowhere crossing a stream.

Unfortunately, that meant a long road uphill back to the top of the hill.  Down to the lowest gear and start pedalling…

Quickly I came to Looe and crossed the bridge that spans the East and West Looe rivers.  Very original.  Apparently it was built in 1853 and cost £2,980 which doesn’t seem too much, even then.

A few more miles of riding and I encountered the most difficult climb so far.  I have done steep climbs, and long climbs, but this was both.  I try and keep looking down at the front wheel, that way you don’t see how far it is to go (and get disheartened), but this went on… and on… and on.  I got to the top and collapsed by the side of the road to take a break – not pretty!  I did it, though!

The off to Torpoint where I stocked up at a petrol station with a sandwich, pasta salad and water, and then cycled to the Torpoint Ferry which crosses over to Plymouth. 

As I crossed over to the Plymouth side, on my left were the Devonport boatyards which looked like massive aircraft hangars… but big enough for ships.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  On the ferry I met another ‘end-to-ender’ who is following a similar route to me, and we came across each other a few times during the rest of the day.

Navigating through Plymouth was painful, and the traffic very heavy, so it was good to get out of the place and back on more quiet roads.  Eventually I hit Dartmoor National Park.  The sign looks like something (animal?  Car?) had some sort of disagreement with it!

I’ve been to Dartmoor a few times, but always in the car.  Travelling at bike-speed is a very different experience.  For example, I took a break to eat my pasta salad…

… and noticed that next to me had wandered a wild pony with her foal!

The other thing I notice travelling by bike (much more than by car) is the scenery, the noises of the countryside…

… and, of course, the hills…

In my mind today I kept thinking “if I see another bl**dy hill…” but clearly I am deluding myself given I’ve got to get from Devon to the North of Scotland.  When I took my bike for a service, I asked them if they could put a lower gear on it.  The mechanic replied saying he could, but in a “the lowest gear is fine, we never normally put anything lower on, maybe you should do some training” which I heard as “man up, you wuss”.  Clearly I didn’t change that gear.  Clearly I now wish I had been more of a wuss, as I am paying the price now.

Through Dartmoor, past lots of animals…

… I came across Dartmoor prison.  Even on a hot summer’s day it really did look quite frightening and very imposing. 

This evening I looked up a bit about it, as it was such a strange sight in the middle of a very bleak landscape.  Building started in 1805 and it was completed in 1809 to house French prisoners, who had been kept in rotting hulls moored in Plymouth.  It lay empty from 1815 but from 1850 has been in constant use, and had the reputation as the toughest prison in the country. 

Back on the road through some amazing landscapes…

… and more awful hills…

The highlight of the day was 2 miles outside of Mortonhampstead, where I was quite tired but making good time.  I was going up (another) hill on a small road, and to my left was a little clearing overlooking some fields.  I stopped the bike, took my helmet and gloves off, lay down in the sun and closed my eyes.  Absolute bliss!  In the end I dozed in the grass for about half an hour, happy as Larry.

Eventually I reached to Mortonhampstead, tired, headed for a café for some food and then wandered over to the B&B.  It will be an early pub dinner and then bed, for tomorrow is a longer day (but flatter), heading for Wells in Somerset where I hope to meet up with my Dad who is coming over there.

Finally, a summary of today’s route

I've just noticed it says 'KOM on Sclerder Ln Climb'. My Garmin cycling computer works out how quickly I go through various segments, and puts them on a leaderboard.  Wherever 'Sclerder Ln Climb' is, I'm now the fastest on that segment, the King of the Mountain!  Yipee!  I know, how childish, but it makes me happy!)

The hills! The hills!

My trip has finally started.  Last night said goodbye to Jo at the doorstep, tripped down the stairs to the pavement (my excuse is the bike is now very heavy with all the gear) and set off from Putney to Paddington Station.  Well, I tried to, but on my first pedal stroke the chain came off – not a good start as Jo was wetting herself with laughter!

I took the overnight sleeper to Penzance.  When I woke up, the blind was down in the sleeper cabin, so I opened it with trepidation – would it be pouring with rain, was this going to be a miserable and wet start to my trip?

No!  It was sunny and blue skies. Relief…

I finally got to Penzance just before 8am – the sleeper train is very good, a really nice way to travel.

Off to Land’s End to start the trip proper.  It was pretty windswept except for a lone cyclist who was about to start the same trip but with a different route.

Finally it was a relief to get going.  There’s been lost of planning and even more thinking about this, but the feeling that I was at last cycling was really good.  I returned through Penzance by the Jubilee open air swimming pool…

…. And past St Michael’s Mount where the sea was an almost tropical greeny-blue…

Then a coach load of (what I thought) were German tourists arrived, so I asked one of them to take my pic.

... at the time I wondered why he was aiming the camera at the floor, but who was I to ask.  Anyway, to express my gratitude I said 'danke' to which he looked a bit puzzled.  Clearly not a German tourist then!

Until it was time for a mid-morning pitstop.  When in Rome etc …

By now the roads were pretty much deserted, the sun was shining and I was very happy. 

Except for the hills.  They are short, sharp, steep hills.  Every time it’s like going in a car from 1^st gear up a hill, to 6^th down the hill, with nothing in between.  My bike has two chainrings at the front and lots of gears at the back, and most hills were lowest gear at the front, lowest gear at the back to go up, and highest gear all round going down.  I tried to stay relaxed and not get to tense, but it is hard when you’re on a 15% incline doing 3-5mph!  Because I am on back roads, I didn’t feel confident to freewheel really fast going down the hills as you never know what is coming, so all that work going up is paid off with me riding the brakes going down slowly too!

Finally I got to the first ferry of the day, the King Harry Ferry which has been crossing this river since 1888.  I must say the ferry looked a lot more modern than that.  Thank goodness it had a bicycle pump on it as I forgot to pump up my tires before I left, and they were a bit low.

The views of the river from the ferry were great – this is what England in the summer is supposed to be about!

By around 1pm I was getting pretty hungry and concerned that I was in a pretty remote pace.  I was so happy to stumble upon a country pub which had a cookery school so was assured of a good lunch – fantastic!

By lunch I’d covered about two-thirds of my day’s mileage so was feeling pretty confident.  Unfortunately the Cornish hills had more in store for me.  Every mile from 2pm – 4pm was either a steep hill up, or a steep hill down.  Eventually I got to 2½ miles outside of Fowey, where I was finishing for the day, then I encountered the steepest of the lot.  Half way up, I thought enough is enough and got off for a rest, and took this picture by the side of the road.  

Finally, Fowey.  What a lovely place - it really reminds me of Salcombe.  I’m not sure why the Greenpeace ship was moored there!

It was great weather, so only 10 mins to find my B&B on Fore Street.  Except, after an hour of looking, I realise there are two Fore Streets in Fowey, separated by a river.  Therefore time for ferry number two of the day…

… and top crash out in the B&B on this road.

It has been a really tough day – tougher than I thought, because of the hills.  I can do the mileage, I had heard about the hills, but experiencing them is something else.

Here is a summary of my ride today...

Tomorrow is more hills!  And the plan is to get to Moretonhampstead.