Days 1 & 2

Friday 29th March drive down to Cornwall 

We had a slightly eventful Friday.

After a very long journey down to Penzance. Accident on the M5. We, the kids, had the DVD player which helped, but kept arguing about which film to have on until mum threatened to take it away! Into Cornwall, we kept complaining about being hungry, but we had eaten all our snacks. Mum and dad were holding out for a food M&S which they remembered being great from camping holidays. Eventually we found it and filled up on salads and pasta. After about 4.5 hours we arrived at a very quiet YHA, only to have 80+ adult and kids rugby players arrive dressed fully from head to toe in pirate gear! Needless to say they went straight to the bar and were very noisy all evening. The children were running all over the building. Then mum realised she had left all her medication at home! She has never done that before. Luckily a pharmacy which was open late until 12 was back 20mins where the M&S had been, so mum got out of her pjs again and headed out while we tried to sleep. Dad spoke to the rugby lot and eventually we all got to sleep.

Day 1 30th March - Lands End to St Columb Major - 58.9miles 4400ft climbing

We were up by 7am, car packed by 7.30 and we had our breakfast in the YHA dining room crammed with pirates! Bottles everywhere from last night! They must have drunk the place dry - I don’t think the staff were very happy!

A short drive to Lands End which was deserted at 8.30am in the morning. Mum took LOADS of photos by the sign - I suppose she needed to to prove I was actually here. It was really exciting to eventually be heading off, if a little nerve wracking... there was definitely no turning back now! I felt good though, except mum made me take off all my warm clothes to get pictures of the Grand Appeal cycling tops. I’m always cold at the start of a ride. The weather was glorious and the views over the sea amazing. We said our goodbyes and dad couldn’t believe we were leaving at 8.45!

Setting off from Lands End

We cycled out of the attraction past a mini Stonehenge... I know! Random! But then realised we had forgotten to get all our snacks out of the car and get the LEJOG association paperwork stamped at the hotel to prove that we’d started. So Back we came to sort that. We were still away by 9am though. The twins were already at the adventure playground. They also went swimming in the sea at Sennen beach - rather then than me as it was freezing apparently!

Emily and Tom on Sennen beach

We covered lots of miles quickly in the morning. Not too many steep hills yet. People have been telling us about the first few days being the worst because of the amount of climbing, but I think living in Bristol helps as we are very used to hills! There were a couple of big ones today, but nothing worse than our training rides.

Typical Cornwall sight! This one is quite intact, many are much more derelict

Mum met us for lunch in a lay-by outside Redruth at the 35mile mark. Which was good as I really did need pasta fuel!

Random Lay-by - stripped off our legs as it was getting hot!

The afternoon was much tougher with more climbing and I was just tired and achy and a bit sore!

One of many hills

We did see Alpacas though and a Go-karting track!

We finished just outside St Columb Major in a farmhouse AirB&B. And the best bit was there were two boarder collies and baby lambs to play with!!!!

I had a quick shower! I know, very unusual - mine usually take ages - must be practising for the camper van! And then we drove to the local pub for a meal. I ordered lasagne, but could only eat the garlic bread and at one point thought I was going to be sick! Pure exhaustion- all I wanted was to go to bed.

We left quickly and I was asleep as soon as I got into bed with mums hot water bottle!

Day 2 31st March - St Columb Major - Launceston - 44.37miles 2290ft climbing

We woke up early and read books while we waited for mum and dad to get up. We are a massive farmhouse fry up in the B&B and the weather was amazing again which bode well. We left half an hourly later than we’d planned because I was playing with the dogs and stroking the lambs.

The riding was mostly lovely today. We cycled along the Camel trail (which we have done various bits of lots of times before) from Wadebridge to the base of the only big hill today leading up to St Brewards. Apparently this village is the home of the highest Inn in Cornwall. It was definitely a climb to get up there. 

Then across Bodmin Moor which was spectacular in the sun (except for the continuous headwinds - dads drafting me so it’s much easier for him!) with lots of stops to look at tiny lambs, calves and foals. Dad lost interest after the third or forth one, but I never got bored of them, they are sooo cute!

Mum had found a nice spot for lunch off the road on the moor and we found a pond full of tadpoles which we caught in a drinking bottle before releasing them again.

Catching tadpoles

2 inquisitive horses came bounding over at one point which was slightly worrying, but they then wandered away. Dad loaded up his panniers with all the stuff we will need for the next 3 days and then mum and the twins said goodbye and headed back to Bristol leaving us on our own. Dad says the panniers are heavy... serve him right for all the drafting he’s been doing while I work hard!

The afternoon route had us joining the extremely busy A30 dual carriageway at the base of a long steep hill where there was no verge to ride on which I didn’t like the idea of, so we took a detour on safer roads doing an extra 3 or 4 miles riding but got us much more safely to the hotel in Launceton.  Don’t come here! There is not much of a town and the hotel is quite shabby. We got takeaway pizza to eat in our room.

I realised that I had forgotten to bring a brush and shampoo/conditioner and the amazing plaits which my best friend Evie had done on Friday for me were needing to come out, so I'll just  have to deal with the mess tomorrow! Tired, I headed off to bed early.

PS... My hair is usually completely straight!