So I managed to rope Mrs PP into a touring holiday round Devon and Cornwall, 12 days, camping, towing a trailer.
It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and whilst I realise it’s not exactly the wilds of Borneo I was bouncing up and down like a child at the start as we abandoned the car on a side street in Barnstaple and hooked up the panniers and trailer. 🙂 So excited in fact that I lost my bearings and had to ask for directions to the start of the Tarka Trail, where we’ve actually been before! I generously handed the trailer to Mrs PP for the first 15 miles, knowing it was flat…..
And we trundled off into the sunshine

First stop was the RHS gardens at Rosemoor, which gave Mrs PP a right old shock at the 1.5 mile climb off the pan-flat Trarka Trail, still towing…. After that I took the trailer and towed it for the rest of the holiday
First campsite near Hartland was a STW recommendation, purely for the mahoosive cream teas served at the café I think! Just stunning. 🙂

This basically set the scene for the rest of the holiday: Ride, eat, drink, repeat.
I’d planned a route to avoid major roads whenever possible and I have to say it’s nice to see there’s still so many minor roads with grass growing down the middle

We rode down the north coastline to near Boscastle:

Through Bude to Padstow, and a few places inbetween
Tintagel (Superb pasties!)

The climb out of Crackington Haven. (Ouch!!)

Oddly shaped trees everywhere

The woman in the sandwich shop in Bude looked at us dumbfounded when we said we didn’t want one of her small baguettes each, but a whole French stick between us for lunch, cut in half and filled. Om nom nom!

One day we had what seemed like a 5 mile descent to the coast at Port Isaac (Where Doc Martin is filmed). It just went on and on and on. Our average speed shot up from 8.5 to 10mph that day! 🙂
Snoozing in a field….

Down into town

The cross country ride from Padstow to a campsite in Llansallos (Another STW recommendation) was a drag. The worst day of the lot. We were tired and just seemed to climb and climb all day. Cracking campsite though, and a superb sunset.

The south coast was more A-roads as there isn’t really a practical minor coast road to follow in a lot of places, but we did manage a few ferries!

I’d spoken on here about one day’s ride, but that was the DAY IT RAINED. Biblical it was. We stood in the Start Bay Inn, literally dripping onto the floor, then got back on the bikes to 2 punctures (Both me, rear wheel and trailer!) within 2 miles. 🙁
I had to construct a shelter for bacon sandwich cooking in pouring rain that morning too…

Believe me, it’s chucking it down…..

The last day’s ride started with a few hills to warm up then we took the coast road from Teignmouth into Exeter, which turned into a lovely cycle path and was nice and flat to ease our tired legs right into Exeter station, and back on the train to Barnstaple

What a brilliant holiday. 😀

Do it. Just do it.

(Stats – 286 miles, avg speed 8.5mph. We took 12 days with 7 days planned riding and 5 days 'relaxing' 😉 )

Looks great – there's some steep hills on the north coast.
First pic – about a mile from where I rode yesterday, but the last pic is a bit cheeky until you get to the Turf locks pub on Exeter canal 😉

but the last pic is a bit cheeky until you get to the Turf locks pub on Exeter canal

On the OS map I had there's a Sustrans route on the road and then a gap until a certain point where a traffic free cycle route is marked. It's not much of a gap, so we took the chance, and apart from the tight gates on the railway, it was all OK. They were actually doing some major landscaping and resurfacing work on it, so I reckon it'll all be proper cycle route soon…. 🙂

But yeah, currently a tad cheeky, but LOTS of tyre marks in the mud and we weren't the only cyclists there…. 🙂

that looks an ace holiday. (i've not had a holiday since my honeymoon (1 week on a narrowboat in July 09)
cheers for sharing 🙂

Yes some of those tyre tracks were probably ours 😳 its a bit vague between Powderham castle & the canal – I didn't realise it was cheeky until I overlaid the route on Memorymap 1:25000 afterwards.
I needed some new tyres, so left the car at a tyre place in Exeter & rode up to Haldon trail center, did a couple of laps of the red then returned via the Double locks pub for lunch.

Looks nice. Very nice. Got somthing similar on the back burner for next year.

I want to go ride my bike now.

That looks great !

Looks like you had a great time. Weather doesn't seem too bad, either.

Cheers chaps! It was brilliant, we had a great time.

It's odd, but after a day or two my brain just sort of emptied out. All I could think about was riding, camping and eating. Nothing else mattered, it's a very simple, stress free way of living IMO.

Mrs PP wants to tour Norfolk or Holland next time though… 😉

Nice one! Can confirm that the Crackington Haven area has some evil hills!

Mat, if you look at the OS map of the area, there's more arrows on the roads than on a convicts jacket!

I came to the conclusion that it's better to pedal until your lungs and legs give out, then rest, then pedal again, rather than get off and push.

My oufit was so heavy all that pushing did was hurt my arms!

Blimey did you take the kitchen sink 🙂

Looks ace, Mrs and I did the Irish end to end last year and really enjoyed it. Cant wait to fly to New Zealand at the end of January for a 5 week tour.

Everyone should try it

PP – it's hard enough on a light XC bike with a half full Camelbak let alone all that clobber!

I lived near there for a few years – some amazing coastline and great "secret" surf spots. Did you cycle through Milook? On the coast and has fairly dark/black sand and a killer hill down to and out of it – reminds me of South NZ quite a bit.

Looks like a great trip Pete! Which bike were you on?

Blimey did you take the kitchen sink

Well, we tried to pack as little as possible, and we did use everything we took, but the tent was frame a sale in Blacks and pretty heavy, and you can't go without a stove for a brew and breakfast can you? 😉

The EBC trailer is heavy but tough and my Carerra is a meaty old thing too. I reckon my outfit was around the 50KG mark…… 😯

Lessons learned —
Don't think "Ahh, I only use the big ring, middle and granny will see me though" when you have a lower ratio cassette sitting at home…. I spent 11.5 days cursing that decision!
V-Brakes are not man enough to stop the weight of me on that outfit. In the wet they were getting downright dangerous!

Dave, I was on my £250 Carerra Subway 1 commuter. Kirsty on her £300 Trek commuter. The bikes were spot on actually, apart from the gear and brake issues.

When I change the Carerra, I'll either go for something like a rigid Inbred and build it up, or a Subway 2, which has discs….. 🙂

My old Roadrat simply wouldn't have been up to the job. I only towed a loaded trailer with it once or twice and the flex in the back end was nasty…..

"Don't think "Ahh, I only use the big ring, middle and granny will see me though" when you have a lower ratio cassette sitting at home…. I spent 11.5 days cursing that decision!"

hmmmm I'm hoping to get away with a 29/42 and 11/34 cassette on my inbred
I will however be aiming for a loaded rig about 25kg lighter than yours !

I'm hoping to get away with a 29/42 and 11/34 cassette on my inbred

Well you'll have lower gears than me! (28f, 26r I think) But don't underestimate the power of the lowest gears you can find! 🙂

I'll go for 22/32/44 with a choice of 8sp cassettes on the next bike (8sp lasts longer)

See that climb out of Crackington Haven, my uncle bet me a pint I couldn't climb it on my bike. He lost.

Boscastle is nice. Did you have a pint in the Cobweb?

Looks lovely – given me the wanderlust that has! Did a similar holiday about eight years back with Mrs Removed, but we cheated and took a car – did three or four long loops with driving in between.

I used to find on my longer solo trips that after a while it's actually easier to ride along fully laden – the load is somehow reassuring and I suppose the momentum is greater1

psst pete, i know where a tandem is going cheap 😉

looks great, i'm off down that way next week, can't bloody wait!

load is somehow reassuring and I suppose the momentum is greater1

Ahh yes. I gave myself the nickname "Momentum Man". It took a while to get moving, even downhill, but by the time I hit the upslope, by god I was motoring! I would sail past Mrs PP punching the air, before grinding to a near standstill in a crunching of hurried gear changes. 😉
39.1 mph was my top speed, and I was still accelerating but had to brake for a corner….

See that climb out of Crackington Haven, my uncle bet me a pint I couldn't climb it on my bike. He lost.

Boscastle is nice. Did you have a pint in the Cobweb?

Oh yeah, without the load, no problems. Possibly. 🙂

V-Brakes are not man enough to stop the weight of me on that outfit. In the wet they were getting downright dangerous!

Our touring oufit is a V braked tandem – I had to used my feet to stop once on a wet NZ mountain pass!

Nice tour, Devon and cornwall are notoriously hard for touring – no really high bits, but not many flat bits either

hmmmmm now you've got me thinking I might load up the trailor and take little trb camping this weekend

That Crackington Haven climb is "interesting" in a car. Fair play for trying to ride it.

We're off to Bude in October. Can't wait. Think we're staying in a Yurt with a wood burner which will be fun.

Tim

Oh yeah, without the load, no problems. Possibly.

I needed that pint after, I can tell you. My uncle was well impressed.

That Crackington Haven climb is "interesting" in a car.

I've seen cars broken by it. There's a bit with a sharp chicane, that's what usually gets people.

The Haven is very nice, with St Genys church on the headland above, but Higher Crackington is a dump. Retirement village full of Barrat style homes and old people waiting to die.

That Crackington Haven climb is "interesting" in a car

Heading up the southbound climb there is very soon a VERY tight right hand hairpin. On the inside the road must me 45 degrees or more. The car behind me tried to cut the corner and the driver couldn't work out why all he got was wheelspin as there wasn't enough suspension travel to keep all 4 wheels on the floor. He had to go back and start again, without cutting the corner…. 😀

That was the climb I worked out it was easier to ride than to push…..

I think I stopped twice for a breather before taking that pic from the top.

Thought you might like a few more pics….

Same ruin, opposite direction….

A gathering of Minis

We rode for a while with some guys doing a sponsored ride of the whole British coastline!

Rude not to…. 🙂

nice one Peter, looks superb. The north coast around Tintagel is one of my favourite places in Cornwall. Some stunning scenery along the coastal path to Boscastle.

Kev

Very nice we cycled from Bristol to bude and back a few years ago great fun

Think we should try it again thanks great pics too

heh! looks great. I'm pretty sure I saw you on the Exe the other day! I definitely remember seeing a trailer recently….

How lovely Mr and mrsPoddy.

Did you go down to the beach at Crackington Haven?
I wondered if my windows were still clean in the cafe and if my bedroom walls were still up..

Sharki – I'll be in Crackington in November, I'll check if your luxury residence is still withstanding the elements.

Great photo's PP.