Heading down to Cornwall for a week of camping. Just wondering if it’s worth taking the mtb with me? Will be staying near Falmouth.

How upset do people get with you riding on the coastal path?

Useful previous post here

This time of year the coast path is very busy, it’s not worth the effort.

Not far from Falmouth is the poldice valley. Lots of riding around there if you know where to go. What sort of riding are you after? Find a local to show you around is what I’d suggest.

This time of year the coast path is very busy, it’s not worth the effort.

Between 9&6…

The Devoran to Portreath coast to coast bike path is a delight.
Devoran has an excellent pub, old quay inn with really good beer and food.
Portreath has the Atlantic cafe with really good food and especially fish (they have a fish and chip shop next door)

You can bomb along, no cars and then play in Tehidy woods on the jumps and twists and turns. The Quarry also has some lovely rocky runs. There is a formidable chute of death you will not miss to one side just 3 mins from the Cafe.

2/3rds along is the cycle trail cafe of “Richie” cycle fame 😉 excellent coffee and cake stop.

Enjoy.

Coastal path is really a no no, but from Portreath to Chapel porth is doable with Porthtowan in the middle, but go very early and be quick to jump off bike with a cheery hello to the walkers. The steep steps on two gullies have to be walked, down do the eroded cut to the side that bikers have done IMO.

Between 9&6…

School holiday season? Add at least an hour either side of that. You might be ok heading towards Mawnan from Maenporth if you insist on the coast path, but then you’re still stuck once you get to the Helford, it’s either road back or retrace. No real riding in the other direction from Falmouth on the coast without the ride or drive to devoran, at which point you might as well ride at poldice.

#non_emmet

Ant man extraordinaire.

Poldice, Godolphin has some good bits I hear, if you fancy short sharp climbs and short sharp descents then Idless (just north of Truro) is fun. Lots of riding out there, I’d definitely take a bike.

anything doing on Bodmin moor. Staying down that way at the end of august. i will probably just do Cardinham Woods but was just wondering if there was anything worth riding on the moor.

Around Minions, on the edge of the moor, yes.

Oh, from Falmouth you can get a pretty good XC ride all the way to Carn Marth (a big hill) and back along byways and so on. I can’t help you from Falmouth to Devoran but from there if you just look at an OS map and wiggle your way along the green lines you’ll have fun. If the weather is on your side you can stand at the top of Carn Marth and spot the docks at Falmouth one way, and the beaches of the north coast the other.

As well as all the above, there’s The Track at Portreath and Woody’s near Par – both said to be good. And if you’re going to Cardinham might be worth taking in Landhydrock (just a mile up the road – just ride from one to the other or you’ll end out paying twice for parking). Lanhydrock is fairly tame (so’s Cardinham, to be fair), but Hart and Timber have a nice flow to them. They’re short, though.

Another vote for Carn Marth. I tend to park just north of Unity woods and go from there, taking in Poldice too for a fun loop. Lots of cheeky too, if you’re that way inclined.

If you’re further west the Penwith moors have some good riding, but very weather dependant. It’s a horsey boggy bog in the wet!

As above, the coast path is probably best avoided at this time of year. Not much of it is bridleway anyway, though there are a few stretches, but it’ll be heaving with people. Some of it is pretty high on exposure too – we’ve had at least one mtb fatality this year, sadly, with the guy going over the edge.

Can meet you at Bissoe Cafe and do a guided tour of Poldice Valley.. Will have to be a Monday
Message me if any use

Lots of good tips. Cheers. I’m staying in Portscatho so Idless or Poldice sounds like a good plan.

Both are good fun, if you can’t find a local then check Strava for hints. Annoyingly I can ride to both from home but am going away until the end of August this week.

Oh, Idless is legendary for holding onto water even if it hasn’t rained for weeks, so if it’s just stopped raining then Poldice might be a better idea…

Thanks rossburton I’ve messaged nicolaisam anout a guided tour of Poldice

I was down that way for a week in July. Lanhydrock was ok – nothing amazing but good fun with the kids and the missus and they enjoyed the cafe/play area too. Some flowy fast hard pack trails with a fun dual track.

I headed up to Grogley Woods which was definitely more my thing – much more varied, rooty and some really steep and tech stuff too. It was easy to find the tracks from the car parking area at the bottom – just follow the fire road zig zagging up till you get to the entrance to the trails near the top – they all seemed to split off from here.

Lanhydrock is definitely “family” riding with some short red bits to make it interesting, if you’re that way then Cardinham is much more fun.

I really need to get up to Grogley… Of course, if you like DH then Gawton is just over the Tamar and well worth a visit.