I?m very fortunate to live in Cornwall, where there is no end to the little lanes and beautiful coastline. My home is almost as far west in Cornwall as you can go with around 15 km to Lands End as the crow flies. Is all very hilly and I really struggle to find anywhere I can train with cranks shorter than 125 mm. Just getting out of Nancledra is a 50 meter ascent at about 16% so you have to make sure your breakfast is well and truly down before setting of.
From Nancledra I rode towards the north coast descending 165 meters to the Hayle Estuary. Here I continued east almost to Helston, then via tiny villages to Falmouth on the east coast. On one of the peirs I found a little passenger ferry to take me across the Fal Estuary to the St. Mawes peninsula. Riding north gets you to yet another ferry crossing (King Harry Ferry) and back to the mainland. From here I crossed back westwards to the north coast following a disused railway track in Bissoe valley from Devoran to Portreath. This track is a busy cycle route on good gravel that takes you from coast to coast (23 km) past much of the Cornish mining heritage. Once in Portreath and once up the hill you have a gentle descent to Gwithian along the edge of the cliff. From here to Hayle once more and then that hill again towards home.
Day one was 104 km with 1100 meter ascent and 1100 meter descent.
11/28/2007
277
Day two was the Lands End loop which is my favourite ride. As an overview I ride south to the coast at Marazion and follow the outermost coast road westwards all the way past Lands End before hitting the rugged north coast and finally turning inland just north of home.
The weather was not great but what can you expect in the end of November. Lots of wind and with rain forecast for the afternoon. I dug my old woolly shirt and trousers out of the cupboard and was snug as anything all day. At Marazion you get a good view of St. Michaels Mount. With the tide right you can get across on the causeway. From here it?s pretty flat through Penzance, Newlyn until Mousehole. Here you hit the hills and the smallest lanes. Most of the south coast roads are, albeit very undulating, sheltered by enough trees to almost forget about the wind. On reaching Lands End that is all lost. From here you can?t hide anywhere. The road takes you north past St. Just, Pendeen (with Geevor Mine, where I?m trying to "recycle" some old headgear) and Zennor. One of the most spectacular hills is east out of Zennor. It is just below 100 meter. This time the wind was carrying me the last 10 or so vertical meters before the brow ? fantastic. One kilometre from home I pass "CripplesEase", somehow I want to stop but have managed not to so far.
Day two was 68 km with 950 meter ascent and 950 meter descent.
On the subjective scale I had 20 km light rain, 10 km heavy rain and at least 20 km strong wind.