Hi Jon.
Have a look at this route. It's the one I always recommend.
Copied and pasted from a document I've kept describing the whole route.
I can do the rest if you want!
From LE follow the A30 to Penzance.
You can either go through the town centre or follow the bypass round to the north of the town. Either way, you end up on a roundabout on the A30 and follow this to another big roundabout where you can bear left for Hayle.
Go through the centre of Hayle and come out at another A30 roundabout. Take the second exit signposted Connor Downs. This is the Old A30 and you’ll be getting on and off that until you reach Okehampton.
Go over the Downs, and keep going and through Camborne town centre and into Redruth town centre following the old roads and the route of the Old A30. After Redruth, head for Scorrier and Blackwater again on the Old A30.
At the other end of Blackwater, you come to a roundabout at Three Burrows. Get on the A30. It’s single carriageway mainly and ok to cycle on. In the future, they are going to dual this stretch and I’m going to have to sort out a better cycling route!
You could turn off at Three Burrows onto the A3075 towards Newquay, but I think that’s taking you out of your way. Some folk have gone that way, then worked their way east back along the A392 through Quintrell Downs to pick up my described route.
Follow the A30 to Zelah - turn off the main road and go through the village Old A30 - and out again for a short time back on the A30 turning off left through St Newlyn East.
Cross the A3058 at Gummow’s Shop and cross the A392 at White Cross and go through St Columb Major. At the other end, pop out onto the A39 and head north and this will take you to Wadebridge. You can go down through the town, or stay up on the main road, but either way you will end up north of the town on the A39 heading for Camelford.
A few miles north of Camelford, turn east onto the A395 at Davidstow. Follow this through Hallworthy and over Wilsey Down and find a left turn onto minor roads to go through Tresmeer and Egloskerry. This road will take you to St Stephens just north of Launceston.
As you come out by the church, turn right onto the A388 (staggered junction) then immediately left and drop down into Newport at a mini roundabout opposite a Spar shop. Turn left up the hill a short way, then right. (east)
This road will take you to the north of Launceston on a fairly level road (Launceston town is high up on a hill with a Norman castle to your right). Pop out at a T junction and go right, following this to pop out onto the Old A30 by Launceston rugby ground and turn left.
Cross Polson Bridge over the border into Devon, and keep going.
Go through Lifton Down, Lifton, Tinhay, Portgate, Lewdown, Combebow, past Bridestowe, and climb up to nearly 1,000ft at Sourton where you turn left onto the A386 at a T junction.
Go under the A30 dual carriageway and follow the road past the services and Little Chef etc. Do not go onto the A30 despite the signpost for Okehampton.
Follow the A386 for less than a mile and see a small crossroads. Turn right signposted Meldon. This little road goes down hill and bends to the left and becomes an almost disused part of the Old A30, pop out onto the Old A30 proper, bearing left, and head into Okehampton town.
You are now about 100miles from LE and where most folk stop for their first night.
Pass through Okehampton town centre through the main junction and up the hill to a left turn at some traffic lights. Go down to a small roundabout and take the second exit up hill. This is the B3215 Appledore Hill.
Keep going, and it the road becomes the A3072 through Bow village and you come out at Copplestone onto the A377 to Crediton and go straight into the town.
At the far end of the town centre, you turn left onto the A3072 again, and this is where some folk go wrong.
If you stay on the A3072, it takes you to Bickleigh to join the A396 for Tiverton, but it’s a hilly road over the Cadbury Hills but there’s an easier route.
This is nicknamed “Rob’s Passage” after a chap from Plymouth called Rob described it to me.
As you leave Crediton on the A3072, the road drops down round a long righthander and passes over a little bridge and between two cottages. Turn right at these cottages, then a short while later, right again and head through Thorverton village. Various little lanes will get you there, all pretty much of a muchness.
Other side of Thorverton you cross the river and turn left at a big pub onto the A396 for Bickleigh. Cross the river over the narrow bridge and carry on to Tiverton.
Bear right at a roundabout under a footbridge still on the A396, and right at the next one onto a minor road past Blundell’s School (posh private skool) and go through Harberton and Sampford Peverell to the A361 dual carriageway. You cross this road over a flyover and sort of cloverleaf and wind back on yourself.
The road is fast and busy, but wide, and before you get off the slipway, you can ride along a layby, and by the time you get to the end of it, you reach a busy roundabout. Total distance on the dual carriageway A361 is only half a mile.
Head straight across the roundabout. It’s a bit fast, but it’s fine if you get a move on. If you have difficulty, get off and cross the road on foot. It’s the M5 Junction 27, so can be a bit hectic.
Straight on is what you want, and it’s the A38. Not too busy because the big traffic is on the M5. Head north for Wellington and turn off through the town centre as it’s the easiest route.
Other end of the town, join the A38 again and head for Taunton. There’s a few different routes you could take through the middle of Taunton, but personally I just follow the signposts for A38 Bridgwater and Bristol.
Continue on the A38 north for Bridgwater and you come out at a crossroads by Morrisons. Turn right at the traffic lights and head north. From Bridgwater, it is 15miles of completely flat road!
Trouble is, there’s a hill at the end of the 15miles, and it’s narrow and busy. I have gone onto the pavement up the hill as it’s away from the narrow lanes of a dual carriageway section.
Carry on to Churchill and turn off left onto the B3133 for Congresbury and join the A370 for Bristol via Flax Burton and Long Ashton.
Join the A3029 at Ashton Gate and cross the River Avon onto the busy A4. Go under the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and through a tunnel, then off right up a steep hill to go past Bristol Zoo.
Mick F. Cornwall
