route question

[althebike]

As it takes most of the day for many of us to get to Penzance, why not have your accommodation in Penzance?
You could cycle to LE and back to Penzance to loosen the legs after the long journey, and be fresh for your first full day cycling on day 2.
The reason I ask this, is because there have been posts about people taking taxis, looking for coaches or finding other ways to get to LE other than actually cycle it.
Does anyone know how lumpy the ride is via Newlyn and St Buryan? My Sat nav recorded 777ft on the way out yet only 138ft coming back.

[Mick F]

It's lumpy down that way, but not horrendously though.
Easiest thing is to ride to LE on the A30 and back again. It's only 10miles or so each way.
If you wanted to spend more time down in the Far West, ride all round the coast Penzance Mousehole to LE and then up to St Just and round to St Ives. Brilliant riding, especially the north coast ......... but you need the good sunny weather.

[PhilPub]

We did a late afternoon Penzance - LE - Penzance journey as you suggest, just a couple of weeks ago, to start us off. As it happens, we did the scenic route there and the direct route back. I wouldn't hesitate to just do A30 and back to get it done, since the road is single lane and very quiet at that point, and the scenic route is hilly, a few miles longer, and more tricky to navigate if you don't know the roads. (But the coast is lovely, and you do get to ride through a place called Mousehole!)

Round route:
https://www.strava.com/activities/1616334341

[philvantwo]

On strava though your day one started from Penzance so it took you a day longer..........and you took a diversion around Gunnislake!!

[PhilPub]

On strava though your day one started from Penzance so it took you a day longer..........and you took a diversion around Gunnislake!!

A "day longer" than what? We had train journeys (and leave days) booked at either end and rode from Land's End to John o'Groats in between.
And I've never heard of Gunnislake, but it appears to be a little NW of our planned route (aka the route published in the Cicerone End to End guide) through S Cornwall, Plymouth and onto Dartmoor. I'm not sure of your point?

[pwa]

On strava though your day one started from Penzance so it took you a day longer..........and you took a diversion around Gunnislake!!

I'd give Gunnislake a miss. There have been alarming reports of a naked man mowing his lawn, causing innocent cyclists to lose control and career into hedges.

[Mick F]

You can't see me from the road!

Gunnislake is on the A390 between Liskeard/Callington and Tavistock. Gunny is right down in the steep-sided Tamar Valley.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Tamar

Many LEJOG riders (usually organised and supported groups) come from LE to Truro and follow the A390 via St Austell, Lostwithiel, Dobwalls, Liskeard, Callington, Gunnislake, Tavistock ......... to climb up onto Dartmoor up Pork Hill, one heck of a "pig" of a hill, one of the toughest around. They head for Moretonhampstead and Exeter before heading north.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A390_road

[philvantwo]

So how many days did it take you then, from lands end to John o'groats?

[PhilPub]

So how many days did it take you then, from lands end to John o'groats?

14-and-a-bit. Do I win five pounds?

[althebike]

When I did my recce I went from LE, Truro, lostwithiel,St Keyne,Doddycross, Tideford to Saltash to meet up with someone , then over the bridge, west of A386 ,joining it just south of Yelverton, b3212, Princetown,Dartmeet, Bovey Tracy to Crediton .
I am not sure I would ride this route again because I did not find the flat bit, someone must have got there first and taken it home as a souvenir. Is there a nicer way to Crediton?
I hope this is not getting off topic on an end to end forum

[Mick F]

(But the coast is lovely, and you do get to ride through a place called Mousehole!)

Just a quickie .......
It's pronounced as "mouze-l"

Have a read at "The Mousehole Cat".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mousehole_Cat
Lovely story and a wonderful legend.

[PhilPub]

Just a quickie .......
It's pronounced as "mouze-l"

Have a read at "The Mousehole Cat".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mousehole_Cat
Lovely story and a wonderful legend.

Good to know, ta! I was mispronouncing place names all the way up to Thurso!

[Mick F]

Another one down here are the towns and villages with "saint".
St Ives is a famous one for instance.
It's pronounced "sn" and not "saint" .......... hence Sn-ives.
Not to be confused with St Ive not far from here. This one is Sn-eve.
Also, St Austell is generally pronounced "Snozzle".

Complete minefield.

[Norman H]

Another one down here are the towns and villages with "saint".
St Ives is a famous one for instance.
It's pronounced "sn" and not "saint" .......... hence Sn-ives.
Not to be confused with St Ive not far from here. This one is Sn-eve.
Also, St Austell is generally pronounced "Snozzle".

Complete minefield.

We met an American tourist at the YH at Boscastle. She asked us if we'd been to “Say Knives”

[NEvans]

We did a late afternoon Penzance - LE - Penzance journey as you suggest,As it happens, we did the scenic route there and the direct route back. I wouldn't hesitate to just do A30 and back to get it done, since the road is single lane and very quiet at that point, and the scenic route is hilly, a few miles longer, and more tricky to navigate if you don't know the roads. (But the coast is lovely, and you do get to ride through a place called Mousehole!)
Round route:
https://www.strava.com/activities/1616334341

That looks a good start to the trip, I would probably do it the other way round, A30 down to loosen the legs, and if feeling energetic the southern route back, a warm up for the next few days.