Cycling UK Forum

First day of Jame's ride and he had to pick the hottest day of the year?

Tomorrow will be cooler though, so they say. Is it Dartmoor tomorrow?

First day

Left at 9am an easy ride to Penzance and a bubble through a street market. Over to Hayle for coffee and crossant at Warren bakers. Nice Cornish pasties by the looks of it.

Then up through camborne and Redruth slight unplanned detour to chacewater if that's the worst that happens today!

Up to Newquay stopped at Morrisons to save going down to sea level and climb back out. Hot food would be 30mins so grabbed a sausage roll and cheesecake washed down with coffee.

A39 to wadebridge was dull but passed the miles. Toilets in wadebridge we awful bit nice Cornish pasty. A39 up the Allen valley a delight. Camelford was full of kids running amock.

Route turned east up across the disused RAF airfield which was a priviledge. Tail wind had me flying along at 20+ mph along a lovely wooded lane but forgot to turn off to left north before A30 so ended up doing a Mile on A30. (Could go up the wind turbine access road and a short hop across a field to reach a395?)

I used ncn327 through launceston but forgot to take food break.

Short bit at end of industrial estate is gravel so I walked it about 100m - path is just before the turning circle on right.
Road from Launceston to Oakhampton had 4 hills at 100-102 miles with 2 having crawler lanes. Felt weak having not stopped at lauceston finally got in at 7.15. Betty cottles is cheap and good is good.

Highlights:-
RAF airfield
3 buzzards and a kestrel
Road camelford to Launceston
Bath at Betty cottles Inn.

Lows bonking in last 10 miles.

Mechanicals creaky BB bb30 will take to epic cycles in Ludlow.

Tomorrow an easier day as hills front loaded and seeing family.

Thanks to Mick F for his fantastic advice. His route through cornwall was fairly flat. I do live in Hilly yorkshire though!!

Cheers James

Excellent stuff!

RAF Davidstow Moor is very extensive. Look on Google satellite view.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Dav ... d-4.617132
Also, read the Wiki page.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Davidstow_Moor
Interestingly, they had Formula One racing there in the 1950s.

Also, at about 1,000ft above sea level, it's the highest airfield in UK. It's still in use for light aircraft too.

Driven over it to/from Camelford loads of times as our daughter lives in the town. Also cycled over it loads of times too.
Plus, I've had a ride on bits of the old runways a few times. This is the last one a couple of years ago.

A derelict airfield?

philvantwo wrote:A derelict airfield?

The second world war ending removed most of the need.

Yes, perton in staffs where I live was built on an old airfield site. The laundry and washroom building are still standing and the base of the control tower is in bluebell woods. There's also one up the road at Wheaton Aston and all the runway is still intact, who would want to cycle round such a place I don't know!
Anyway, went out today and there was a decent south westerly wind so James should have clocked up around 150 today!!

Day three a short report as it's midnight.

Oakhampton to Chepstow.


Left at 7 as planned
Had bacon roll in spoons at credition

Met another cyclist Jason on an enigma xcr
He was going to Tiverton by main road so went with him so didn't do robs passage wasnt too bad. Passed loads of cyclists on a club type run but they said they were just freinds!!

Met my sister and family at Tiverton MCD
Then church till 12
Rode Taunton ok and then to Bridgwater which was quite hilly.
Cracked on as was meeting my parents at 4 but a stiff nw wind about 20 mph slowed me down to 12moh.

I felt rough having not eaten properly since Taunton.

Used ncn 26 to get over bridge only to find it closed where is goes under motorway.
Had to back track 500yds to little road that goes over and then through housing estate on East side.

Brother in law picked me up and had bath + lasagne

Tomorrow leaving his at pontprid to ride up to Chester any one done such a route?

No mechanical issues

Bag on fee bag has broken.

Will try and get it fixed.

Cheers James

Cheers James

Day 3

Pontipridd to Ellesmere port 160 miles

Due to technical reasons I couldn't get a lift back to Chepstow. So left ponti a9 am

Went over to macycumer over the viaduct ncn47 IRC

Over to little mill to meet brother in law in garden centre just outside. Heet my in layby and pastede several times stopping and cheering in each subsequent layby.

Then to Abergavenny. Before taking a465 to hereford for lunch

Then to Ludlow for epic cycles to look at my bb30 bottom bracket check but weren't interested. Not much of s shop either.

Then to shewsbury and tea went to town centre on a hill when cheap food was at bottom. Got second subway
Still 50 miles to go at 8pm

Onwards to Ellesmere then overton turned off to holt then to Chester Ellesmere port what a day!!

No mechanicals

Body fine.

Highs seeing family at little mill, doing 160 in a day!

Lows epic cycles and not finding a spoons in Shrewsbury.

Cheers James

If your BB holds out until Carlisle then visit Palace Cycles. They’ve an excellent reputation for helping out E2E nders.

It's not the BB as such it's the interface between the BB and the mounting.

It's a common issue for bb30 BB

It's not going to cause any issues apart from to my ears.

Needs seating with loctite.

https://www.bbinfinite.com/blogs/news/h ... om-bracket

Cheers James

Day four.
Left Ellesmere port at 7.30 ride up to Birkenhead in tandem with two lads on city bike each with a single but matching pannier!
We t to Woodside ferry terminal but found out it only does tourist ones had to go half a mile through the city to sravale to the other one. £2.80 a bargain with a free coffee.

Cycles up the a59 to find a sainburys where I had a big breakfast which started the day week.

Had to get a move on as meeting my father in law at 1pm both of Preston.
Stopped at Laughton for a lovely ice-cream and fill up water bottles. Then to meet F I L and my wife was there which was nice had lunch in the sunshine.
Left a 3 up the A6 which like the a a49 is straight and full thanks Romans!
Tea a Kendal at 6.30 out sharpish at 7 to climb Shap to arrive in Penrith on the strike of 9.

A hard day after yesterday tomorrow is another longer day to paisley and then it gets easier.

I've front loaded the miles so should be able to enjoy Scotland more.

Highs seeing family

Lows A6, chain came off into spokes. Dead deer on Shap poor thing.

James, I don't know about all this family stuff, I'm quite sure Dr. Livingstone didn't have his family meeting him at every bend on the Nile River.

I know!!

It's the way I got it passed the accountant that I would be staying with family!

It's actually a bind as to be in a place for a specific time is quite hard!

I've got into a level of routine and pain tolerance....

Does it get any easier? Or do most people just push though it.

Perhaps lejogers don't talk about it it's the childbirth for men!!

Cheers James

Jamesh wrote:I've got into a level of routine and pain tolerance....

You've missed out on a career in advertising!

I'm enjoying following along with you, even if I don't quite understand why!

Best of luck!

Nice ride from Penrith to Carlisle not too strenuous.
Breakfast in spoons poor compared to the sainburys yesterday. Came too quickly in my opinion!
Beans cold hash browns and sausages too crispy etc

Caint imagine last night's Kendal spoons cooking breakfast like that!!

Cheers James