Devon and Cornwall; May 2024
Gallery and Video
Ride
The weather was predicted to be good for Monday 22nd May and the next day, Tuesday, so I booked the Helston Premier Inn for Monday night and the Blue Ball Inn at Countisbury near Lynmouth for Tuesday night and went for a ride around Devon and Cornwall. Planned stops were 7 Carpe Diem points and a catch up with some old college friends at Helston.
As predicted, the weather was good for Monday. I took the Lyme Regis - Sidmouth route to Exeter ignoring the faster route via Honiton. Howver, the roads were filled with lots of slow moving traffic and it was a tad frustrating. At Exeter I headed for Torquay and the first Carpe Diem, #82, Baffles cafe at Davant Bikes. After the recent cryptosporidium outbreak in Brixham's water supply I sought assurance that the local water was good before ordering a drink (and bacon sarnie).
After Torquay I got on the A38 to Plymouth and crossed the Tamar bridge into Cornwall. First stop was Carpe Diem #22, Chequered Flag, just outside Liskeard. (Good old Trago Mills is still going.) The next stop was Carpe Diem #70, Thor Motorcycles, just outside Bodmin. I then dropped down to St Austell, keeping of the huge roadwaorks which is the A30, and rode to Carpe Diem #04, Ann's Pasties, at the Lizard. Fortunately, being on a bike, I was able to filter past the huge traffic jam at RNAS Coldrose just outside Helston.
On Monday evening I checked into the Helston Premier Inn and spent a very pleasant evening at Porthleven. I had a few beers and a delicious Thai-spicy-curry-noodle-seafood-soup dish at a restaurant overlooking Porthleben's little harbour. Did you know that Guy Gibson, of Dambusters fame, comes from there? There's a plaque.
In the morning I rode to Land's End and from there took the coast road to St Just, Pendeen, Zennor and St Ives. After St Ives I tried o keep off the A30 but the going was so tortuous that I gave up and turned onto the A30 just outside Hayle. This didn't work out too well either as there were huge delays on the A30 due to the ongoing extensive roadworks. Owing to my Thai dish the previous evening I had been feeling a bit unsettled and at Blue Anchor, just off the A30, my need to relieve myself was great. I was so glad to find a McDonalds there!
At this point, apart from the ride from Land's End to St Ives, I wasn't enjoying my ride through Cornwall. It was very busy for May. However, just after my McDonalds stop, I turned off the A30 and took the Atlantic Highway to Bude which was a pleasant ride. At Bude, I took the A3072 to Holsworthy and then headed north east on the A338 and B3227 to South Moulton and Carpe Diem #35, James Sherlock. That was a nice ride. After that I rode north across Exmoor to Simonsbath and onto Lynmouth and Lynton. Again, a nice ride. At Lynmouth I visited Carpe Diem #07, Atllantic Highway, and after that I rode up through Lynton to have a gander at the Valley of Rocks.
Tuesday had been another nice day weatherwise and that night I stayed at the Blue Ball Inn at Countisbury, just up the hill from Lynmouth. In the morning the weather had changed and it was overcast with drizzling rain. The ride from Lynmouth to Porlock has always been a favourite of mine and the the poor weather didn't spoil it this time. The YouTube video is from 2021 when the weather was kinder. I got a bit wet on the way home arriving at lunchtime. In terms of the overall riding experience my conclusion is that, for the most part, Cornwall doesn't have the best riding roads. However, I do think that North Devon has some great riding roads but then as a man who has always put the clotted cream first and jam second on a scone I am a bit biased.