Maps and mileages

 

Day 1 - Penzance to Mullion

Day 1 elevation

Day 2 - The Lizard, Mullion to Maenporth

Day 2 elevation

Day 3 - Fal estuary - Maenporth to Gerrans

Day 3 elevation

Day 4 - Gerrans to Pentewan Sands

Day 4 elevation

Day 5 - Pentewan to Looe+

Day 5 elevation

 

Day 6 - Plymouth & Pentewan to Brixton 

Day 6 elevation

 

Day 7 - Brixton to Bigbury-on-Sea

Day 7 elevation

Day 8 - Bigbury on sea to Beeson

Day 8 elevation

Day 9 - Beeson to Shaldon

Day 9 elevation

Day 10 - Shaldon to Exeter

Day 10 elevation

Mileages

As the table shows, the number of miles travelled this year was not high, but the hilliness factor was extraordinary, with 280+% being labelled as "ridiculous" in my scale of hilliness, where 100% hilliness is a regular Wayfarers A group ride.  So the daily rides were limited by amount of ascent rather than  distance - in fact to be more accurate, limited by elapsed time - since climbing at 3 mph and also descending very steep hills at 3 mph takes a lot of time.

This year has been the most hilly year as measured by the average hilliness, although I did manage more total ascent with less steep hills in Scotland.   Six of this year's rides made it into my all-time top 10 hilly rides for my trip around the coast so far, which is now dominated by the south-west.

Interpreting the hilliness factor:

0-50% : flat

50-80%: quite flat

80-120%: average

120-180%: hilly

180-220%: very hilly

220-280%: extremely hilly

280%+ : ridiculous

Devon and Cornwall - looking back

I survived!

Brixham water

Cornwall, you were spectacular.   So many beautiful villages, golden beaches and wild rocky coves.   So many hills!

South Devon, you were gorgeous; brutal, but gorgeous.  Picture postcard villages, the narrowest lanes with the highest hedges and the most flowers.

So many memorable places, that they become a blur.   I will remember the kindness of the people: the Danish hiker who made me a cup of tea at the camp site, all those who asked if I'd cycled from Wales or who took a minute or ten to share their stories and their love of cycling, the young lady in a van who stopped on a steep hill and offered me a lift to the top.  What a cheek - I was nearly there!   

There have been many places where I could easily have spent half a day, or a few days enjoying the surroundings.  If I missed your favourite spot, or dismissed it without much of a comment, my apologies.  It's tempting to spend longer in each lovely place, but the next hill is always calling.  Lots of comments on the blog.  Thank you if you commented, it's encouraging to read your comments, although most of you were anonymous, so I'm guessing who said what.

The weather was gorgeous - I was so lucky.   Pouring with rain until I got off the train at Penzance; a few showers but mostly full sun for the whole time until the last day, when I had the incredible luck (or greed) to be in a cafe both of the times when it pelted down with rain!

For the first time, I camped every night of the trip.  I would have preferred to have had a night or two in a youth hostel bed, but that option wasn't open to me, and the benefit of a B&B bed wasn't worth the extra hassle and cost of finding somewhere.   Camping is so easy and flexible, and close to nature.   Great when the weather's fine.

What's more, I had a cup of tea in Brixham, where the water was contaminated a few days earlier, and survived!

I'll post some maps and a mileage chart in the next few days.   Don't expect to be impressed by the miles cycled, but my legs tell me that the hilliness was memorable.

Till next time!   East Devon, see you soon...

The Last Hill

Predictions like that seldom come true, but that's what my Garmin told me.   I was sitting in a cafe in a rainstorm in Teignmouth, waiting for a break in the rain.  One more hill out of Teignmouth, then downhill to Dawlish, and flat, flat, flat along the beautiful Exe estuary to Exeter.

After my late night meal, I lingered in the pub to post my blog report.  By 9.30 I was the only customer and the staff were itching to get home.  By the time I'd ridden to the campsite, unpacked my stuff, washed etc, I was in bed by 11.30, asleep by 11.31.

It was a lovely campsite, everything thought out with care and beautifully done.  But it was silent, apart from the sheep.  Hardly any bird song.  I woke early, and was just about to go back to sleep when I heard a few spots of rain on the tent.  I knew it was due to rain later, so I jumped up and packed away as quickly as possible.

On a grey, damp morning, I took time to explore Shaldon, a lovely old village which seems largely unspoiled.  Very varrow streets almost impassable for cars, criss-crossing to make an interesting little maze.  There's also a zoo and a smugglers' tunnel.  The main A379 road from Torquay does a little loop in Shaldon and then crosses the river to Teignmouth , leaving Shaldon with only local traffic.

Looking across The Salty to Teignmouth

Eventually I crossed the wide river Teign, known as The Salty, to visit Teignmouth.  Teignmouth is a proper town with a small harbour and a nice sea front lined with hotels, looking as if it's perhaps seen better days?

There's One Last Hill to get out of Teignmouth,  so I was intrigued to see a footpath along the coast, running along the coastal railway line.  However I was told that it's narrow, cycling is prohibited,  and where the railway goes into a tunnel, at Holcombe, the footpath goes under the railway (with steps down and up) then steeply up to join the main road (by a road called Smugglers' lane).  Perhaps not for me then.

Rainy cafe in Teignmouth

The rain stopped, and I tackled that hill, and its little brothers, along the busy A379.  I've got quite familiar with the A379 over the past week, the main road along the south coast, usually avoiding it but occasionally doing a mile or two, sometimes a hill.  It has got busier as I went east, and from Torquay it's been quite busy.  So I was pleased to leave it at Dawlish, a nice town that's blighted by the railway line along the coast.

Dawlish 

The Exe Valley Trail starts at Dawlish and is mostly on segregated cycleway, or sometimes a quiet road.  It goes through Dawlish Warren, on a sandbank sticking out into the Exe, then up the Exe to Exeter: past Starcross, where you can get a ferry to Exmouth on the other side.  Past Powderham Castle, home of the Earl of Devon, and then along the Exeter Ship Canal to Exeter itself, about 12 miles in all. 

Starcross 

It was easy, quiet cycling, with nice views over the surrounding countryside (but not so much of the river, as that was either behind the railway line or behind an embankment).   Arrived at Exeter far too early, hung around, train home, trying to stay awake, very straighforward.

Exeter Ship Canal

Exe Valley Cycleway

Entering Exeter

I'll post a summary of the trip in a day or so.  Thanks for joining me on the journey!

A funny thing happened in the pub last night.

I was running late, since I'd had to ride an extra 10 miles to find a campsite.  I decided to pitch my tent and go straight to eat without showering & changing, because, well, I'm only a bit sweaty and smelly, and besides, they will never see me again.  

The only place to eat was a nice seaside hotel on Beeson Sands.  To my surprise,  I recognised two of my neighbours there, Jane and Richard, who we've known since our children were at nursery together.  They are walking the SW Coast Path in stages, so we had a lot to talk about, having been to many of the same places.  A very enjoyable evening, after which they retired to their comfortable beds, and I struggled up the hill to the campsite, showered and got into my sleeping bag for the night.

My quality of sleep was excellent despite the lack of hotel room, and my early morning call came from the dawn chorus around 5.  By 6.30 the sun was on the tent, and it suddenly became too hot to stay in bed.  I packed up and rode off to find breakfast, which appeared at the far end of Slapton Ley, a nice flat lane and toad along the coast for a couple of miles.  A hut on the beach was serving coffee and bacon rolls - perfect.

Slapton Ley

Slapton sea defences

Strete cafe

Looking back to Slapton

Today I'm heading for Dartmouth, then Brixham,  where my sources tell me the tap water has been contaminated over the past few days.   But supposed to be OK now.   It turned out to be a very long day.

Just round the corner was a beach that I'd read was the best in Britain - according to someone on the Internet.  It certainly was a nice beach, and I had to check out the café too.  On such a lovely day, in such a lovely place, you have to linger a bit.

Blackpool Sands

Soon I was in the lovely Dart estuary, with the sound of the steam train echoing round the valley.  The whole setup is similar to Salcombe, but Dartmouth seemed perhaps less touristy, more of a normal town  I didn't really stay long enough to get to know it.  I got chattingvto a couple of locals, who'd just been touring in New Zealand.  "Where are you heading?" asked the lady.  When I answered "perhaps Torquay", her face fell.  She thought I should go in any other direction.   "Perhaps Totnes.  It's nice over here".  When I could not be persuaded, she advised me to keep on going right through Torbay.  "Maybe Babbacombe.  Babbacombe's OK".

 

St Petroc's church

First view of the Dart estuary 

 

Last view of the Dart estuary 

A vehicle ferry took nearly across the river to Kingswear, with the station and a long hill out of town.  As I go east, the hills are getting higher. 

Dart valley railway

I had planned in an exciting off-road excursion to Man Sands beach, a 75 metre descent down a steep rocky track, so I left the panniers in the care of some sheep, and headed down.  A bit of walking was needed, in each direction.

 

Devon lane

SW Water hard at work fixing the problem 

Man Sands beach

... and the track back up

Then after a lot of climbing around very deep valleys, I was in the outskirts of Brixham, and the metropolis of Torbay was laid out before me, built-up as far as I could see.  Before I dived into Brixham, I headed out to Berry Head, the start of Lyme Bay and the first place on my trip from where you can see Sidmouth.  It's well protected by a Fort from Napoleonic times, a few cannons, and a cafe.  I took a wistful look at the rocky coves around the headland,  maybe the last I'll  see for a while.

Berry Head- modern lighthouse 

Torbay is made up of five distinct resorts, each with their own character  helpfully (except if you're cycling) separated by some cliffs.  There's Brixham, a busy fishing town,  with a harbour, narrow streets and plenty of fish and chip shops.  Then Broadsands, a simple sandy beach with a cafe.  After a sunny and  dry day, a heavy rain shower forced me to try out the café.  Goodrington Sands is a beach resort with knobs on; a funfair, lots of beach huts and other seaside attractions. 

Brixham

Goodrington Sands 

Paignton is much more sedate, with a wide grassy park separating the town from the esplanade, plenty of good cycle tracks,  and I think lots of houses further up the valley.  A bit like Southport, or Dieppe.

 

Torquay, by contrast, is trying to be Cannes.  The car is king, with a dual carriageway roaring along the seafront (pedestrians have to yse a footbridge to get from the seafront shops to the harbour.   Rubbish cycle provision, disappearing cycle lanes along the dual carriageway,  and pavement cafes, casinos and posh hotels along the seafront strip.

Paignton 

Actually, there's another area.  Around the back of the Torquay peninsula are the expensive houses and hotels leading to Ilsham Marine Drive, all very nice.

I was on a mission to get out of Torbay to Babbacombe, as you may remember.   When I got there, I found a shocking hill down to the beach.  It was admittedly a bad time of day, but I had to push the bike up.   

Babbacombe beach

Now I was looking for a campsite and a flat road to get there.   The nearest was ten miles away at Shaldon.   Lovely site on a farm with goats, pigs, lots of sheep,  horses and Shetland ponies.  It was late, so I threw my tent up,  dumped the panniers,  and raced into Shaldon to get to the pub 2 minutes before they stopped serving food.  It was delicious. 

I've decided to end my trip tomorrow, at Exeter, where I can get a train home.  My legs have had enough, and I'll enjoy the next stage all the more with fresh legs and fresh eyes.