SEEING CORNWALL ON A FOLDING BIKE

26th June 2009

Pure leisure, plenty of pleasure on two 15-mile round trips. Resting the bikes against Philps pasty shop in Hayle (reputedly one of the best), passing children shout “Look at those bikes!”

The bikes are decent – Dahon and Dawes – so climbing long hills the back way from Hayle to St Ives is no problem. Negotiating the descent to the harbour is equally steady. The receptionist at the Tate Gallery won’t let us bring them in until we point out that they’re folders – she points us to the self-service cloakroom and we stow them next to a couple of wheelchairs.

Before that we’d sat in a harbour-side restaurant, our bikes leaning up on the pavement next to our table while we slurped mussels and mackerel.

Another day, another short trip, this time following off-road track and lanes on national cycle network route 3 from Hayle through St Erth to Marazion (my first view ever of St Michael’s Mount) and over to fog-shrouded Penzance.

This was the day of the pasty, and later a cream tea, with cream so deliciously clotted it was well on its way to becoming butter. The bikes sat in the café garden with us and – confessions now – got folded up later on as we sleepily bummed a lift off a friend. Whether it was the cream, the jam, the carbs or the sun, something set us off yawning and succumbing to the pleasure-combined-with-leisure aspect of our trip.

So unlike our other cycling experiences. No helmets, constant sunshine, seaside shorts and trainers, rolling gently between hedgerows, walking the bike up steep cobbled streets. The only problem was taking a topple over the handlebars in soft sand on a road behind the dunes. But we have to have some stories to tell.

Tartan Lassie & Laddie on Tour
To say we had a good time would not do it justice .. it was brilliant .. absolutely brilliant ... every day was fantastic views, good laughs and a day spent on a bike in the sun .. does life get any better, i think not.

You can click on the photos for full effect (visit www.autostitch.net to make your own panoramas) - use the browser back button to return to the blog.

Beach at Morar (mainland)

The Quirang (Skye)
Cuillins from Sleat Peninsula

Day 1 Ardrossan - Lochranza (Aran) 42m
Day 2 Lochranza - Ford (Argyll) 55 m (+8 for meal!)
Day 3 Ford - Oban (Argyll) 56 m
Day 4 Oban - Salen (Mull) 42m
Day 5 Mull circuit 47m
Day 6 Salen (Skye) - Morar (nr Mallaig) 64m (+10 for meal!)
Day 7 Morar - Carbost (Skye) 58m
Day 8 Skye north circuit 95m
Day 9 Carbost - Ardvasar (Skye) 61m

Total 538 miles
Average 12 mph
Cycling Time 45 hrs (av 5hrs a day)








Red line is pedal power, black Scotrail











Trip highlights ..

• realising our wiggly route would stretch the length of Scotland
• seeing osprey, sea eagles plus some golden ones
• the smell of the sea at the tip of your nose all day
• riding the length of the "awe"some Loch Awe (23m longest loch in Scotland)
  
• eating a "full scottish breakfast" with no worries on calorie expenditure vs. intake
• ditto shortbread and Tunnocks carmel wafers (4m a day worldwide - it said on the pack)
• ditto ordering extra evening food after finding no cafes en route
• eating apples in the sun looking over to the paps of Jura
  
• wondering if anyone in Scotland had been on hospitality training ...
• pondering the merits of Scottish architecture .. one design = lots of bungalows
• getting money off the back of a van .. okay, so it was a mobile bank
• a fantastic train journey to Glasgow - no leg movement required!
  
• wondering whether or not to go round again when we arrived back in Ardrossan
• and views like above .... every day, all day ............

Best piece of kit award goes to the elasticated washing line ... amazing how inventive you can be as to where you hang your washing!

The rest of our photos are here if you are dead keen to have a look ..

www.flickr.com/photos/heatonriders/sets/72157619753109877

Liz and Jo after the Manchester 10k on the 17th May and before this interview.

Brief interview.
Glynis: so how did you do?
Jo: I am disappointed with my time, it was slower than last year
Glynis: perhaps you were still tired from the Dales ride last week-end? (sympathetic tone)
Jo: We tried the Dave Rowlands approach to race preparation
Glynis: and that is?
Liz: it is ok to have a pint the night before
Glynis: just the one?
Jo: well, um we had two out and then......(somewhat sheepishly) had another when we got back
Glynis: OK three pints and you expect to do a PB - (string of expletives....followed by door slamming)