Westward to Lands End
30th March 1974 to 7th April 1974
After cycling last year to Dorset and the year before as far as Devon we felt that a new adventure would be to cycle all the way to Lands End going through some of the best parts of Somerset and Devon. So it was that we set out from Waltham Abbey on the last day of March with one week to reach Cornwall and follow the coast
Saturday 30th March 1974
We had not cycled for some time so were a little apprehensive about the first day, wondering whether we would have enough strength to reach Newbury. As it turned out we arrived at Newbury one and a half hours earlier than we had done before and feeling quite fresh. We could hardly believe it. We did not concentrate on the scenery for there was little at first and our main objective was to reach Newbury as quickly as possible, for from there we would feel that the holiday had really begun. We were pleased to make rapid progress through Enfield, Barnet and Ruislip, a route slightly different than before, to arrive at Fulmer and on to Burnham Beeches. Pleasant country lanes at Burnham brought us out to Taplow and Maidenhead to follow the B3024 to Twyford then joining the A4 to Reading. Shortly after, we turned off to the higher country north of the main road past a field of pigs and along the splendidly wooded road through Chapel Row and Upper Bucklebury. Thence to the Thatcham and the main road to Newbury. We camped at the Lock once again and although the goat was there he was much less trouble. We were very pleased at our progress and were not as tired as we had expected to be.
Day 74 miles - Trip 74 miles
Sunday 31st March 1974
Set off early and passed through the residential outskirts of Newbury to follow a minor road up to Hanstead Marshall where the countryside opened out a little before we came to Inkpen. This was a strange place, miles from anywhere, yet with many new houses being built. The day was now beginning to get hot and we hoped that there would be a shop to buy some drinks. We grew thirstier and thirstier as the day wore on. On through Shalborne and Burbage to the well-known stretch of road to Pewsey. On to Woodborough with the White Horse away to north and into Devizes. There were no shops open and we had to press on through the hot afternoon. Through Seend to Trowbridge and then dropping down to the river at Farleigh Hungerford - a shop! We had come 50 miles searching for a drink and it was marvellous to sit by the wall of the tiny shop refreshing ourselves. This was really a very pleasant place. We were deep in a valley with ahead of us a Castle perched high on a hill overlooking the river. We had in fact just crossed into Somerset over the River Frome and already the changing countryside was noticeable. We wanted to include the Cheddar Gorge in our journey and this was the direction we were heading. There was no chance of us reaching it today but we hoped to camp close by and ride through on the following morning. There was still a way to go and we set forth up the steep hill to follow the main road to Norton St Philip and into Radstock and Midsomer Norton. It was getting late as we arrived here and we were very tired but we were determined to reach Priddy and so pressed on after a short rest. We stayed on the main road to Chewton Mendip and then turned off through a forestry plantation. From here on it was just willpower that kept us going, our legs had gone and every turn of the pedals was a supreme effort. We forced ourselves on. At length the countryside flattened out a little and Priddy was in reach and we turned off thankfully towards Priddy and the camp site. This had been a very long and tiring day with hot sunshine sapping our energy and we were glad to be camped at last. The site was pleasant and grassy and thankfully quite empty.
Day 72 miles - Trip 146 miles
Monday 1st April 1974
Refreshed after the long day yesterday we set off early to visit Cheddar Gorge only three or four miles away. The road began to dip and twist and then suddenly we were there. Huge cliffs towered above the road and we stopped to admire the scenery. But this was only the beginning, as we moved forward it grew more and more spectacular until at last we just had to stop in the road and stare. The cliffs towered hundreds of feet above and trees grew out from the sheer rock faces - giant pillars of rock far more dramatic than anything we had ever seen. It was very early still so that the gorge was absolutely deserted save for the Rooks flying and squawking overhead. The sun was not high enough to penetrate the gorge and the air was chilly. We could hardly believe the enormity of the place and felt very small alone there in the cold air. At length we knew we had to move on and we went on to Cheddar village to warm up with early-morning tea. There was no traffic about so we followed the main road to Axbridge and stayed on A38 to Bridgwater. After Cheddar Gorge this road was so boring and we just had to plod on and on hoping that the miles were being eaten up. We reached Bridgwater which was unbelievably bad - a dirty industrial town which seemed more suited to the Midlands than this part of the country. Until now the roads had been flat but after arriving at Spaxton the real hills began and we began to climb higher and higher into the Quantock Hills. The scenery was now much improved and we threaded our way through woodlands and by rivers until we had passed through the Quantocks to arrive at Bishops Lydeard. We followed the minor roads to Milverton and then stayed on the main road through Wiveliscombe and Waterrow to cross the border into Devon. Although this was the main road it was very hilly and we were becoming tired. For several miles now the road dipped steadily down to Shillingford enabling us to make some distance without much effort to finally search for the campsite. We turned off the main road past Bampton and approached the site from the back. It was a farm site - Westbrook farm - and was a really good site. We chatted for a while with the owners, signed the visitor's book and watched the cows being cleared out before going back to the tent for the night. We now felt really in the countryside.
Day 56 miles - Trip 202 miles
Tuesday 2 April 1974
From the main road in front of the farm we dropped down to the River Exe and then climbed high on the far side to turn up to Oakwood and follow minor roads to Witheridge. We were heading for the Dartmoor National Park and rode through pleasant lanes to Lapford, Zeal Monochorum, Bow and Spreyton to join the National Park at Whiddon Down. The countryside was very beautiful now with hilly roads and distant views over the moorland. Around Chagford was particularly interesting with a great contrast to the moorlands ahead. We joined the B3212 across Dartmoor past Postbridge and the picturesque clapper bridge over the East Dart River and on to Two Bridges with the prison standing ahead to the left. We were feeling very tired and did not envy any prisoner tried to escape over these moorlands. We could not go much further, being so tired, and so continued across the moor to camp at a caravan site two miles short of Tavistock. Apart from being very tired and Denise losing a filling it has been a good day, particularly the crossing of Dartmoor.
Day 53 miles - Trip 255 miles
Wednesday 3 April 1974
The coast was now in reach and we were determined to reach there and then rest for the remainder of the day so the day was to be fairly short. To begin with there was a long downhill run into Tavistock where we had early-morning tea and toast before setting out for Tintagel. We passed through Milton Abbot and a few miles further on swooped down a fine wooded hill to cross the River Tamar and so enter Cornwall. Our first impression was not good, due to a quarry by the roadside spewing out a white dust which covered the surrounding greenery. The countryside had now flattened out somewhat and we passed through Launceston and then followed the main road to Pipers Paul and Davidstowe before turning off towards the sea. We now noticed the influence of the sea as all the trees were contorted into strange formations all stretching inland. The sea winds must have considerable impact even this many miles inland. We reached Tintagel at three o'clock to pitch the tent early and walk round the castle and headland. This was a really beautiful place and we wandered around the castle a little disappointed that the Island was closed off. The sea crashing on the rocks below us was magnificent and we stood and watched the seagulls and jackdaws on the cliffs below. We descended down the steps to a cove below the castle and explored the stony beach before crossing over to the far side of the stream to ascend the headland there. On the way back we spotted a kestrel hovering in the valley. It was good to be at the sea and this was a superb place to arrive.
Day 38 miles - Trip 293 miles
Thursday 4th April 1974
A very interesting start to the day as through the streets of Tintagel we followed a herd of cattle being driven by dog! We were bound south along the coast and turned up to Delabole. We had hoped to be able to stay closer to the sea but there were glimpses now and again as we made our way through Pendogget and on to Wadebridge where we turned to follow the road into Padstow. We had read much of Padstow and were interested to see how much was true. As we swooped down to narrow streets we reached the harbour and found it to be really quite a pleasant place. Pleasant enough anyway to sit alongside the harbour and have lunch while a mad woman babbled from an upstairs window behind us. It was difficult to find our way out of Padstow along its narrow one-way streets but we finally found the main road and were on our way. The roads and scenery were good and we cycled happily on until we were stopped in our tracks by the very beautiful Porthcothan Bay stretching from the road out to the sea. The northern part is owned by the National Trust so hopefully this bay will stay beautiful forever. We were now much closer to the coast and what a beautiful coast it is. We cycled on with glimpses far out to sea enjoying our ride until we came to Newquay. What a terrible place. We cycled round and round, lost in its pointless one-way system, and were finally glad to be rid of the place. We stayed inland now to reach Perranporth where we stopped just before the town to camp. The site was quite pleasant, though not greatly so, being a properly organised and typical camping site.
Day 51 miles - Trip 344 miles
Friday 5 April 1974
Perranporth was less than half a mile away so we had breakfast there and chatted a while about cycling. With tea and food setting us up for the day we cycled on to St Agnes and towards the coast once more. At Porthtowan we wanted to go down to the sea but thought we had better press on and so shortly we arrived at Portreath. This was where we had earlier planned a winter holiday and if we had gone it would have been a superb place to stay. The houses rose steeply on the hillside above the beach commanding great views out to sea and we tried to work out which was the bungalow we had chosen to stay at. The beach was quite empty and the tide was out so we decided on a break from cycling for an hour or so to explore. Huge cliffs towered above to the left and we followed their base to discover caves deep in the rock. A small rock pool above the beach gave a fascinating look into the sea shore life with some blennies and shrimps darting under rocks as we searched for life. High above the sea birds nested and, all in all, it was a lovely picture. We wished that we could explore further but we had come to reach Land's End and so we took up the bikes once more to climb up out of the bay and set off along the coast. This was now becoming the best part of the whole journey as, before us, cliffs stretched away into the distance and we were close to, but high above, the sea. The cliffs were owned by the National Trust and we turned away from the road to watch the seabirds and jackdaws on the cliffs below with the sea crashing to the shore far below them. Oh that we had some binoculars and a camera! A little further on was an offshore rock with cormorants and we sat and watched as they dived into the sea and returned. What a superb stretch of coastline. Soon we had to journey on along the gently undulating road into Hayle. Inevitably the scenery had to drop off slightly and it did so at Hayle. We would have liked to revisit St. Ives but in view of our previous experiences there decided against it and passed through some hilly country to Towednack and Zennor. The road here was like a switchback dipping and twisting through bracken and heather. Proper heathland with only distant glimpses of the sea to remind us we were at the coast. We continued to Morvak and St. Just making our way to Sennen and towards the end of the day we met an old cyclist and stopped to chat about past experiences. We were to camp at Sennen and shortly reached the site and pitched the tent quickly so that we could go down to the beach at Sennen Cove. How strange it felt to ride without all the gear after all these days! We wobbled our way down to the Cove and, leaving the bikes, set off for a stroll along the beach. It was superb and huge waves crashed to the deserted shore as we strolled along playing with the waves and exploring for shells. It was getting late and we started back to the site to get our evening meal. We discovered that we were sharing the site with the same maniac who earlier in the day had nearly killed us both with his caravan as we were trying to turn off right from the main road.
Day 49 miles - Trip 393 miles
Saturday 6th April 1974
We were only a mile from our goal - Lands End - and set off early to arrive before any other visitors and, leaving the bikes in the car park, we walked along the cliffs, looking out to sea and at the waves crashing below. All the different rock formations were fascinating. After some tea we turned inland and followed the road through green fields with ancient stone circles and crosses. A sharp drop to the river at Treen was followed by a long and tiring climb but then the road levelled out and we rode on until the turn off for Lamorna Cove. We had plenty of time today, only having to reach Penzance, and so decided to visit the coast once more. The road became rougher as it dropped towards the sea until finally we came to the very pretty cove. We watched some skin divers putting out to sea before turning back and heading for Mousehole. Shortly we passed a beautiful water garden and saw the strange Pennywort growing on various walls. We passed through Mousehole, which seemed to be less interesting than its reputation, and so on into Penzance. Our holiday was now mostly over and so we enquired for the next train to London. The next was the overnight train and as it was only just after lunchtime we had plenty of time to waste. We explored Penzance visiting the Tourist and Craft Centre and then found a vegetarian restaurant. We were wary about going in as we had been on the road for a week but we plucked up the courage and went in to have a really good meal. We vowed to return if ever we were this way again. There were still plenty of time before the train and so we rode out to Marazion to watch the tide coming in by St Michael's Mount. We sat by the shore and watched amazed at the speed the tide came in. On the way from Penzance we saw flocks of Oystercatchers in the fields and Tufted Duck and Herons at the submerged forest just before Marazion. After the tide had come in we returned to Penzance to wait out the evening on the station before catching the train. At last the time came and we climbed aboard for the journey home. We were close to the guards van where the bikes were and could smell the flowers on their way from Jersey to the shops in London.
Day 24 miles - Trip 417 miles
Sunday 7 April 1974
After a long and cold night we arrived at Paddington about seven o'clock for a ride through a deserted Oxford Street to catch the train from Liverpool Street home.