2^nd June 1999

London - Crows-an-Wra via Land's End

The Statistical Bit:

The omens were good. It started to rain just as I began attaching all my luggage to the bike outside my block of flats. The time was 10.30, so I had an hour to get to the station for my Great Western Intercity to Penzance. I had my 2 Ortlieb panniers, with my Thermarest strapped to the back of one of them and my tent to the back of the other. Then I also had my seat bag stuffed as full as it would go, and my Carradice saddlebag bungeed to the rack. Very top-heavy at the back, and not all that stable, as I discovered the moment I set off!

It was a somewhat wobbly journey to the station. And this journey was far from over when I got to Paddington - the vehicular access ramp is at the far end, and then I found myself in the wrong lane, so I ended up going round the roundabout under the Westway in order to get back to the station. This added about a wobbly mile to the journey. Still, I arrived very early. And of course rail companies never tell you which train to board until about 2 minutes before departure. So I had to race up the platform, rip the bags off Mercury again, stuff him backwards into the racks, ask the guard if he was OK where he was (he really didn't seem to concerned about anything) and race back to my carriage (which was nowhere near the guard's van, of course). By this time most of the luggage racks in the carriage were full. But I somehow managed to squeeze my stuff in.

The journey down was quite pleasant. But from Taunton onwards it all seemed so futile - in a few days' time I'd be back at Taunton anyway - so why not get off here? Hm, defeats the object really! Just after Exeter the scenery got spectacular, with the train going along the foot of some red sandstone cliffs. Truro - well, I should be here in about two days' time. And finally Penzance. At least the rain had stopped. I retrieved Mercury, loaded up the luggage again, and wheeled out of the station.

Right, where to? I stood there for a moment, contemplating and studying the map. Seemed very straightforward. But I had heard that the road to Land's End was somewhat undulating. Time to find out! The first stretch along the seafront was fine, but then the road turned inland and up a long drag. This was demoralising. The road wasn't that steep, and already I was trundling along at 4mph. This was going to be a long three weeks! The road towards Land's End continued like this all the way, and there were several hills where I had to get off and push - not the nicest of experiences on a fast country A road. Eventually I got to the sign marking Cardinney Caravan & Camping Park at Crows-an-Wra, about 5 miles from Land's End. This would do nicely. I checked in, found myself a nice little spot, and pitched camp. The campsite was quite empty, which was a relief, as I realised on the journey down that it was in fact half term week.

This done, it was time to go to Land's End. Better do that tonight, without my luggage, and therefore extend my range tomorrow by 10 miles. It was a joy to ride without the luggage - I had come less than 10 miles so far, and I was already sick of the luggage! I think the road flattens out a bit as you approach Land's End, as the hills didn't seem half as bad as the ones on the way up from Penzance. I scooted and shimmied through the grotesque amusement park at Land's End and rolled to a halt by the photographer's sign. There were a couple of motorcyclists having their photos taken by a passer-by, so when they were done I asked someone to get my photo too. Had a brief chat with various people there, including the bikers. They were doing a round End to End trip from Peterborough for charity. Smacked of cheating, if you asked me! A kid asked me how much my bike was. I told him. He gasped and said "You can get a real bike for that". Hmph! "This is a proper bike!"

Anyone who's ever been to Land's End will tell you that there's really not much to do there. So I headed back towards the campsite, looking for some food en route. I ended up in the First and Last Inn at Sennen, about a mile up the road from Land's End. I hadn't been sitting there long, with my pint of beer and waiting for my food, when a young lad approached me. Was that my bike outside, and could I show him how it worked when I was leaving? Sure. The bikers also came in, so I exchanged a few more comments with them, then ate, had another pint and left. Gave a quick demonstration to the lad - he informed me that one of the hills on the road to Penzance was great for picking up speed, and that he'd done 50mph on it before. I thanked him for the tip and left. Back to the campsite. And time for bed - a long day was likely to lie before me.

Last Updated on 16 November, 2003