Day two: Redruth to Camelford

It was raining even before we started: light drizzly rain that doesn’t feel like much but soaks everything. But it’s warm, and the rain is refreshing, and the landscape emerging from the mist is extremely atmospheric.

The first part of the day is “get-there” miles, not just because it’s raining, but because the route invites us to: always close to the A30, it’s not exactly picturesque, and with the damp and the mist, there’s not much reason to hang around. We set a healthy pace, even chancing a stretch of the A30 dual carriageway to make the journey a bit easier. 

There are some lovely moments, though: we pass a tiny parish church and creep inside in search of the toilet, to find the church stewards and vicar having a cuppa and a chat after the service. They invite us to join them so we sip tea from china mugs and eat all the ginger nut biscuits they can give us.

In Bodmin we refuel on Cornish pasties before saying goodbye to Howard, who has to catch a train home (he has to go to work on Monday so will come and join us again next weekend). Then the three of us, me, Lorenzo and Mark, head down towards the river and the Camel trail. Turn left for Padstow, turn right for Camelford. It’s a surprise easy afternoon – despite having planned the route, I didn’t look in too much detail at this stretch, and I’d forgotten we’d be going along a disused railway line. It delivers on everything: glorious flat terrain, stunning scenery, and the river gurgling at the bottom.

The Camel Trail ends before Camelford, so it’s back to the roads. Which way shall we go? Let’s carry on following the cycle route – there are the green dots, and oh dear, those contour lines look a bit close together. Oh well, up we go, it’s only 7 miles. We’ll be at the campsite and in the pub by 6.

The first hill is endless, and soon we can see far down across the river valley, higher than anything in the landscape. Yet still it goes up. Up and up, onto the moors. There are sheep and cows and bracken. The light is translucent. ‘Big skies’ was one of the things Tim listed as a particular favourite, and he would have loved these. We reach what must be the summit – we are at the top of the landscape. There are three more false summits after this one. Each time we think, this must be the top. Even the downs go up. Mark is yelling at the hills by the end. We can see out to sea. It’s absolutely stunning, but we are not in the pub by 6, not by a long way. 

The only place open in Camelford on a Sunday is the Nepalese, which is perfect for three hungry cyclists. With full stomachs we walk back up to campsite: Tregoodwell Park Farm. It’s nothing more than a large field but the shower is hot and it’s all we need. 

Mark’s verdict: 

Today’s ride was ‘Beauty and the Beast’: beauty was the countryside, beast was all the hills. The cattle were lovely. The river valley was good. The extra terrain and distance at the end was tough but good, although psychologically, that was the limit.

Anna’s verdict:

It’s good to get some miles in sometimes. We did so well do get the lion’s share of the ride done in the morning – satisfied and optimistic by lunchtime. We had broken the back of the ride and got the inclement weather out of the way. Camel Trail wonderful bonus, and even though the second half of the afternoon’s ride was much harder and further than we thought, the moors were breathtaking. It would have been miserable if we’d had a harder morning, but we did so well this morning that we could cope with the extra miles and terrain in the afternoon.

Lorenzo’s verdict:

A day of three halves: road in the drizzle, Camel trail, then the moors. Conscious of the distance, wanted to get the miles done, liked whooshing down the A30. Surprise about the Camel trail, which was beautiful.

The climb up to the moors was a really hard climb, but it was really worth it. We made a mistake going up there – the original route was shorter and flatter. Given the choice: I’d do exactly the same thing again.

Stats for the day: 74km riding, 958m climbing

Accommodation: Tregoodwell Park Farm. Very rustic in a big grassy field, with wooden shower and toilet huts. Absolutely fine for tired cyclists but a bit basic!