Day 2 - The First Big Ascent

Day 2 started in relaxed fashion as breakfast at the hotel was only served from 8am.  By the time we had finished packing up and were ready to leave it was 10.30am!  On the first climb out of St Austell a twig got caught in the front wheel spokes and sprung off the front mudguard stays.  It took me a few minutes of searching the gutter to find one of the clips which had come off.  Within a few minutes I was at our friend’s Di & Chris’ campsite for a quick visit before really getting going.

The second climb was very steep and I had to pause half way up to get my breath back.  It was a sign of things to come with many steep climbs and descents.  It made for slow progress, but the countryside was very pretty with deep set Cornish lanes topped with green hedgerow.  I videoed one descent and nearly fell off at the bottom when I skidded in the gravel in the centre of the road.  Oops, better pay more attention and avoid accidents!

Crossing the river at Fowey on the ferry

I crossed the river at Fowey (pron. “Foy” I think) on the chain ferry and continued through the lanes, eventually reaching Torpoint to meet Fiona for lunch.  She, like me, had followed the road down to the ferry only to find there is no parking or escape lane.  Fortunately, it is rather easier to change your mind on a bike than in a car (don’t ask Fiona about the “No Entry” lane!).  The crossing was speedy and brought us to a different county that felt like a different world.  Plymouth was full of cars, drive-thru’s, big brands and – by the time we were there – school kids going home.  I leap-frogged Fiona several times in the traffic, stopping only to take a photo of the “Pheasant Pluckers” pub at the top of the hill.

The Pheasant Pluckers Arms

Leaving Plymouth was like riding on the North Circular in rush hour.  I followed a few local cyclists who knew how to choose the right road position to stay out of trouble, but I don’t envy their commute.  Dodging cars joining and leaving slip roads on a dual carriageway is just too risky.  It got better when I reached a cycle lane alongside the road.  Eventually I was able to leave the craziness behind having had an encouraging shout from Fiona as she finally got out of the traffic and sped by.

The climb continued mile after mile without ever becoming too steep.  When I reached Yelverton, I had to stop for the first service on the bike as the front brake had started rubbing.  I think the front wheel has moved a little out of true.  After the usual balancing act of cable tension and lever adjustment I got it working without a touch.  Yelverton was the start of the big climb up onto Dartmoor.  The middle section of the climb was so steep I had to take two breathers – rather comically, one of them was in the middle of some coned off roadworks as the traffic lights had changed while I was still in the middle!

Highland Cattle on Dartmoor

Once on the top of Dartmoor, the climbs became less frequent and the views more spectacular.  I stopped several times to photograph wild ponies, Highland cattle (with big horns) and sheep blocking the road.  The climbs on Dartmoor have the disadvantage that you can see them coming from several miles away and a couple were steep enough that I had to zig zag up them.  I managed to be on the wrong side of the road when one group of cars passed and they did look a little surprised!

What is that imposing building?

I passed Princetown in bright early evening sunshine and stopped to take a photo of the imposing building without realising it was Dartmoor Prison (durrhh!!!).  Eventually I started the descent to Moretonhampstead and was able to relax with the day’s climbing done.  I reached over 40mph on one part of the descent, which got my attention back pretty quickly.  Fortunately nothing broke, though later I hit a dip in the road hard enough it knocked the wind out of me and shook my rear light so hard it fell to bits on the bike sending batteries and the cover bouncing down the road.

I reached Moretonhampstead at 6.45pm and found the White Hart Inn right in the middle of town.  They had a conference room spare for me to store the bike and Fiona had already got a table reserved in the restaurant for dinner.  Great!  All the remaining days have less ascent than today (though one is just 9ft smaller!), which is good as my legs were definitely not as strong as yesterday.  Hopefully they will get used to the idea of riding all day every day.  #shutuplegs

I completed a total of 65.7 miles in 8 hours and 15 minutes elapsed and 5 hours 28 minutes moving at an average on 12mph and a maximum speed of 42.4mph!