I crossed the Tamar Bridge in an easterly direction in the teeth of a biting north-easterly wind, wondering whether anyone would turn up, as I could not see any sign of life on the Plymouth side. As it so happened I was the last and there were Trev, Larry and Graham huddled out of the wind chiding me for being the last to arrive! We were quickly out of the blocks and up through the town and, predictably, Trev was soon to be heard muttering something not being here for a while. I soon put paid to that by leading a short detour to the 'never before visited' Moditonham Quay on the upper reaches of the pretty Kingsmill Lake. At low tide it can be a haven for wading birds but, unfortunately, the tide was fairly full and with the wind whipping across the water it was rather bleak.
We retraced our steps and then through Botusfleming to the A388 at Hatt. There were more 'comments' after the two miles of 'tarmac' but we were soon back on quiet lanes from St. Mellion to Amy Tree and then Dupath where we visited the impressive "Dupath Well Chapel" which has to be approached via a farmyard and short path. Instead of retracing our steps we continued along a couple of miles of unfamiliar lanes and, as we duly arrived at the bottom of Florence Road, it was decided that we have coffee at the engine house tearoom instead of Louie's - a big mistake! It was quite busy, and we had to wait ages for our caffeine fix. It was lovely and warm, and we had panoramic views across south-east Cornwall.
Onwards, it suddenly felt cold again as we dropped through Golberdon to the Lynher Valley, but soon warmed up on the long climb up through Pensilva to the edge of Bodmin Moor at Tokenbury Corner. At this very exposed spot it was unanimously decided to opt for another stop at the Crow's Nest pub, and since we were made so welcome there a couple of weeks ago we thought it would be nice to repeat the experience. I did warn the boys that it was a quiet Monday last time, and today could be much different. However, we need not have worried because, even though they were busy with Sunday lunches, they were just as accommodating!
We managed a few new lanes to the west of St. Ive which were delightful. In fact, one very short lane, which has gradually become more and more overgrown throughout the past 15 years, has now been cleared - amazing! I was feeling that the temperature was dropping a little further, although the intrepid Trevor never seems to feel the cold. From St. Ive it was the usual route back along the ridge to Blunts and the long descent down Frenchman's Lane to Notter Bridge and then up the climb to Vollard's Lane and Hatt. Larry and I said our farewells to Trevor and Graham by Waitrose and, to my great surprise, there were almost 40 miles on the clock! Well, I think we made the most of a bitterly cold day - thank you boys.
David
We retraced our steps and then through Botusfleming to the A388 at Hatt. There were more 'comments' after the two miles of 'tarmac' but we were soon back on quiet lanes from St. Mellion to Amy Tree and then Dupath where we visited the impressive "Dupath Well Chapel" which has to be approached via a farmyard and short path. Instead of retracing our steps we continued along a couple of miles of unfamiliar lanes and, as we duly arrived at the bottom of Florence Road, it was decided that we have coffee at the engine house tearoom instead of Louie's - a big mistake! It was quite busy, and we had to wait ages for our caffeine fix. It was lovely and warm, and we had panoramic views across south-east Cornwall.
Onwards, it suddenly felt cold again as we dropped through Golberdon to the Lynher Valley, but soon warmed up on the long climb up through Pensilva to the edge of Bodmin Moor at Tokenbury Corner. At this very exposed spot it was unanimously decided to opt for another stop at the Crow's Nest pub, and since we were made so welcome there a couple of weeks ago we thought it would be nice to repeat the experience. I did warn the boys that it was a quiet Monday last time, and today could be much different. However, we need not have worried because, even though they were busy with Sunday lunches, they were just as accommodating!
We managed a few new lanes to the west of St. Ive which were delightful. In fact, one very short lane, which has gradually become more and more overgrown throughout the past 15 years, has now been cleared - amazing! I was feeling that the temperature was dropping a little further, although the intrepid Trevor never seems to feel the cold. From St. Ive it was the usual route back along the ridge to Blunts and the long descent down Frenchman's Lane to Notter Bridge and then up the climb to Vollard's Lane and Hatt. Larry and I said our farewells to Trevor and Graham by Waitrose and, to my great surprise, there were almost 40 miles on the clock! Well, I think we made the most of a bitterly cold day - thank you boys.
David
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