Day 28 - Tavistock to Helston

Woke up feeling sore but ready for the final full day of cycling. Tally Bally ho - it's over the top and on to Helston in time for tea and medals, Wing Commander. Actually, I thought I would just start with breakfast.

Unsurprisingly the breakfast at Colcharton farm was as good as the welcome I received the day before. I even had my sneaky bacon sandwich request met - oh but there is nothing like a bacon butty to help out on a long day's ride.

I got some tips as to the country I was about to ride over. The ominous words of 'you will have a lovely ride down to the Tamar, free wheel all the way...mind you, it's a bit of a pull on from there' were kind of what I was expecting. I remember from the Land's End to John O'Groats cycle that Devon and Cornwall were some of the hardest riding days. The don't bother to go around hills in that part of the world. Would call it the Roman approach to road building but then the roads aren't particularly straight so that one kind of falls flat (unlike the roads themselves which are anything but).

Lovely coast down to the Tamar river and then, hold on to your hats but we're in Cornwall. Must have missed the border control as no-one wanted to check my passport. Good job I had hidden the Devon flag in my panniers though or I might have been refused entry...

Now the good folks at Colcharton Farm were not mistaken about the pull upwards from the Tamar. It was a walker of a hill given that I hadn't really warmed up yet (and to be honest it would be a tough climb even after a 10 mile head start). Onwards to Liskeard and then to Lostwithiel. Stopped for a tea and cake break in Lostwithiel and to muse on the cycling pattern for the day - nice coasting ride down hill immediately or very shortly after followed by a long slog up the same gradient on the other side. Occassional nasty sharp hills just to throw a spanner in the works but generally a gradient that implies you can make it if you keep your head down and keep going for a while.

As I was walking out of Lostwithiel (had cooled down during my cake break and the relatively steep ascent as I came up the otherside demanded some non-bicycle time for the ankle) I was overtaken by two cyclists who appeared to be end-to-enders cycling for an anti-malaria charity. Now Lightning got the wind up about being overtaken by a couple of boys so she told me to mount up and catch up, bad ankle or no. Fairly soon after there was a steep descent, which really did sort the men from the boys. A vague transcript of the kind of discussion I had with Lightning I had during the descent went along these lines (yes, I was starting to imagine that my bike was talking to me).

Lightning - don't touch the brakes
Me - but we are going a bit fast now and there might be potholes
Lightning - don't touch the brakes
Me - AGGHHHHH
Lightning - look, I won't be left behind by boys so leave those brakes alone
Me - AGHHHHH here comes a big pothole
Lightning - Don't be such a girlie and don't use the brakes
Me - But we are going over 30 MPH now
Lightnin - DO NOT TOUCH THE BRAKES
Me - AGGGGHHHHHH

Safe to say I only used the brakes a little bit on the hill, and Lightning was pleased to see that the boys had stopped at the bottom of the hill for a drink break. Us girlies kept going. Obviously.

Onwards to St Austell. They put a bit of a steep hill coming out of town which was mean. Decided to come off the main road and stopped for lunch in a village called Sticker. Went to a pub called the Hewas Inn for a well deserved cheese and pickle jacket potato. Rain started up just as I came out of the pub but it was a quick shower so onwards.

Pushed on to Truro where they had decided to put an even bigger hill on the road out of town. Mean. Ankle a bit jittery now so walked that one. Traffic was hellish on the road towards Devoran. I may be skinny and Lightning isn't exactly overweight but it would be nice if cars gave us more than a sliver of space when they hurtle by at 50 MPH. Decided to stop for refreshment at the Norway Arms near Devoran. Had a very very very good pudding (chocolate and cherry thing with icecream) and girded my loins (and even guided my lions) for the final push on to Helston. Traffic got a bit better after the road split off for Falmouth and I started counting down the miles.

Now I hadn't prebooked anywhere to stay in Helston - I went past a place called the Roslyn Cottage on the way in to Helston (it stood out because of all the lovely flowers on the front) but thought I should push on into town really. Came across a Premier Inn on the road towards the Lizard but they were full. Now the lovely lady on reception offered to phone around the other places she knew in Helston to see if there were any rooms available. Lo and behold the only place with space was the Roslyn Cottage so it was back up the road (although a mile and a half seemed an easy trip after the tester hills of Cornwall).

Cup of tea and a shower before off on another adventure to find dinner, but on foot this time as I thought Lightning deserved an early night. Had been told that there was a pub about a mile and a half away so set off in the direction of Gweek to find the Gweek Inn. Think the walk was actually quite a good way to stretch out the legs (handy as it was almost a 5 mile round trip according to Google...). Had a very good pint of DoomBar with an equally good dinner before setting off in the near dark to get back to the Roslyn Cottage. Was actually a lovely evening, enjoying watching the swifts circling overhead in search of their dinner, nearly falling over backwards watching a helicopter flying overhead back to RNAS Culdrose. Off to bed after the last of the full days.