On the first day, it took forever to get to Penzance on the train, so we simply pedalled out and back to Land’s End to tick it off.  I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the place, expecting it to be some kind of dreadful tourist trap.

Next day was a much tougher day’s ride than I had ever experienced before.  At this point I had not heard anything about the terrors of West Country cycling, which most people reckon is the hardest part of the LEJOG route.  We zigzagged across the peninsula, but we still couldn’t avoid the steep climbs and sudden descents that characterise Cornwall.  We enjoyed taking the picturesque ferry across the Fal at Trellissick, where we had a lengthy stop to refuel and mend a puncture.  By the time we got to Portloe, we were completely spent, and decided to cut inland and miss out on the planned visit to Mevagissey.  How we got to the finishing line remains a mystery, but I do remember some distinctly sub-standard accommodation that evening.

It was a slightly damp start to the day, but we made it comfortably to Bodmin, where we met brother Mark, who wanted to cycle with us part of the day.  He stayed with us for about 15 miles, and made himself popular by taking us off route, down a steep hill, to Camelford where he knew a pleasant spot to have lunch.  When we left, it was straight back up the hill into the teeth of a headwind, and by the time we got to the Airfield in Davidstow, it was coming down in torrents as well.  But it brightened a bit later and we enjoyed a nice stay in Bude.

Day 4 was kinder to us.  The sun came back out and we stopped at Holsworthy for coffee quite early on, then it was a long wait for further sustenance till we got to Torrington station.  The Puffing Billy Cafe that is there now looks excellent but, at the time, we had to make do with coffee, crisps and nuts from the cycle hire shop.  By this time we were enjoying a nice flat stretch along the Tarka Trail and we rolled into Appledore by mid afternoon, with plenty of time to open up our free accommodation, get cleaned up and explore the village, before it was time to go to the Beaver for a beer and some supper.

Our last day was the simple matter of pedalling to the railway station in Tiverton Parkway, the easiest way to get home.  We were to become quite familiar with this station over the next few years, and it was some time before we actually did the next section of our journey.

Tiverton to Carmarthen