Everyone got up which is a plus. John led us off with elan, straight down an unmade footpath so steep the brakes were hardly holding the machine. And the the long push out the other side.
We were in Horse country and met one on the path. Ears forward, eyes all over us cyclists and ready to run but still enjoying the meeting.
Lots more hills before the ferry to cross the river at Padstow to The Rock. A Cornish pastie again for lunch.
More hills to Port WEN (actually Port Issac used as the setting for Doc Martin). Entry to town down a narrow cobbled street, 25% down gradient! Very Doc Martin-ish town, oldest house in town by the Port built in the 1400’s. Scones and cream at the Chapel Cafe. New young waiter assured us the (hilly) Coast road was closed for repairs so we couldn’t get to Tintagel Castle (sorry Jane). Lucky us as our legs were hilled out.
The evening in the Boscastle YHA hostel mess room was enlivened by meeting Monique Clare. M is a solo country music cellist with a curious history that includes standing in for Pam Ayres as a tutor in the Afghanistan conservatory as relief for her album “Sight”, winner Australian folk music album of the year 2023.
The steep descent into Boscastle was supposed to end in a left turn at the bottom to head along the river to the Boscastle YHA. Christine overshot the turn and got 100 vertical metres up the10% slope on the other side before turning around.
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20Randell Holland, Peter Crombie and 18 others