Welcome to Carbis Bay - again

Cornwall in November 2011

Welcome Pack - On the table

There was a time when you were lucky to get two hotplates and a fridge when you went self-catering. Today, its rather different and our Carbis Bay Apartment had all the equipment you would ever need, and then some.  It even had an Ipad, whatever that is? The Welcome Pack wasn’t bad either. Not sure about scones with clotted cream but the Cornish Fairings were very tasty.

View from the balcony

Cornwall in November - pedalling and paddling for a week in St. Ives

Blue skies over St Ives in November

The Harbour in St. Ives

November is a good month to visit this part of the world. The traffic is lighter, the prices are lower and the town is much quieter than in the season. The only downside might be the weather. So far, so good, forecast rain did not materialise

Portreath and the Mining Trails on Monday

Portreath Harbour

Mining Trails

Well, Monday morning brought cloud. Headed off to Portreath along the coast via Hayle and Godrevy. Met up with TW and TMIL in the Atlantic Cafe for a swift Coffee. Portreath used to be quite industrial and looked a bit sad today. The harbour was used for shipping the tin and copper from the local mines. Its the sort of place that could be really nice with a bit of investment. Imagine there are some great walks along the cliffs and some decent beaches. Anyway, for me it was off on the Mining Trails towards Pool where I picked up NCN 3 for the run home to Carbis Bay via Cambourne. Nice little ride!

Walking on the South West Coastal Path

North - towards Porthkidney

As we are staying on the coast at Carbis Bay we are directly on the South West Coastal Path. Turn Left and we get to St. Ives, turn Right and we are on our way towards Hayle. I particularly like the walk towards Hayle, alongside the Golf Course to St. Uny Church.
I think the golfers would not like to be described as wayward but there are some pretty heavy defences for local walkers. This concrete Bunker is not like the normal sand hazards - fore!!

Keep your Head Down !

Grave consequences for Out of Bounds

The Churchyard is Out of Bounds to golfers. This is one hole they will not want to get down. Actually, its a good course, the West Cornwall, with great views of the Atlantic. Must be fun when the wind is up though.

Out and about

A favourite short ride takes me over the Cornish Penninsula to St. Michaels Mount. Its easy to join NCN 3 near Hayle and head over via St. Erth to the Mount.

Trying to keep TW and TMIL out of the shops

Saint Michaels Mount

No importuning?

They seem to be concerned in St. Ives about the illegal tuning of imported musical instruments. Have to say the value of this sign is limited if you have to look in the dictionary to see what offence is. I checked to make sure we had not importuned inadvertently, I don't suppose ignorance would be a valid defence.

Meaning of Importuning:

Beg persistently and urgently

Crikey, just the sort of thing I might do when trying to get out of shopping!

On the bike to Sennon Cove - 48 miles

Surf and Bird

Another fine day in Cornwall. Headed off down the Saltings and picked up the little blue signs that told me I was on NCN 3.
Pedalled over to St Michaels Mount and then turned right for Penzance, Newlyn and Mousehole.

The tide is out in the village of  Mousehole

On the Mountain Bike today

What a lovely ride along the south coast, lots to see along the way and very little traffic. After the pretty village of Mousehole there was a steep climb up to the farmland and a fast run to Lemorna. From there the NCN 3 route continued to St Buryan and on towards Lands End. I turned off at Sennon and enjoyed a steep downhill to the Cove where TW and TMIL were waiting.
After a good Cornish Lunch at the Old Success Inn, the obligatory Pastie and Pint, it was back along the wild and windy North Coast. Followed the signs to St. Just and then hugged the coast on the way to   Carbis Bay. Good circular ride, enjoyed the morning more than the afternoon but nice to be out on the bike in Cornwall in November. Just made it home in the gloom, need lights after about 4pm at this time of year.

Sand and surf at Sennon Cove

Old Tin Mine on my route

Lazy Day in St. Ives

TMIL has a latte at the Tate

Bit of a dull one today, after a bit of a wander in Town we headed to the Tate for a coffee. There's a Cafe up on the 4th floor with a great view. You don't have to look at the exhibits or pay entry.
The cobbles in Fore Street caused TMIL a  few problems with her rollator so she insisted on a Latte.

The Harbour at St. Ives on a dull day

Porthminster Beach on a damp day

Austrian Mountains and English Brake Levers

The hills are alive!

Last of the Autumn rides - in Austria

After making best use of the fabulous weather in Austria it’s time to head home. The day has arrived to get the train back to Munich and the flight back to Heathrow.

Waiting for a train in Bad Hofgastein

Oh well, never mind, back in time to join a Wednesday ride in the Chiltern Hills. The English hills might not be quite so ‘alive’ as the Austrian Mountains but the Chilterns can cause a bit of pain and suffering. The climbs can still be pretty steep although mercifully somewhat shorter.

Marlow to Chinnor and back

We started with a coffee in Bergers before heading off to Chinnor and a nice Lunch at the village centre. On the way we took in Sprigs Holly Lane, now that is a lively hill!

Not so high but can be steep

View from the ridge

For the run home it was a climb up Aston Hill on the A40 and then on past the Turville Windmill and down to Fingest. The beeches were Golden, the sun was often hidden by cloud, but nice to be home. And very nice to be out on the bike.

Stony ground

Which Lever Operates which brake?
Now, I confess that I am easily confused. This is a bit daft, but I found I had to keep looking down when operating the lever to see which brake was moving. Quite by chance I noticed that my bike in Austria has a different brake configuration to my UK bikes. In the UK the right hand operates the front brake and the left hand the rear. As I automatically use the front brake more than the rear its the front brake blocks that wear out most often. On my Austrian bike I found that I was changing the rear blocks most often and that's because the brakes are the other way round. The right lever operates the rear brake. I also do a lot more fast descents over there.
Think I will have to swap the Austrian bike over. After all, a Motor Bike always has a right hand front brake. Not sure why its different in Europe though, maybe its something to do with hand signalling and when turning Left in Austria, across traffic, its considered to be safer to operate the rear brake?