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?

Cycling in Austria - views from the Amoseralm

View from the Amoseralm towards Dorfgastein

Bread making on the mountain

Towards the Hochkonig

Take the cycle path from Dorfgastein towards Unterberg and then follow the signs and climb uphill to the Amoseralm. These are the views to enjoy as you savour your beer and local produce.

Cycling in Austria - up and down on the Gastein Radweg

Blue Sky Riding - October 2011

The wide and sunny Gastein Valley

We were walking up the Stubnerkogel the other day and somehow managed to find ourselves in two feet of snow on the steepest piste on the mountain. My companion thought it appropriate to mention the old song, ‘mad dogs and Englishmen’. “Oh well, as you are Welsh you must be the mad dog then”. Today there was nobody else to point the finger at but the song somehow came into my head again.

Circular Tour in Gastein 44km

Turn Right on the Gastein Radweg

It was a beautiful sunny day again and ideal for a spin on the bike. The morning frost was being burned off by the sun on the Western side of the Gastein Valley. I headed for that sunshine and cycled through Anger and joined the cycle route. After cycling past farms and pastures this eventually took me back to the Riverside to continue a gentle ride upstream. The locals were out in force clearing the trees brought down by the recent storm and sawing them up for fire wood. There is definite order to the resulting stacks. Each limb is cut to a standard length and they are not just piled, they are positioned into a neat honeycomb patterns. The wood-cutters are certainly more precise than the golfers on the adjoining course; a sign warns of wild balls crossing the path. Thankfully there were not too many golfers in view as I passed. No doubt the sun will  soon bring them out to pace the fairways.  At the horse riding stables they were already busy and the horses were pacing in the ring. I cut through their yard to where the Gastein Radweg heads up a steep forest track to the Kotschachtal and its cold rushing stream. At the top I was warm as toast from the climb despite the ice on the bridge. I crossed and took a sharp right towards Bad Gastein.  

Looking up to Bad Gastein

Altitude was lost initially but it wasn't long before the uphill grind started again. Our Welsh contingent would tell you that Bad Gasteins claim to fame is that it’s the same altitude as the top of Snowdon, 1085m. I kidded  myself that the slow uphill pace was an advantage as there are some interesting old buildings to see along the way.  St Nicholas Church is a favourite attraction and there are several traditional Kurhouses and Spas. Sadly, the buildings around the waterfall are dilapidated and waiting for a developer. I dawdled through town, past the Casino and then the attractive Hotel Solitude. What a wonderful name to give to a Hotel next to a gambling establishment.  I imagine heavy losers can check in there to think up the excuses to give their wives for the loss of their housekeeping money.  From Mozartsplatz there is a short ride on the main road before it's time to rejoin the River and the Elisabeth Promenade, named after Sissi the wife of Emperor Franz Josef and a regular visitor in Bad Gastein’s heyday.

Elisabeth Promenade

Autumn Shades in Gastein

Bockstein Church

The most Southerly village in the valley is Bockstein. It has some fine old buildings dating from the time this was a rich mining area. The domed Church is worth a visit. Bockstein is not a place to hang around on a cold day though. The valley is narrow at this point and doesn't get a great deal of sun.

House and Fountain in Bockstein

Smooth cycling to Bad Gastein

Coffee and Cake - cycling essentials

On the Archduke Johann Promenade

Climbing up to Angertal

Cue a quick exit, downstream for the first time, on the other bank of the river, back to Bad Gastein.  The coffee houses of Bad Gastein were too much of a temptation so I pulled up for a coffee and cake before taking another Royal route, the Archduke Johann Promenade. This is a favourite route that is initially both flat and quiet. After crossing the Railway Line it joins up with a stiff climbing route, through farmland and forest, to the Angertal Ski Centre. 

Heading for Bad Hofgastein with the
Gamskarkogel in the background

Angertal Ski Centre

 In about six weeks time this place will be alive with skiers but today just the wood choppers were in evidence. After a short distance on the road down to Bad Hofgastein I took the turning off to the left towards the Ski Middle Station. Stunning views of the valley made me forget the fact I was climbing and, although the Tarmac ran out, it was fairly easy going up to the Baerstein Alm and then the lifts at the Middle station. The snow on the ground started to be a concern but, like the ‘Mad Dog’ I pushed on. Narrow wheels and summer tyres were not ideal but I was pretty happy in my winter wonderland and pushed on past the Aeroplanstadl, a skiers watering hole.

A little house on the hillside

Gastein view from the little house on the hillside!

Is this winter?

Mad Dog! I think I climbed too high!

I reached my highest point at 1400m, and started to descend. I decided to walk which was a bit of a contradiction as I had stayed in the saddle all day and for the previous 1542m of climbing. Going downhill and having to apply rim brakes on ice and snow was a bit too risky, for me anyway. My excuse is that it gave me time to savour the scenery and the fresh air as I passed the Fundner Alm and slithered on down in a foot of snow.

On the way back down to Autumn

Dancing for joy in Bad Hofgastein

The Gastein Ache
The river that flows from Bockstein down to Bad Hofgastein

Anyway, the road down soon cleared and I could climb back on and bomb down the zig-zag road towards the sunshine of Bad Hofgastein and that river again. What a day and what a ride!

The Dog Track?

It’s great being a Mad Dog!

Route profile - gradually heading up