Devon
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Cycle Tour of Devon and Cornwall: Day 15
27th September 2020 Route: Okehampton to Exmouth Distance: 35.8 mile (57.3 km) Elevation: 0.6 miles (0.9 km) The overnight rain has cleared by early morning and I had a good view across to the Meldon Viaduct from my room in the Inn. I had traditional fried English breakfast before leaving the Inn and cycling the final return leg of my journey back to Exmouth. I cycled through Okehampton and up through into the Devon hills. It was a great day for cycling as it was cool, sunny with no wind. I cycled up and down the rolling hills all the way to the edge of Exeter. I descended the steep…
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Cycle Tour of Devon and Cornwall: Day 6
20th September 2020 Route: Liskeard to Bodmin Distance: 19.1 mile (30.6 km) Elevation: 0.4 miles (0.6 Km) I woke to a lovely sunny morning. I made my porridge and then packed up my bags and headed out on my route towards Bodmin. The owner of the campsite was also a keen cyclist and he over took me as I rode out through the nearby village of St Cleer. The village is famous for the holy well and has a pretty church. I then took the road towards St Neot. Just outside St Cleer I came across the remains of the 9th century Celtic Cross commemorating King Doniert who was the last…
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Cycle Tour of Devon and Cornwall: Day 5
19th September 2020 Route: Plymouth to Liskeard Distance: 24.9 mile (39.8 km) Elevation: 0.5 miles (0.8 Km) I woke refreshed from a great nights sleep and began to pack my cycle bags. My washing had dried over night so I had clean clothes to wear. Before leaving I watched a couple of YouTube videos about how to service a touring bike as my gears had started to slip. I went out into the back yard where I had stored the bike overnight and successfully fine tuned the gears. I also needed to tighten the brake cables as they had loosened with all the breaking down the steep hills. By 10 am…
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Cycle Tour of Devon and Cornwall: Day 4
18th September 2020 Route: South Poole to Hooe Distance: 30.6 mile (49 km) Elevation: 0.5 miles (0.9 Km) I slept well last night until the wind changed direction in the early hours which woke me a few times. I put in some earplugs to I couldn’t hear the tent rattling and went back to sleep. I woke refreshed at 7 am to beautiful views across to Salcombe. I made my porridge and added fresh blackberries picked from the hedgerow behind the tent. The outside of my tent was very wet from the morning dew so I had to move the tent into the morning sunshine to dry off before packing…
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Cycle Tour of Devon and Cornwall: Day 3
17th September 2020 Route: Dartmouth to South Poole Distance: 12.4 mile (19.8 km) Elevation: 0.2 miles (0.3 Km) I woke to a windy but sunny morning up on Woodland View Campsite. I was able to light my camping stove despite the wind and made porridge for breakfast. I had to wait for the sun to dry the dew from the tent before packing up my belongings. I said goodbye to the other campers who were heading back to Scotland that day. I set off along the country lanes towards Slapton sands. It was a lovely sunny day but the easterly wind was very strong. I arrived at Strete on the…
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Cycle Tour of Devon and Cornwall: Day 2
16th September 2020 Route: Shaldon to Dartmouth Distance: 26.4 mile (42.2 km) Elevation: 0.5 miles (0.8 km) I woke early and quickly packed up my tent before any dog walkers ventured into the wood. Once packed I sat on a bench on the edge of the golf course and made some porridge for breakfast while watching the sun rise over the sea. I was very impressed with my camping stove which is fueled by petrol. It took only 5 minutes to make my porridge but I did get some strange looks from the passing dog walkers and golfers. I set off at 8 am to continue my journey along the…
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Cycle Tour of Devon and Cornwall: Day 1
15th September 2020 Route: Exmouth to Shaldon Distance: 23.3 mile (37.2 km) Elevation: 0.3 miles (0.6 Km) After a couple months of planning I finally set off on my new adventure cycling around the coast of Devon and Cornwall. My trip was delayed due to waiting for my new touring bike to arrive. The delivery date of the original bike I ordered kept being pushed back so I decided cancelled the order. I found an alternative cheaper and better bike locally at the Bike Shed in Exeter. I spent the morning itemising the things I needed to pack and how I was going to pack all the gear within the…
