Destination: Penzance, Lands End and Perranporth
Total Miles: 48
Average Speed: 11.4
Alcohol: Small swig of rum out of hip flask at Lands End
Weather: Absolutely lashing it down!!
Sense of humour failure: Zero
Meet Helen at 7.15am, which is pretty early after 3 hours sleep!
Feeling slightly anxious about the bike I have borrowed from Jude. I haven’t actually ridden it yet and it is completely different from mine. I daren’t actually clip into the cleats for fear of falling off before we have even left Leicester! The handlebars and gears are completely foreign to me. Mat and Anna convinced me last night, 5 miles in and I would have it mastered….. I hope they are right!
Anyway make it to the station in one piece and travel to Birmingham. Coffee and cake and change lines to Plymouth. Enjoy a bit of a snooze, the paper and lots of chatting. Probably need to get it out of our system before we start cycling. No time for chatting!
From Plymouth we change and take another train to Penzance. Adjust the handlebars on the bike and the cleats, so that I can practically step out of them. Still worried about the bike!
Arrive in Penzance to rain but head off anyway towards Lands End. Once we get out of Penzance and the roads are less busy, I finally start to get the feel of the bike. Although can’t believe how light it is compared to mine. Need to be careful in the wind.
Reach Lands End and realise I am actually enjoying myself. Get beeped by a few cars who obviously think we have just finished, but wave enthusiastically anyway. We meet some other ‘End to Enders’ who have just finished who are obviously very pleased with their achievement.
Hels and I take some photos but don’t hang around to long as it starts to rain a little heavier… And heavier and heavier!
38 miles of torrential, relentless rain and Hels and I at no point had a ‘sense of humour failure’. Although seriously thought I might be hypothermic and was struggling to hold onto the brakes towards the end.
Finally arrived in Perranporth and found the YHA. Everything absolutely soaked. After a quick shower we headed into the town and had take away pizza before heading to bed….. No alcohol on a Saturday night!! The 16 year olds we were sharing the hostel with were enjoying that instead whilst playing 80’s music….. very loud!!
Glad you guys got up OK after a few pints on the Friday. I woke up at about 11 then fell asleep on the sofa for another two hours kip at about four and had an early night.