I woke up to a rare view of the Cornish countryside covered in a sprinkling of snow. Would any intrepid OGILs venture out on such an icy day? Phil S. called to say that if the roads cleared, we would meet at Halvasso Crossing at 10:30 instead of at 9:10. Dean answered by text in three words: “I think not!”, which I interpreted to mean “maybe”. At 10:00 Phil called again to say he would give it a miss. Not wanting to forego my cooked breakfast and certain that the snow would melt in a few minutes, I set out. I should have heeded my wife’s warning when she asked me for the number of the insurance company as I was leaving.
At the intersection of No Man’s Land and the main road, an oil truck was blocked by a car that had been abandoned by the side of the road. I obligingly folded in the car’s mirror and guided the truck through with just a fraction of an inch to spare. Along the main road I saw two or three other cars that had been abandoned.
It wasn’t until I reached the Argal Crossing that things really got dodgy, with whole sections of the road covered in sheets of ice. I pressed on anyway, just to see who else was daft enough to turn up. The answer was NO ONE! As I was waiting at Halvasso Crossing (see photo), a Cornwall County Highway van stopped, took pity on me and offered me a lift back. So with my bike safely stowed on top of a pile of rubber road safety cones, I hitched a ride back to Argal Crossing and then took the main road home, which by then was clear.
It was unanimously decided by all present that I would write the trip report. 8.4 miles for me, including the ride in the van.
Mike2