Nineteen Wheelers on seventeen bikes enjoyed an excellent Pathfinder on Sunday. About half of us drove up to Roche and parked by the BP garage just off the A30, while the others rode the whole way, or part of it. The Pathfinder route was a clockwise loop up to Wadebridge and back, a modest 23 miles but with some of the toughest climbs we’ve had to tackle, so it all balanced out, and justified a good lunch! We hadn’t gone more than a few miles when we came upon a nasty incident – a silver VW raced past us going the other way, making a dreadful noise – it sounded like a wheel was coming off and my first thought was to dive into the hedge, but it carried on. We soon found out why – it had scraped past a small red car at the crossroads, leaving a horrible gash down the side and a rather shaken and confused elderly driver. Did the culprit fail to stop because he was uninsured? Hopefully the police might be able to track him down – Kath spotted part of the registration, and Phil caught him on camera while taking photos of us passing by, although unfortunately not including the number plate. If he hadn’t hit the red car, he could have mown some of us down…it doesn’t bear thinking about. What an idiot!
This all happened just before we reached the village of St Wenn, where there was a sign for a ‘Pop up Pub’, but it obviously wasn’t popping today, as we couldn’t see it. For most of us, the route was completely new, which is one of the reasons we have Pathfinders. Gorgeous scenery, in perfect weather, along country lanes in between farmland that seemed to have more sheep than down west, although there were plenty of cows with new calves. A long run down can only mean one thing, and as we approached St.Breock we had a long climb up hill…very long…our two electric riders, Don G and Eddie, hummed past us looking relaxed, as we huffed and puffed (except for Robin who went down to do it again!)
Soon at Wadebridge, we joined the eastbound Camel Trail and sped along beneath the trees, dodging dog walkers and kids on bikes. A gritty surface but not gravel, so no problem at all. At 16 miles the Camel Trail Tea Room appeared , and what a nice place! Good food – we mostly had pasties – tea, coffee, ice cream, all served quickly as we sat at tables in the sloping garden. Perfect!
Eventually we set off again, with just seven miles to go. Richard took a group photo at Withiel, with St. Clement church in the back ground, imposing with its six very ornate pinnacles. Then it was back to the start where we loaded the bikes and set off for home. A big thank you to Richard for once again coming up with a very interesting Pathfinder.
Liz