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Tuesday Padstow to Bude
( via Mulloch?)
58 miles

Up the following morning another excellent breakfast plus it was going to be
another red hot day

Good breakfast and then into the town and onto the front for Postcards and photos, then we set off for the Camel trail, it was a pretty place and a still day as we cycled along onto the Camel Trail, past Rick Steins restaurant right opposite the Railway Station. What a wonderful ride flat alongside the estuary with views over the water.

The view over the estuary

We pecked along gently enjoying the flat ride and the views as we approached Wadebridge people and more cyclists appeared, in the distance was a mass group of children cycling with teachers. As we neared the end of the trail we had been pecking through all these children and getting towards the back of them, Graeme was up front and I was at the rear, Colin middle a young girl who wasn't watching what she was doing was cycling straight at Colin, he stopped and she looked up at the last second saw him in front panicked and swerved to her nearside and then off the track over a small grass embankment and then she rallied down the other side into the ditch, crashing in the bottom. It was hilarious, Graeme came back Colin stood and surveyed the scene and I couldn't stop laughing as the girl picked herself up, the teacher thanking us for stopping and the girl reluctantly re united with her bike. It was an amazing sight fortunately no one was injured.

We cycled into Wadebridge reliving the event, we stopped at one of the many Camel trail cycle hire shops and bought some souvenirs I bought a great sticker to go on the rear of my bike saying "NO HAND SIGNALS EATING A PASTY".

We left Wadebridhge and headed along the trail towards Bodmin a lovely day and lovely ride, nice and flat. We passed a couple riding the same way the lady was dressed all in pink, pink mudguards. pink shorts, pink handlebars even a pink bum bag.

AS we reached Bodmin the route went pear shaped, it dropped us and there was no indication as to whether the route was open or closed due to the Foot and Mouth, in Padstow it said camel trail fully open? A couple of walkers had read on a web site that it was open too, confusion ruled, we climbed a couple of padlocked gates to see if we could make progress but it was hopeless and eventually after wasting an hour we retraced out steps and picked a road route, after meeting some residents who I think were as confused as us as to what is open or not!! Nuff said. I even tried to ring the local Footpath officer without success.
We had to pick a route via the road which was YES!! Uphill. We picked our way across country and rejoined the route just at the bottom of a hill leading to Bilsland we climbed and climbed and eventually hit the village and THE PUB!

We stopped for a Pint of King Buddha and Colin had half a Real Scrumpy cider straight from the barrel. Pub was ok we sat outside and watched the national trust weed the baskets while there were some drunken Aussies loud and juvenile outside too.

We tried to find the stamping station and guess what it was temporarily closed, it was going to be that type of day??

And now for the climb up to Bodmin moor, which was steady away climbing and climbing eventually onto the moor.

Bodmin Moor

A bleak but pretty place it was warm and clear, foot and mouth was hilarious on the moor we were swerving to miss sheep wandering everywhere yet couldn't use the cycle trails which are fenced in! Bureaucracy !!!!!!!!!

Making a splash on the moor

It was good fun on the moor, lovely open views, Colin and Graeme amused themselves cycling through a ford, we cycled over an old airfield into a brisk easterly wind, well you cant have everything.

We eventually had a steady ride downhill towards Bude gently dropping through pretty country lanes. We came a fork in the road signed Bude straight on, or Via Scenic coast rode with HILLS!!!! at Mulloch.

Graeme "you'd never live with yourself if you take the easy route"!! Huh. We cycled towards the coast and hit the hill boy oh boy it was vertical both down and up and then up again we all pushed.

Looking down into
Mulloch Bay

I think MULLOCH BAY is engraved on our brains like the Nic 0 Balloch. We cycled down to Widemouth bay and into the wind along the undulating coast road, eventually into Bude. Around 7:30pm a long long day. We found the digs which were OK? Ordered a lager and went to sit outside. It was a pleasant view overlooking the Golf course. We intended having a leisurley drink before went to our rooms. Ages went buy. How long does it take to pour 3 lagers? I knew Colin was paying but god it was ridiculous.

The landlord was a right faff!!!

Anyway finally refreshed, we changed and walked out around Bude. Which despite the hot weather was dead. We ate in an Indian restaurant and then Graeme and I went for a walk and pub crawl.

Got back to the digs just after 11pm and crashed out.