Lands End to John o'Groats - Getting to the Start

I had intended to travel to Cornwall by train but storm damage closed the line early in 2014 and the news was it would not be reopened until late-April or even early-May. For that reason I arranged to drive there. In the event the line reopened early, but which time I was already committed.

 

Der Mentsh Trakht Un Got Lakht

(A Yiddish proverb which translates as 'Man Plans, God Laughs)

Lets hope he is not laughing too loudly over the next five weeks!

 

This is only the second time I have driven to the start of a tour and this time it gave me a chance to stay at Street youth hostel in Somerset. A timber chalet it opened in 1914 and became a hostel in 1931. I have read two versions of it's history. The first said it was built to house workers from the near-by Clarke's shoe factory and is the longest continuously operating youth hostel in the world. The second (which is on display at the hotel so is probably correct) is that it was built as a holiday home for local children and is the longest continuously operating hostel outside mainland Europe. It is still owned by the Society of Friends and provides comfortable accommodation in a beautiful setting overlooking orchards and woodland.

 

Tuesday 29 April

The end of my long drive to-day and back on the bike. Whilst passing through Bodmin I took the chance to visit friends I had not seen for some time. Chris Wallis and Pete Waters are directors of Printbridge, a graphic design and print production company based in the town. It was good to see them again, to catch up on the latest from the world of print and view some of the high-class leaflets, booklets and brochures they produce. For information about their services visit www.printbridge.co.uk

After Bodmin I had a short but hilly ride to Golant hostel, beautifully situated overlooking the river Fowey. What a view from my window.

Wednesday 30 April

After adding two extra nights to the beginning of my tour in order to drive to Cornwall, to-day I am heading to Perranporth to join the originally planned route._____________________________________________________________________________________________
A damp and misty start this morning as I climbed the rough and potholed single track road away from Golant hostel. At just under a mile there was nothing to be gained and a lot to be lost by trying to rush it. That is my excuse for a slow start but when I reached the public road I did not seem to be going any faster so perhaps it is not an excuse at all.
I rode through Par and past the port then on to St Austell. So far I have been on main roads which seem to go straight up and over hills. As I turned off on country lanes the roads followed the contours more, giving me easier gradients.
I thought I may be able to tell you that I managed this tour in fine weather but that thought vanished this morning as the rain began to fall as I was about eight miles from Perranporth. Although the rain stopped after about an hour the afternoon was cold and damp, especially along the cliff tops close to the hostel.
Built in the early 1950’s as a research station for the Admiralty and used as a base for the secret study and development of shore-based submarine detection. It opened as a youth hostel in 1982 and must have one of the best sea-views around. A word of warning to cyclists (and probably walkers) if you want to visit this hostel and enjoy the terrific sea views there is a steep hill to climb to get here.

Thursday 1 May
After the changes I had to make to get here, to-day I am ‘back on course’. I am wrapped up against the cold and the wind as I leave Perranporth this morning but after two miles of riding up hill to get out of the town I am beginning to feel quite warm. Hill climbing seems to be the order of the day to-day, the first four miles takes me 32 minutes and I have only covered nine miles in the first hour.
The route takes me towards Wadebridge where I have to join the main road for a nine mile ride to the town. It is not pleasant at all. It is busy, not very wide and I have to contend with rain and cross-winds.
At one point I meet a cyclist who I met two days ago at Golant. We talked about the hilly terrain and her description was ‘challenging’.
The cloud is coming down as I approach Boscastle, I am passing wind turbines but I cannot see the tops of them.
The final approach to Boscastle is two miles of steep downhill, so steep in fact that I have to stop twice to rest my arms from pulling on the brakes. The village name derives from 'Bottreux Castle' the remains of which can be seen overlooking the harbour.
The hostel here on the harbour side is fully restored after the floods of 2004 when waters reached to first floor level. Pictures on display in the hostel show the single storey building next door completely submerged and water pouring out of the hostel’s upstairs windows. The traditional exterior of the building gives no clue to the ultra-modern interior after the restoration.

Did the owner need planning consent to paint the cottage pink or is it a Cornish tradition?

 Friday 2 May
In contrast to yesterday the to-day is clear and sunny, ready for me to ride a Cornish Coast-to-Coast (CC2C?) or is it B2B? Boscastle to Boswinger. Whatever it is called, I have to ride the 50 miles from the Irish Sea in the north (my GPS mapping calls it the ‘Celtic Sea’. How did they get that?), the Atlantic Ocean in the south.
If I thought I had a difficult ride out of Perranporth yesterday it is nothing compared with to-days start. The route I planned to use was the same one I used to arrive yesterday, the ‘Old Road’. The downhill ride was hard enough, I am not going to tackle it going up, I think the detour up the ‘New Road’ (imaginative names) will be well worth the short extra distance. Just over two and a quarter miles takes me half an hour – I hope the day gets better.
After passing through Camelford to Blisland I pick up the ‘Camel Trial’ a disused railway line converted to a cycle trail which takes me a pleasant eight miles following the river Camel to Bodmin. Now - which bike to use?



As I ride along I keep using parts of Sustrans Route 3, both on quiet country lanes and more traffic-free routes. The route takes me past the Eden Project, a project to create sustainable gardens, both outside and under what are claimed to be the world’s largest greenhouses. These gardens are ‘a journey around the world’ from Mediterranean to rainforest.  

From there the traffic-free route takes me through rutted and muddy woodland, which I give up on and turn back. It means a five mile detour to St Austell, which is more than compensated for by a long downhill section into the town, after which it is once again on country lanes to the youth hostel at Boswinger, a quiet village overlooking Veryan Bay and one of the oldest youth hostels in Cornwall.

Saturday 2 May
An easier start this morning followed by a downhill run to sea-level. Unfortunately, what goes up must come down, or down then up to-day, meaning an undulating ride to Truro. I had intended to avoid the city but the flat three mile ride along the main road was much easier than the hilly alternative I had planned. It also gave me a chance to update this blog in the city library. Once out of the city I once again travelled alongside the river Truro, but this time on the opposite bank heading away from the city. After a cross-country journey I was back on the main road towards Lizard but turned off to pass through the village of Gweek and quiet lanes all the way. Well – that was the plan. The road out of Gweek I had chosen must have been one of the steepest hills I have ever almost ridden. A road sign at the foot said ‘Lizard 10 miles’ and pointed along a valley road. Having had enough of hills at this point the valley road it was.
Lizard Point is the most southerly point of the mainland British Isles, for a few moments I was the most southerly person, after which it was into the café for hot chocolate and a toasted tea-cake!

Lizard Point and the most southerly bike on the mainland British Isles

 

 The hostel here is adjacent to the lighthouse and is the most southerly inhabited building, giving an opportunity to view a magnificent sunset over the sea.

Sunday 4 May
Leaving the Lizard behind I have a bright and sunny morning as I make my way towards Penzance, passing through the pretty Cornish town of Helston, passing traditional stone-built Cornish houses and along it’s steep main street – luckily going down. I also pass St Michaels Mount off the coast at Marazion. Built as a Benedictine Priory in 1135 it has also been a church, a fortress and a private house. It is possible to walk to the Mount at low tide.

From Penzance it was a ride direct to Lands End to complete my tour of Cornwall after a total of just over 221 and a half miles.



Cyprus 2013

 

I arrived in Cyprus at the beginning of August and due to other commitments for the first week I confined my cycling to early morning rides, between 7.30 and 9.30am. Even so by the time I arrived home the temperaturewas pushing 39 degrees. I am based in Voroklini, in the hills about six miles east of Larnaka, quite close to the 'Green Line', the border between Greek Cypriot Cyprus in the south and the occupied area of Northern Cyprus. There are now approved crossing places but in the main the border is closed and although this is marked on the map the roads leading up to them is often not, meaning a U-turn and 'find another road'. What seems like a method of discouraging traffic clos to the border is for the tarmac to end and the route turns into a gravel track - again not always marked on the map or marked as 'loose surface road'.

Having once been able to settled to a late afternoon rides I devised several routes heading east from Larnaka along the flat coast road before turning inland to the villages on higher ground. I travelled along roads close to the border where guards from the occupied area of Northern Cyprus would come out of their look-out posts, wave and call over the loud-speaker system – this may have been ‘Hey, clear off’ I’m not sure. One afternoon I came across the unmade road problem, having to walk for half an hour before I came to tarmac again but giving me chance to have a ‘conversation’ with a farmer moving over 100 goats from one field to another.

 

Three weeks into my stay and the temperature and humidity has fallen a little, enough to allow early morning rides, this time around the Pallourokampas hills to the north of Larnaka. A variety of routes are available, running roughly parallel with the motorway towards Lefkosia (Nicosia) before swinging round to return to Larnaka. The rides take in quite a number of hill climbs and descents, not steep hills but long, picturesque winding roads which are a pleasure to ride.
 

I am unsure how the border dividing Cyprus was devised but it runs generally in a diagonal line across the island. However, east of Lefkosia it turns south in a teardrop shape, the sides of which almost touch at one point, before returning just above the village of Limpia. Having ridden along the ‘High Street’ and after passing a few houses the border appears, from which point, along a decaying stretch of tarmac the village of Louroukina can be seen – but not visited. I am sure there is (or was) a good reason for it.
 

A particularly ‘challenging’ ride takes in the village of Lefkara, home of the traditional lace manufacture. After a ride through hills and into the valley I faced a four mile climb at 7% to the village summit at 2,400 feet, hard work, although the corresponding freewheel down the other side made it almost worthwhile!

The road to Lefkara, the village is just off the picture to the top left

 

I have been inside but not stayed overnight at Larnaka ‘Youth Hostel’, to describe it as ‘basic’ is perhaps doing it a favour. I have been told stories of bedbugs therefore; in this case, I will give it a miss!

 

St Lazarus Church, Larnaka

Over the final weekend in August I stayed two nights in Limassol to enable me to visit the annual wine festival, a celebration of the liquid products of the area. Having paid my entry fee and bought a glass it is an evening spent visiting the stalls of several wineries, having a free refill at each, as many or as few times as necessary. All-in-all quite a sensible idea.

Food is also available to help the wine go down.

 

It is now mid-September and I have turned my attention once more to the roads east of Larnaka, in the Kokkinochoria (red soil) villages. Here the soil really has a strong red colour and is renowned for growing the best potatoes. The roads are more flat and give views of the Mediterranean Sea.

 

Why buy a new tractor when the old one works well?

 



Three quarters of the way through September and I have turned my attention once more to the hills. A ride west from Larnaka takes me along the coast road to Kiti before turning inland to Kofinou. My original intention had been to continue along the coast to the fishing village of Zygi but with the headwind increasing I changed my plan mid-ride. From Kofinou I headed for the hills on the road climbing parallel to the motorway. My only consolation being that the motorway is at a higher level. Just after the summit of the climb I pass a sign for ‘The Lemon Tree' restaurant, but all I find is a derelict building so a break here looks out of the question. The highest part of the ride is the village in Pygra, after which it is downhill (almost) all the way home, to complete almost 55 miles of riding.

 

3 October
The early morning temperatures not quite reaching 30 degrees it is time to look at longer rides. I have a booklet of routes from the tourist information office but most are one-way only, it is a matter of fitting together two of the most convenient to make up a circular route, which I have done for to-day’s ride towards Lefkosia. Part of each route I have already ridden so am using familiar roads to get as far as Pygra. From here it is on towards Pera Choria and Nisou before reaching the industrial area between here and Tseri on the outskirts of Lefkosia. Back on quieter roads I pick up a tailwind on the way to Agia Varvara before passing through Pera Choria again on my way to Dali, Lympia and a downhill run home. Almost 65 miles to-day, not as far as I had expected but a ride through lovely countryside.
 

5 October – Tour of Deryneia.

This seems to be one of the very few tours in my guide book that is circular. From Voroklini I follow the coast road through Dekeleia from where the instructions say to follow the main road to Agia Napa. I’m not sure when the book was written but the main road has been under motorway for 10 years! For that reason I head inland to Liopetri and am chased by a small, yappy dog the length of the main street – much to the amusement of the locals. Being chased by a dog is a first in Cyprus for me. Liopetri is only a small village but has a modern amphitheatre next to the church.

From here I am able to once more reach the coast road. After Agia Napa comes a ride around Cape Greko, this is a coastline of clear blue water and ideal for a stop-over – but not this time. Still following the coast to Paralimni and then to Deryneia from where it is possible to view the town of Ammochostos (Famagusta) over the border in the occupied area of Northern Cyprus. Part of the town was fenced off when the occupying forces moved in during July 1974 and has been unoccupied ever since.

I am told cars are still sitting in showrooms and restaurants and homes have been left as they were when the owners had to move out. Also abandoned are schools, museums and public buildings. The ride home is along the buffer zone next to the border and for once I have the benefit of a tailwind almost all the way, finally passing through the village of Pyla. This village is probably unique in that it has a high percentage of Turkish-Cypriot occupants, together with mosques, schools, clubs and cemetery. Being close to the border it also has a United Nations guard post on top of the coffee shop in the village square.
 

Sunday 6 October
At what must be my fourth attempt I have made it to the fishing village of Zygi. The three previous attempts were abandoned due to the fierce headwinds on the way there. I rode out on the inland route along the road that was previously the main Larnaka to Lemesos (Limassol) road prior to the opening on the motorway; as a result it is now a very quiet road, then turning towards the coast for a downhill ride to the village with its very modern harbour.

Given my previous experience with headwinds I was looking forward to a tailwind home along the coast, just my luck, to-day the wind had changed direction and I had a headwind for the 30-miles home. My consolation was an uninterrupted view of the deep blue Mediterranean Sea over my right shoulder for 14 of those miles.
 

Tuesday 7 October.
Despite saying, at the beginning of September that due to the fact that Lefkara sits at 2,400 feet about sea level and I would not cycle there again, I found a route from my ‘Guide Book’, so decided to give it a go. I took the same route out as I used on Sunday to Zygi, but turned off at the village of Choirokoitia. Here and at Kalavasos, a short distance away are UNESCO World Heritage sights. They are the location of villages, the occupants who lived in round houses during the Neolithic age.

The mystery is no-one knows where they came from or when they left, where they went to, only that they left in a hurry. Perhaps they got word the tax man was on the way?

From here through Ora and on to Vavatsinia it is climbing all the way, around 20-miles of it. Some very steep sections, but a lot of relatively easy ones. To my surprise I quite enjoyed it. The reward for all the hard work? At 3,050 feet, stunning views on both sides. To the right; the coast nine miles away, to the left; Lefkosia and the hills beyond, 29 miles away.

The national flag of the 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus', reproduced on the hillside overlooking Lefkosia and visible from over 30 miles away.

Propaganda? Publicity? Provocation? Defiance? Arrogance?

 

I had a meal at the first-class ‘Josifi’ café in Lefkara, before the seven miles of descent reaching speeds of over 40mph to Skarinou and then back home using the same roads as the outward journey.

 

Thursday 9 October
Another day for joining up two routes from my guide book. Very much as my ride of 3 October, I had ridden the ‘lower’sections of these routes on previous occasions so headed more-or-less direct for Nisou, south of Lefkosia. To avoid the industrial areas I turned off through Agia Vivara then up towards Tseri before turning back on myself to pass through Analiontas and Lythrodontas. Without realising it to-day I had gained quite a bit of height and only became aware of it on the wide sweeping road through pine forests on the way to Sia from which point I have a downhill run almost all the way home. 65 enjoyable miles and the temperature is up to 36 degrees again.
 

Monday 14 October
The first of my two journeys into the occupied area of Northern Cyprus. After passport control at Strovilla it is a four mile ride to Ammochostos (Famagusta), a very interesting old port giving fine views of the old city walls and many fine buildings.

Ammochostos - The Public Face

 

 

I thought this may be a night club but it was in fact a clothes shop for larger sized ladies!

Included on my ride was alongside the ‘Forbidden Area’. The fenced-off area that has been closed since the 1974 invasion. There is a large military presence around this area so I found it best to keep moving most of the time.
Ammochostos - The Private Face

After the city I followed the main road out of town, not the best idea, a wide dual carriageway but with a wide hard shoulder and not a huge amount of traffic. Turning off at Prastio I had a long ride along quiet lanes to the village of Pergamos and passport control on the way back to the Greek Cypriot side.
 

The following Wednesday I was back at Pergamos and once again in the occupied area of Northern Cyprus, this time making my way to Lefkosia. The ride through the villages of Lysi, Vatili and on to the capital was quite disappointing, being flat and featureless most of the way, the only things to look at being several army camps and the Arif Pasha aqueduct, dating from the Ottoman period.

Problems arose at Ercan airport when I found the road I wanted to use has been closed, necessitating a 15-mile ride along the hard shoulder of motorway-style roads. I re-crossed the border at the Ledra Palace Hotel in Lefkosia, now the headquarters of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. An interesting and informative location. From here the ride home was through Dali, where I stopped at the village bakery and ate what must have been the best apple pasty I have ever tasted.

Northern Cyprus must be the place where Renault cars from the 1970’s period go to retire. There are any number of them, both left- and right-hand drive. The further I went into the countryside the more they seemed to appear, both on the road and slowly ‘resting’ on farms, in gardens and by the roadside. These have not been seen on the roads of Great britain for 35-years.
 

Friday 18 October
To-day is my final trip into the mountains, again to Lefkara at 2,400 feet. I took the same route out as on my previous journey, through Kofinou and Choirokoitia before turning off for the first serious climb of the day. Until this point I had been doing battle with a headwind, having covered 28 miles at an average speed of only 12.8mph – this soon reduced further as I hit the mountains! Seven miles further on I turned left at Valva to drop down into the valley before the climb to Kato Drys.

The road to Kato Drys

 

I had expected this to be hard work but it turned out to be a steady climb through picturesque mountain scenery, reaching Lefkara a few miles further on. Once again I stopped at the excellent ‘Josifi’ café before a swooping downhill ride towards Delikipos, Pygra, Agia Anna and the ride home with the assistance of a tailwind.
 

Saturday 19 October
My final day of riding on this visit to Cyprus, I am due to return to England on Tuesday. Due to the time spent in the mountains yesterday I have chosen a short, flat ride to-day, going out through Larnaka and continuing west to pass the airport and on to the village of Meneou, where I turn left towards the coast, through Faros and on to Perivolia and Kiti. After a break in Kiti I followed a different route back to Perivolia before passing the airport on my way home. With a distance of just less the 39-miles to-day I chose well, considering the strong winds that are blowing to-day.

Cycling was not my main reason for visiting Cyprus; it is a ‘bonus’ to have a bike here. In 10 weeks I have covered just over 1,664½ miles, just less than 741½ of those in the final three weeks.

 

 Cycling friends from Faros Cycling Club and CY Cyclist, at Larnaka

 

Cycling in Cyprus - this is about as busy as it gets

 

Roadside Signs - Confusing, Amusing and Informative

 

Kalo Chorio - How far?

Indicating of course, that the village of Analiontas is a further two kilometres along the road

 

Does this imply that Turkish Cypriots are no longer legitimate targets?

 





Does everyone say that?

 

T