With the regulations changing yet again, allowing six people to meet out of doors, three of us – Paula, Jo and myself- decided to ride to St Mawes, as a change from this side of the Carrick Roads. Sunday started grey, cold and damp, but the rain held off as we went up Truro Hill, down to the Norway Inn, through Suicide Alley to Devoran, which was still very quiet for June, and climbed up to the Feock road , then down to the King Harry Ferry. Just three cars and one other cyclist, who gave us a useful tip about the excellent coffee at a van at St Mawes castle, went across with us.
We climbed up the hill and turned along the B3289, enjoying the view and the undulating, flattish road; through St Just in Roseland, and took a right turn down to the castle. Sure enough, ‘Bear Speciality Coffee’, served from a beautifully renovated 1969 Citroen van – the type with ‘corrugated iron’ body work – was doing a good trade in the carpark, despite no tourists. The café is card only, but the right change in cash will be accepted. Definitely recommended if you’re over that way.
So it was down through the village, where all those pretty holiday lets on the sea front appeared to be newly painted – well you need to do something useful during the lockdown! – then back along the main road to join the same route home. After the ferry crossing, with many more cars waiting on the Trelissick side this time, we climbed back out, turned right at the crossroads to go up to Playing Place and back via Perranwell. More climbs! Later I re-read Colin’s ‘Lessons had not been learned’ – our route was nothing like as hard as his and Ian’s, but it was quite hilly enough, and as always, Hangman’s Hill is the sting in the tail near the end of a ride.
A very nice outing in good company and a first time on the Roseland since last autumn for me. 36 miles.
Liz