OGIL ride report 23rd August 2023
A dive into history with this report, which has been gestating at the back of my mind for a while. As we are now 2½ weeks after the event, my recollection will necessarily be a bit hazy, but with any luck so will that of the personae dramatis, allowing me to be a little creative if need be. Of course, Strava does not lie (at least most of the time) so the route and destination will be amenable to independent verification.
The destination was settled with little if any debate, and we headed off to Halvasso on our way to St Agnes Beacon. Ian guided us through Stithians and right at the church, but then left to follow a little used lane to Trethellan Water. After a left at the triangle junction and a few twists and turns we found ourselves descending Chapel Hill towards Lanner. A right onto Bell Veor found us emerging onto the main Ponsanooth to Redruth road at the Coppice Inn. We had a bit of a rest while we waited for a gap in the traffic, and then proceeded straight across to Carharrack. Taking the right fork in the village we enjoyed the run down to the main road then up the hill to Crofthandy, where we turned right. The opportunity was taken at the junction to re-group, but we had to move on swiftly when the bus turned in and we decided we ought to vacate the bus stop. At the next junction we took a right and then a left at Todpool, bearing right to take us north across the main Chacewater-Redruth road, past Wheal Busy to join our usual Chacewater-Blackwater route just before the A30 bridge. From there we could switch to autopilot for the rest of the ride to the Wheal Coates tea room.
The cafe was not busy and we ordered our usual eclectic mix of refreshments. Unfortunately, the place seemed to be infested with wasps which were particularly aggressive, and both Ian and Richard succumbed to the onslaught. Richard was stung on the forehead, and Ian got one in the neck. At least this meant that he had a real, as opposed to a metaphorical, pain in the neck to complain about. Fearing further casualties we retreated to the inside and suffered no more insect mishaps.
After the drama of the coffee stop, the ride home seemed pretty uneventful. We followed the usual route to St Agnes and along Water Lane, but when we got to where we would normally turn right to take us to the ATV Centre and on to Scorrier, we carried straight on down to Dangerous Junction where we turned right and rode down the hill (!!) to Chacewater. From there it was one of our usual outward routes in reverse via Twelveheads and Coombe Lane to Cusgarne and then on to Frogpool. The reason for this slightly unorthodox route soon became apparent when we stopped at the Cornish Arms, where most of the ride seemed keen to pause and cool down over a glass or two. That just left Amanda and myself to continue home via Perranwell and Hangman’s Hill.
A good ride in nice weather. Shame about the wasps. Just about 70 km for me.