Sunday saw another ride out with my
neighbour Craig, this time along the shared cycle/pedestrian path and
part of route NCN 3 from Marazion to the harbour at Mousehole. This
can be a very pleasant ride indeed, having done it with Craig once
before in 2013, as the path runs right alongside the shore of Mounts
Bay, through Penzance and on round to Mousehole via Newlyn.
We were going to have company on this
ride as well, as Craig had been busy with his phone and rounded up
some of his cycling friends. Now this led to some alarm bells ringing
for me, as I had visions of roadies in full team kit, Peleton
etiquette, and getting dropped amid shouts of 'cadence' and 'push –
push' and so on. Craig reassured me though, that these cyclists were
like me, people who just enjoy cycling about and the ride would be at
a gentle pace, not an aggressive one.
The weather wasn't bad, it certainly
could have been worse, but well, it was a bit murky and grey, and on
arrival at Marazion, it was rather chilly as we fished the bikes out
of Craig's van and met a couple of his friends. Setting off though
found that cold wind behind us and soon forgotten.
One fly in our riding ointment came
when a sign announced the closure of the path (due to weather damage),
but local knowledge from Mike, one of our companions, suggested it
was only off limits a short way, and could be regained next to the
Long Rock railway depot. This proved to be correct and we were soon
rendezvousing with some more riders in the car park adjacent to the
depot.
St Michael's Mount in the grey Murk.
Ride leader Craig on the left in the 'Mountain Rescue orange' oversees the gathering of riders at Long Rock.
I didn't get all the names of these
people, but I do know there were two Mikes, an Eileen and Jo on her
beloved Tricross. I was also glad to see Craig had been right, these
people were not about to set off at a leg killing pace and the only
thing happening fast would be the laughs.
Setting off from Long Rock and towards Penzance, which can be seen on the far left. On the right is the Paddington mainline.
All deemed present and correct we
headed off, dodging loose dogs and children along the path past
Penzance station and onto the road that wends it way along the sea
front and through the wharfs and docks. Road traffic was light, but
pedestrian traffic heavy as half the town seemed to be out strolling
or jogging and making the most of the lull in the weather.
Passing the docks and wharfs of Penzance. The shop on the left sells Pirate ear rings for two dollars a pair. Not bad for a buck an ear...
Hi Viz yellow is the new black you know...
Lantern Rouge again as the Peleton heads up the hill out of Newlyn towards Mousehole.
On we ambled past the fish market at
Newlyn, and up the hill and past the Lifeboat Station. This is a very
poignant spot, being the empty home of the Penlee Lifeboat the
Solomon Browne that set off on the night of the 19th
December 1981 to go to the aid of the coaster the Union Star which
had lost its engine and was being blown onto rocks. But in appalling
conditions, the lifeboat and its crew of eight, and all eight people
aboard the Union Star were lost. The lifeboat had got four people off
the coaster and was returning to get more when radio contact was
lost. Nothing more was known until daylight revealed the Union Star
wrecked on the rocks and wreckage from the lifeboat floating in the
sea. Some of the bodies of those lost were never found.
The replacement Lifeboat is now moored
in Newlyn harbour, and the old station is retained, exactly as it was
left on that night, empty of its lifeboat, as a memorial.
Passing the Lifeboat station though we
were all strung out so we didn't stop, but it was certainly noticed
and memories were stirred.
Not long after and we had arrived in
the small harbour of Mousehole. A proper Cornish fishing village with
a ramshackle collection of hunkered down sturdy cottages and pubs,
and home to the crew of the Solomon Browne.
This was the destination, and so a
small area overlooking the harbour was swiftly populated with bikes
and bodies, as lunch boxes and flasks were cracked open. By now the
wind had dropped, and the day was pleasantly warm, very warm in fact
for January.
No power gels and energy drinks here, just jam sandwiches and flasks of tea.
Jo's beloved Spesh Tricross at Mousehole. That's 'Mouzzle' by the way, most definitely not mouse hole!
The return ride to Marazion was via the
same route, and also passed without incident, and so a twelve mile
round trip had been enjoyed by all and promises made to meet up for
another mass outing soon.
Heading back into Penzance on the return journey.
One duff point wasn't discovered until I got home - somehow I contrived to leave the GoPro snapping away every 2 seconds for nearly the entire ride, something I've done before, but this time I had nearly 2,500 photos to download. Oops!
Oh and I didn't get dropped... although
I came close a couple of times mind you...
Link to the full map is here
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