Three Ride Catch Up.

Well here we are, all behind with the bloggery yet again. On the upside, I can take heart from the fact that if I ever decide to chuck myself under a bus, I'll probably miss it by five minutes, but still.

So, where are we? Ah yes, Wednesday... we'll start there.

Having had a good ride around various bike paths in Truro on Good Friday, I thought I'd go and check another couple of off road bits out on the edge of the city, conveniently on my side of town too. So I jumped aboard Fatso and set off, once again giving the main road a swerve in favour of a big old schlep around the lanes. Idless Woods provides a short cut when heading in this direction, but after overnight rain, and with a spick and span Fatso, I decided against battling the mud in the wood, and battled the mud on the lanes instead. Doh...

The top of the hill up out of Lanner Mill, which rhymes.

But still, taking what I refer to as the upper lane at Idless, where the road divides and two lanes both head into Truro, I soon arrived on the edge of the big City and was dodging the opening car doors and random jay walking pedestrians in the residential streets as I looked for one particular shared path that would lead me into the centre.

Swapping country lanes for back streets in Truro.

This path, once I'd found the start lurking between some truly ugly houses, was nice enough, and runs in along side the river as it travels beneath Moresk railway viaduct, but doesn't really give me any advantage for accessing the town. Nor did it offer the dips, rises and twisties of other paths that made them enjoyable to ride, but still, it's good to know it's there.

The town end of the short shared path from Rosedale Road. This viaduct, Moresk or Truro viaduct, is one of two just east of the station, the other being the longer Carvedras viaduct. This Moresk viaduct was, like many others in Cornwall, originally built with stone piers (20 in all, 14 of which still stand) supporting wooden trestles and deck, but an all stone replacement viaduct was built alongside and opened on the 14th February, 1904.

Having reached the end of that path, I turned left and immediately found the entrance to another which would lead me out of town again and back to Idless. This is actually a nature reserve called Daubuz Moors, and makes for a pleasant alternative to the road, which climbs a short but steep hill before dropping back down again. The path around the edge of the reserve stays flat, always a bonus that! The nature reserve itself is still pretty winter bare, and no doubt will look a lot different as spring advances into summer, but to begin with, sticks and soil sum it up until the path emerges into areas of open grass. So that is an exit from town route for the future sorted then.

Daubuz Moors Nature Reserve is looking a little barren at the moment, but no doubt explode with colour soon enough.

The lane leading back to Idless.

After that, it was back the way I'd come – a pleasant enough ride but I wasn't feeling especially invigorated as I gave Fatso a full blanket bath with Baby Wipes and a soft cloth, rather than a proper wash, to remove the light soiling and return him to his pristine best.

Despite the effort in cleaning the bike, I still had it in mind to go for another ride the following day (Thursday), if I could.

Come the morning in question, and not only was I indeed up for another ride, I wanted to go into Idless Woods and have me some muddy exploring. Odd how my moods work – dodging mud one day, seeking it out the next, but there we go.

There really has been some damage done this winter in the local woods, and not just on the edges either, some big old trees you'd expect to be well shielded from the wind, huddled deep into the thick wood as they are, have also been felled by the winds, and everywhere on the ground are sticks and branches, making for a bit of an obstacle course at times, with a poke in the eye or a stick up the trouser leg a real possibility.

The base of a second downed tree lies just to the left, while behind me lay a third. The gales this winter have taken their toll on trees all over the county and beyond.

Heading for the uppermost path in the sunny Idless Woods.

Taking the path topmost of the three main routes through the wood saw plenty of mud plugging and the fording of many deep and stagnant puddles as Fatso and I made slow, but safe progress along the narrow path. This bike really is huge fun, even for my (very) limited abilities and low speeds. I know pilot error plays a large part, but on other bikes like the Voodoo, I'd get off and push around the edge of these soggy, boggy, lagoons, as I'd be bound to flounder half way in resulting in a big wet dab of the foot to save anembarrassing fall into the quagmire. No such worries with a fat bike though, as it just powered through without any dramas at all, as long as I stayed seated to provide maximum traction. At one point I did lift myself up out of the saddle going over some root or other, and when I sat back down the bite from the rear tyre was amazing, providing a real shove forwards again as the tyre bit into the mud.

Some of these puddles are deeper than they appear...

A small dash of colour courtesy of some Primroses.

It's not just bimbling through bogs where the Fatty shines though, as on a later section where the path has had some packing down and planing off, I let the brakes off as the path descends and let Fatso do his thing, gleefully flinging mud in all directions from the voluminous tyres as speed was quickly gained, while I hung on grinning like a lunatic as we rampaged down the hill, bouncing or rolling over the stones and roots without cause for concern, where again, on my other bikes, the steering would be snapping this way and that, and more care would be taken in picking lines and so on. Fat bikes are very good skills compensators!

Reaching the far end of the wood, I turned back along the lowest path which runs along side the river. Whilst still muddy and wet in parts, this path, despite being at the foot of a considerable hill, is a lot drier under foot, or knobbly tyre, thanks to work done by the Forestry workers in recent years, although a downed tree is still right across the path, requiring some Limbo skills or going bush to get around it (I Limboed).

I did go bush to check out the ruins of the old Gunpowder works though. A lot of trees have come down around them, so I wondered if any had inflicted any more damage on the remains of the buildings, but they appear to have escaped any further damage from falling timber.

Remains of the Gunpowder works in Idless Woods. There were several of these works dotted around the county serving the mining industry, and placing them in the woods meant they were away from population and the trees would absorb the explosion in the event of an accident.

This Violet was all on its own on top of a wall, not another one anywhere close by.

Back home again and Fatso needed a proper wash as thick mud was packed in everywhere, not good for a house bike, so it was out with the pressure washer. This scrub a dub dubbery didn't pass without incident though as suffering a senior moment, I finished the pre rinse with the pressure washer, and neglected to turn off the tap in the kitchen while I went round with the bike washing brush and sponges. The result was a rather flooded kitchen and me wishing I had my water wings on as I set about cleaning that particular mess up, baling out and wringing towels out in the sink.

So that was Thursday, which just leaves yesterday's (Friday) ride to catch up on.

Now, among my various health issues, I have some bowel related problems that can dictate a certain level of caution and preparation when going for a ride. Usually I don't eat a full dinner the night before a bike ride or any extended out of the house activity for comfort and peace of mind too. But I'd gone two nights without a big meal, and on Thursday night I'd succumbed and had a good old nosh up. But Friday morning came and having really enjoyed my woodland rambling the day before, I wanted to go for another ride.

But... even before leaving home I was feeling a bit bloaty and generally uncomfortable, and I really should have heeded these warnings, but he who dares wins and all that... Well there was no winner on Friday as I set out on the Voodoo along my favourite Tregassow Lane, intent on just having a mooch around my regular loop. I hadn't gone far when I felt a major stirring in my plumbing, and heard a growl from my bowel reminiscent of a super tanker running aground. Instantly I broke out in a cold sweat as my heart beat soared and the adrenalin rushed through my body. There is nothing like the fear of impending catastrophic trouser trauma to add a frisson of excitement to a ride in the country that's for sure.

Now, any cyclist who has been caught short while out and stopped for a pee in the bushes will know that it doesn't matter how remote the lane you are on, or how far away from population the trail, just as you release the flow as it were, a farmer, or walker, herd of cross country runners, or a car full of pointing and laughing kids will appear suddenly and catch you in the act. So imagine the horrific prospect of being caught while squatting, trousers down, hanging grimly on to a fence post or tree for stability while suffering from an explosive backside... it doesn't bear thinking about really, so with internal pressure building dangerously, I gamely headed home, trying to pedal while keeping my knees together, praying I didn't see anyone I knew who might expect a stop and a chat, and all the time trying to avoid bumps and any exertion that may result in an untimely and disastrous release of muscle tension and all the possbile consequences that would follow (“It all started with a noise like a ruptured Zeppelin passing overhead” a shocked eye witness told BBC News today...). Thankfully, somehow, I made it home and prised myself off the bike (the saddle now has a ridge up the middle from my clenched buttocks gripping it so hard...) and made it indoors in time to avert environmental disaster. Knowing how things go when my gut is being mischievous, I decided not to risk going back out again so that was that for the day, but at least I had got a photo taken before things went awry, thereby maintaining the photo every ride theme for a Flickr group I'm on.

Tregassow Lane on Friday, just before things gastric turned a bit drastic.

So an up and down few days really, but I'll think twice before taking an unplanned ride in the future, that's for sure.

Once again, some of these photos have uploaded all blurry for some reason... Grrrr....

Good Friday Cycle Path and Photo Epic.

Once again I'm all behind with updating this blog, even worse, I lost an hour during the night somewhere and I can't find it anywhere. I hate it when that happens.

But anyway, all the following happened on Good Friday, and a good Friday is exactly what it was.

The weather forecast had promised Friday as being the best day over the Easter weekend, and it was right too. I had made plans to go into Truro and up the cemetery to visit the graves of my parents and maternal grand parents, and had originally planned getting there the long way round through the lanes, to avoid the main road, as I usually do. But, awake early, I decided to throw caution to the wind and get out quickly, and use that dreaded main road before it got busy. With that in mind, I stood Fatso down, as he had been the first choice of motive power for the trip, but now I wanted a bit of speed to get the main road part over with as quickly as possible, I took the Jamis 29er instead.

The only fly in this plan's ointment was the fact the cemetery gates wouldn't open until 9 am, so thinking unusually fast and clearly for me, even more so given the early hour, I thought I'd kill time by exploring a couple of shared bike/pedestrian paths, new and old.

So off I duly set into the early morning sunshine along bike path number one (the bridleway out of Trispen heading towards Truro) and piled on the coals as I belted along the main road, keeping a wary eye in the mirror for heavies approaching from behind.. As it happened, that short section passed without incident, but I still wouldn't entertain the thought of riding it at a busier time.

The bridleway from Trispen/St Erme towards Truro runs out at the top of the hill and dumps the unwary cyclist onto the busy, and narrowest part, of the A39.

The A39, thankfully free of trucks and buses at that hour, but still quite a few cars heading towards Truro.

So there I was, arrived in the outskirts of the big city and with about an hour to kill. Riding in I'd decided I'd go on after the cemetery and ride a couple of other paths too, and make a morning of it. The reason the cemetery had to feature early on in the proceedings is purely down to the gert big hill it is situated on. An ugly affair if you have to pedal or walk up it, but coming from home I would be approaching it coming down the hill, so I was determined to stay upstream as it were until the gates opened.

So I made my way round to the first shared path that is newly shown on the council's maps, linking a new build development on the edge of town with an easy route in for those on a bike or on foot. Very nice it all is too, though the start and finish of the loop on Moresk Road need better signposting really, but still. The path is nicely wide, has smooth tarmac along its entire length, and is lit at night. It travels around the edge of the Treffry Road housing development, squeezing in between the 'shoe box on end' houses and the main railway line. But it is a pleasant ride or walk for sure, and a welcome addition.

 Treffry Road shared path. Shoe boxes to the right, the Paddington mainline over the fence on the left.

Some nice bendy bits for the enthusiastic rider to enjoy.

The houses round there look very grim to me. I've driven around them on the roads in the past and shuddered at the thought of paying good money to live there. The tall and narrow houses all seem tightly packed in and looking straight at each other across narrow roads that are choked with cars parked right outside front windows. At least on this morning, the houses I was passing were on the edge of the estate, so had some semblance of space around them.

From there, and still with time to kill, I had a nose up a lane towards Buckshead I know to be a dead end, but have long wanted to have a mooch up. To the right of this lane, heading away from town, what was once fields lining a valley is now all tarmac and construction site as it is now the home of the new Park and Ride scheme, and shortly, also a new Waitrose, plus more housing I believe. More habitat lost for the wildlife, more water absorbing land tarmaced over.

 Buckshead Lane in the early sunshine looks idyllic, but just over that hedge on the left is the new Park and Ride, and supermarket/housing building site.

Buckshead Lane Snowdrops.

Having had a look up the lane and returned the same way, I then made my way to another path that runs up to the side of Penair School. This path used to be a country lane, but for whatever reason, traffic is now barred from it (probably because of the school and kids walking along the lane) but it makes a handy cut through. So that was path number three and it still wasn't nine o'clock yet. So I had a wander along one lane that leads to St Clement, before turning back along a second lane that leads there, and finally made my way to the cemetery where at just before nine, the gates were already open.

Traffic restrictor poles at the end of Penair Lane are a tad narrow for wide bars. The bars on the Jamis are only 660mm but only just fit through. Anything wider will require a wiggle.

On a sunny and still day, the cemetery here is quite a pleasant place to be, sat on the side of a hill and offering views down to the city. But it is also therefore pretty exposed, and the memory of my father's funeral, with the wind piling the heavy rain in horizontally still stays with me. Flowers on graves don't last long in winter that's for sure.

Truro Cemetery.

Visit over, I went for a brief ride around the city centre, juddering over the cobbles (should've bought Fatso, or let the tyres down a bit on the Jamis) and dodging the shoppers waiting for the shops to open at ten o'clock. I want to go back and ride around Truro a lot more, and take more photos too, especially of the big pointy place, but an overcast day is better, as every time I stopped to check out a photo opportunity the sun was in entirely the wrong place, apart from once where the statue of the drummer was concerned.

Lemon Quay, Truro. Below all that paving lies the river and large ships would berth here in times past to load and unload cargo.

Now here, for once, the angle of the sun was a benefit. You see miladdo here with his drum, is in his birthday suit. He is without attire and wears not a stitch. He's got his tackle out that's what but fortunately Big Jim and the Twins are in the shadow and modesty is maintained. (He's nothin' special in that department anyway... ahem...)

See a photo tour of Truro and inevitably you will see these phone boxes. Far be it for me to pass up on a photo cliche though, so here they are.

Mooching about the streets of Truro.

 Big assed pointy place and a passing roadie heads out for a ride.

Around Truro.

So with the new theme of the ride still in mind, and bored of riding around the streets already, I hooked up with NCN Route 3 briefly, and made my way along the river side past Tesco and down to Newham. Newham is still home to a motley collection of scruffy buildings and ugly yards, but also once saw a busy little railway yard, station and freight terminus. Opened in April 1855 as a 2.5 mile branch off the main line just west of Truro, passenger services ceased in 1963, but the line remained open for freight until November 1971. Although the rails were lifted soon after, the track bed has been used as a popular walking and cycling path ever since.

NCN Route 3 passes through Truro and I followed part of it from the city centre out along the old Newham line.

NCN Route 3 leaves the city Centre beside the river and round the back of Tesco.

Finding the start of the old line needs a keen eye to spot the NCN signs if you don't know the layout of the immediate area, and involves riding through a small car park to find the start of the path at the far end. From there, there's a road to cross, but then it's a pleasant ride all the way around the south side of Truro and up the side of the Chapel of Rest, or County Hall as it is otherwise known. This is certainly preferable to tackling the narrow roads and steep hills out of the town centre, as the rail line climbs imperceptively, before one last short sharp hill towards the finish.

The old Newham branch line.

There are possible clouds on the horizon though, as rumours exist of new housing developments encroaching on the old line, and/or a park and ride scheme that would see the track bed turned over to the exclusive use of buses. I really hope neither turns out to be the case – if anything, the council should be upgrading the path, maybe with tarmac and lighting to encourage more to use it.

 Halfway along the old Newham line NCN Route 3 turns left at an old level crossing, but I stayed on the old track bed and headed for the western side of Truro.

The bridge over the A39 Falmouth Road. Some Cornish nationalists once hung over the side of this bridge and painted 'Free Kernow' (Kernow being Cornish for Cornwall) on it for traffic to see as it passed below. Only thing was, they painted it as they read it, and so to that traffic, it appeared upside down. And backwards. Oh the shame of it...

The old line was busy with cyclists and walkers all enjoying the good weather. Good to see I'm not the only over dressed cyclist around too...

For cyclists heading south or west of Truro, the old Newham line is a real boon. Why dice with traffic and slog up silly steep hills when you can have this instead?

A quick hop across the busy main road and down Dobbs Lane in Truro led me to Coosebean Lane, along which is found the start of a newly constructed shared path, fully lit and tarmaced, and bike path number five of the day. The idea of this is to whisk cyclists and hardy pedestrians away out of the town to the west, and away from the busy roads, and it is a great idea. The path climbs most of the way west, but not too steeply, and as the name suggests, all is green and peaceful. At the far end, the route continues west using roadside pavements as shared paths, but that wasn't for me on this day. Having reached the end of the Greenway, I turned around and went back the way I'd come – Hoon time! The smooth tarmac, welcoming gradient and sweeping curves make for an exhilarating ride, even for a slow old giffer like me. I wish these paths had been there when I was kid riding around town on my old ten speed 'racer' that's for sure!

 Great to see some proper cycling infrastructure appearing around the city now, and this Coosebean Greenway is a superb example of what can be done.

It was good to see plenty of folk out walking and cycling along this newish path. It does mean a bit of climbing when heading west, but it's not too bad at all.

 Heading into town though, the path runs downhill is just crying out for a darned good hoon! gentle trundle... ahem...

Good visibility on the path means a bit of speed sedate and dignified progress can be made safely.

Now would be a good time to apply the brakes... 

I honestly felt like going back up just to enjoy the hoon ride back down again. 

Arriving back in Truro, I had to figure out a way home. Going back the way I'd come in – along the main A39 was out now the roads were busy, so I made my way across the edge of town and along a lane to Idless, and from there, up through a strangely deserted Idless Woods and back onto home territory.

Heading home via Idless Woods.

All too often we hear of councils grudgingly coming up with cycle paths that in reality, nobody wants to use because they're dangerous, or full of pot holes and roadside debris, or they don't go anywhere people need to go. These new paths in Truro are a very welcome addition though in my opinion, and the people behind them are to be congratulated. They are smooth, rubbish free, and well lit by the look of things, and serve a useful purpose, actually going somewhere residents need to go. They also make me really jealous, as we here in the village I live in could really use a dedicated cycle path into Truro, rather than rubbing shoulders (almost literally) with the trucks and buses on the narrow, but direct, main road. In parts, there is a shoulder along the roadside, outside the white line marking the edge of the road, but it is covered in gravel and broken glass, as well as the usual rubbish lobbed out of car windows, and is also too narrow really to be called a cycle lane.

All in all though, I had an enjoyable time poking my nose around and hooning about the place like a teenager again. I must go again some time soon.

Hmmmm... Once again, the route is too big to fit on a decent sized map on here. I'm trying out a new map site too, as this one allows off road routes to be plotted.

Once again though, a fuller map can be found (hopefully) HERE

I've just had a look at the preview for this update and a couple of the photos look soft and fuzzy, and remain so even after re loading them. Don't know what's going on there, but I need my dinner so it'll have to wait!