Report to follow.

Report to follow.

Last minute cancellations from Gavin, Tao and Oliver left just three of us to set off from Buckfastleigh at 9am for the short journey to Liskeard. We parked the car in Liskeard station, unloaded the bikes and were ready to start our tour of the North Cornwall coast despite having some anxieties about the unsettled weather forecast.

The smell of the hot pasties we purchased at Liskeard proved irresistible, so we ended up eating them right outside the shop - and it was only 10.30! Fully charged for the day ahead we navigated through the back lanes to pick up the Bolventor road across Bodmin moor, stopping briefly to explore the Golitha Woods nature reserve before following the river Fowey through some of the most delightful scenery of the tour. Josh decided he wanted one day to own a property in this picturesque valley! Meanwhile Joe was having problems with his new SPD pedals: one side was a bit tight, so a few times when he tried to stop he ended up sprawled across the road!

At Bolventor we called in to the Jamaica Inn, made famous by the Daphne Du Maurier book of the same name, and settled down to a tasty meal in the Peddlars restaurant. Josh and Joe could only afford chips, but they got so many for their £1 that they couldn't begin to eat them all! A short section of the busy A30 brought us quickly to Altarnun, its quaint bridge and river bathed in early afternoon sunshine, and from there we began the slow climb to Davidstow moor, passing wind farms along the way that suggested just how exposed the moor would be when we finally reached it. It was a little breezy as we climbed, but as soon as we crossed the cattle grid onto the moor we experienced the full power of the north-Cornish wind. We sought temporary respite in the lea of a derelict airfield building, watching a nearby man doing his best to keep his feet on the ground while flying his kite, then proceeded in close formation across the moor what we thought was the main airfield base! In fact it turned out to be a creamery, the airfield having closed in 1945!

The final leg of the journey to Tintagel was somewhat cold with a stiff headwind and increasing cloud, so we explored a few of the shops when we arrived, including Granny Wobbly's Fudge Pantry, a sports and camping shop that boasted some very high-tech gadgets and the toy museum with its fascinating range of metallic Star Trek characters. Having purchased provisions for the night we rode out of the village, past the ancient church and along the rough track that leads along the headland to the hostel. A glorious sunset greeted us as we arrived at the secluded hostel, situated high up on the headland overlooking the sea. This was surely the most perfect youth hostel in the land!

There is one dormitory at Tintagel that the well-informed hosteller always wants to occupy, and that is the front dorm, half submerged in the hillside and offering the very best sea views from the narrow windows. On many previous visits Michael had failed to secure this dorm, but today we were lucky. It is a 6-bedded dorm, and because we had paid for six beds we were all able to have top bunks and plenty of space for our belongings!

Joe liked riding with no panniers so we decided to explore Tintagel castle next. We were able to look around most of the ruins and explore some of the caves and rocks by the sea before the fading light forced us to return to the hostel. Once settled in the warm kitchen we set about preparing our meals, Joe adding to the fare by opening a box of Nesquik chocolate milkshake powder for all to share! We finished an excellent first day with card games in the kitchen and chats with other hostellers.

(Previous recorded mileage was 31 miles)