The trip to LE: Both very excited but the tension was definitely running high - we'd already decided that we would reccy the area first then head-off to find a place to stay for the night. LE was VERY windy and pretty murky too so we hoped this weather would lift by the morning before the big 'OFF'. We pulled-up in a chapel car park and checked the place round - no signs to say 'No Parking' or 'Private Property' so this looked as good a place as any to rest our weary heads.
Rach started cooking dinner and was in full-flight when we had a knock at the door. There stood a very grumpy looking man who was clearly up for a fight. "Do you realise this is a private car park, this for the church, for the local people, you shouldn't be here, you need to leave, you have no right to be here...." and this went on for several minutes before we could retaliate. We politely told him we had looked around but seen no notices to say we shouldn't be on the land. Rach then said "oh, do folk come to the chapel on a Friday now then, I'm guessing it will get busy soon?" to which he replied "No, it's not til Sunday, but you that's not the point". She asked if he was from the police or local authorities too (which he obviously wasn't, he was just up for a bit of ruck with 'the forigners'). After his rant and a bit of shouting at Rach, he got back in his van and drove off. Now, any 'hardy camper' probably would have stayed there, but because I needed to get a good nights sleep and was worried that 'the village of the damned' would be back in the night to trash the van, we moved off and went and found a campsite just down the road and went and sat down to dinner.
The Big 'OFF'. We left the campsite at around 8am and headed back down towards LE, we would have left much earlier but the sound of heavy rain first thing didn't sound too appealing and thought we would give it a bit of time before setting off. As we drove down the the hill into Lands End, I spotted a couple of cars - one of which looked just like a friend of mines - as we got closer I realised it WAS my friends car! I turned to Rach to ask if she knew anything about this - her face quite clearly said NO. With this, she started crying and saying "what are they doing here, the bloody sneaky bastards?". Kate & Oli Sheppard and their kids had come down the day before and were staying in St Ives for the week on holiday then another couple, Sam & Paula Clarke had come down with them but were leaving for their own holiday that same day. So, after thinking I wouldn't have anyone other than Rach to see me off on the Start Line, I ended up with 'the rabble' which was absolutely fantastic!
LE to Checkpoint: Lanivet, nr Bodmin (62 miles) - Rach found us a place to stop for lunch and rest my weary legs, a bacon & mushroom omlette had been prepared and was ready for me arrival and went down very wel after a very hard-going morning of hills, hills and more hills - somewhere in the region of 5000ft of climbing - I was hoping this would ease-up for the afternoon's ride - it didn't!
Day 1 - Lanivet to Okehampton (47 miles) - I found the afternoon a tough one especially when the sat nav conked out at 97 miles and I had to 'wing-it' towards Okehampton. After a quick phonecall to Rach I worked out where I was with a combination of cycle track signposted to Okehampton and the help of a couple of kids in the small village of Bridestowe who pointed me in the right direction. I arrived at the campsite at around 7pm and was happy to see the motorhome parked-up and connected to an electrical hook-up meaning I would be able to catch up on my Facebook comments and well wished which had really helped me through the day.
More to follow tomorrow with Day 2 in the saddle....
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