It was no warmer today, so I had to don the freshly laundered balaclava again - and the goggles! My only aim : as many miles as quickly as possible - and not too far from home. Round the Penponds and Kehelland 'loops' for a start, I then sped down the aptly named Race Hill achieving a new maximum speed for the year - 30.7mph! I thought I'd try the recently created cycle path through Tehidy Woods for a change but hadn't realized how steep the mid section hill would be. It was a real challenge, not least because of the drainage ramps every 20 yards, and my steaming-up goggles didn't help! I'd just about cooled off when I encountered another inconvenience - squeezing my bike through one narrow kissing gate, then a second, as the path crossed in front of 13th tee on the golf course - I had to hold up a waiting foursome too! I can't imagine who designed such a cycle path!
Out of the woods and across the road, the lovely new path looked as if it might take me all the way down to Portreath 'off-road' - but unfortunately not. It continued only as far as the Duchy College farmyard and then reverted to a very narrow 'bedrock' footpath with occasional low granite 'stiles'. Luckily I didn't meet any irate walkers as I bumped my way down (I would have been irate if I'd met me coming the other way in such a confined space!) and emerged safely onto the road at the bottom breathing a sigh of relief.
Always looking to vary my routes I followed a different road out of the valley and was delighted to discover another farm gate stall - selling organic cauliflowers and free range eggs. Hugging the side of the hill past Sparnon Gate, then under the towering supports of the A30 dual carriageway, Carn Brea soon appeared on the horizon and taking the direct route home along Illogan Highway I completed 16 miles.
I pass the house with the latin name (shown in today's photo) on one of my 'loops': Pax huic domui. I have a fair idea how it translates but would be interested to hear anyone else's version.
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