What i'm getting up to

17th September 2012

Click to enlargeSatellite tracking using my iphone following me around the moor

Finally got myself down to Halfords and ordered a new mountain bike today, after digging out my old one from the shed after a long time.

Decided that I would take the old girl out for a last ride and check out the Goss Moor Trail that I've heard about, so gave the old girl a quick check over and slight oil to make sure that it was road worthy at least, pumped up the tyres and then I set off, a bit wobbly to start with but I was gone.

I made it up from my house towards the top of my street and through the alley which brings me out onto the main road going toward Victoria, by the time I'd hit Victoria and reached the main road that was it no turning back as I was going see this trip to the end.

Little did I know that by this time I was already saddle sore but I carried on not letting this get the better of me and also the fact that I'd already ordered a new one which I'm picking up tomorrow meant that this was it I was commited.

I carried on along the old A30 trunk road now up a slight hill and fortunately managed to get a gear selected low enough to pedal but the old girl was complaining and her gears were chattering, but on I carried on and by this time I was going down hill again now towards the Iron bridge that I think most lorry drivers have managed to hit at sometime, onwards towards the cycle trial that I was going to check out.

Click to enlarge

Click here for Goss Moor Trial Map

Goss Moor Information Leaflet

Lovely I thought at least its dry, maybe not sunny but dry at least I headed off down and managed to miss the turning off the old road and onto the trial as there was no sign post directing you to the gap in the hedge, dam good I thought as I reached the end of the pavement that went alongside the old road and reached a point where I was going to be on the road which was not very quiet.

Cycle trail looking East

Cycle trail looking West

After turning around and cycling back up the pavement a short distance I found the gap in the hedge and the entrance to the cycleway and peace and trequility was restored, at least my side of the hedge anyway, boy was that track bumpy and I was dreaming of the fact that my new bike has front suspension at least and so that should be a bit more comfy, as I'm too used to driving in my van everywhere and take for granted how rough the roads are getting in Cornwall, but boy I can tell you its worse on a bicycle.

I carried onwards towards the Tregoss railway crossing and followed the track down to a small car park mainly used by dog walkers and then reached the other side and now was actually on tarmac which was the old A30 literally, but that was quite bumpy too and so after that it wasn't quite as bad and so peddled on some more, saw several people just walking the dog along there until I reached the Screech Owl Sanctuary where by this time sign posting for the trail was non existant, so I thought well ok I'll go back up the trail back up to the Tregoss railway crossing and head towards home.

Cycle trail looking East old A30

Cycle trail looking West old A30

In the village of Tregoss which is mainly small farms and a few houses I decided that I wouldn't turn left which would take me back up to Roche, but instead turn right and followed the road onto the actual Goss Moor and onwards to Eniscavern and St Dennis, where I would call in on some friends and grab a nice cuppa hopefully. :)

Sometime later and a couple of hills that I had to walk because the gears were not working at all by this time I reached St Dennis, that was about 2 hours later and by this time it had been raining and I was quite wet and misrable and was glad to see a cuppa. lol

Finally after I got my mate to have a fiddle with my gears with some WD40 and a screw driver I sold the old girl, hopefully to a good home and got a lift back home later that evening.

Click here to see the New Bike.