BIKE RIDES from TRURO 7On Tarmac
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BIKE RIDES from TRURO 7on Tarmac 1 The Old Quay Inn Pub Restaurant Bed & Breakfast The Old Quay Inn Hannah & John Calland Tel: 01872 863 142 Pub32 - 33 St John’s Restaurant Terrace, Devoran, Truro, Bed Cornwall, & Breakfast TR3 6ND www.theoldquayinn.co.uk Hannah & John Calland A39 Truro The Old Tel: 01872 863 142Quay Inn 32 - 33 St John’s Terrace, Devoran, Truro, Cornwall,& TR3 6ND www.theoldquayinn.co.ukDevoran Lane Devoran A39 Falmouth Greenbank Rd Creek Cycle Hire St John’s Terrace Greenbank Rd DEVORANQuay Rd CREEK CYCLEDEVORAN HIRE FOR BOOKINGSCREEK CALL: 01872 863CYCLE 142 HIRE www.DevoranCreekCycleHire.com FOR BOOKINGS CALL: 01872 863 142 www.DevoranCreekCycleHire.com 2 7 BIKE RIDES FROM TRURO ON TARMAC (Tarmac, Sweat and Teas ) Warning ! This guide contains hills. Cover photograph: The hill leading down to Penpol and Point. Is this guide going to help you? This guide is intended to encourage you to jump on your bike, (or someone else’s bike) and go for a spin. The guide aims to suggest routes that may be unfamiliar to you and to make them sound appetising. If you do not have a bike it may encourage you to buy one, borrow one or hire one. The routes avoid busy roads as much as possible, are roughly circular and take you through attractive scenery. You could join the rides at any point, such as one of the bike hire places mentioned below as opposed to starting in Truro. Maps are not included as they would make the guide more bulky, more expensive to produce and because many people these days cannot or will not read maps, relying on sat. navs. if they have cars. At the start of each ride the guide gives you a clue as to where the ride takes you and features of the ride. Hopefully you will not get lost or get tired of pulling the guide out of your pocket to find out which turning to take. When you have ridden the ride once you may remember which way to go next time you do it. If you do not already have a copy of the O.S. Landranger Map 204 “Truro and Falmouth” it might be an idea to obtain one as it covers all the rides with the exception of part of Ride 6 (St. Agnes Beacon). The map would help you to take detours of your own choosing and short cuts. Alternatively, O.S. Explorer Maps 104 and 105 which are at a larger scale cover all the rides with the exception of part of the Carland Cross Ride. There is already a free guide for mountain bikers entitled “8 Mountain Bike Rides from Truro - Mud, Sweat and Beers”. This tarmac guide is for those who do not want to go off-road but may be prepared to use cycle paths with good surfaces such as the one which follows the old Newham branch railway line out of Truro. However, the guide always gives tarmac alternatives to these occasional paths. 3 What sort of rides are in this guide? The emphasis is on enjoyment as opposed to hard labour. You ride down the steepest hills in the area and go up the less steep, although they may well be longer climbs than the really steep ones which the guide tries to avoid. The rides are circular. You could go in the opposite direction if you read the guide back to front and are prepared to tackle steeper climbs. Some of the rides include short cuts for people who are less fit or do not have enough time to do the complete ride. You could use the guide to get to somewhere such as Trelissick Gardens and then ride back to Truro using the same route. Some rides include optional detours to watering holes and viewpoints. If you do not have time to enjoy the scenery and just want to get some exercise the rides should cater for you as well. The rides start from landmarks around the city centre which either you will know or people in the street can help you find. Bike Hire Bike Chain operates Bissoe Bike Hire and a café at Bissoe (01872 870341, www.cornwallcyclehire.com), 4 miles south west of Truro. It is on Ride 5. They hire all types of bike except BMX. Devoran Creek Cycle Hire (01872 863142, www. devorancreekcyclehire.com) operates from premises next to the pub in Devoran, 4 miles south of Truro. It is on Ride 4, (see page 2). In addition The Bike Barn operates from Elm Farm which is on the Portreath-Porthtowan road (01209 891498, www. cornwallcycletrails.com). It is a couple of miles from the St Agnes Beacon Ride. Most of the bikes that firms hire are mountain and hybrid bikes which are happy on tarmac but not as fast as touring or road bikes. Bike Sales and Repairs The bike hire places mentioned above repair bikes and sell bikes to varying extents. In Truro, Clive Mitchell Cycles is a long established business selling new and second hand bikes, accessories and clothing. Its large shop is situated in Calenick Street, around the corner from Victoria Square, www. clivemitchellcycles.co.uk 01872 276930. Also in Truro, Halfords performs a similar service with its Bikehut operation but does not sell second hand bikes. It is situated alongside the Trafalgar roundabout, www.halfords.com 01872 260492. Accommodation If you are visiting the area and need accommodation the staff at the Truro Tourist Information Centre in the City Hall can help 4 you to find bike-friendly B. and Bs. and more up-market places to stay in and around Truro (01872 274555, www.truro.gov.uk e-mail [email protected] Ride Times At the start of the description of each ride an approximate ride- time is given. It is based on the time that the ride is likely to take a reasonably fit rider. The time only includes essential stops to sip from a drinks bottle and does not take into account pub stops etc. Thanks The author would like to thank Clive Mitchell Cycles, Devoran Cycle Hire and the owners of the adjoining Old Quay Inn who have paid for the printing of this guide which allows it to be offered free of charge to encourage cycling in the area. Feedback Your views on this guide would be welcome whether or not they are critical. Any suggestions will be considered before it is re-issued. Please phone the author on 01872 271614. CONTENTS Ride 1 : The Carland Cross Ride. Ride 2 : The Perranporth Ride. Ride 3 : The Roseland Ride. Ride 4 : The Four Creeks Ride. Ride 5 : The Cusgarne Valley Ride. Ride 6 : The St.Agnes Beacon Ride. Ride 7 : The Probus Ride. 5 RIDE 1 : THE CARLAND CROSS RIDE Idless, St. Allen, Carland Cross, Boswiddle, Tresillian. Ride time: 2 hours - 20miles (90 minutes - 15 miles, using short cut). Comment Carland Cross is 6 miles north of Truro on the A30. This ride takes you as far as Carland Cross via Idless and St. Allen, returning via Tresillian. This is a good ride for those who are rusty and may not be confident on the short lengths of busy road included in some of the other rides. Also, it would be a pleasant ride for those who are not very fit, including children, who might wish to turn back after a few miles instead of completing the ride. Refreshment Refreshment is available at the petrol stations at Carland Cross and Tresillian. The only pub on the route is the Wheel Inn at Tresillian unless you take the short cut via Trispen where there is a pub and shop. Also, the Celtic Tea Rooms are situated in the small garden centre near the pub in Tresillian. The lane to Idless Start: The ride starts at the bottom of Moresk Road at its junction with St. Clement Street (opposite the multi-storey car park which is behind the library). Cycle up the hill for a short distance after passing the T.A. Centre and the Volvo garage, taking the second turning on the left where you will see a post box set in a wall facing down the hill. Cycle under the railway bridge, down the hill and along the valley and after a mile turn 6 right when you meet the road which runs to Idless along the other side of the valley. Idless: Cycle through Idless, ignoring the turnings to the left. After half a mile, when you see farm buildings in front of you, follow the road round to the right. After half a mile turn right at a T junction, signposted St Allen. If you were doing the Perranporth ride you would turn left at this T junction. Go down the hill and up the other side, following the road round to the left at the top. St. Allen Church St. Allen: The lovely church of St. Allen stands in splendid isolation on your right. Continue for half a mile and turn right at the T junction, following the sign for Mitchell. After a while you can see the wind farm at Carland Cross which is where you head back in the Truro direction. If you want to do the shorter ride take a right turn signposted Trispen. Read the directions at the end for the short cut, otherwise, half a mile after the Trispen turning, turn right into a narrow lane just before the road begins to climb. When you hear and then see traffic on the busy A30 turn right so that you run parallel with the A30 for a while.