Friday 25th August 2006 - The ride to Lands End

I said farewell to my girlfriend Kate at Plymouth station, after she thoughtfully escorted me in on the train. Note the photo of me at Calstock station sporting the knee support – it was still quite painful to walk on at this stage.

Was glad to have my cycle reservation at Plymouth when three other cyclists were left stranded on the platform, without. I couldn’t help but feel slightly smug as I stowed my bike away safely in the Guards Van. Disembarked the train at Penzance to face a grey afternoon of drizzle. I gingerly pedalled through the shops to find a boots where I stocked up on Ibuprofen, a toothbrush and some light lunch.

Rode the 11 miles or so on the A30 out to Sennen and Lands End itself, trying not to think of the painful sensations in my knee. Approaching it looked like a large car park and assorted “theme park” buildings. The place seemed jam packed with tourists, so I ate my lunch, signed the book and had my photo taken before leaving. The weather cleared thankfully, and just remained breezy.

Found the doctors surgery at St Just, where a very nice nurse tended to my knee dressing and was surprised by my “solo” effort. I arrived at St Just Youth Hostel early which was perched up on the steeply dropping coastline, great location. The food there was excellent; I was only troubled that night by pains from my grazes and slept badly because of my knee. I seriously considered doing the short ride back to Penzance for the train in the morning if it remained painful. One hosteller said some kind words in the morning which stuck with me: “take one day at a time” so I tried not to think of what lay ahead at this stage.

Distance covered: 17 miles

The start - all to play for!

A friend at St Just