After breakfast we backtracked a short way to regain the route, which took us over the desolate wilderness of Bodmin Moor. Despite the greyness it was very warm and sultry. Sustrans warn that local opposition has prevented them from signing the route, so an OS map is very useful here. Soon the skies darkened, followed by light rain, but it was so warm that it soon evaporated and the threatened downpour never came.
We drifted down the long gradual descent towards the west coast, rewarded by a lovely, if misty, view of Millook Bay before plunging down to sea level. The next section was hard, very undulating, beginning with a 30% hill, while being overtaken by sad-faced drivers rediscovering the emptiness of a motoring holiday as they hopped from one viewpoint to the next. We stopped for lunch at Widemouth Bay before cycling the last few miles into Bude, arriving just before 14:00. We checked into Seebreeze Guest House – very comfortable with locked cycle storage and in a quiet location in the town centre, just off the main street.
We’d booked in here for two nights so we could enjoy the coastal scenery and maybe go for a dip. We spent the afternoon exploring this interesting old town, another resort robbed of its rail connection in the sixties. It was still very warm so we dined out on the quay to celebrate Rowan’s birthday.
The following day we walked north along the South West Coast Path, returning in time for a round of crazy golf. I won, but such is Christine’s competitive nature that she insisted on checking the scorecards! We dined at the Falcon Hotel, with more of the wonderful Tinners Ale as accompaniment.