Last minute cancellations from Gavin, Tao and Oliver left just three of us to set off from Buckfastleigh at 9am for the short journey to Liskeard. We parked the car in Liskeard station, unloaded the bikes and were ready to start our tour of the North Cornwall coast despite having some anxieties about the unsettled weather forecast.

The smell of the hot pasties we purchased at Liskeard proved irresistible, so we ended up eating them right outside the shop - and it was only 10.30! Fully charged for the day ahead we navigated through the back lanes to pick up the Bolventor road across Bodmin moor, stopping briefly to explore the Golitha Woods nature reserve before following the river Fowey through some of the most delightful scenery of the tour. Josh decided he wanted one day to own a property in this picturesque valley! Meanwhile Joe was having problems with his new SPD pedals: one side was a bit tight, so a few times when he tried to stop he ended up sprawled across the road!

At Bolventor we called in to the Jamaica Inn, made famous by the Daphne Du Maurier book of the same name, and settled down to a tasty meal in the Peddlars restaurant. Josh and Joe could only afford chips, but they got so many for their £1 that they couldn't begin to eat them all! A short section of the busy A30 brought us quickly to Altarnun, its quaint bridge and river bathed in early afternoon sunshine, and from there we began the slow climb to Davidstow moor, passing wind farms along the way that suggested just how exposed the moor would be when we finally reached it. It was a little breezy as we climbed, but as soon as we crossed the cattle grid onto the moor we experienced the full power of the north-Cornish wind. We sought temporary respite in the lea of a derelict airfield building, watching a nearby man doing his best to keep his feet on the ground while flying his kite, then proceeded in close formation across the moor what we thought was the main airfield base! In fact it turned out to be a creamery, the airfield having closed in 1945!

The final leg of the journey to Tintagel was somewhat cold with a stiff headwind and increasing cloud, so we explored a few of the shops when we arrived, including Granny Wobbly's Fudge Pantry, a sports and camping shop that boasted some very high-tech gadgets and the toy museum with its fascinating range of metallic Star Trek characters. Having purchased provisions for the night we rode out of the village, past the ancient church and along the rough track that leads along the headland to the hostel. A glorious sunset greeted us as we arrived at the secluded hostel, situated high up on the headland overlooking the sea. This was surely the most perfect youth hostel in the land!

There is one dormitory at Tintagel that the well-informed hosteller always wants to occupy, and that is the front dorm, half submerged in the hillside and offering the very best sea views from the narrow windows. On many previous visits Michael had failed to secure this dorm, but today we were lucky. It is a 6-bedded dorm, and because we had paid for six beds we were all able to have top bunks and plenty of space for our belongings!

Joe liked riding with no panniers so we decided to explore Tintagel castle next. We were able to look around most of the ruins and explore some of the caves and rocks by the sea before the fading light forced us to return to the hostel. Once settled in the warm kitchen we set about preparing our meals, Joe adding to the fare by opening a box of Nesquik chocolate milkshake powder for all to share! We finished an excellent first day with card games in the kitchen and chats with other hostellers.

(Previous recorded mileage was 31 miles)

The wind was still very much in evidence on Thursday morning - it had been blowing all night and had actually helped us all sleep soundly! After a good breakfast we proceeded with good speed to Delabole, passing close to the enormous turbines of the nearby wind farm. We had planned to look at the slate quarry, still worked today, but we didn't see any signs for it so decided to press on.

We stopped briefly for pasties and cakes at St Kew Highway, then sped on to Wadebridge for lunch. We were planning to ride the Camel Trail to Padstow, but since we had plenty of time we rode the section to Bodmin and back first, stopping at the garden cafe on the way back. There were several cyclists out today despite the rather unfriendly weather conditions. Back at Wadebridge the three cycle hire shops were doing brisk trade, with around ten cyclists a minute coming off the path from Padstow. We stopped occasionally to admire the views and wildlife of the river Camel, then arrived in the bustling fishing village of Padstow by around 4pm. Sadly the pasty shop that Michael remembered so well had sold nearly all its stock for the day, but we found a few left that took our fancy.

The highlight of our time in Padstow was a 15-minute speedboat trip that cost £4 each. We had never travelled so fast on water before. We got drenched as the boat turned into the wind, but it all just helped make the trip even more memorable! A waterfront cafe helped warm us up before we set off once again for the short journey to the hostel.

Our route took us past Harlyn sands. Even though the weather was still cool and cloudy we decided to enjoy the beach anyway: Joe and Josh ran across the soft sands and straight into the water, fully clothed, before Michael could say a word! It was just as well we were just minutes away from the hostel!

Treyarnon Bay hostel, situated beside its own unique bay, is quite large compared to the others we used on this tour, and it is distinctive in offering its meals service to non-residents as well as hostellers. We didn't have time to order hostel food, but Joe would have liked to do so. Our dorm was comfortable and quiet, so after a good meal and some expensive time on the hostel's internet service we settled down for another good night's sleep.

(Previous recorded mileage was 40 miles)

The weather forecast last night had led us to believe that today would be brighter than yesterday, and with decreasing winds we were so confident about the day that we decided to return to Padstow to sample the full range of pasties. The first drops of rain began to fall as we walked along Constantine beach, and by the time we reached Padstow the rain was constant. There were certainly plenty of pasties, but we did feel rather cheated of the promised good weather!

The light rain continued all the way to Bedruthan Steps, where thick mist ensured that nothing at all was visible of the sea or steps! Josh was in need of a morale boost so we settled into the cafe for hot drinks and good food. There seemed little point in going to the steps, but at least the rain had stopped by the time we had finished looking in the gift shop. We continued through Mawgan Porth to the enormous Watergate Bay, where Josh watched the surfers enviously and decided he'd like to take up surfing one day. Arriving in Newquay we went straight to Newquay Zoo, our main attraction of the day, and spent a couple of hours examining its many inhabitants. It's not as large as Paignton Zoo, but it has a different range of animals and kept us very well entertained. Joe fell in love with a bunch of around 20 otters, Josh was impressed by the roaring lion and we all thought the white peacock at the centre of the maze put on a very impressive display for us!

At 5pm it was definitely time to be moving on. We rode to the tiny village of Cubert and then took the back lanes into Perranporth. The hostel is located high on a cliff overlooking one of the largest beaches in Cornwall, so the views were very impressive. For our last night we were a little more adventurous with our meals, working together to produce three jacket potatoes with tuna, cheese and beans - only possible because of the introduction of microwave ovens to hostels! When Josh had finally finished chatting with the surfer-dude who ran the hostel the tide had moved out so we set off for an after-dark exploration of the beach.

Our final day dawned with some promising sunshine. Joe, who had won the award for slowest packer at the first two hostels, was actually outside first today, but since he then spent twenty minutes effecting bike repairs Josh disputed his claim for first place. Josh had been the clear winner at Tintagel, and Michael was first at Treyarnon, so eventually Josh conceded that Joe should be awarded first place today.

We explored some of the local shops and had a daylight walk on the enlarging beach before setting off along the coast path from Perranporth to St Agnes. The path provided plenty of challenges and offered spectacular coastal views. There was plenty of evidence of the extensive tin mining that once flourished in the area, including a horizontal disused mineshaft and the now derelict engine houses and vertical shafts near Cligga Head. The conical wire covers over the shaft heads are apparently designed to keep humans out but allow bats in! Our five-mile adventure took most of the morning and culminated with excellent views of Perranporth airfield, used by the RAF during the war but now used only for gliding and private aviation. Several planes took off and landed while we were there, many dropping parachutists nearby.

On arrival at St Agnes we ran into an RNLI motorbike scramble near the coast, which kept Josh interested for some time. Cloud had now blotted out the morning sunshine so we began to feel distinctly chilly as we ate lunch outside the little stores in the village. Our plan had been to enjoy the beaches along the coast towards St Ives, but by the time we reached Portreath, light rain was beginning to fall. We made use of the nearby cafe to buy Knickerbocker glories and other items, but the rain showed no sign of easing. Our enthusiasm for beaches began to wane, so we headed straight for Camborne station where we boarded the 1514 service to Liskeard.

This was Josh's first real train journey, and Joe had been looking forward to it all day. The hour-long journey gave us chance to relax, enjoy the view and get thoroughly warmed up before disembarking at Liskeard and loading the bikes back into the car. We decided to use the remaining time to enjoy an end-of-tour visit to Pizza Hut at Derriford. We hadn't had the best of weather, but it had nevertheless been an enjoyable adventure of some 117 miles over 4 days.

(Previous recorded mileage was 16 miles, which excluded the excursion to the beach at Perranporth))