Day 13 Redruth to Looe
Quick Facts
Weather: Sunny H28 L18
Humidity 51%
Destination: Hannaforte Pointe Hotel, Marine Drive. Looe UK
Planned distance: 48.8 mi. 78.4 km
Planned ascent: 3,327 feet
Planned decent: 3,648
Check out my Corner to Corner, Day 13: Redruth to Looe on Strava: https://strava.app.link/bEKdTwh1wsb
Good morning.
It is sunny, cool, calm winds and I am sitting on the terrace of the Penventon all packed and ready to pedal off into the sunrise (ok not quite. The sun has been up 3 hours!)
Breakfast was yoghurt with Granola and Mrs. P’s fruit compote, Very, very buttery croissants, Eggs Royale (2 poached eggs on smoked salmon on English muffin) etc.
No excuse not getting up hills today. And there are plenty!
The dining room ambiance was more than lovely as Ralph enjoyed the coffee.
It isn’t often that I get a bike photo taken inside a luxury bar…. So here I am heading out. Hanna at reception helped with unlocking the staff room and locking up after me continuing the excellent service I am sure this hotel has a reputation for.
It was lovely going out of town before 9 on a Saturday morning but the first hill we walked took us 20 minutes!
Immediately out of Redruth we settled into the smoothly paved secondary roads where vehicles waited patiently for us going up hills until there was a “bulge” in the road designed to let cars pass each other. Patience and politeness is needed to drive in Britain and the locals seem to have it in spades.
My Canadian cycling friends can appreciate the smooth pavement. Note: I essentially never take a picture of a % grade sign at the bottom of a hill. At the bottom I am trying to maintain any momentum I may have. At the top I am using the photo stop as an excuse to catch my breath.
The old mine shaft in the photo below has ornate bricking and a beautiful structure, built to last. Note how dried up the former pond is now. Farmers are asking for a “hosepipe ban” i.e. banned hose use for watering lawns, gardens or washing cars in an effort to conserve water!
The next structure along the winding road (well after the 16% grade warning sign) was
the recruiting poster for a local mine. It said something like “Heat up your career, join our mine”. It looked like it was active but Google, who knows all, says it is permanently closed. Career advancement may be slow.
Mining does continue to be part of the economy in Cornwall.
We continued cycling up and down the back roads until suddenly there was no more road. Ralph prepared the routes. He knew we were taking the King Henry ferry across the River Fal. I did not. I love ferries! These are all pulled by chains.
I wonder how many trips the old sailor on the bridge has made.
Ralph was ready for a morning Latte and cake when we rolled into Philleigh where a cafe seemed open … but was not. Just around the corner we could hear laughter. Ralph investigated and found the bus load of Americans we had met in Marazion. They were attending a pastry lesson. Their bus was parked just down the road. The owner, Rupert Cooper, was teaching and making everyone laugh. He obviously enjoyed his vocation. Julie in the teaching kitchen let us fill our bottles. She was very welcoming. The kitchen and facilities looked very good as did the pastries. The chef was explaining the water content of various vegetables and how some make your pastry soggy and others do not. I wanted to stay.
The Crown Inn at St Ewe was around a bend just when we wanted to refuel. Who wouldn’t want to support a local economy that has such welcoming road signs:
A highlight of our afternoon was meeting a fellow cyclist, Martin Palmer who is a conductor teaching music at the college in Truro. He recognized Haven House and felt he had done charity concerts for HH sometime in the past but didn’t clue in “where” until it came out that he had been the music teacher at Forest School in Woodford, literally down the road from Haven House some years ago.
I took his picture….. then very soon after a bus advertising his college went by. Is that Martin in the ad on the back of the bus?!!! Ok maybe not.
The countryside continued to be beautiful and Cornish farms tidy. This photo oveooks the farm called Graze. A retirement livery for horses.
Our next ferry was at Fowey then up and down the hills of
Cornwall until we stopped at a village green to have lunch. Old telephone boxes are often used for Lilliput Libraries around the world. You take a book/leave a book. This telephone booth is used as a Seed Exchange. Nice idea!
It would have been nice to sit on the green all afternoon but the lure of Looe looming was strong. We passed a sign saying “Check your brakes” which sounded ominous, then understood why as we desended a VERY long steel hill to the ocean and the picture perfect seaside town of Looe, full of vacationers on this hot Saturday afternoon.
The staff at the Hannafore Point Hotel were very helpful in letting us keep the bikes in a cubbyhole in the lobby.
https://hannaforepointhotel.com/
I dropped my bags in my room and headed straight to the pool and spa. The pre-swim shower washed off a lot of road grime then I plunged into the pool. Swimming takes very different muscles than cycling. It was very refreshing. I watched the sunset in a cloudy sky from the water then enjoyed the jacuzzi massaging my legs, the hot tub and finally the steam room all with calming lights and soft music. I didn’t use the sauna or the dark, peaceful relaxation beds waiting for their next pampered customer.
Again, a lovely ending to a very satisfying cycling day.
Safe cycling
Lorraine Looe