A Brompton bikepacking adventure through the West Country. Much harder than I expected!!

Thank you very much I'm heading to Paddington station today There aren't many things left now I'm heading to Bristol and then I'm off to Cornwall Felly are you from Cornwall Well I've managed to get permission to go on ahead to St Ives with some friends I think we'll reach there Otherwise I don't know anything about politics I think it would be great to drive through Somerset Devon and Cornwall and see how good it would be I've decided to start from Bristol I’ve planned a journey there longer or farther in a straight line to St Ives That's exactly what I'm doing all the time I'm heading down the road from A to B on a major route I can see where I'm coming from The paths would be 225 acres I'd be heading into the Mendips the Quantox and Exmoor—those are the places I'm most drawn to as well as choosing Cornwall and some other interesting places I'm basing it on Thursday In the initial period clearly visible for 5 days 40 to 50 times per day Regarding the available routes in St Ives on the Day As you will see I'm constantly learning about the Welsh counties All of this interest stems from our curiosity I had done it differently before but in any case 1.5 hours from London I was already in Bristol and based at the Avon Way I feel uneasy I always feel uneasy based on that I feel like Oh is that really the case I think he's been just like the last time and you didn't know I was exploring many paths and then I presented those paths at the University o a wide expanse Gwych okay I'm not feeling uncomfortable being introduced so late I'll step in on your behalf Fantastic Well now I was in Somerset and the first thing e three councils we will be crossing And thus the paths led me It would have made a huge difference In truth it truly was a matter of life and death It's a bit of a challenge I think you might be able to manage it since I'm leaving e more I think about the society's stance on the matter the more I'm convinced of this course of action Oh it's quite intriguing to challenge it Compton Martyn Society was one of the places I thought I'd see on the way I love Romanesque architecture This church is even more fascinating than typical Romanesque examples and the women of Norman descent who have come forward with William the Conqueror That's very interesting indeed This race has seen many changes and developments over time Thank you so much for saying that to me That's interesting that's interesting It's a great way to explore the countryside It's interesting but very interesting indeed I think I'm going to head to the mountains now These paths are very interesting truly fascinating I was on the medical ward heading out for a walk It's very interesting in truth When you're campaigning for one cause after another You'll have plenty of ways It's really interesting in fact I'm campaigning with Dovedale in Derbyshire It was part of the ways the paths and everything that drives me forward and in truth The Mendip Hills and Dovedale in Derbyshire are very interesting These paths run through Winnits Pass in Derbyshire but are quite extensive These are the country's most important routes At this moment I was in the money being discussed regarding the Somerset Levels That was a great time to copy This is very interesting You can see paths within the paths It's beautiful It's time to get to work It's cozy here 3 So I'm just doing a little bit of this and that here Otherwise I wanted a bit of 30s world related to coffee so I've made 28 The Somerset Levels were very much aware of Englishness around the fen It's a different era of waste one where the methods have multiplied beyond measure Oh I need to get going I can feel it in my bones that I need to be on my way It started off with just a few ways related to coffee but those have since disappeared I was trying to take action and make a stand noticeably few ways The ways of the roads are about the roads being about the roads being about the roads I guess I'm going to have to show up late That's what it's all about—how things are on the roads I'm certain about this University I think it's been years since the traffic but it's fine Well done Yes then a man At this school I used to rely heavily on drying out the roots The felly dim ond y dyno yw'r ffyrdd a'i gynharau made with earth roads Grain root powder and so on That's good That's good Make it as dry as possible to dry At this moment right now I'm full of flowers full of flowers That's part of the pasta That looks good doesn't it It is in fact important I’ve just left Bristol behind and I’m on the open road It's going to continue on to Gwentogs and then to Exmoor Are you looking forward to it It's a very good day In reality very good A few scattered flowers grow there The water has moved on That's the thing that's it It's water most of the water Felly the plan today was to head to Gwentogs then on to Exmoor and finally to Devon There would be around 45 routes Those mountains weren't difficult I had hoped things would be resolved by now Felly no way Alright then I'm off to the Gwentogs I'm off to the Gwentogs Felly I'm right here A bit more Oh I'm looking at this again These ones are fighting the next ones Hope it works out Yes we got the work done I'm fine I was just about to do these next ones This is great isn't it It's interesting for you to get all the divers I'm very interested It's interesting It'd be interesting for you to go out there if you're heading out later No I'm not I'm going to the Lanzend The Lanzend Yes How long will it take you to get there I'm heading there tomorrow Well that's the way it goes Thank you I'm grateful They're always arguing Only two of them Right Thank you Hello they know you're alive Alright thank you Physics on the rise physics on the rise It's strong they know what it is The significant increases and the paths ahead appear clear to me It's hard for me to go back It's flipping over Great It's difficult but in reality The world's pool I'm coming to the long-awaited meeting Procom It was one of the places I've looked at I was looking at them here with the weight They were commissioned in the 1500s by Government of the Manor And they had started off very well with photographs that were theirs He said he had pressed it Not human photographs in reality in reality any photographs By the 1500s they had no photographs They all pressed forward I like this kind of thing This kind of industry is created by people I hope you can see this There are indeed people like this drowning in endless waves Stay focused now Teach them to write It's essential It's beautiful Together I was making incredible progress not just because of the paths And I'm moving on and moving out It's going to stay like this for the day I believe and it suggests we'll improve At the end of the day Oh no It's started again Now despite these being somewhat larger I'm going ahead to Exmoor I've completed the truth I was amazed at how much I'd been through in just 17 years clwmp I was now firmly established on the bench with this funding said Mark Hill as the share increased A child born between 15 and 20 weeks gestation was unexpectedly delivered prematurely Otherwise I experience the reality that the company's centers have described The setbacks These clubs mean an awful lot to me and they mean even more now than they ever did before Oh it's actually been really tough—I'm so exhausted it's already past six and it's just been incredibly hard It's been raining heavily and I just ate some nuts and drank some water before continuing on On that's one in five oh my god oh slightly a muddle going on here oh because I'm tired and struggling to do things anyway look we've got this really nice pasta with sardines and there's a crunchy topping to put on it so I'll add that— I'll be fine now that I've changed into dry clothes for so much better so I had crossed the Mendips the Quantox and Exmoor and today's goal was o cross Devon and reach Cornwall to a coastal town called Bude it was going to be over 50 miles further today than yesterday and after that battle I wasn't feeling very confident—yesterday was such a tough day I actually feel quite daunted It'll turn out to be 47 miles today—50 if it's equally tough and raining like that It's going to be really tough—I had planned to cover 45 to 50 miles every day on this journey rough the West Country and I usually manage that kind of distance without issue but I realized I'd underestimated the hills there—they weren't that high but they were so steep and relentless that they were slowing me down making it hard to keep up I can't afford to stop so much to look around and just relax like I like to—goodness it looks so nice doesn't it Oh that's good—of course with a folding bike it's easy to bail out if I want to and get a lift a bus call a taxi—but of course I don't want to I really wanted to ride this as I had planned to meet my friends on Monday—actually a really nice place—oh God is it going to blow over Oh no there's another gray cloud coming it's just going to be like that isn't it Quick get this all done—oh look at the poor bike I'm going to give the bike some TLC now so I set off telling myself just not to worry and enjoy it—right that's the point isn't it On the way Oh this looks lovely— the hills were one thing but now the headwind’s back Still that’s just how it is I just reminded myself to look after myself enjoy the moment and keep going with the food because that’s what matters Whatever fuel it turns out to be just enjoy it e idea that it's simply going to be extremely difficul It was so punishing that I ended up doing about 15 more arrow or double arrow steep sections where the gradie s at least 15 and can exceed 20 with the terrain carved by rivers and streams that create deep gorges—you're constantly diving down only to climb back up again It was incredibly quiet along those Devon lanes—hardly a soul around just people working I kept eating to keep my energy up Oh God I’ve kind of picked up on this habit windiest place with no view—don't know why I just thought it'd be here and here I am I passed through one small village after another on the extremely steep side roads and after 20 miles I realized I wasn't making fast enough progress I had 30 miles to cover so I decided to try larger roads for a while where the gradients might be more favorable so I'm just doing a little bit on the B A road Not busy it's not today—I just wanted to get a little distance done brilliant on the small lake but it's just up and down up and down one lef Anyway a little change is nice so the B roads were sometimes a bit easier like this but it was still really tough and the climbs were hard—you start to feel like it's not actually as great as I thought it would be It was easier but not a free pass out of trouble—I was moving a bit faster though I found my way around some road closures then checked my progress—yes there's only 16 left I think I can do it—okay coffee time I was exhausted but I felt I could manage it now No time—I just dropped myself onto this half-baked village green but it's only 16 left—that's such great news A lot but I mean it's manageable isn't it I think it's doable right I'm going to need something I love Garibaldi biscuits I was feeling much better already especially enjoying the raisins So I set off once more to ride the final stretch to the coast—massive headwind but we're going to do it I had been pushing myself hard over the past few days and reaching the sea that evening just as I’d planned felt absolutely brilliant How brilliant is that So I'm heading down into town then I'm going to camp At a campsite hopefully I’d made it to Bude so I was still on track with my plan and it felt so good—look at that place it’s absolutely heavenly isn’t it Oh my god Brilliant it's a really nice spot isn't it Yes the sea is down there So I made another rehydrated dinner—this one was vegetarian chicken pilaf which was super easy and delicious Then all I had to do was sit back relax and enjoy a cup of tea—it's so good to have finally arrived It's 53 miles in the end—I can't believe I actually managed that especially in this terrain and with a headwind for most of the way I'd actually heard people say that people Lund and Jonah Groats say the hardest part is Devon and Cornwall so I've done Devon and Today day four I was going to start heavy in Cornwall—actually isn’t it just sitting there watching it like a drip Sunshine for now I think it’s going to be another one of those days bu actually the afternoon looked dry which is really good so today I plan to do about 40 miles along for the first time I was on a section of a recognized cycle route—National Route 3 The Cornish Way—or on an optional section according to the cycle travel website I only read later that you can take an inland route which is mildly hilly or the coastal route— described as truly grueling with crazily steep climbs—kind of knew that already just from the map and I was definitely just going to do it anyway oh wow this looks incredible—I'm so excited to do this first stretch You know you don't really get this kind of experience when you're cycling You don't get the cliffs and all that but maybe today I'll catch a bit of it and I headed down to Boscastle and realized it was high time I had a Cornish pasty God it's so heavy—riding it's going to be even harder now that I've had this and then it was back on the bike and more climbing On this trip I climbed a total of 6 000 meters—can you believe I stopped by thinking I’d enjoy it but I didn’t really it was just so crowded and full of people and it was awkward trying to make out anything like the castle so I just stood around for a minute before pushing on—I felt happier on the open road but the thing was also that since I was fighting quite a bit and basically just slowing down I felt like I just wanted to keep I was much more certain I'd make it and I arrived in the town of Wade Bridge which was Far less crowded and I really enjoyed sitting by the bridge in the sun—I realized I was actually doing pretty well I just checked where I’m planning to go tonight it’s called St Colin It's only about ten miles so that's perfect—I relaxed and took it easy and the view was stunning The sun was just so lovely—oh it's doing me good it's really calm now somehow e wind has eased a little and I was now heading up St Briox which turned out to be quite a long climb much less steep and the headwind had eased whereas in the narrow little lanes I was often unable to see over the hedges here I could see for miles—it was an absolute joy How lovely right We're nearly there—St Colub is where I'm camping Look come on sweet home—doesn't it look gorgeous This was my last dehydrated dinner—it was chickpea and spinach curry—and it looks absolutely great so I'm going to take that off put the water on for tea Time for a nice sit in my armchair—God I love this thing for tea and chocolate I was just so glad to have made it this far and now there was only one day lef It was raining all morning but it's stopped now so I thought I'd quickly get the tent down That's it—all packed up and ready to go for the day the last day so I had cycled about 185 miles from Bristol so far and it had been much harder than I expected—now I had just 40 lef Miles left to St Ives—let's hope it doesn't rain too much it's forecast to rain a lot so just get ready for that I do feel quite cozy in my coa Do you know I'd absolutely love some fish and chips—I'm really hungry now What an incredible sight—she’s passing by about 10 miles out now—how about that at was easy so I'd seen a little bit of the West Country and it had been so much tougher than I'd expected ad expected and I'd learned so much—I'd loved the quiet secluded intimacy of it all—and the ext time I’ll shorten my daily distances to ease the pressure on myself giving me more time to truly enjoy everything—though right now I’ve just got a mile left and a little to the left of St Ives that's