Homeward Bound

Day 16: Penzance to Edinburgh

Letting the train take the strain!

This is (probably) our final posting from this holiday. Very, very sorry that the adventure is over for the time being. No punctures or significant mechanical issues, only one injury from Euan's run in with that gate and we're still speaking to each other – result!!!

After an early night and a really good sleep for both of us we were up and about early to make sure we were fully packed and sorted. We even had time for a short wander along the Promenade in the breezy sunshine before going into the Beachfield Hotel (which our Guest Lodge was attached to) in search of some breakfast around 8am. Much, much more personal service in here than yesterday morning in St Ives. Lovely setting, tasty food and we enjoyed looking at old photographs of the hotel & environs which were prominently displayed in the reception area.

So sadly we paid for our breakfast (not included in room rate, but well worth it), collected our bikes from reception and gently pedalled our way along the seafront to the station. The nice thing about being on a train from the start to the finish of the journey is that it was waiting for us when we arrived and we were able to take our time getting our bikes and ourselves on. We were safely at our seats around 20 minutes before it left, which even by my anxious standards was rather early!

Apart from to say how relieved we were to have gone for first class tickets (insanely crammed train in standard class and the trolley was stuck at the opposite end of the train from us – I wish the powers that be in CrossCountry would take a trip on their own trains to realise just how utterly horrendous the effect of their cost cutting measures are!) there's nothing much to report about the journey itself. Currently in Leeds station (5pm) having seen no significant rain, read half a book each, watched a film on the computer, eaten snacks and lunch (eventually being offered coffee around 4 – 'only' 6.5 hours after departing Penzance). At this point, looking forward to getting home...

So, what have we learnt from this trip?

• You can be lucky with the British summer weather (yes, really, we have the suntans to prove it)
• We like Cornwall and would like to go down for another holiday there
• Most people are very friendly and genuinely interested in what other people are doing
• There are some steep hills around, but we can almost always get up them
• It's really nice to catch up with friends and family along the way
• It was well worth investing in new panniers before this trip – SO nice not to have to worry about them bouncing off
• Do not buy a new saddle just before going cycling for two weeks (Euan did)!
• We like rest days! Important for recharging the batteries and getting a proper opportunity to see some tourist sites
• It would've been nice to have had some extra time at the end to relax and explore for a few days before heading back
• Bed and breakfasts are often nicer, more individual and much more interesting to stay in than hotels
• For long distance travel it's well, well, well worth spending the extra on first class for the journey home (and booking well in advance for the cycle reservation)
• Pack a few bin bags (or lightweight cycle cover if you have one) – excellent way to provide a makeshift bike shelter if they need to stay outside overnight
• We like Sherborne
• You can spend a lot of money on food whilst cycling!
• Planning the route in advance took ages, but was great fun and was totally worth the effort – our double system of detailed mapping (invest in mapping software so you only need to print out the actual pages that you need) with written directions certainly works very well for us
• Don't rely on following cycle routes – they are improving, but are often poorly marked, confusing, prone to vanishing or just unsuitable for riding touring bikes on
• The UK is full of amazing places to explore and people to meet. We barely scratched the surface – everyone would have a different experience and find their own things of interest to investigate along the way
  Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone we've stayed with, cycled with or met along the way!