Day 4

Lynton to Clovelly

Yesterday: 99.94km and 1505m ascent. Started 1030am, ended 920pm.

Overall: 493km with 6675m ascent.

Ride with GPS ride details (numbers slightly different to my Garmin).

Views from Lynton to Ilfracombe 

First, here's what I ate for breakfast in Abi's cafe in Lynton. I asked (and paid for) Abi to scale the portion size up by 50%!

That picture was taken at 930am, and subsequently it was 1030am before I hit the road. 

This section of coastline is stunning. I had fabulous weather too. The latter made the brutal climbs tolerable! I thought numerous times how different I'd be feeling if it had been cold and wet.

1040am. Into the Valley of Rocks.

1050am. As for Porlock Hill the previous day, I took another toll road to enable me to experience an incredibly scenic route. Complete this time with the modern day honesty box - an unmanned card reader! I've just checked and £2 has indeed been paid to the "Lee Abbey Fellowship"

 

1130am: Views back from whence I came. Plus the shortcut distance to Barnstaple that I wasn't taking!

1215pm: I've been on the road for an hour and three quarters and see from my watch that I've only done 7.5 miles. As I said above - the hills were brutal and I'd guess I'd spent half that time pushing rather than riding my bike. 

1230pm: Approaching Combe Martin. Or, judging by the two signs, approaching Combe Martins!

1245pm: At Combe Martin

Ilfracombe

Ilfracombe is familiar territory because Colin, one of the other Bikes 'n' Beers co-founders, and I have completed the Devon coast to coast here in 2024 and 2025. I used last year's ride as a dry run for this one. Breaking my wrist last September meant this ride was delayed six months until now. Ironically it was on that dry run that my phone stopped working because it had got so wet! I have two on this trip because I bought a replacement and the original came back to life after 10 days.

Here's Colin and me posing for the obligatory Coast to Coast photo with Verity last August.

1340: And this time, just me.

So this is a significant location for me. Yesterday it took on extra significance when I noticed the two words below Verity - I'd not noticed them on my two previous visits. I burst into tears when I saw them.

210pm: I'm beginning to realise  I'm not feeling great. This was my lunch to try to get me back on track. I left one piece of bread and one of the two eggs. Those who know me well will understand why that set the alarm bells ringing!!

 

Ilfracombe to Clovelly

Thanks to the Coast-to-Coast rides, two-thirds of this route was familiar to me. The long, but gentle, climb out of Ilfracombe along what was once a railway line meant I didn't need to overly exert myself. Once at the top I called an emergency ride-organisers committee meeting (a committee of 1!) and decided to take the least hilly route to Braunton. So foregoing visiting Croyde, but also cutting out some serious climbs that I was in no fit state to attempt!

Despite that, I continued to feel worse and worse over the next couple of hours. It felt like my body had gone into shock - I guess that's not too surprising as it has never experienced exertion like this! I did wonder if I'd caught a lurgy as I felt colder and colder. Despite wearing my two usual cycling tops and, for the first time on this ride, both coat and waterproof, as well as switching to my thickest gloves, I felt really cold.

5pm: I've come to the conclusion that I've hit the proverbial wall. The fuel tank is empty and my body has decided that I can continue cycling, but to do so means turning the heating off. So, on the way along the estuary I decided to stop. And rest for 30 minutes. And, like a cold-blooded animal, let myself warm up by basking in the afternoon sun. I did drop off to sleep at once stage too! I'd eaten a couple of apples and a couple of handfuls of nuts before sitting down. Here's my view when I had my eyes open.

6pm: I'm on the other side of the estuary now. And feeling hot - phew - back from the brink, as they say!

920pm. Eating a few more nuts and a couple more apples, along with drinking as much water (with an electrolyte tablet per bottle) and I finally arrive at my booked accommodation. I'd originally planned to follow the coast more - Appledore would have been lovely, I'm sure, but I chose the least hilly route Google offered me for the last couple of hours riding.

Tuesday 

Aiming for Padstow, including taking the Rock to Padstow ferry. Part of the reason for doing this ride now, which is the first week after the Easter school holidays, is that there should be lots of reasonably priced accommodation to choose from. So I'm going to hold off booking somewhere until at least mid-afternoon. 

Today's planned route is 80km and 1100m ascent. My original plan was 90km and 2000m of climbing but, after 4 days of 9pm finishes, I need an early night!