Day 8

Helston to Truro via the Lizard.

Today: 64.7km and 902m ascent/descent.
Total: 798km and 11,466m.
Started 10am and finished 530pm.

The details are split into two because I forgot to press the start button on my Garmin watch🤦 And the Ride with GPS down to the Lizard didn't save, so Strava was the only one of my three apps to successfully record that first leg.

The Lizard
Despite yesterday's failed attempt, there was no way I wasn't going to make the trip to the most southerly point of mainland Britain. Or, from my ride's point of view, the most southerly point of the SW Peninsula.

That means I've now completed the set as I've already visited the most eastern point of Somerset (on Saturday east of Frome), the most northern point of Somerset (Brean Point on Sunday) and the most westerly point (Lands End, yesterday). So, whilst through fatigue and yesterday's headwinds I haven't followed the coastline as closely as shown in my Plan A, I have visited all four compass points of my definition of the SW Peninsula.

The best non-Stu definition of the SW Peninsula I found is on Wikipedia. The "Limits" section suggests the southeastern limit is Portland Bill, which I obviously didn't visit. However, the easternmost point of my ride was still east of Portland Bill. Not that it really matters - I'm still cycling a very long way in 10 days!

After that digression, back to business...

I arrived at the Lizard around 1115am. No iconic signpost there, so here's a few photos I took there. First, even the surrounds of the National Trust sign had taken a battering
Another view from as low down the point as I dare go with my bike 

And looking down on where my bike and I had been. The red circle is where the National Trust sign is, and also where I wheeled my bike too. 

So, as with the northernmost point of my trip (Brean Point), my bike has reached parts of the SW Peninsula that most other bikes have not reached! 

Lizard to Truro
I hadn't long left the Lizard when I decided to finally sort my rear derailleur as gear changing was getting less and less reliable. So, I went through my usual 45 minute routine as follows:-
1. Twist the barrel adjuster a small amount to see if that improves the alignment.
2. That fails, so I undo the twist to get back to where I started.
3. Except that's made it even worse.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for 15-20 minutes to fully remind myself why I just get bike shops to adjust the gears these days!
5. Google "rear derailleur adjustment" and watch YouTube video.
6. Finally get the indexing back to where it was originally and just carry on, relieved that the gears are at least shifting again!

They were shifting better too, which was a surprise!

315pm. View across the countryside.

4pm. View back down the cart track that Google had just sent me up.

Truro
Shortly after the above picture was taken, my front brake suddenly became very noisy. A brake block had vacated the bike! So next stop any bike shop. I got to Truro at 530pm, by which stage Halfords was the only shop open. Not only did they have a replacement block, but they supplied and fitted it for free😊

My BPM friend David (Wednesday's cheese and onion pasty supplier) had said as we parted on Wednesday that he and his wife, Maureen, would drive over to meet me on Friday evening. Thursday evening's search for possible places to stay on Friday evening were throwing up nothing less than £300 - pesky weekend demand! So, I asked if I could impose myself on them and stay at theirs on Friday evening. They said yes (😁) so I'm writing this on Saturday morning sat in their living room back on the north coast in Mawgan Porth.

We'll be driving the 40 minutes back to Truro shortly. Hopefully my bike is still here.

Today
Truro to Plymouth via Fowey and it's ferry. Lots of accommodation options in Plymouth😊

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