Day 2 & 3 – Portsmouth to Land’s End via Ivy Bridge
May 15/16, 2024
Distance: 487 by train + 34 by bike = 521km’s total
Weather: Mostly sunny: 15°C both days
After a short ride to the Portsmouth translation, I was feeling somewhat anxious about whether or not I’d actually be able to get my bike on the train, as I did not have a reservation for my bike. It’s not because I didn’t try, but when I booked my 3 – stage train ride from Portsmouth to Ive Bridge, I tried to include the reservation, but for “technical reasons” I couldn’t do it. When I contacted GWR support, they couldn’t do anything for me…and couldn’t even update my reservation at their end…all they can do is advise that I should check out the info on their website…
Anyway, as you could see I had no problem with my bike on the train on all 3 of the trains I took that day. The train ride itself was great…with no problem boarding and de-boarding.
Needless to say, I was happy to finally get to Ivy Bridge…and it was a short (but hilly) 5km ride from the station in anticipation to see my friends’ Laura and Lee…and I spent a lovely evening with them at their home.
As a bonus, Lee took me into nearby Plymouth to get fuel for my stove…and I’m so glad he did, as the drive also included a brief tour of the city itself. I had no idea just how nice, interesting and historic it was…and Lee knew lots about the military history and installation in Plymouth….lucky me!
The next morning I rode back to the train station for the final leg of this train journey to Penzance. Again, no problem getting the bike onto the train.
The train ride lasted between 2.5 and 3 hours.
I was very pleased to see Nigel once again when I emerged from the station!
After a quick break at a local cafe, we continued on the route that Nigel had selected for us, and continued riding south along the coast through Penzance. What a beautiful city! The ride along the coast was so nice, but very hilly, with an insanely steep pitch up and out of town…I was thankful for the MTB gearing on the Surly!
The remainder of the ride was through lush valleys and along roads lined with tall hedgerows, bisecting the farm fields that we often never saw.
We knew when were getting close to Land’s End when there were expansive views of the ocean in front of us, as well as to the left and right.
We reached our campground, the Land’s End Camping and Clamping site…and we were not disappointed.
The grounds and facilities were modern and very well kept…and only a 10 minute walk to the actual Land’s End marker.
So that’s it for the stage of this trip to get me to the start – Land’s End.
As rain is often the forecast in the UK, we were encouraged by the weather reports of sunshine for the next few days!!!
For more information about Laura and Lee’s 2022 around the world honeymoon tour; Duo Velo, check out the link below:
https://www.instagram.com/duo.velo?igsh=Y3BwMTQ3ZmU1dXJi
More information about my 2015 Iceland tour, where Laura, Lee and I met, can be found here:
https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/16466