A Family Day out in Cornwall: Cycling the Camel Trail (and getting over my cycling fear)

Another post from our holiday!

One of the things that Fiona from Coombe Mill suggested we do on holiday, was cycle the Camel Trail. The Camel trail runs the six miles from Wadebridge to Padstow along a lovely coastal and woodland pathway, away from regular traffic.

Despite not having been on a bike in many years, we thought that this sounded like a lovely, and very different thing to do.

I had a bad accident on a bike when I was thirteen. I took all the skin off one hand, my right hip bone and my left elbow. I badly cut and grazed my knees, my thigh and my other hand. I broke my arm and I was in a lot of pain for a few weeks. I didn’t get on a bike again until my early twenties, when I rode one to work. Twice. Wobbly and nervous.

But this was different. I’m a grown woman, with a husband and three children. We went into Wadebridge (o Camel Trail Cycle Hire) and hired a mans bicycle for Jonny, with a tag-along bike attached to the back, for Bunny to pedal. We also hired a ladies bike for me, with a baby trailer hitched on to the back, for the twins. Including helmets and car parking, our rentals cost £37 for a whole day, which we thought was reasonable.

Obviously, we opted for helmets again. This is something I will always insist on after my accident. My accident would have been fatal if not for my helmet. I also knew a boy in school who ended up in a coma after falling off a bike without a helmet. I think helmets are paramount.

Jonny and Bunny set off ahead and left me behind. Wobbly and nervous again. I had to pull up just a few metres up the track when Tiny decided to bawl her little eyes out. Fluffy had instantly fallen asleep, but Tiny didn’t like it. Jonny had raced off and was out of sight. I calmed Tiny with some biscuits and about ten minutes later I finally caught up with Jonny. Jonny had taken that long to notice I wasn’t behind him and stop and wait. That put me in a bad mood, but after a few cross words about this being a “family” bike ride, I felt better.

It was an overcast day, but quite warm. It was the day that in London they claimed it to be the hottest day of 2013. It certainly wasn’t in Cornwall, but the exercise kept us warm.

The scenery was beautiful. We started off in woodlands and soon we were cycling alongside the sea. On our way to Padstow, it was just sand as the tide was out, but on the way back it was a sea full of boats and people waterskiing. There were parts of the track which were quite high up, with a steep drop either side, which made me glad Bunny wasn’t on a bike of her own.

On arrival in Padstow, we were met with literally hundreds of bike racks, which meant no worrying about where to padlock our bikes. Make a note of your bike license number though – as they all look the same!!!

In Padstow we had the nicest pasties I have ever eaten in my life. I’m not a big pasty fan, but these were beautiful! The Padstow Pasty Co I think it was called. Nice traditional miners crust, but moist and not dry. The filling was plentiful, great textures, lots of good quality steak and very creamy. Just delicious.

We had lunch, changed the babies, had a play on the grass and took some photos. A lovely family day. A quick trip to the gift shops to buy me a more substantial top, as I was cold and we set off back for Wadebridge.

The six miles back only took us 30 minutes, which I thought was impressive for a leisurely ride. I got off the bike with the shakes. Utterly exhausted. Jonny couldn’t understand why – but then he and Bunny had two of them pedalling one bike, whilst I had to pull 4 stones of babies and trailer behind mine!

Apart from Tiny crying for most of the journey, it was a lovely day. So nice to do something different. We recommended this to another family when we got back to Coombe Mill, and they went out and did the same a few days later. Thankyou Fiona for the suggestion.