20 mile Cornish commute. do-able?

[Kiwiavenger]

I'm looking to move down south fairly soon and have applied for a job in Truro. the only problem I have is the house i will be staying in (until the wife sells up and joins me down there) is in St Eval.

ive had a little look at the route and found a nice little bit avoiding the A30 only problem is its 20 miles door to door with a massive climb out of truro coming home! im currrently doing 8 miles each way with the odd flat 22 miler thrown in for good measure!

my question then is is it do-able, and would it kill me after a week!! id be looking at driving 2-3 the days for the first few weeks and building it up however the hours are between 8am and 8 pm so some night rides may be needed!

 

[wintonbina]

Of course you can do it! Just allow plenty of time to start with & you will get quicker as time goes by!
Good luck with the job.

 

[deanE]

Welcome to Cornwall. 40 miles a day on top of a 12 hour working day is asking a lot. have you seen your route on the map or driven it? Wise to keep off the A30 if you can but some of the byroads are just as hazardous, especially at night, even in summer. If you must use your bike then how about putting the bike in the car on day one and cycle home. Then cycle back the next day. Otherwise use the car during the week and get out on the bike at weekends, when you can make the most of what Cornwall has to offer, perhaps with one of the excellent and inviting cycling clubs.

 

[PK99]

I'm looking to move down south fairly soon and have applied for a job in Truro. the only problem I have is the house i will be staying in (until the wife sells up and joins me down there) is in St Eval.

ive had a little look at the route and found a nice little bit avoiding the A30 only problem is its 20 miles door to door with a massive climb out of truro coming home! im currrently doing 8 miles each way with the odd flat 22 miler thrown in for good measure!

my question then is is it do-able, and would it kill me after a week!! id be looking at driving 2-3 the days for the first few weeks and building it up however the hours are between 8am and 8 pm so some night rides may be needed!

Do you know Cornwall?

It is lovely and green for a good reason - it rains a lot! It's windy too - esp in winter. The route you have is 20 miles and 1500-2000 feet of climbing each way. The lanes are narrow, and many tourists drive like lunatics because they don't know how to drive on those roads and the locals drive like lunatics because they do.

I spend time in Cornwall every year - the bike stays at home!

 

[Red Light]

You could cycle to St Austell which avoids the main roads and is about 16 miles and then catch the train down to Truro.

 

[deanE]

You could cycle to St Austell which avoids the main roads and is about 16 miles and then catch the train down to Truro.

Or you could cycle to Newquay, 8 miles, and catch the train to Truro, but that would take you all day and you wouldn't get back until the next day! As for PK99's comment - well he's being a bit hard on the locals, though up around St Eval way he might be not far out, but for the rest, he's got it spot on.

 

[Kiwiavenger]

Im down cornwall 6-7 times over the summer and lots more over the winter! The in laws are living there at the moment and ive been down twice already!

I prefer cycling in the rain/wind/snow and need to improve my climbing (much better since I got the allez but we can,always improve! Lol. It's only a 35 hr week so normal 7 hour days (unless I can wangle 3 12 hr shifts and have 4 days off!) lol.

 

[Red Light]

Or you could cycle to Newquay, 8 miles, and catch the train to Truro, but that would take you all day and you wouldn't get back until the next day! As for PK99's comment - well he's being a bit hard on the locals, though up around St Eval way he might be not far out, but for the rest, he's got it spot on.

Which is why I suggested St Austell, not Newquay because the trains to Truro from St Austell are fairly regular and take about 20 mins.

 

[niggle]

Cycling in Cornwall is great if you like a challenge You would be better off starting in the summer months IMO, then you will get fit before you have to deal with the darkness, muddy roads and hard rain and wind all together. Apart from the previous too winters, snow has simply not been an issue for the twenty years I have been down here, but occasionally you do get hard falls of hail, which can be quite unpleasant.

Your current mileage suggests that you will find it quite a work out at first, but doable once or twice a week to start with IMO. I think its fair to say that 20 miles in Cornwall is twice the effort of that in a flat area like East Anglia, but its not as bad as a mountainous area. The hills are generally quite short but they can be steep, 1:3 (33%) is not unknown and anything up to 1:5 (20%) is common place, and there is not much flat stuff in between so you are spending most of a ride grinding up hill, interspersed with a few short swift descents on the brakes. In distance and height the ups and downs are equal of course, but because you climb so much slower the ups take up most of your time.

I would suggest at least a road triple, only the really fit roadies can cope with compact doubles round here. In fact if I was doing that distance regularly to commute I would get a drop bar touring bike with plenty of gear range, down to around 25" or less, and tyres in the range of 32-35mm: the road surfaces can be pretty dire as well due to all the chip and seal stuff they throw on to the lanes on a regular basis, say once every twenty years or so . Mudguards are a must for winter IMO and so are very good lights, either hub dynamo or rechargeable of the latest powerful LED type for the front I would suggest.

I can suggest a route or two to try but it rather depends on which bit of Truro you are heading for. Not so familiar with the St Eval end but if you can find a good route to Newlyn East (AKA St Newlyn East), I can guide you in from there. Avoid the A30 at all costs, between you and Truro it is fast single carriageway road with local loonies doing 70+ on it at commuting times. Commuting at rush hour times in to Truro can be surprisingly busy, and you may find yourself having to filter past long queues, depending which way you go.

I work at Treliske Hospital and only have to do about 5.5 miles each way to commute, but come the summer weather I do quite often go in the long way, it can be truly fabulous in good weather if you get away from the busier roads, which is really quite easy as there is such a vast network of lanes in the county. There is plenty of cycling based activity going on all year round at the weekends, and sunny summer Sundays can be almost over crowded with all the Roadies, Audaxers, End-to-Enders, holiday makers all pedalling up and down the county, then you have all the great off road tracks and trails as well, particularly in my area near Redruth/Camborne, up in the clay pits (St Austell area) and the Camel Trail (Bodmin-Padstow), which is rather too popular TBH. I normally go out with a bunch of friends on a Sunday and clock up 65-75 miles or so.

 

[deanE]

Niggle, you left out the bit about the cow slurry and the thorns when they slash the hedges about every year. Oh, and the rocks that fall out of the cornish hedges and lay in wait, just around the downhill bend.

 

[MacB]

Nothing wrong with giving it a go and, if I read your OP correctly, you're not expecting to be permanently settled at 20 miles from work. Research the route carefully and ride it a couple of times without the time pressures of getting to work.

You can always drive in with the bike in the car, ride home, ride back in the next day, then drive home, etc. Or you could drive part way and then cycle the remainder there and back to the car.

Lanes, high hedges and reckless driving are not unique to Cornwall, but they can always be a challenge. I'd choose a busier route than one with a lot of twists and limited visibility, if the option exists.

 

[niggle]

Niggle, you left out the bit about the cow slurry and the thorns when they slash the hedges about every year. Oh, and the rocks that fall out of the cornish hedges and lay in wait, just around the downhill bend.

Yes those rock can be a nasty surprise, as can gravel washed across the road from the fields when it rains hard.

Suggested route attached, upload it here: http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php but as I said I don't know the bit from St Eval to Newlyn East

 

[niggle]

Thought of another route, much less climbing, 1400ft instead of 1760ft for the first route. I have avoided the last bit of the A390 from Tresillian in to Truro, its a nasty set of fast bends up hill, and the detour via Pencalenick is quite pleasant. The run from Fraddon to Tresillian is really quite flat and quick.