Fusing a sitcom style recap and a blog title that sounds a little like a book aimed at children is how this blog is starting....

......so to recap; my bike is named "Red" (see earlier blog for the background) and whilst my adventure to Cornwall by train might feel a little like a children's book from the past the question is do I pitch this blog in the style of the Famous Five or something more contemporary ?

The journey to Lands End was the culmination of extensive research and planning, and after an early morning dog walk at the beach, breakfast was followed by a last minute check of my packing. Assuming that my packing was at least 95% correct, and any missing items could be purchased if needed I kissed Jan goodbye, had an incredible hug as well and cycled to our nearest train station to begin the trip.

A two mile cycle got me to the very quaint station of Hinton Admiral, which I believe was built for the local landowning family, the Meyricks, in return for allowing the railway to cut through their land to connect the mainline from London to Bournemouth. Whilst it is unlikely to ever be incredibly busy at Hinton that suited Red and I as we arrived in good time to await the arrival of the 08.33 heading to Dorchester South.

After some research both online and via social media I had booked (where necessary) a bike space on the various trains. No booking was needed for this first train, and I had half-expected to find a cycling club at the station with hundreds of other bikes forcing me to either fight for my bike space or very quickly sort out some alternative train / bike travel arrangements.

The platform was packed with approximately two, maybe three other ticket holders and most importantly no other bikes in sight! As the train pulled up into the station I was looking out for the tell tale bike signs on the train doors making it clear where Red could settle for this first journey. Whilst my normal default setting for bike journeys has been worrying slightly about the route / weather / food.....this time it was all about a space for the bike on the train, essential for my journey to Lands End.

Train door button pressed, the door opened with a satisfying swoosh and  I wheeled Red onto the train to find the non-booking space full of a couple of other bikes! After a quick conversation with the bike owners and a rearrangement of the bikes Red was safely nestled into the bike space with the other bikes resting on top, both leaving the train in the next stop or two.

As the train pulled away from Hinton station the journey had begun, gathering speed passing by the local landmarks as I left my home town. Several train station stops later and Red was all alone in the bike space, and I stood close by to partly keep an eye on my bike and partly because I knew I would appreciate some time standing.

After almost an hour of the journey the train pulled into Dorchester South station where Red and I were met by my dad, Bryan, who had very kindly agreed to help get me from Dorchester to Axminster station; bridging the gap between the two train lines and saving me approximately 3 hours of train journeys and in fairness a few £'s too (thanks Dad). Sadly the train pulled up on the south platform, the car park was situated on the north side of the station, a short walk that took in a bridge which involved a lift of the bike and baggage, followed by a quick removal of the bags and front wheel to ensure Red was able to fit into my dad's car.

My Axminster train wasn't for another 2 1/2 hours so I was able to spend some time catching up with my parents over a coffee and biscuits, before a second car journey from my dad got me to another lovely station, this time in Axminster for the 12.30 to Exeter St David's - again a train where pre-booking for the bike wasn't necessary.

As my dad waved me off Red and I got onto the train and found an empty bike space, perfect for Red to settle down for the next part of the train journey whilst I tucked into some lunch. Less than an hour later we arrived in Exeter expecting to have to travel over stairs to the next train connection, but luck was again on my side and the 13. 25 train to Penzance arrived / departed from the same platform I had arrived at.

A very swanky looking green Great Western Railway train arrived, this time with a pre-booked bike space and seat for me (printed tickets for both Red and I ! ) and once in our respective places we began the 3 hour journey through Devon and Cornwall to our final train station destination.....in fact Penzance is literally the end of the line !

This three hour journey found us winding our way along coastal railway lines with views over the English Channel as well as rolling hills (Famous Five like) , and as I type this its only now that I realise that the hilly nature of Devon and Cornwall should have been more obvious to me and my ride back (more on this in the next few blogs). I'd taken a book, cycling related, to help fill the time and also took the opportunity to use GWR wifi to check my routes, accommodation bookings and update my Instagram story for the day. #bikeonatrain

One decision remained for me to take once I got to Penzance; I could either get off the train and head to the Bed and Breakfast in town and prepare for a long day of cycling the following day or I could set off straight away and head to Lands End before returning to the Bed and Breakfast to prepare for a slightly shorter cycle the next day.

The forecast (gale force winds and heavy rain) would lead most normal people to consider option A to rest up and prepare for a slightly longer cycle the following day, but apart from a tiny bit of rain on the window of the train carriage it felt like the weather might be on my side to get this first part of the cycle ride completed straight away.

By the power of google I had already looked at a possible route, hugging the coast from Penzance to Newlyn and on to Mousehole and then onwards to Lands End, and the steep road out of Mousehole in particular looked challenging! As I got off the train the skies looked a little dark, but the rain forecast had not arrived. In a moment of optimism I decided to get going out of the station, next stop Lands End.

With satnav online and Buble on standby as emotional support (for satnav) I headed out of the train station car park westwards. Within a matter of only a few hundred metres the rain arrived, the wind picked up and waves were crashing over the road ahead of me. By the time I had arrived in Newlyn I was soaked from a combination of rain and sea water......and had a fair bit of cycling still to complete.

Google earth it turned out is pretty accurate as the road out of Mousehole was as steep in real life as it looked online, but apart from the strong winds and occasional heavy rain showers and a number of steep hills the journey to Lands End went really well. By the time I got to the famous road sign at Lands End I felt like I had already cycled more hills than my previous 266 mile journey to Liverpool, and the wind made no effort to calm down.

Standing my bike next to the Lands End sign for an obligatory photo was almost impossible, but after the short ride from the station the sun made a short appearance between the storm clouds as I got back on for the cycle back to Penzance and my B & B destination. With the prevailing wind behind me, and darkness falling I made the decision to use the main road, the A30 to get back as quickly as possible.....and that's just what I did.

Wind assisted the cycle back felt relatively effortless. I was blessed with a beautiful sunset over my shoulder for a few moments, then the rain returned in a heavy way. I made it back to the train station in no time at all , and then was guided in the dark by satnav onto the cycle route right by the sea. Apart from the darkness, heavy rain, sea spray and right at the end of my route train barriers stopping me from getting to the B & B whilst two trains passed by, the end of my first day of adventure was great.

As I finally arrived at my destination, a 1970's style B & B, the owner and the three locals at the bar were pleased to see a Deliveroo cyclist arrive, but I received a very warm welcome, got a chance to dry out and get changed and then walk over the road to a lovely pub for some dinner.

Day one was complete. Whilst my clothes were drying on a couple of radiators in my room and an excellent pub meal allowed me to recover from a mostly train based day topped off with a very wet, windy, hilly cycle I headed to bed to get a good nights rest before day two......a journey to Truro and onwards to my next stop overnight on Bodmin Moor.

27.44 miles complete on the bike, 502 metres of elevation on day one in the saddle....what would the next few days present as I cycled home ?