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Camel Trail Report 11-09-06

It is not just the sights and sounds that make September on the Camel Trail so very special but also the smells - there is a freshness as overnight temperatures drop and a vibrancy in the air with Harvesting well underway. If we add the exceptional high tides - it is not too many times I have had boats in Padstow tower over me - the full moon last Friday and the glorious weather what a powerful combination and where better to be than the Trail?I actually rode down the Trail on Friday by moonlight not using my lights at all - the last time I travelled my moonlight was in Canada many years ago but forgetting that a stand of Spruce would cast a shadow I went barrelling round a corner in my old VW and ploughed straight ino a snowbank.Digging the car out at 2am in the morning was perhaps not the best way to impress the new girldfriend.
I digress - needless to say with all with all the dry weather the surface both ways is excellent - we are expecting some rain this week but the surface should still remain firm. I know I mention this on a regular basis but both brambles and dog roses seem to put on a growth spurt at this time of the year so please watch out for overhangs I am a witness to the damage they can cause if they catch you unawares.
Finally just on a sad note you will see notices posted along the Padstow end of the Trail warning people not to eat Estuary shell fish due to Algol poisoning.
Netherless I do hope you enjoy Autumn on the Trail as much as I do.

Camel Trail Report 31-07-06

What a transformation - Friday we are looking at a scorched landscape with the Camel River barely having the energy to get to the sea and by early Sunday after just twelve hours of rain we have a vibrant green trail with the Camel River skipping along and hopefully encouraging the Seatrout and Salmon, that have been rarer than Hens teeth, to venture upstream.

It was an early morning ride out to Lanivet for me taking the Trail up to Nanstallon and then cutting across country and really this is another great aspect of the Camel Trail - it is such a safe cycling access whether you are planning a trip up to the Moors or out on to the coast roads. My only problem with minor country lanes is that with so little traffic movement territorial farm dogs have a habit of shooting out of sidelanes and "seeing me off" I have the scars to prove it.

Returning to the Trail it is amazing how little surface water there was after the downpour not only that riding the firm surface was an absolute pleasure.

With School holidays now in full swing could we please emphasise that it is really advisable to pre book your bikes - our worst scenario is local regular customers who waft into the Hireshop knowing that we have 400 plus bikes only to find they are all out that is ok for ten months of the year but not for the next few weeks. It looks like we have a mixed bag of weather for the next week - sunshine and showers - maybe the hot weather will come in again after that in any case we hope you enjoy the Camel Trail experience - safe cycling.

Camel Trail Report 08-07-06

Dry and Sunny is my kind of weather but a dust covered Trail not only dulled the landscape but it formed a compound that is not good for your bike. So now we have had a couple of downpours everything is looking fresher - the scent from all the Honeysuckle is something to savour at the moment. The verges have been freshly trimmed back both upriver and downstream that is all but a section between Pentreath Point and the Iron Bridge where there is still a corridor of Orchids.
With the rain bringing a little colour to the River Camel I decided on a dawn fishing assault upstream on the Seatrout and Salmon. The mist was rolling back from the water as I cycled up to Pendavey Bridge and with the aid of the first shafts of daylight I worked all the pools up to Polbrock Bridge. Not a touch did I have other than a few brown trout that were really no bigger than my lure, however what I did see was a Kingfisher catching his breakfast - I was privileged to just sit and watch him diving in from great heights - how they don't go blind I don't know hitting the water at that speed - what I do know is that his success rate was a lot better than mine if I had to depend on my fishing skills for my breakfast I would be very hungry.
By the way to complete your Camel Trail experience ady tickets for this stretch of water are available from the pet shop on the Platt at Wadebridge [Best Friends] or from Jon Evans on 01208 812447.
We are now extremely busy in the Hireshop so please book well ahead and why not this year venture upriver to the newly opened stretch of Trail at Wenford - the recently opened Potters Barn tea garden is also a welcome addition to the Trail.

Camel Trail Report 08-06-06

Just got back from a couple of weeks away from the Trail - what an amazing difference gone is the unseasonably cold May the Bluebells -Campion and the Hawthorne and now we have full on Summer complete with a wonderful spell of weather with the banks of dog roses and Foxgloves and the Quarry is something else it looks like a purple themed rockery festooned in Padstow Pride [Valerian - I think that's how you spell it] and to complete the picture just past Pentreath Point and before the Iron Bridge we have a corridor of Orchids - purple of course to match the Quarry -it takes your breath away.
Just to top my morning off I surprised a Dog Fox on the Track by the first cutting I knew there was one in those Meadows below Wadebridge as I had heard him bark - it is quite distinctive a very "dry bark" and only ever once.
Upstream the Trail is in equally good condition and at the moment well used with people seeking the more shaded route from the Sun and discovering the new section up to Wenford Bridge the fact that there is now a cafe/restaurant at the top end is also proving a big attraction.
It is so good to be back cycling round the Devon lanes was exhilarating but the Camel Trail is something else.
Safe cycling - Nigel - Bridge Bike Hire - The Camel Trail - Wadebridge 01208 813050

Camel Trail Report 08-05-06

Just a wonderful calm ride down today - mist rolling back - overnight rain bringing a freshness to the trail.
The whites and yellows of the hedgerows are now giving way to the pinks blues and reds of Campion, Bluebells and even more noticeable from the Quarry down wild Orchids. Having said that have you ever wondered why there are so many Apple trees [ now coming into blossom ] interspersed along the trail? - is this a legacy of the train passengers in years gone by throwing Apple cores out of the windows? - simple explanation but sounds good to me.
If rides to Padstow over Mayday were a "must do" then trips over the next week or so will be predominately upstream - you will smell Gaff and Undertown Woods before you see them with the scent of Wild Garlic and a carpet of Bluebells greeting you about a mile up from Wadebridge. Given the vagaries of the weather at present I am already planning the annual family picnic to these woods.
Upstream is such a contrast to the Estuary and an absolute joy at this time of the year and combined with the fact that the Trail is quieter in-between Bank Holidays now is the ideal time to seek out your own special riverside spot.
Safe Cycling - Nigel - Bridge Bike Hire - The Camel Trail - Wadebridge - 01208 813050

26-04-06

It looks like we are in for a mixed bag of weather as we approach the Bank Holiday and Mayday at least now it is warm. I can only describe the Trail at the moment as being sensational and it is difficult to advise on which direction to go.Upriver the smell of wild garlic is very much in evidence and there is already a good showing of Bluebells - several Seatrout have already been seen making their way upstream and there have also been sightings of Roe Deer. Having said that I must admit that as the preparations for Padstow Mayday are well under way I do favour downstream at present. The journeys just recently have been blessed with the sight of two Foxes - one in the Paddock just before the first cutting and another one skipping through the Quarry with the strong wind in his face blissfully unaware that I was just a few metres behind him on my bike.Add to this the discovery of a Woodpeckers nest and stopping every five minutes to try and identify abundant wildflowers it is no wonder that the Trail remains as popular as ever. I do hope that if you are down our way that you have time to experience this cocktail of colour and discover the sights and sounds of the Camel Trail.
Incidentally if you are planning on hiring a bike please book ahead to avoid disappointment. Safe Cycling. Nigel - Bridge Bike Hire - The Camel Trail - Wadebridge - 01208 813050

Camel Trail Report 10-04-06

The perfect way to start the day - calm but still cold - birds singing full on -Trail surface dry and now an absolute blaze of colour - the sights sounds and smells of Padstow around the Harbour as the fishing boats prepare to go out to sea and just to complete the picture the aroma of freshly baking bread around the inner Harbour is something to behold.
As an exercise I decided to count the number of species of birds on my way down - even with my very limited knowledge I counted over 25 different types - no wonder the Camel Trail is a bird watchers paradise and that is only one section of the trail.
With the staggering of the School Easter break the Hireshop has been steady all week but we know that this week and next weekend we will be even busier so please book your bikes ahead.
It looks like we are in for a change of weather - warmer with a bit of wet stuff - warm will be good..
If you are travelling to Cornwall and the Camel Trail in particular have a safe journey.
Safe Cycling - Nigel - Bridge Bike Hire - The Camel Trail - Wadebridge - 01208 813050

01-04-06

03-04-06

That's better - it is almost as if the whole area not just the Camel Trail has been on starting blocks for ages and someone over the weekend fired the starting pistol.
I was like a ship ploughing through water this morning with baby rabbits scattering everywhere - give them a couple of weeks and they will just sit and watch me go by.The banks of the path are full of colour - beds of Primroses against a backdrop of Gorse and the white of the Blackthorn just now showing. There is even a hint of Campion - what a difference a week makes.
What about the high tides last week? - that is the first time since the flood prevention scheme Wadebridge was built that I have seen the banks of the River breached - the roar of the water as it overflowed into the ditches and then forcing through the pipes under the Trail and out into the Meadows was something else. Another discovery for me last week was to do one of my favourite rides backwards - the Ferry from Padstow to Rock does not fire up until 8am so I decided instead of down the Trail and across I would ride out of Wadebridge and the head down to Rock skirting the Estuary via Dinham - Cant Hill - Porthilly etc. I have never done that in twenty plus years - how sad is that? but the sights sounds and views were something else and I shall be doing that again.
Getting back to the Trail we have a dry and firm surface both ways the Weather forecast looks ok and the new section of the Trail up to Wenford is now open so we are all set for a busy Easter we will look forward at the Hireshop to seeing old friends and greeting new. Safe cycling.
Nigel -Bridge Bike Hire - The Camel Trail - Wadebridge
01208 813050

Camel Trail Report 28/03/06

Well it certainly is warmer but by golly its wetter - it looks like we have a few days to go of wet and windy weather and subsequently the Trail is full of puddles both ways but after all the dry weather the surface remains firm.
The good news is that there are definite signs of Spring with the first Primroses and daffodils showing.Given the amount of debris strewn across the Trail just above the Quarry it looks like our friend the Badger is on the move as well. There are plenty of Wading birds in evidence from Curlews to Eagrets so the sights and sounds of the Trail are coming alive with every day. I for one are looking forward to evening rides. With the longer days coming up fast nothing better to my mind than a ride down to Padstow after work for a sandwich and a tipple and then back again with the Sun setting and maybe even a purple sky.
Did you know?
That the final section from Poleys Bridge to Wenford Bridge cost just over £900 in old money and covered all the construction and supervision costs - mind you that was back in 1834
Safe Cycling
Nigel - Bridge Bike Hire - The Camel Trail - Wadebridge -01208 813050

Camel Trail Report 14/03/06

Well they certainly got last weeks forecast right although the phrase "some heavy showers" was an understatement for the Heavens opening up I don't think I have ever been so wet. Let us hope the predicted high pressure brings a dry spell even if it is colder. Having got soaked twice I sought shelter upriver and cycled the top two sections. Not only is this a more comfortable ride in that the surface is much smoother and relatively puddle free but I was rewarded with the sight of a Woodpecker busy at work - very often heard but not seen - that lack of vegetation and undergrowth is a real bonus of travelling the Trail at this time because then I spotted a Jay and a Buzzard on the same section and also the fist signs of Primroses. Spring is just round the corner - honest.

Even with ongoing patchwork maintenance going on along the Padstow section this remains waterlogged in places and certainly rough to the degree that every care should be taken along newly "repaired sections" that your front wheel does not skid out or skip on the larger ballast. I suppose with modern Farming the presence of newly born Lambs alongside the Trail is not an indicator of Spring but they certainly are a welcome sight anyway.
Work will take me away from the Trail this week and then it will be only four weeks till Easter and lighter evenings I'm all for positive thinking.

Camel Trail Report 09/03/06

With the sun just coming up over Padstow Harbour and the aroma of freshly baking bread it is a very good feeling to be back doing reports after a long Winter layoff I actually got back on the bike during a stormy February and my lasting impression of that was standing on the Iron Bridge at Padstow with the wind singing through the steelwork and even with that volume of sound I could still hear the waves thundering down on the Doom Bar - just awesome.
The big news from the Camel rail is the new three-quarter of a mile extension upriver from Poleys Bridge up to Wenford.
This for me puts the final piece in the jigsaw and with the opening of the Potters Barn riverside restaurant and tea garden upriver is a must do.
Work is at present carrying on at a pace with full access hopefully by Easter.
The cold weather has certainly held back any signs of Spring the margins of the Trail would normally be a blaze of colour by now, apart from the hardy Gorse that is, and when kicking over the vegetation the Primrose leaves are only just starting to show through so we will have a while to wait to see them in bloom. Even the Baby Rabbits have not popped their heads above ground - maybe with the warmer and wet weather predicted this week will encourage them to come out and play.
If you manage to find a sheltered spot from the wind the Sun now is surprisingly warm so I hope like me you find time to explore the Trail which will be bursting to life dreckly.
Safe Cycling,
Nigel - Bridge Bike Hire - The camel Trail - Wadebridge.
01208 813030

14/03/06

Well they certainly got last weeks forecast right although the phrase "some heavy showers" was an understatement for the Heavens opening up I don't think I have ever been so wet. Let us hope the predicted high pressure brings a dry spell even if it is colder. Having got soaked twice I sought shelter upriver and cycled the top two sections. Not only is this a more comfortable ride in that the surface is much smoother and relatively puddle free but I was rewarded with the sight of a Woodpecker busy at work - very often heard but not seen - that lack of vegetation and undergrowth is a real bonus of travelling the Trail at this time because then I spotted a Jay and a Buzzard on the same section and also the fist signs of Primroses. Spring is just round the corner - honest.

Even with ongoing patchwork maintenance going on along the Padstow section this remains waterlogged in places and certainly rough to the degree that every care should be taken along newly "repaired sections" that your front wheel does not skid out or skip on the larger ballast. I suppose with modern Farming the presence of newly born Lambs alongside the Trail is not an indicator of Spring but they certainly are a welcome sight anyway.
Work will take me away from the Trail this week and then it will be only four weeks till Easter and lighter evenings I'm all for positive thinking.

Safe cycling - Nigel - Bridge Bike Hire - The Camel Trail - Wadebridge - 01208 813050