Cycling

We have are own bikes at The Cove to use free of charge. There are 2 adult bikes and 2 children’s bikes. We also have a car rack to enable you to take the bikes to an area you would like to ride. All you need to do is let reception know the time and date you would like to have use of them.

Local routes:

Zennor - Nancledra (Circular)

A good starting point is Zennor. The Tinners Arms and The Old Chapel Backpackers provide watering holes at the end of your circuit. The Tinners Arms does pub food and a modest selection of beers. The Old Chapel Backpackers cafe does pizzas, teas etc. as well as providing accommodation.
www.tinnersarms.com

I recommend doing the route anti clockwise. The climb out of Zennor is steep so walking is a good option if you are not fit. This is probably the most strenuous part of the ride. You are soon on the top of the moors of Penwith with views over the Atlantic and the English Channel.

Depending on the time available you can visit Mulfa Quoit on the top of Mulfa Hill. If you enter New Mill at the bottom of Try Valley you know you missed the left turn to Chysauster. The Iron Age village of Chysauster is a must. One of the best preserved stone hut complex's in Cornwall and under the care of English Heritage. Joining the Penzance to St Ives road you are rewarded at the top of the hill with great views of St Michael's Mount, the north coast up to St Agnes beacon, Carn Brea at Redruth, Godolphin Hill with sections of the Lizard peninsula off to its right.

First left at Nancledra gets you back on to quiet country lanes. The last section of the ride is along the St Ives to Zennor road with its lovely coastal views and Bronze Age field landscape.

Time permitting a quick cycle strait up the valley from Zennor and a walk over the carn on your left brings you to Zennor Quoit.

Drift – Lamorna / Lamorna -Drift

One kicking off spot can be the car park at Drift Dam. Choosing the anti-clockwise route takes you through the rougher open country followed by the lusher south coast on the last stretch.

(The first potential diversion is to the little Iron Age settlement of Carn Euny with its fogou. The turning is left just before Sancreed.)
Climbing steadily you past the water divide after Grumbla and then views of Land's End, the Wolf Rock lighthouse and on a clear day the Isles of Scilly appear. The road is down hill and quickly brings you to the first left turn which is to Dowran.

(The second diversion is to pop in to St Just.)
After Dowran the route joins the St Ives - Land's End road and passes the Land's End airfield which has a small cafe. First left after the airfield takes you back across the water divide and it is then down hill to St Buryan. St Buryan has a shop and pub. After joining the B3315 it is worth visiting the Merry Maidens stone circle and time permitting The Pipers - The Pipers standing stones.

(The final diversion is to visit Lamorna Cove which has a seasonal cafe and Lamorna Wink pub.)
I am not sure what the traffic is like in the summer on this section of the route (B3315). In the spring and autumn traffic is reasonably light. After Sheffield you turn left and return to the car park at Drift.

The Camel Trail

The Camel Trail, available free 365 days of the year, winds through some of Cornwall's most beautiful and little-known countryside. Cornwall County Council converted 11 miles of disused railway beside the River Camel from track bed to trail, linking the towns of Bodmin, Wadebridge and Padstow. An extension follows the river towards Camelford. It isn't a road, it isn't a path, and vehicles are banned. There are many visitors to the Trail each year; some use it daily for jogging or bird watching, others for an occasional day out walking or cycling. Why not join them? Travel along the Camel Trail and enjoy the spectacular scenery of the Camel Valley.

Being an old railway track, the Trail is virtually level all the way. Although not a tarmac surface it is mainly smooth, ideal for wheelchair users, pram and buggy pushers and people who have difficulty in walking on uneven surfaces. The Trail provides safe and easy access to unspoilt countryside for those people unable to use woodland and coastal paths.