Tag Archives: tintagel

Four snoring in a tent

The first night and the Vango Alpha 400

The Vango alpha 400 proved its value, there were four of us inside overnight, Silvia and Ricardo, my brother and I. We all had enough space to sleep comfortably, except for my brother because of a bad sleeping bag. The tent exceeded my expectations, it’s spacious and has a front porch area big enough to store everyone’s luggage, inside there’s enough space to fit a double and one single inflatable mattresses. When packed it is quite compact , the ideal size when traveling by motorbike I would say. It is waterproof and easy to pitch. The only downside goes for the pegs that, as usual, depending of the terrain you might need to get some extra pegs.

All in all the Vango provided great night of sleep for some and a nightmare for others as some of us (including myself) snore a little. This was something we were joking about the entire trip, even recorded true harmonic orchestras. Bruno and Sofia had their own little two person tent, and as they didn’t allow us to pitch another tent (Ricardo’s) for three nights my tent was the shelter for the homeless people in the group.

After we emerged from the tents and slowly got ready, we decided to go to Wadebridge (the local town) to have breakfast, a reinforced one. After that my brother would get back home to Clevedon as he had other commitments. The plan was to go all the way up to Bude by the A39 (also known as the “Atlantic Highway”) and then to enjoy a coastal ride passing through some picturesque villages such as Boscastle and Tintagel.

The scenery, the good weather and the road… perfect harmony!!

We arrived in Bude later than I wanted, but it was a nice and warm afternoon so we went for a walk around, the place was a bit crowded despite Coronavirus, so we went for a walk and an Ice cream.

You can buy them here, just by the river.

It was nice and there’s still lots to see and do in Bude including a castle in the area we were. Again due to Covid19 no visits were allowed at this time. I had planned a very nice coastal route passing by Boscastle, Tintagel and Port Isaac which unfortunately none of us took any pictures as we just passed by (You have to be patient for the video where I’ll show these places). The road isn’t for the heart fainted in some places, incredibly steep and curvy with that odd hairpin here and there. however, the views and the little villages we passed by are something else.

The roads are simply fantastic!! (I will post this route on the routes and maps section)
and on the other side of the pic above…
One of the many forgotten villages in Cornwall, unique, however the access roads, thrilling, not for the inexperienced.

If it is in your plans to visit Cornwall, I do really recommend a visit to Tintagel and Boscastle villages. Tintagel is quite famous because of the castle ruins that according to the legend it’s the place where King Arthur was conceived, just not to mention that it is one of the most amazing places in Cornwall. Unfortunately we could not visit it due to Covid19 restrictions. Boscastle village is equally interesting, very picturesque and small with a great footpath that leads to the harbour. The following two pictures are the castle hotel in Tintagel and the scenery next to it.

I planned a dinner in Port Isaac, but a local guy we met in Tintagel suggested and even guided us to a very picturesque restaurant in Port Quinn. He works for “Bossiney” a tea room in Tintagel. Apparently we missed a bikers breakfast they do every week in there, and we were invited in for breakfast the following morning. Very chatty and friendly, however I forgot his name, like most I came across.
The road to Port Quinn was curvy, narrow and steep like most country lanes around that area, but we arrived in time to eat, as restaurants are tricky these days due to the pandemic, also we were contemplated with a very nice sunset on the sea.

Can’t remember anymore what we ate, but, it was good. It was a nice day and it was over, the sunset was gone and the night came to us. It was time to get back on the A39 to our tents… our second day was over. The last day in Wadebridge was reserved for a few hours on the beach and water activities, but we had to get up earlier than today, something that became a bit of a challenge.

Shhhhh, it is snoring time for most of us when all the sudden… “Marineide” invaded my tent!!!

That’s Bruno’s and Sofia’s honda CBR600FS