Cornish Alps Run

After the grotty weather that we've had over the last few days I was very relieved to wake this morning and find that the sun was shining. We'd lost an hour as the clocks had changed but we were still up bright and early and ready for the Cornish Alps Run with our fellow MX-5ers.

Sixteen cars arrived at the car park at Fraddon ...

where after a good catch-up with friends we hadn't seen for ages, we set off in the general direction of St Austell.

We were soon off the main road and going down a really narrow lane ...

where we met a tractor ...

and some bikers out for a Sunday Scramble plus some farm dogs who insisted on chasing all the cars as we passed!

The general comment on the walkie-talkies was 'all we need now are some horses'. We were not disappointed ...

We must have seen about 10 riders who were out for what they thought was to be a quiet Sunday hack!

Another hold up!

First signs of the Alps!

It was soon time for a coffee stop in a car park at Roche ...

and then back on our way and deep into Clay Country. We were taken along so many roads we'd never have found if we'd been out on our own and the landscape was amazing ...

One minute we were passing spoil heaps (called White Alps) and then looking down into valleys with water filling the pits ...

The view was great as we came over a hill ...

and then it was time to leave the area behind and passing through villages ...

and the Lappa Valley Railway ...

we made our way over to the North Coast. After a spell on a main road we left it for a lovely minor road ...

where the sun was shining and it felt just like summer!

Lunch was to be at the St Pirans Inn at Holywell Bay ...

but as we'd taken Hamish with us we hadn't booked in and were going to find a spot for a picnic. We ended up staying in the pub car park ...

and having a drink while we ate our lunch and nobody seemed to mind. Hamish was as inquisitive as ever ...

and after lunch he was taken for a walk down to the beach ...

The afternoon run took us through Crantock and on to Newquay where several cars went the wrong way and we had major problems with the convoy! However we all got back together again on the far side of Newquay and drove on up the North Coast to Watergate Bay - what a view!

It was then time to leave the coast and head inland passing Newquay Airport and make our way back to Fraddon. It's hard to believe that this was the old A30 that we used to drive down on our way to Cornwall for holidays ...

Finally with a very tired little chap ...

we arrived back at the car park where we had started the day.