A Brompton bikepacking adventure through the West Country. Much harder than I expected!!
This was a 225-mile cycling adventure on my Brompton through Somerset, Devon & Cornwall, camping in my gorgeous little tent and cooking on my faithful old Trangia. I cycled from Bristol to St Ives, over the Mendips, the Quantocks and Exmoor, across Devon, then along the Cornish coast. I had not been much to southwest England, and I was excited to see what it’s like. Having grown up near the Peak District, I thought I knew about hills… I really underestimated the West Country! This was tough!
For this adventure, I found that using trains worked really well, for someone like me starting from London anyway. London to Bristol was super-fast, just an hour and a half. On the way back, I got the train from St Erth (near St Ives) at 1424 just sat back and watched the scenery, and arrived London 1924, an enjoyable and pretty spectacular journey in itself.
By the way, if you are going on a hiking or cycling and camping trip, and fancy making any of the homemade dehydrated camp meals I made, this website is where I got most of the food ideas in this film: https://trail.recipes/ I have tried quite a lot of their camp cooking recipes, and they are brilliant. I find that their tips about planning meals for outdoor adventures, and dehydrating ingredients etc really helpful too. And gorgeous photography. It is my favourite camp cooking website. I bought their book recently too. Seem like good people to support.
Anyway, there you go! Hope you enjoy the film! Thank you for watching!
MUSIC Courtesy of Epidemic Sound
I’m Falling in Love, Wildflowers
It’s all for You, Volcan Peaks
When in Doubt, Johannes Bornlof
On a Wire, The Eastern Plain
The Fortunate, Silver Maple
Oh Dandelion, Gamma Skies
Three Letters, Velvethead
I Don’t Know What I’d Do Without You, Loving Caliber
43 Comments
You are my hero Susanna ❤ Thank you for that beautiful ride on your Brompton 🧡
Used to cycle a lot in London ( a nice dangerous way to cycle ) when i moved to Devon cycling lost its appeal not much flat butplenty of undulations !
This was the first video of yours I have ever watched. It was brilliant and I was in awe of your resilience.
I then subscribed and began watching your back catalogue of adventures. Of course, I discovered you’d had cancer twice.
What an amazing woman you are and an incredible inspiration to us all. I’ve had cancer and a few injuries and operations (hips replaced, Achilles rupture) but watching people like you have got me back out doing cycling, hiking, canoeing and camping rather than feeling sorry for myself.
Well done, Susanna!!!!!
Looked like tough going in some parts, but you made it and extremely well done, you did brilliant. Best regards, Chris. 👍👍👍
We host cyclists in the Warmshowers network. They are usually riding LEJOG End to End. A constant is how hard they all found Cornwall and Devon even with a tailwind. I ask do you think it should be called "no chain country"? Push up one side, freewheel down the other, repeat. Hollow laugh each time and a nod. They suffered too. Great film Susannah. Thanks.
Susanna, your videos are almost like a therapy. Thank you for being here. ❤
Awesome riding ❤ it ,yep that area is beautiful but brutal but you did great in pushing through the hills ,happy trails
Susanna, very inspiring, thanks for telling your story.
Susannah, you’ve made me feel a lot better about my most “epic” cycling adventure. As a teenager, a group of us venture scouts planned a cycle touring holiday with the intention of cycling around Devon and Cornwall. Most of our 13 strong group had never cycled with any regularity. And we’d certainly never cycled loaded with 2 weeks worth of kit. We must have looked a right picture, wobbling off from Taunton station. Our vision of making it around Devon and Cornwall was quickly edited to trying to make it to Lands End. Even that was soon reduced.
We seldom all made it to our prearranged checkpoints. Instead, patrols ended up wild camping in fields, at any campsite we could find and one group even spent a night camped on a golf course! A couple of times we shortened our cycle time by hitching lifts. Which as a patrol of 4 girls with fully loaded touring bikes, wasn’t the easiest task.
But that trip and the hills around Bude, Tintagel, Clovelly, Barnstaple and many other charming places are forever etched in my memory, almost as vivid now as almost 40 years ago. Thank you for the trip down memory lane. And thank you for making me feel better about struggling with those hills. 😊
I walked LEJOG last year and you are so right in saying that Cornwall is the toughest part. So steep!
Can I ask the make of your poncho?
Love your films, is get the cosy tent feeling
Nice shout out for St Columb major ❤
It's great to see you again, Susanna! That was quite a headwind you encountered on your ride. Beautiful and inspiring to vicariously ride along with you through the West Country. It seemed daunting at times but you found your inner strength and plowed through the headwinds, rain, and steep hill and dale. Thanks for sharing another wonderful adventure aboard your faithful Brompton! ❤🚴
Hi.im new to this channel. When you did camping, werethey wild camping? 😊
Perjalanan ini tidak akan mudah dilakukan jika tidak memiliki tekad dan mental yang kuat. Dan Anda telah membuktikannya. Thank you for inspiring!
I really enjoyed sitting on the sofa watching you 😂😂😂
What tent were you using, Susanna?
Hi Susanna. Try Squirt chain lube. It's waxed based, and it's a game changer. Long gone are the grimey black chains and making a grinding paste, wearing out your bike chainrings.
It's amazing! And my chain is always pretty much spotless.
Thankyou for offering the opportunity to ride along in one of your trips again. Very inspiring! Love the way you keep up a positive spirit in harsh conditions.
Moved down to the West Country from Kent over three years ago and I can absolutely confirm it’s one hell of a lumpy place! For me that was part of the appeal of moving here as I’m a mountain goat. I’ve covered a lot of Devon in just three years and I’m now moving on to Somerset, Cornwall and Dorset. East Devon is a spicy place! I found 1599ft of elevation in just 9 miles last week.
It’s a beautiful part of the world when you get the weather but absolutely nobody should take it likely. I did Devon to Hampshire last year and did almost 6000ft of climbing.
Let me know if you’re on Strava or Komoot as would love to follow your adventures 👊👏
Thank you – I enjoyed your very inter eating video –
Nice to see that you still use the old style yellow cape-
I till ride my old 531 steel touring bike/S.
[]although I'm no longer young] –
Would you feel like wanting to hit
me with your bike pump if I said –
your wheels wood look better on a tea trolley – llol
Love your traveling style, it's an inspiration! Is it easy making your dehydrated meals, they look great?
Loverly scenes very inspirational but no bike helmet?
Loved your vlog. Well done. Good idea with your dehydrated meals, nice and healthy 😊
Thank you for another beautiful adventure Susannah. Your videos are very well put together cheerful and positive
❤
Another fantastic adventure. Thankyou for bringing us along.
I just read your channel description and it struck a chord with me as I'm also working in Asia (Saudi Arabia) and I'm due to retire soon. I'm hoping to cycle back to a place I've just bought in Italy. Any advice appreciated.
This channel is so well filmed. Love it! Where was your starting point as you mentioned Bristol. My wife and I live in Chippenham so not far away.
Great channel
Subscribed
Fantastic and inspiring ride u've made..all the best and keep safe in the road❤
That was a marathon! Congratulations on your persistence in the face of climbs and weather.
Thanks for another awesome video.
Europe and the weather 😂😢😂😢😂😢😂❤
Your videos have a special air of simple appreciation. This one is no exception. As an American, I am wondering why such a beautiful biking lane has such few bikers on what looks like beautiful simmer weather?
You are so tough! Those hills are a killer. I've done a while ago several tours in the West Country and found sneaky routes round the worst hills, sometimes on A roads too, but that did mean I didn't get to see the views from the top… Good to see those lovely churches again too.
Hi Susanna I really was pleased when I saw you had posted because your adventures are so interesting supported by great video's. I only wish I had a small bit of your energy and tenacity. My wife & I visited, by car I must add St Ives some years ago now when she was pregnant with our first child. He is now 54 so it might be time to go there again ! Stay safe out there.
My wife and I both in our late 50's rode our Bromptons from Azerbaijan to Cyprus. We rode over the Caucuses mountains and the Trabzon mountains on and off road. All in all we ride 4000 km over three months.
It's great to see your video and showing how capable a bike they are.
What a physical feat!
Please wear a helmet. ⛑️
Very nice
Good thing about that route is keep the sea on your right and you can’t get lost 😂
Excellent vid. Thanks for sharing
Well done indeed! Very intrepid. Ridiculous number of horrid hills. Must have been utterly exhausting. So important to keep fed and hydrated.
Congratulations 🎉
I got tired just watching! Beautiful scenery 🏡 🌊
I understood that most long distance cycling on that route is better travelling west ▶️ east to benefit from the prevailing westerly wind in the 🇬🇧
More folks travel Lands End ▶️ John o Groats than the other way round.
Is this correct 🤔?
What a great trip! It feels like you were climbing the Everest. I' ve visited that area some years ago. Thanks for another wonderful adventure!🇵🇹🇬🇧