A ride of 14 flat & traffic-free miles
When you cycle the Camel Trail, it’s easy to see why it’s so popular – it really is a very beautiful route. If you pick the date to ride it well, it simply is one of the best leisurely bike rides you can do. Almost perfectly flat, with stunning views and plenty of picnic spots along the way. With a decent surface most of the way, cycling in the UK doesn’t get much better than this. Now most people only ever ride the bit of the Camel Trail from Wadebridge to Padstow. Almost all of that segment is tarred, and it certainly offers the best estuary views. Unfortunately, on a sunny, warm Saturday, during the summer holidays, the main section of the Camel Trail gets so crowded that it becomes impossible to cycle at barely faster than walking pace.
After a refreshing café stop (well, you’ve burned the calories, so you earned it) returning is simply a matter of retracing your steps, back to either Boscarne Junction for the train, the Borough Arms car park, or perhaps, if you’re feeling adventurous, cycling back through Bodmin, to the Bodmin Parkway train station.
Interactive map for this branch of the Camel Trail
You can download the GPX file from the map below, simply by clicking the GPX button. Hovering over the elevation profile will show the elevation for that point along the route, in both metres and feet. It will also show the gradient.
