The Cornish Way – A cycling trip by Jack Harries

Last September, documentary filmmaker, producer, and presenter Jack Harries embarked on a bike-packing trip covering the circumference of Cornwall, UK, together with his close friend and fellow filmmaker, Matt Cannon. 

Their intention was to get a better sense of this wild and rugged county whilst getting to know the people who call it home – and, stopping off along the way for social and environmentally minded projects. 

We chat with Jack off the back of this adventure - spanning over 500 kilometres across 17 days, with at least 6 punctures and countless Cornish pasties - which was filmed and documented, to be released as a four-part series on YouTube. More on that to come!

When I moved down to Cornwall last year, I was keen to discover more of the county, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to realise this dream. Along with my close friend and fellow filmmaker Matt, we came up with the concept of The Cornish Way, a bike-packing trip around the circumference of Cornwall, stopping off along the way with social and environmentally minded projects. Our intention was to get a better sense of this wild and rugged county whilst getting to know the people who call it home.

How did you feel before setting off? What barriers did you come across, if any, and how did you deal with them? 

I have to be honest and say that I did very little planning ahead of this trip, but in a way, for me, that was the beauty of it. Just a few weeks before leaving, I hadn’t even planned the route. A friend (who had lots of bikepacking experience) told me about the Komoot planner, which was an amazing way to sketch out a rough route and get a sense of how far we would cycle each day. We decided we’d give ourselves plenty of time, opting for a relatively low distance of around 30–50 km each day so that we’d have plenty of time for filming, seeing the sights, and actually experiencing all that Cornwall has to offer. We made a clear decision that this was not a race nor an endurance trip, but an adventure in which bikes were our selected mode of transport. This took away a sense of pressure and also meant that we could keep some of the details relatively open and flexible.

The next barrier, of course, was gear, and without sounding like too much of a cliché, we were SO grateful to companies like Universal Colours,  Condor , and  Restrap , who helped provide the necessary bike-packing equipment at relatively short notice. I know that a big barrier for people getting into bikepacking is the expense of the equipment needed, and I was blown away by the generosity and supportiveness of all the companies we reached out to. It was a reminder of what I love about the cycling world; the fact that people are bonded by their shared passion and commitment to the sport. 

After a few hectic weeks of route planning, laying out all the gear in my dining room and prepping the bikes, the next step was to hit the road and let the adventure take its course.

How did you prepare? Any gear or equipment you’d like to call out that was particularly useful, or something you wish you had? 

Our only real form of preparation was a test ride we undertook a week before leaving to visit our friends at Cabilla Cornwall (an amazing rewilding project on Bodmin Moor). On the test ride, my back pannier rack fell off while riding at speed over a cattle grid (ripping the bag), and just an hour later, Matt got a flat tire, only to realise we hadn’t packed any spare inner tubes! We had to be picked up by our friends in a van, which was an embarrassing start, but in a way, it was the perfect test ride. Lessons learned: tighten all racks and, for God’s sake, bring spare inner tubes! We ended up going through six on the trip, which I actually think was pretty good going in the end.

One of the best things about having the legs spinning is the time it gives you to think and process. We spent many hours talking, and unfortunately for Matt, I was often prone to breaking out into song. Despite this and the many cold nights we spent in a tent, somehow, our friendship is still intact, which is exactly what I mean by Matt's resilient and positive attitude towards life. Jokes aside, having a partner on a trip like this made the journey go faster and makes all the difference when your energy wanes towards the end of the day. Practically speaking, it meant we were able to film and document the people we met along the way which would have been practically impossible on my own. Long story short, I was—and still am—very grateful for Matt’s existence in my life. (Matt, if you are reading this, I’m sorry for the farts in the tent—I fully blame the dehydrated food).

You did the trip with your friend Matt. How important was it to do this trip together? 

I could never have done this trip alone. Having Matt by my side made all the difference, and luckily, he is cut from much tougher cloth than me. He hadn’t done a lot of long-distance cycling before our trip, and he also had the responsibility of carrying most of the camera equipment, so he definitely drew the short straw. That said, he took to it like a duck to water and not once did he ever complain. His constant enthusiasm and can-do attitude made the whole trip so much more enjoyable. 

Jokes aside, having a partner on a trip like this made the journey go faster and makes all the difference when your energy wanes towards the end of the day. Practically speaking, it meant we were able to film and document the people we met along the way which would have been practically impossible on my own. Long story short, I was—and still am—very grateful for Matt’s existence in my life. (Matt, if you are reading this, I’m sorry for the farts in the tent—I fully blame the dehydrated food).

To you, what makes Cornwall so special? 

I could literally write pages on this, but instead, I will try and keep it short. For me, it is the pride and spirit of the people who live here. It is different from patriotism or nationalism; instead, it is a deep respect for the long and challenging history of Cornwall (originally known as Kernow) and, of course, a deep reverence for the rugged land and wild ocean that define Cornwall’s landscape. Without a doubt, it is a place that is deeply connected to the natural world that defines it.