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Today I left John O' Groats at 5pm. It was great weather- the sun was shining, the scenery was stunning and the Orkney islands were in sight. There were nice sandy beaches and large spaces of... well... nothing!
I came across two other end to end riders, who were just about to end their journey as they were cycling up from Land's End, whereas I'm travelling the opposite way.
It was quite a hard ride, cycling into hard winds. I arrived in Thurso at 19:15.
Day 2- 25th May:
Thurso to Altnaharra
Left Thurso around 9:00 and cycled on the North coast of Scotland. The weather was terrible with rain, hailstones and wind, but suprisingly enough the sun kept managing to poke back through. A very challenging ride but the scenery yet again failed to displease me- even the Dounreay nuclear power station!
The 2nd half of the day was a complete contrast, cycling south along Strath Naver. I spotted two stags, and people salmon fishing!
Tonight I will be staying in Altnaharra and tomorrow will be travelling to Inverness. The scenery is just like an episode of Monarch of the Glen!
Day 3- 26th may:
Altnaharra to Inverness
I spent last night with the locals in the pub and
at 11pm last night it was still light as midday- amazing! Apparently it's a feature of North Scotland, sometimes they only have 4 hours of darkness in summer.
This morning's ride began with an 8 mile climb... the rest of the journey was bad weather and wasn't too nice. At the end of the day I'd done a total of 72m and a cumulative total of 148m chafing rating: 2/10! (for those of you wondering!)
the sight of Inverness was very welcoming at the end of a 9 hour day.
Day 4- 27th May:
Inverness to Onich
Today was very wet and windy along the great Glen- i didn't see Nessie! I gained a knee strain but fortunately it eased of in the afternoon after the application of frozen cod in parsley sauce!
I cannot comment on the view due to the low cloud. In the evening I was able to access the bar and... examined a whisky or two!
Day 5- 28th May:
Onich to Loch Lomond
Began with a steep climb at Glencoe. Unable to see Ben Nevis because of the cloud cycling along Rannoch Moor. I was surrounded by snow capped mountains.
Along the road I spotted 4 dead deer presumably been hit by cars.
I had a long descent of 2 hours afterwards with no wind or rain.
I have completed 300 miles- nearly a third of the total.
Tomorrow on to Glasgow.
Day 6- 29th May:
Loch Lomond to Crawford
Today I cycled through Glasgow. I didn't see much of the city. I used a cycle path along the Clyde river. Unfortunately I had a punture and a broken spoke. I added two items to 1st aid kit: Ralgex and Ibruprofen to reduce inflammation... not for where you think it is... it's for my knees!
Tomorrow I cross the border to England.
Day 7 - 30th May:
Crawford to Carlisle
1.30 pm saw me enter England at Gretna Green!! It was a very pleasant morning with 15 miles of downhill as I lost height from the Scottish border hills. There is a lovely national cycle route that follows the A74M pretty much all the way stopping just short of Gretna. Shame they never seem to sweep the cycle paths they are a real pain for dodging glass and debris.
Lockerbie village was very tranquil. I diverted the route by a mile to go and see the memorial which I found very moving. It was very touching to see so many people of the same surname who died perhaps they were on a family holiday when the plane was blown up. I am ashamed to say I didn't recall the date it happened until I saw it was Dec 1988 when 271 were murdered. The town is such a small place, no bigger than Titchfield. It is hard to imagine the scale of it.
Two broken spokes today led me to a bike shop in Carlisle. So much for my short day, I had imagined myself lazing in a sauna this afternoon but in fact was two hours in the bike shop waiting for them to do some spoke repairs. I also bought some new panniers.
Nearly put my shorts on today but just a chill in the wind persuaded me not too.
Knees ok today, but no strenuous stuff ecountered. Tomorrow will be a bit long, I am going to reveiw my plan. As it stands I am headed via the lanes to Slaidburn, 75 miles. However accounts from E2Enders coming the other way about the A6 being quite safe with a cycle 'lane' I may opt for that which will be less hilly and more direct to point me in the Chester direction for the day after.
I really appreciate the texts and messages left here, the texts I don't open till the afternoon as they act as a boost in the darker periods!!
Overall I am quite pleased with progress, I must get near the halfway mark tomorrow although I haven't checked the mileage yet!
Day 8 Weds 31st May:
Carlisle Rest Day
Today was an unscheduled rest day, as the effects of the first few days have caught up on me.
I spent the day in Carlisle and met another End to Ender called Bob. He is doing the journey the same direction as me and we will meet up later in the trip.
Tomorrow is another change of schedule and I am cycling to Lancaster.
Special thanks to my Uncle Richard who drove 3 hours to surprise me at Slaidburn Yha. The surprise was that I took the day off and stayed in Carlisle. Sorry Richard!
Day 9- 31st May:
Carlisle to Lancaster
Today there was plenty of sunshine which lead to a red face.
There were a few problems trying to find a route south from Carlisle and I ended up on the A6 which was remarkably quiet.
I shared breakfast with 3 blokes from Portsmouth who were working in the area.
The previous rest day had done me good. I looked forward to tackling Shap Fell. It turned out to be fairly easy. I hit 43mph coming down Shap Fell which left me grinning for some time afterwards!
My legs made an appearance in shorts today and disgarded my waterproofs after having to wear them every day so far.
I had problems trying to find a room in Lancaster and ended up 10m beyond it- slightly off route.
Day 10 2nd June:
Lancaster to Chester
Reports from down south indicated that it was a scorcher down there. Up north however it was dreary, although I banked on it getting brighter and set off legs exposed, from just north of Garstang.
Following mainly the A6 I arrived at 1000 in Preston for coffee and a large portion of cake, which was good sustenance since I spent the next 30 mins trying to find my way out of the city.
Today seemed to be a day for passing through rugby league towns, Orrell, Widnes, Runcorn, St Helens. Runcorn bridge was quite impressive, built by the same man who built Sydney Harbour bridge, I am informed. Just before the bridge I caught up with Bob, the Ender who I met in Carlisle on my rest day, so we cycled the next five miles or so together, which was handy as we got lost on Runcorn island and ended up on a very busy dual carraigeway for a couple of miles. Amazing how fast you can pedal when scared witless of big lorries!
Arrived in Chester safe and well, to meet a cyclist on the doorstep who was just packing in the End to End as his heart rhythm disorder was playing him up! Needless to say we had a long chat.
73 miles today, 627 done in total, six days left!!
Day 11- 3rd June:
Chester to Clun
Chester to Clun 70m:
Left at 0900. No major landmarks to report on this journey, and I did manage to get lost a few times!
Ellesmere is a beautiful town full of canal barges. It's been very hot and I remained covered up after yesterdays sunburn!
I managed to catch some of the England v Jamaica game.
The hills in Wales have been extremely hard work but I'm getting there!
Today I was joined by my Brother David and his wife Helen and their children for dinner. Thank you!
Not much else to say really. Tomorrow I am off to Coleford.
Day 12- 4th June:
Clun to Coleford
Clun to Coleford 52m:
I had to walk up two hills today as they were just too steep to cycle up- a lot steeper than the hills of Scotland. The route I've selected through Wales is too hilly I've discovered- but I suppose I only have myself to blame!
Met my two brothers, David and Steven, for lunch, but afterwards my afternoon treat was cycling up Symonds Yat which was an extremely steep climb.
All is well and tomorrow I set off for Bristol.
Day 12- 5th June:
Coleford to Bridgwater
Coleford to Bridgwater:
The Severn Bridge was the highlight of today's journey. A 2 1/2 mile unique and joyous experience with a dedicated cycle path. Another bridge I crossed was the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol. I also went through a nice place called Catbrain!
Most of today has been very flat except for Bristol, though a rapid descent from Bristol Arport from the A38 saw me grinning widely at a speedo reading of 44mph.
I am now feeling very confident about completion and still aiming to finish for Thursday afternoon.
I am now steeling myself for the Hills of Devon and Cornwall!
I have now added some pictures taken by my brother Steven to this website so if you click on the pictures link on the homepage you should be able to see some proof!
Day 13- 6th June:
Bridgwater to Steps Bridge, Dartmoor
Bridgwater - Stepsbridge (Dartmoor) 52m:
Dog Village was the winner of todays unusual name, after a place called Catbrain yesterday!
An easy ride into Taunton. This demonstrates the flat nature of this countryside. I stopped for a rest and had an opportunity to check on the website. I can't tell you how encouraging it is to read your postive comments in the guestbook.
It's interesting that whilst my journey took me through Scotland, in the cold and wet a bowl of soup was required for lunch. But here I'm seeking out nice country pub lunches!
I'm getting quite concerned that I may wear down the break pads with the steep hills of Dartmoor.
2 days to go!!!
Day 14- 7th June
Steps bridge (Exeter) to St Austell
Dartmoor is a beautiful place to drive across but an absolute pig to cycle! It took me 4 hrs to cycle the 25 miles to Tavistock, where on Gerry's recommendation I sampled some strong cheddar from a rather extensive cheese shop
Blue skies bring hot weather, surprisingly it is as much of a challenge to deal with as wet and cold, just different ways of coping. One of which saw me fall asleep at the roadside on the A390 outside Liskeard!
This has been without doubt the toughest day. Every hill is followed by another. The pleasure in going downhill fast is somewhat reduced by the thought that you are simply racing towards the next 1:5 uphill. Still, the land speed record was broken at 45 mph off Dartmoor and repeated in Cornwall, which I entered at 1.30 pm, by the way.
On to tomorrow then, the final day, 51 miles to go! Should be a doddle hoho!!
Maybe I'll pick up a small bottle of champagne en route.......
Day 15- 8th June:
St Austell to Land's End
I arrived at Land's End at just after 5pm today. The ride from St Austell was fast, the hills virtually disappeared. I joined the A30 near Redruth and breezed along to Hayle in no time. I was however, pedalling on a tide of emotion and adrenalin, no pain, just ecstasy!!
I treated myself to moules et frites and a glass of dry white wine in Hayle for lunch. The ride into Penzance took no time, where I stopped off to buy an England shirt for the journey home, so I didn't look out of place!!
The A30 from Penzance to Land's End reintroduced me to the hills, but only for 10 miles, the last 4 of which were down.
When it came into view, I was just stunned. The enormity of the whole project just hit me and I would like to say it was the wind bringing a tear to the eye but I was wearing glasses!
It was an eerie feeling, I got off the bike and was hit with a strange feeling of not knowing what do do next! Some tasks to perform, the photo, getting my form stamped in the hotel to prove finishing (so I can wear the tie!)could wait, I just wanted to savour the time and reflect on the journey and drink the champagne I had carried from Penzance!
Well as luck would have it they remove the sign at 5pm, apparently as a theft prevention, but my before and after shots will look a bit odd and it spoilt the moment a bit, but not much!
So, back up the road a mile to a very friendly hostel, food and more wine.......
Reflection will occur on the train home today, I spent two hours at Lands End and it wasn't enough! I think back to the Enders arrriving at JOG as I was leaving and seeing the inner glow of satisfaction appearing on their smile, well I've got that too now!
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