Mat's Lands End to John O'Groats trip

Super Mum

2007-10-06T17:27:00.000+01:00

My mum has just updated me with the final total of all the donations she's worked so hard to collect - £723.25 ! Many many thanks to her. This takes the total amount up to over £1800, so a big thanks again are due to everyone who has made a donation.

This will probably be the final update on this blog, many thanks for reading.

Here's to the next trip.

Mat

Photos now included

2007-08-23T10:49:00.000+01:00

I've finally completed updating the 'daily' entries with appropriate, I hope, photos.

This has taken a short while, but I think its been well worth it.

Please have a look back at the daily entries, you might find an amusing photo or two, or perhaps a place you recognise - taken in the rain - or a landscape somewhere you'd quite like to go. Apologies that a lot of pics get a bit grainy when maximised, thats due to Operator error, not a generally fuzzy British landscape.

All of these photos have magically been stored on my Picasa web space, so once I've sorted it out I'll send a link out to interested, and not so, parties to enable all to have a shufty at one's leisure.

One thing, it looks like you're not able to click to 'super-size' the photos I've added with a central formatting. I'm not sure why this is, so I'll try to correct, which of course will take a bit more time..

Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave a comment or two.

Cheers,

Mat.

Day 23 (Final day !): Thurso to John o'Groats

2007-08-09T17:31:00.000+01:00

Good brekkie, and off into the home straight, although clearly not at a sprint. Tired after yesterdays efforts and with a vague sense that I didn't really want to rush the day.

Pootled up to Dunnet Head first to complete my trip from the most southerly, at Lizard, to the most northerly point on the mainland, which was well worth it, with some excellent cliff views there.

I've almost ..

Although I had to beware the scary, and the cute, Highland cattle ...

Completed Lizard to Dunnet Head ! ..

View from Dunnet Head

Continued on at my reluctant pace but this picked up as a dirty great rain cloud approached across from the West. Quickly changed plan and decided to get to John o'Groats and get my pictures taken asap before the rain set in. This worked, just about. I found John o'Groats slightly more pleasant than Land's End, but couldn't bring myself to pay the £9.50 for the piccy with the 'famous' sign, so cobbled together a picture of bike with sign. Luckily a kind chap took a picture of me outside of the rather closed Groats hotel on the 'FINISH' line.

At the Finish line ..

Which I hope is proof enough that man and machine had completed the journey !

John O'Groats pics:

The £9.50 sign pic, taken in a huff and on the cheap ..

Met a couple of couples there who'd completed the same trip. Both seemed to have experienced worse weather conditions than myself - although I guess you notice the bad weather even more when you're camping - so I felt rather lucky in that respect. But both couples were happy to have made the trip and we compared notes on floods, winds etc.

Enjoyed a celebratory Panini (?) and Scone & Tea.

Popped to Duncansby Head - which was very spectacular - and then struggled back to Thurso into probably the worst weather conditions yet, but which had come at the right time !

Stacks of birds and things at Duncansby ..

Treated myself to a proper restaurant meal, and later a bottle of Ardbeg whisky. Didn't drink it all at once of course !

My work here was now complete, and I felt happy to have completed the challenge ( something which I'll probably appreciate more as time goes by ), but sad to have finished.

Thanks to all family and friends who's provided support, however large or small. Thanks to all the friendly, helpful and interesting people who I've met along the way. And thanks again to everyone who's kindly made a donation to the PDS - you've done a fantastic job.

Stats for the day:

Mileage 52.8
Total Mileage 1,181.5
Heads visited 2
Groats visited 1
Stacks spotted 2
End of ride 1

Final Stats & Facts (possibly):

Total mileage 1,181.5
Longest days mileage 91.9
Shortest days mileage 0 (rest days)
Average daily mileage, including rest days 51.4
Average daily mileage excluding rest days 55.8

Highest Av. Speed 13.2 ( also the longest day, from Arlingham to Penkridge)

Lowest Av. Speed 9.4 (from Liskeard to Credition - Cornwall into Devon)
Highest point 589 metres ('Fleet Moss' just south of Hawes)
Islands visited 2
Ferry crossings 7
Floods waded through 1 (Powick, near Worcester)
Distilleries visited 3
Breweries visited 1
Place name, that I noticed, most often encountered 'Ham'
No. of completely rainy days 1
No. of days obviously riding into the wind 4
...........

Here's to the next trip

Final amusing sign appendage ..

What with the rain, rain and more rain, it ..

... have been beneficial to develop ..

Day 22: Helmsdale to Thurso

2007-08-09T17:08:00.000+01:00

Another good breakfast, with a healthy kick of tea, set me up nicely for a trip into a wild wilderness. The wind had turned to blow hard from the north and the rain was set in for the day.

So it was a bit exciting to be heading along a singletrack road, up the Strath of Kildonan and then down the Strath of Halladale, for almost 40 miles into that wind, with just a hotel and small RSPB centre after 24 miles to take refuge in. That 24 miles took ages, but it was mostly okay thanks for the fantastic scenery and the excitement that I might just get a spot of a Golden Eagle. The only downside was, strangely, the traffic. As the wind was gusting hard past my ears I couldn't hear the traffic behind me, and one or two drivers - especially one idiot in a maroon fiesta, bless him - decided to pass regardless of the width of road and whether or not I was aware of his presence. This was a bit sad as the passing places were only about every 400 yards or so.

Views of the Strath of Kildonan:

View up the Strath from just outside Helmsdale...

The impressive River Helmsdale which runs up the Strath ..

Spotted on the way up the train from Inverness - Thurso ( my ride back in a couple of days time ) ..

The Kildonan Burn, where you can pan for gold ..

The higher up I went the worse the weather got ..

Anyway, making it to Forsinard and the shelter of the RSPB visitors centre was heaven. I enjoyed a couple of cups of tea, and a bag of fruit & nuts and dripped all over their floor whilst waiting for the rain to die down a little. When it didn't I pushed on, for a testing 200 yards to the hotel and popped in for some lunch. Here they had a fire and some comfy leather chairs, where I enjoyed a tasty cheese sarnie and large pot of tea. I left feeling well fed and highly caffeinated.

Thankfully from Forsinard it was a steady downhill along the Strath of Halladale to the 'A' road along the North Coast. Sadly during the run through this boggy wilderness I didn't spot any wildlife in particular - certainly not an Eagle, nor even any of the numerous Red Deer.

River Halladale giving it some welly ...

Made it to the North Coast at last !

The run alongside the Atlantic was still breezy but okay and I was glad to make it to Thurso in reasonable time.

It was never really with me ..

Treated myself to a pretty good takeaway Chicken Biryani, with Prawn Puree for starters. I was impressed by the staff's offer of a complimentary Irn Bru whist I was waiting for my meal. Didn't sleep that well that night, probably too hyper after the gallons of tea mixed with the excitement of knowing the next day would be my last.

Stats:

Mileage 53.7
Total 1,128.7
Eagles 0
Red Deer 0

Cheers,

Mat.

Day 21: Cromarty to Helmsdale

2007-08-09T16:06:00.000+01:00

Excellent brekkie set me up nicely, but the discovery of a puncture created a bit of panic. I ran 1/2 a mile to try to catch the 08:30 ferry across to Nigg only to be told that the first one runs at 09:00 ish on a Sunday. Still this gave me time to fix the puncture, and somehow I managed to hand pump it up to almost max. pressure ( must've been something in yesterday's beer ). Rolled down to the ferry ramp and there in the water of the Cromarty Firth were the Dolphins ! They were quite a way away, but unmistakeable, especially when one or two decided to do the odd jump. A big bonus spot.

Cromarty shore along which the exciting jog took place and the puncture was mended ..

Spot the Dolphins ..

Very sketchy Dolphin video, look carefully just right of centre after about 10secs, the vague dark image was a Dolphin ( apologies for the quality of the video ) ...

The Ferry eventually arrived and popped me and a couple of bikers across to Nigg. Soon discovered that I wasn't on a good day, so decided to take it as easy as possible and just enjoy the scenery. Once onto the A9 heading on the East Coast I was once again blown along by a healthy tailwind. It was almost a shame to change direction to head off to Dornoch, but an exceptionally tasty Scone & Jam with a pot of tea in very fine china boosted my spirits.

Tasty Scone street at Dornoch ..

The American (owner ?) of the tea shop expressed an envy in my trip and recommended that I should follow the minor road around back to the A9. So I did, and along the edge of Loch Fleet spotted a whole host of Common Seals basking on a sand bank in the sun. Brilliant.

Loch Fleet views:

Looking inland ..

Common Seals hauled out on the sand bank ..

Back on the A9 pootled up the Coast enjoying the views of the Sea, and then Bras - lots of them, strung together in a continuous chain through Golspie. I caught up with the culprits on the edge of town and they explained that they were laying out a chain of bras from Golspie to Brora (about 6 miles) to raise money for the Raigmore Hospital Breast Cancer Unit in Inverness. ( See picture from 1000 mile point in previous post coincidence fans ).

Bras:

Beginning of the chain at Golspie ...

Chain continuing further up the road near the lovely named 'Doll' ...

I made them a modest donation in lieu of that afternoons cake/flapjack and continued up the road. ( turns out that the profile of the effort was raised when Prince Charles & Camilla stopped whilst driving south from a stay at the Castle of Mey ( nr. John o'Groats) and also made a donation. They completed and then removed the chain of over 8000 Bras later that day. Excellent effort ).

Enjoyed a quality jacket potato with cheese and beans on the harbour at Brora which helped me to roll into Helmsdale early afternoon. The proprietors at the B&B there were friendly and very helpful and recommended an evening meal at the local restaurant 'La Mirage'. Turns out this is an excellent chippie, with seating. Couldn't get a seat, but happily settled for a tasty takeaway Fish and Chip Supper.

Helmsdale ..

Stats:

Mileage 49.1
Total 1,075.0
Dolphins spotted 2 +
Seals spotted 10 +
Ferries 1
Punctures 1

Cheers,

Mat.

Sign pic:

Day 20: Fort Augustus to Cromarty

2007-08-09T15:37:00.000+01:00

Almost an excellent day. Rode up the A82 alongside Loch Ness which was fairly quiet, and relatively swift with a strong tailwind helping out, then enjoyed a relaxed final few miles to Inverness on the path alongside the Caledonian Canal.

Loch Ness ..

Me and bike reached the 1000 mile mark in Inverness, where the elation must've gone to my head as I subsequently got a little bit lost & frustrated trying to get through the town and find a cafe stop at the same time (must of been in serious need of some cake at that point).

1000 miles covered on this trip alone, honest ! ..

View from the 1000 mile point in Inverness ( note the 'Raigmore Hospital' sign and see see entry for Day 21 coincidence fans ) ..

Somewhere in Inverness - now if I could only find the river I could get my bearings ..

Eventually stopped for lunch at a service station, relaxing on the grass watching the stragglers making their way to the Caley Thistle vs Rangers match just up the road.

Caley Thistle ground in action ...

The afternoon was lovely, in bright sunshine and still being blown along by the strong wind. Headed across the bridge out to the Black Isle. Had a quick stop in an info centre to ask about where was best to spot Dolphins & Seals. The helpful lady suggested that it was possible in Cromarty so I decided not to change my route on the off-chance. This gave me a bit of time to stop a few miles later at the Black Isle brewery, a small producer of 'organic' real-ale. Had a brief tour of the tiny production facilities, and then spent 1/2 hr tasting and re-tasting their 7 different beers - on the whole very nice.

Attractive curves on the Black Isle ( must of been the 'Red Kite' ale talking ) ..

More attractive curves looking down to Munlochy bay ..

Sign customisation at Fortrose ..

Luckily the final 15 or so miles were fairly flat and still windswept, so getting to Cromarty wasn't too much of a slightly booze addled problem.

Cromarty turned out to be a top spot to stay. Good accommodation at the Training Centre, where by luck I was able to get a bargain super-healthy evening meal. The town/village is pretty with plenty to see nearby. On that night there was a festival for bikers ( proper bikes with engines ) on the village green to add to the interest, with a variety of bands, and plenty of serious machines to admire. Sadly, I didn't spot any Dolphins whilst walking along the shore.

Stats:

Mileage 59.7
Total 1025.9
Brewery trips 1
Beers tasted 7
Dolphins spotted 0
Seals spotted 0
Loch Ness monsters spotted 3 *

Cheers,

Mat.

* Not actually alive as far as I could tell, just adorning signs.

Day 19: North Ballachulish to Fort Augustus

2007-08-03T21:09:00.000+01:00

Short day today. Started a little later at 08:45 and was happy to find that the wind was again behind me, quite strongly, as I headed North by North West up towards the Great Glen.

The first stretch alongside Loch Linnhe was quick and dry with the scenery continuing to be fantastic. I decided not to hang around in Fort William so went through and out towards Mallaig. Joined a queue of traffic in a 15 minute wait to cross the Caledonian Canal whilst a seemingly endless stream of slow moving boats crossed. Once across I turned onto the B8004 singletrack road heading back towards the Glen. Along this road the view back to the Ben Nevis, even with the top covered in cloud, was irresistible.

Ben Nevis still in cloud ...

Looking up the Great Glen from the lovely B8004 ...

Once reaching Gairlochy I stuck by my decision to take the main road through the Glen, rather than risk trying to ride the Forest cycle Track. This meant a little and suprisingly tough stretch up towards Spean Bridge. For some reason, possibly through my limited brain power being addled by fatigue, I was avoiding using the bottom chainring as the indexing ( which allows you to flick a lever once to change gear ) was out and causing the chain to hop off just when most inconvenient - due to the bike being relatively new and the cables stretching. This meant I was trying to get up some unexpectedly steep hills in too high a gear, which was plain silly. Good job it was a short day.

Turning back to the North on the A82, after a pleasant Cheese & Onion sarnie, the wind once again lent a helping hand. However, it also blew a dirty great rain cloud up the road to follow me. I was doubly glad now that I could make relatively swift progress as the traffic on was fairly busy, and riding in the pouring rain with Caravans, Coaches and Lorries hurtling past is fairly low in the fun stakes.

I was pleased to reach the Bridge of Oich where the Great Glen cycle route moves from the Forest to a well surfaced path alongside the Caledonian Canal. This was an excellent way to unwind a little and take in the yet again stunning scenery, helped by the rain clearing up. The path led all the way to Fort Augustus and I got to the B&B just in time to catch the proprietor before he headed back off to his shop for the afternoon.

Bridge of Oich ..

Cycle track alongside the Caledonian Canal ..

As I'd arrived early afternoon there was time to have a decent wander around the town. Fort Augustus was entertaining that weekend as a part of the Highland 2007 festival, so it was pretty busy. Unfortunately the music festival was slightly out of budget, so I settled for a tasty Venison Burger enjoyed with a pint of water - graciously provided by the friendly landlord.

Looking up Loch Ness from Fort Augustus ..

Stats for the day:

mileage 48.7
total to date 966.3
packup 1
Ben Nevis covered in cloud 1

Cheers,

Mat

Day 18: Kilmartin to North Ballachulish

2007-08-03T21:07:00.000+01:00

Managed to get away early from Kilmartin, despite the proprietor being a tad reluctant to get up at 07:30, and then mildly incredulous when I asked for just cereal, fruit & tea. To be fair she did give me a freebee cereal bar to help tide me over.

Conditions were good again today, with a decent tailwind and no rain. There were a few short hills between Kilmartin and Oban but nothing too scary. The 'A' continued to be reasonably quiet.

On the road to Oban:

'River' Oude ...

Knipoch ..

As I'd made good progress that morning I had a relatively lengthy stop at Oban to replenish my energy and find somewhere to pump up my tyres a little. The tea shop, Bossards, proved to be a winner with a fine pot of tea and exciting custard slice (plus a little flapjack for afters). The lady serving kindly gave me a tuna salad baguette for free in lieu of a donation. A chap at the local Car and Mountain Bike hire centre put some more air in my tyres, and recommended that I steer clear of the Cycle way through the Great Glen where it runs alongside Loch Lochy as its essentially for Mountain Bikes (i.e. with fatter more grippy tyres). Advice that was later heeded.

Pics from between Oban and Ballachulish:

Falls of Lora ( don't look much but you've to be careful with your boats apparently ) ..

Loch Creran I think ..

Loch Linnhe looking towards Kingairloch & Mull ..

Entering Lochaber ( couldn't help hearing that Proclaimers song in my head for a while ) ...

Proper spot of my first Munro I think - Sgorr Dhonuill ..

The Pap of Glencoe, I think, ...

Continued to make good time in the afternoon and arrived fairly early into North Ballachulish to be greeted by friendly B&B owners. Popped out for some basic but decent dinner at the Loch Leven hotel - one of only two realistic options for eating within walking distance (the nearest shop is 3 or so miles away).

Views from North Ballachulish:

Looking West across Loch Linnhe ..

Looking south towards Sgorr Dearg ..

Throughout the day the scenery had been wonderful. The road running alongside Lochs for the majority of the way, with views of magnificent hills beyond. Just consistently stunning, with the only slight downside being the need to hop off the bike to appreciate it all safely due to the road carrying fast traffic.

Stats for the day:

mileage 60.9
Total to day 920.1
Flapjack 1
Custard slice 1
Munros spotted 1

Cheers,

Mat.

Day 17: Port Ellen, Islay to Kilmartin

2007-08-03T21:02:00.000+01:00

A gentle start to the day after another fine breakfast from the B&B.

We were delayed a short while boarding when some part of the mechanism which operates the ramp conked out, still it gave me time to have a short chat with a biker headed miles for Peterhead that day. Only occured to me later he was probably the chap who nearly knocked me off when we'd first arrived on Islay.

Ferry issues ..

Looking back to Port Ellen from the ferry ..

As the ferry wasn't getting in until midday I'd planned for a short half day of riding, and this proved to not even be that as the tailwind helped to speed me along to Kilmartin. The route passed through the pretty port town of Tarbert where I stopped for a hearty cheese salad butty and fruit slice for lunch. The run after that little binge was thankfully nice and flat along the shore of Loch Fyne.

Lovely Loch Fyne ...

I stopped in Lochgilphead for a quick nosey before the final stretch to my B&B for the night.

This last bit took me into Kilmartin Glen, where there is a high concentration of pre-historic sites, such as burial cairns and standing stones. I stopped to have a look at a burial cairn and standing stones at Ballymeanoch. The standing stones were quite impressive and it was good to be able to view them up close - in the middle of a private field full of sheep.

Kilmartin Glen pictures:

View north towards Kilmartin ...

Stones at Ballymeanoch, with sheep, ...

View south from Kilmartin ...

Once I'd arrived at my accommodation the proprietor urged me to go and view a few more sites so off I went for a leisurely evening ride to have a look at more stone circles and burial cairns, even more impressive than the ones viewed earlier in the day.

Temple Wood stone circle ...

Dinner was a couple of tasty venison sausages with red onion jelly and decent veg at the local hotel. I was quite pleased to get a good meal as Kilmartin only has the one place to eat out, and one shop.

Stats for the day:

Mileage 28.6
Total mileage 859.1
Venison Sausages 2
Stone Circles 2
Burial Cairns 3
B&B Garden filled with animal figures 1

Cheers,

Mat

Day 16: Rest day on Islay

2007-07-31T17:23:00.001+01:00

Excellent full Scottish Brekkie.

Spent the day pootling from distillery to distillery on my bike. Enjoyed tours at Lagavulin (thanks for the donation to Marjorie and staff) and Ardbeg. Later was very kindly given a free tasting at the Laphroaig distillery.

Lagavulin pics:

Looking back from the jetty ( shame about the obscured 'L', but hey ho ) ..

Very old whisky ( 2nd barrel from left at front ) ..

One of the pear shaped stills ( undergoing maintenance ) ..

Very very tasty 'Distillers Edition' - promised to myself once I've finished one of my existing bottles ..

Spotted a bit of wildlife in a beautifully quiet bay. And am now here updating this blog thing in the local youth centre - noisy !

Can you spot the seal ? ...

Port Ellen marina as the sun goes down ..

Back to the mainland tomorrow. Then a short-ish ride up to Kilmartin. Into the last week now - boo hoo.

Stats for the day:

Wee drams 4
Seals spotted 2
Otters spotted 0
Mileage 8 ish.
Tot. 8 ish more than yesterday.

Cheers,

Mat.

Day 15: Brodick to Port Ellen, Islay

2007-07-31T17:11:00.000+01:00

Earliest start yet at 07:45 !! after a great breakfast. So happened that the Captain of the Ferry from Lochranza to Port Askaig, Islay, was the co-owner of the B&B so his wife who runs the B&B kindly offered for him take my pannier bags with him to await my arrival on the ferry later that morning.

Cycled the lovely 22 miles across the pass through the middle of the Island and then up the West coast in good time on a beautiful clear morning in order to catch the 10:45 ferry from Lochranza to Claonaig, on Kintyre.

Pics from my blissful early morning ride across Arran:

View from the pass known as 'The String' back down towards Brodick ...

Looking across to Kintyre from Auchnagallon ..

Lochranza from the Ferry terminal ..

Met up with one of the touring cyclists met yesterday again, and a couple of a tandem doing an extended end to end - heading up the Western Isles and then across the north coast of Scotland. Brilliant.

The Ferry to Kintyre is coming into land, complete with my pannier bags ...

Looking back over to Arran from the ferry ...

The little ferry from Arran dropped us off at Claonaig, then we had a short ride up a singletrack hill to Kennacraig to catch the ferry across to Port Askag on Islay.

Started to relax a bit as it would be the rest day next and enjoyed some excellent cycling company and a couple of Scottish beers on the way to Port Ellen on the other side of Islay from Port Askaig.

Good luck to all cyclists met on the way !

Zoomed down to Port Ellen on the straight 8 mile road with the wind behind. Plenty of friendly waves along the way ( I suspect one or two of them may have mistaken me for a well known local cyclist who may occasionally wear a similar black cycling top - cycling related blog written by this chap here ... http://ileach.co.uk/post/ ) Good friendly accommodation awaited me at Port Ellen, and a decent curry in from the local takeaway hit the spot for dinner.

Islay pics:

Bowmore distillery ( one of the 7 working distilleries on the island - popn. 3000 ! ) ...

Didn't get to visit the Mull of Oa this time, but will do some day soon ...

Whitewashed houses around Port Ellen Marina ...

Stats for day:

Ferry journeys 2
No. of rides 3
Flapjacks 2
Very long straight roads 1
Stunning views (lost count)
Mileage 49.8
Tot. mileage to date 821.5

Cheers,

Mat.

Day 14: Sanquhar to Brodick, Arran

2007-07-31T17:02:00.000+01:00

Good breakfast and out of the door fairly early.

This pic should've been in yesterdays blog entry - but its here - its the oldest Post Office anywhere ever and its in Sanquhar ..

Although the wind was still blowing into my face, as the distance today was short it wasn't too much of a problem.

Dog faced sheep almost distracted me ..

It was a race to catch the afternoon ferry to Brodick on Arran from the mainland at Ardrossan in Ayrshire. Did this okay with the only problem being navigating the final few miles around Irvine, Stevenston and Saltcoats.

Exciting to catch the Ferry, and made more so as I met up with a couple of other touring cyclists both heading across to Arran and beyond to tour the Inner Hebrides. Had an great chat on the ferry, swapping notes on tearoom stops in particular !

Me on Ferry trying not to look too bush-whacked ..

Ferry at Arran ..

Ferry dropped us off in Brodick and it was a short ride to my accommodation. The other tourers sped off to elsewhere on the Island.

Pic, I think, of 'The Calf', the biggest hill on Arran ..

Stats for the day:

Choc bars 2
Flapjacks (negligible)
Mileage 51.7
Tot. mileage to date 771.7

Cheers,

Mat

Day 13: Carlisle to Sanquhar

2007-07-31T16:50:00.000+01:00

Good brekkie, and met a guy from the midlands in his 70's who'd completed Lands End to John o'Groats when he was 65 on a bike almost as old as himself - awesome.

Long day, longer than expected and harder because it was mostly into the wind. Celebrated crossing into Scotland in the quietest tea room on this trip ( and possibly ever anywhere) in Gretna - it did say it was a tea room on a sign, but looked and felt more like this ladies front-room.

Made it to Scotland, and half-way ish ..

Struggled onto Dumfries, and cut my planned route short as it was clear I was going to be late to get to my destination otherwise. Dumfries was nice, and a kind chap at Halfords pumped up my tyres to max pressure. Headed onto the 'A' road from Dumfries towars Sanquhar up the Nith valley.

Lovely River Nith ...

This wasn't too bad as being a Saturday meant the traffic was quite light. Took to the back roads once I thought I was roughly back on track, and luckily came across the village where the inventor of the pedal bicycle, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, lived and is buried.

Grave of Kirkpatrick Macmillan ..

New-ish style pedal cycle in front of iron model of original ..

Some of the scenery here was great. Continued on the back roads and had a stop at Drumlanrig Castle where I popped in to have a quick look around the Scottish Cycle Museum. Some excellent examples of old and more recent bikes, including a model of the original Kirkpatrick Macmillan pedal bicycle.

Drumlanrig Castle ( didn't get a picture of the bikes in the museum - doh ) ..

Some excellent examples of old old and more recent old bikes in there - friendly and helpful shop staff also.

Got into Sanquhar at a decent enough time in the end, albeit a bit cream-crackered.

Stats for the day:

Flapjack 1
Belgian bun 1
Graves of the inventor of the bicycle visited 1
Mileage 73.7
Tot. mileage to date 720.0

Cheers,

Mat

Day 12: Hawes to Carlisle

2007-07-31T16:41:00.000+01:00

Decent breakfast, and off in the rain again.

Into the wind for a while for the first time on the trip out from Hawes heading West, but the turn towards Kirkby Stephen made things less windy but hillier.

Lovely road heading West out of Hawes ...

Weather dried up and the sun beat down for the rest of the day. However hard this start was it was going to be far easier than my original plan of heading up the climb past Buttertubs and on to Tan Hill Inn - which I made a tactical decision to change.

Into Cumbria ..

where you have to watch out for the (Red) Squirrels ...

Apart from saving me energy, the other unforseen benefit of this change of route was finding a stunning tearoom at Kirkby Stephen. Lovely Cream Tea and then a packed lunch to take away for a tad over £6 - awesome.

Food went too quickly to get a 'before' picture ...

Rest of the day was pleasant and pain free until a stretch of hills just before Carlisle.

Accommodation in Carlisle was a friendly Guest House in a so so area of town, but close enough to easily walk to some food within 10 minutes.

Stats for the day:

Flapjacks 0.5 ?!
Cream Tea 1
Packups 1
Red Squirrels spotted 0
Red Squirrel warning signs spotted 10+
Mileage 59.05
Tot. to date 646.3

Cheers,

Mat.

Amusing signs appendage:

Probably a ...

A twosome of mildly amusing placenames plus a ***thwaite for good measure ...

Day 11: Thornton to Hawes

2007-07-31T16:32:00.001+01:00

Top brekkie, and an enthusiastic farewell party to watch me make a highly clumsy hill start !

Bit of rain to start the day cleared up almost before I could start whingeing to myself about it always raining. Decent enough route up to Skipton, where a substantial cup of tea and flapjack tided me over.

Skipton ...

Then into the Yorkshire Dales and a feeling of elation to be in such inspiring surroundings in the sunshine.

Entering the Dales ...

Which lasted until it started lashing it down whilst I was enjoying my Cheese sarnie in Kettlewell.

Lovely Wharfedale place names in the wet ...

The lovely River Wharfe ...

I'd made good progress so tried to ignore the driving rain and headed up to Buckden and then across the top to Hawes. Quite proud that I managed to avoid wheelies on the steepest sections, probably due to the couple of kilos lost from the panniers in Penkridge. Great views of cloud from the top.

Warning steep clouds ahead ...

Accommodation in Hawes was good though. A lovely building, friendly hosts and plenty of space on the drying rack above the fire. The Cumberland grill for dinner was almost as challenging as the days ride.

Stats for the day:

Flapjacks 1.5
Pairs of Waterproof socks holding water 1
Mileage 48.1
Tot. mileage to day 587.2

Cheers,

Mat.

Day 10: Altrincham to Thornton, Bradford

2007-07-31T16:20:00.000+01:00

Its been awhile again, but safe to say I've found a spare minute during my hectic rest day on Islay to provide mini-updates on the days of travel since the last time I posted on the 25th. (which have now been revised).

First thing, many thanks again to everyone who has donated online and offline since my last posting.

This was a pretty good day. Manchester drizzled on me, but my route through the southern Mancunian conurbation was pretty painless. The route from Glossop to Holmfirth over the substantial hill of 'Holme Moss' was tough but beautiful and bleak.

View up Longendale from just outside Hadfield ...

Someone took pity and took a photo of man & machine at the top ...

View of West Yorkshire from the top ...

It was a bit of a fight in the traffic through Huddersfield but fairly flat. The climb up to my stop for the night from Brighouse (to Queensbury) was something I'd forgotten about from my Uni days in Bradford - good job too ! Still I made it to the top of the ...

After a little rest in ... (more comfortable than plastic saddle ?)

Kathryn and Rob my hosts were very welcoming and I had a lovely evening in their stunning house with Kathryn's cousin and husband and my old Uni mate Jill - great fun.

Stats for the day:

Flapjack 1
Custard Slice 1
Near misses with white van men in West Yorkshire 2
Windy peaks 2
Mileage 57.6
Total mileage to date 539

Cheers,

Mat.

Day 9: Penkridge to Altrincham

2007-07-24T21:23:00.000+01:00

Mum fed me well and I happilly set off on a sunny but windy day to roll through Staffordshire to Cheshire.

From Penkridge I zoomed up to Stafford to pick up some spare Brake blocks as a just in case for later on. From Stafford headed out to Eccleshall in order to follow a route to the west of Stoke- on-Trent. There were some pleasant roads, and nice views, but nothing particularly outstanding.

( Revision 17/08/07 - familiarity probably bred a little lack of respect here, as I used to cycle on these roads and they are very pleasant and pretty quiet. The whole description of the day below was probably coloured by me not feeling full of va va voom).

As I was making good time I stopped for a sit down lunch for a change at the pretty Barthomley, near Audley. After this I struggled to get back up to pace and mithered along the rest of the way.

Managed to cross the M6 a couple of times, and take a bridleway instead of the correct road at one point - these were highlights.

Also quite exciting was passing quite close to Jodrell Bank. A disappointment was failing to get a good picture of the sign for Over Peover, ho hum (see below).

The last bit of the ride saw me taking a wrong turning and finding myself at the end of a runway at Manchester Airport - I reckon the map is out of date though.

Okay day, hope I'm feeling a bit perkier for the challenges of the Peak District and the Dales.

Stats of the day:

Flapjacks (muesli bars) 2
M6 crossings 5
Days mileage 70
Total mileage 481.3

Cheers,

Mat.

Disappointing sign pics spot:

'Over Peover', honest it is ...

Large Owl pic spot:

At Mobberley a beautiful carving of an owl from a storm felled Oak stump ...

More info on how the owl came to rest there here ...

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1010/1010285_villagers_stumped_by_owl_carving.html

Day 8: Rest day

2007-07-24T21:13:00.000+01:00

Not much to say here. Spent the day at my Mum's trying to ditch as much weight as possible from my luggage, stocking up on Flapjack style bars from possibly the worlds finest bakery, and trying to remove some of the vast amounts of oily muck from the bike chain.

Managed to reduce the weight being carried by a couple of kilos. But the extra maps required for the northern bit of the ride, and the numerous flapjacky bars have offset those losses somewhat.

Cheers,

Mat.

Day 7: Arlingham to Penkridge

2007-07-23T16:17:00.000+01:00

Top breakfast and an early start.

The original plan was to follow the Severn valley as far as possible in order to make quick progress as this was going to be by far my longest day. Taking into account all that we knew about the floods this was changed a little.

Made excellent progress to begin with with a fairly strong tailwind up to Gloucester on the A38. The plan was now to take the A417 at Maisemore then follow the B4211 along the River Severn as far as possible. Sadly, the road to Maisemore was closed with a deep flood. So I headed off on the A40 to loop around via Highleadon which worked fine adding a few miles. When I got to the flooded village of Upton I followed the advice of the chaps directing traffic. So off towards Malvern I went, I thought about looping around and coming back down to the B road I'd been on a few miles further north from Upton but couldn't be sure that the road wouldn't be flooded a bit further up, so after reaching Welland decided to come back down to the Severn at Worcester. This meant a climb up to Malvern taking me well out of the way and into the hills I was originally trying to avoid. Sadly after considerable extra effort this plan was scuppered by flooding of the River Teme, which feeds into the Severn, at Bransford !

I was close to thinking I wouldn't be able to get any further North, but on the advice of one of the numerous flood watchers I cycled a few miles south-east to Powick as the previous day people had been able to walk through the overflow from the Teme there. On arriving at Powick it was clear that a few people were indeed still walking through, one or two even cycling - although one of the flood watchers was claiming that the police should be stopping people as there were raised manhole covers and part of the road had collapsed. However, having watched some more people walk and cycle through in their wellies I plucked up a bit of courage and waded through pushing the bike, wearing just sandals on my feet and rolling up my cycling shorts a little. The water came up above the bottom bracket but didn't reach the luggage. Phew.

At Worcester I took my lunch before continuing north on the A443. I started to wonder at this point how I was going to cross the River Severn. This potential problem was solved just a few miles later near Holt Heath, when I saw a lot of traffic heading off towards Drotwich. At this point I abandoned my hopes of a scenic ride to the West of the Severn, and headed towards the A449 and over the high and flood free bridge over the Severn.

The final thirty miles were spent ploughing along the A449 through Kidderminster, Kingswinford and Wolverhampton. This made navigation quite easy, especially as the road passes through my stop for the night at Penkridge.

I was glad to reach home, let alone get there in good time for dinner with my Mum.

Stats for the day:

Flapjacks 1
Flooded roads waded through 2
Days mileage 91.9
Total mileage 411.2

Cheers,

Mat.

More flood pictures:

This is normally a field not a part of the river..

these areas near Powick are normally a field and road passable by more than just 4x4's & pedestrians...

another pic of the flood waded through at Powick..

Day 6: Cheddar to Arlingham

2007-07-23T15:29:00.000+01:00

Decent Breakfast, but a late start after a late finish the previous night and feeling pretty cream-crackered. Nice accommodation though. The proprietor explained over my 2nd bowl of cereal that they were unfortunate that two couples who were due to arrive last night weren't able to make it due to flooding. I didn't pay too much attention to this at the time.

A good day overall, involving a fair amount of luck.

From Cheddar I followed the cycle path from Cheddar through to Winscombe as best I could - there was a fun section along a disused railway line and through an old tunnel lit only by small lights along the floor. The route then wiggled up towards Clevedon. I managed to lose the route for the 2nd time at Sandford, and was getting a bit annoyed and depressed.

A few miles my luck turned, as a cyclist caught up with me. We got chatting and he explained that he'd done the trip the previous year. He commented on how he developed all sorts of aches and pains which never seemed to go away, but which he just got used to. This gave me heart, as I've developed a whole range of odd niggles - including dodgy Achilles - which aren't getting any better, but which are bearable once warmed up. We talked about the reasons for doing the trip, and it turns out that he was diagnosed with Parkinsons a couple of years ago. Cycling was recommended to him as a means of helping the brain to compensate for the problems that Parkinsons can cause with balance. He was quite inspirational, and as a bonus he was heading my way across the River Avon on the M5 bridge, so I didn't have to fanny about trying to find my way around the Bristol Suburbs.

After picking up my cheapset lunch yet at a service station in Long Cross, Bristol, I made my way across to the Vale of Berkeley. This was a fine and peaceful run across thorugh Berkeley and Slimbridge to my accommodation for the night in the village of Arlingham with friends.

It was only that evening that I learned that I'd been lucky getting through to Arlingham at all. The village sits on a peninsula in a large bend on the Eastern Bank of the Severn and the previous day the single road out to the village from the A38 was flooded. I also learned for the first time about the massive flooding in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire - the two counties I'd be passing through next. Oh dear. My hosts for the evening very kindly went to every effort to try to work out a route which would enable me to get around the floods.

The accommodation was of course brilliant !

Stats of the day:

Flapjacks 2
Friendly Cycling companions 1
Days Mileage 65.1
Total Mileage 319.3

Cheers,

Mat.

Amusing Sign spot:

Yet more Ham ...

Day 5: Crediton to Cheddar

2007-07-23T12:26:00.000+01:00

Excellent breakfast - cereal and Salmon and Scrambled Eggs on toast. Recommend Taw Vale if you're ever in Credition.

Fatigue had started set in a little after the hills and today turned out to be challenging. For a start I'd somehow underestimated the distance by some 10 or 15 miles. Secondly I struggled with route finding, taking a number of time wasting wrong turns. Today I was again following a route recommended by Phil Horsley. The first section was pleasant, but then the 'B' road up to Cullompton wasn't especially so. Stopped for an early cuppa and flapjack, but should've really been moving on. The next section through to Wellington took ages, although it included a nice stretch along the canal near Sampford Peverell on a National Cycling Route where I bumped into the couple I'd met the previous day at Lydford Gorge - small world and all that. It turns out that due to the downpour the gorge had to be closed so their walk was cut short, must've been quite strong after all.

Stopped for my now usual lunch - from a service station - at Wellington before heading right through the busy centre of Taunton on a busy Friday afternoon. What were all of these people doing shopping at 2pm on a Friday ?! I was desperately trying to find another section of National Cycle Route along a canal, and eventually chanced upon it. This was a tad muddy, but quite pleasant taking me through to Creech St. Michael.

It was at this point that I think I realised I'd underestimated the distance. It was getting on into mid afternoon and I was still a good thirty miles away from my cosy B&B. It also started to tip it down. And then I got lost. ... But once back on track there was nothing for it but to get my head down and virtually ignore the scenery of the Somerset Levels and get to Cheddar asap.

The B&B was decent enough, but with time short dinner was picked up from Cheddar's local 'Express' Supermarket.

Stats:

Flapjacks 2
Hot Chocolate 1
Days Mileage 74.7
Total Mileage 254.2

Cheers,

Mat

Amusing sign overflow:

Fine choice of native deciduous trees...

Day 4: Liskeard to Crediton

2007-07-23T11:47:00.000+01:00

A decent enough breakfast, with a kind donation from some fellow guests. But glad to leave Liskeard.

A lovely day this one. It was as hilly as the previous days, but with plenty of lovely views and some wonderfully quiet lanes. I'd decided after yesterday not to try to go over the top of Dartmoor, but around the northern edge. However, the route I chose took me straight up a long climb on the far eastern edge of Bodmin Moor which gave me the Dartmoor feel with less than half the pain. The top provided some fantastic views. It also lead to the Highest Inn in Cornwall.

From the top I headed off East through some enjoyable quiet and narrow lanes - with 8 ft tall hedges and strips of grass down the centre of the tarmac. This took me down to the Horsebridge over the River Tamar which marked the end of Cornwall for me. The next section was pretty quick up to Lydford, and a pleasant suprise to find the spectacular Lydford Gorge and associated National Trust Visitors Centre and tea room. The staff at the NT centre provided a substantial baguette and 'survival' bar (a flapjack derivative will all sort of nuts and dried fruit within). Top stuff ! I met couple who were making day trips out on their bikes from a base at Okehampton - they were off to walk down the Gorge, but I headed off ...

Into a downpour. But it was quite warm, and the thunder and lightning I'd heard earlier over Dartmoor didn't appear. More importantly it coincided with my stretch on the Sustrans 'Granite Cycle way', a hard surfaced cycle track along a disused railway. This took me swiftly into Okehampton, when I managed to will away the showers over a cup of tea, piece of tiffin and a doughnut.

The final stretch from Okehampton to Crediton was brilliant. The sun came out and the roads flowed. Here I'd picked up one of the recommended routes from the Phil Horsley guidebook, and have to thank him for picking a winner.

Credition looked welcoming, and the accommodation turned out to be excellent. Phew.

Stats:

Flapjack 1
Tiffin 1
Chocolate Coated Doughnut that was a bit dry 1
Days Mileage 56
Total Mileage 179.5

Cheers,

Mat

Amusing Sign bit:

Its a good effort to signpost them in Devon ..

Or maybe you're looking for a Donkey ..

It felt like I'd been riding for this long already ..

Perhaps a 'Trundlebeer' would help ...

Day 3: Penryn to Liskeard

2007-07-23T11:07:00.000+01:00

At last some updates ! Opportunities haven't presented themselves thus far, but I'm here on my rest day in Penkridge so taking advantage of my Mum's computer.

Fantastic nights accommodation at Penryn - as I probably mentioned in 'yesterday's' entry. Sent me on my way with a hearty breakfast. After a short downhill it was straight into the challenging ups and downs on the way to the friendly King Harry Ferry near Trellisick. The trip across the river provided a nice little break for a modest 50 pence. Very pleasant on a sunny morning. The next section was hills, hills and more hills. This proved to be a tad tiring, especially with the bike showing a fair degree of wobble. At one point at the top of a substantial climb into Tregony I passed a small post office and considered off-loading several of my weightier items of luggage there and then. But I didn't, and eventually rolled slowly around the edge of St.Austell and for a welcome lunch stop. After my break, i'd just started to pick up some speed when a humungous great blob of a hill got in the way of the route to the 2nd Ferry of the day at Fowey. The staff proved to be slightly less friendly on this one, and the charge was a hefty £1.10, scandalous. The weather turned a tad grim for the first time on the ride from then on, so I took the route of least resistance to Likseard including a brief stretch holding up the traffic through the roadworks at Doublewalls on the A38.

It was a bit of a worrying evening as the 'secure storage' for the bicycle wasn't at all. Despite asking if there was anywhere (like the shed a few yards away) secure and under cover, the proprietor insisted there wasn't and that I shouldn't worry as it definitely wouldn't get nicked. Fingers crossed that this sort of interpretation of secure isn't a recurring theme. Whinge over - the bike didn't get nicked, just wet.

Stats for the day:

Flapjacks 1
Ferries 2
Amusing signs 2
Disappointing accommodation 1
Days mileage 48.9
Total mileage 123.5

Cheers,

Mat

Silly signs for the day:

Day 2: Penzance to Penryn

2007-07-17T18:44:00.000+01:00

Big thanks first to the proprietors of the Tamara Guest House - for their kind donation, substantial breakfast and hearty lunch, brilliant. More thanks to the Cycle Centre in Penzance who sorted out the gears after my panicked phone call at 1 minute past their opening time.

Lovely start to the day through Marazion, then onto the 'A' road to Helston and try to ignore the huge amounts of traffic (where are they all going at 10.00 o'clock on a Tuesday morning). Then things got a bit calmer down to Lizard, and I started to relax a little despite the strong winds. Lizard Point was lovely, and Lizard okay - especially after the kind lady at the cafe (whose name I can't quite remember) filled up my bottles and allowed me to jump the queue to pick up a very tasty chocolate flapjack (best of both snack worlds).

After turning off the main roads and swooping down to Gweek things became a bit hilly. I would say a lot hilly, but apparently it gets even more so from here on. Lovely lanes though and some nice views. Made it to the lovely Sunnyside B&B early, from where I'm posting this waffle. Soon to have some Fish & Chips c/o the very friendly proprietors.

For stat fans:

Days Mileage = 45.3
Total distance to date = 74.8
Days flapjacks = 1
Amusing signs (obviously this is qualitative data) = 2

Pictures will follow later.

Cheers,

Mat.

Day 1: Penzance to Lands End

2007-07-17T18:35:00.000+01:00

Just a quick update care of the kind proprietors at the Sunnyside B&B. Made it to Penzance without hitches, with both trains spot on time. The journey through Devon and Cornwall is very picturesque.

As the weather was fine and the train on time I 'popped over' to Land's End in the evening - bloomin' good job I'd dropped off the luggage first. As I promised not to whinge, much, about knees etc I won't moan about the bike problems and won't harp on about my bottom (easiest) gears slipping !

Got the obligatory photos at Lands End, apart from the expensive one by the sign pointing to John o'Groats (phew), so I'll have to photoshop that one later. A kind chap took my photo on the 'START' line, not sure why he was so amused - was it the 'all the gear and no idea' cycling kit perhaps ?

Stats:

Days mileage = 29.3
Total mileage = 29.3 !
No. of flapjacks = 1.5
Amusing signs = 0
No. of overly aggresive drivers encounterd whilst crossing London = not sure as I had my eyes close most of the way from St.Pancras to Paddington ( is that why couriers jump so many red lights ?)

On to the first proper day....

Cheers,

Mat

All set ?!

2007-07-15T22:38:00.000+01:00

I'm all packed up and ready to go. I know I've forgotten something, but I'm not sure what that is, so I'll be trying not to lose too much sleep over it tonight or on the train tomorrow.

Not done any more rides this week, my time has been spent sorting out last minute bike adjustments and picking up those essential extra bits of kit to weigh me down. Despite the likely continuation of the wet summer, I've resisted the temptation to buy a full wetsuit, so the neoprene body coverage will be restricted to the emergency footwear.

Although I've plotted my 'exact' route now on the OS Travel Maps which will guide my way, I've not found time to find out about more about the places of interest along the way. In particular I'm fretting about where to get decent food - which is probably why I'll be carrying a weeks worth of flapjacks 'just in case'. I'm hoping that the friendly B&B proprietors will be able to provide some suggestions. If you've got any places you'd like to recommend, be they pubs/cafes/museums whatever, please do so - I'm quite happy to make detours.

Many thanks to those who've made donations since the last update, you've all been very generous.

I'll be on the train from Loughborough tomorrow morning and getting into Penzance just after half six. The ride will begin tomorrow evening, weather and time permitting. I may get daily updates on here, but more realistically it'll be every 2 or 3 days.

Cheers,

Mat.

Kinky boots

2007-07-06T12:59:00.000+01:00

Accommodation is fully confirmed now, thanks to family friends in Gloucestershire. I'm now starting the detailed route planning, in order to try to head towards interesting sights, good food & drink stops and conversely to avoid the busier roads, unecessary hills and avoidable built-up areas. Once done I'll post up a few more details.

Enjoyed what should be my last long-ish 'training' ride yesterday, popping over to a local bike shop and picking up these exciting looking shoe covers. They remind me a lot of some boots my Grandma used to wear, except her's had a fluffy woollen lining if I remember rightly. Perhaps she had the four-season version. She was a keen cyclist, so I'm confident I've made the right choice to keep out the summer (autumn ?) downpours.

Anyway, on the way home the weather kindly gave me the opportunity to test out how waterproof they area and they coped pretty well.

We're off to catch a glimpse of the Tour de France this weekend in London. If we get any decent photos I'll post them up. Back on Tuesday, then it'll be just three 'working' days to go !

The route !

2007-07-02T20:48:00.000+01:00

I might at one point have thought that it would be quick and easy to book accommodation for my 22 nights away from home, if I did I was lacking a little foresight. Nevermind, a lack of appreciation of the probable difficulty of things should come in handy over the next couple of weeks. The accommodation is almost all confirmed now, so here are the stopping off points with notes in parentheses:

16th July - Penzance;
17th July - Penryn (via Land's End & Lizard Point);
18th July - Liskeard (via St.Austell);
19th July - Crediton ( possibly via Dartmoor);
20th July - Cheddar;
21st July - nr. Gloucester;
22nd July - Penkridge ( following the Severn for most of the way);
23rd July - Penkridge ( feet up );
24th July - Altrincham ;
25th July - Thornton, near Bradford ( via Holme Moss & Holmfirth, possibly);
26th July - Hawes ( via Skipton & Wharfedale) ;
27th July - Carlisle ( possibly via Buttertubs Pass & Tan Hill );
28th July - Sanquhar ( via Dumfries);
29th July - Brodick, Arran ( via the ferry from the mainland );
30th July - Port Ellen, Islay ( via the ferry from the mainland );
31st July - Port Ellen (distilleries);
01st Aug - Kilmartin ( via the ferry back to the mainland );
02nd Aug - North Ballachulish ( up the West Coast via Oban );
03rd Aug - Fort Augustus ( via Fort William & the Great Glen cycle trak );
04th Aug - Cromarty ( via Inverness );
05th Aug - Helmsdale ( up the East coast ) ;
06th Aug - Thurso ( via the Strath of Kildonan );
07th Aug - Thurso ( via Dunnet Head and John o'Groats );

The total mileage covered should be somewhere between 1100 and 1200 miles, with the longest day being around 85 and the shortest being almost exactly 0 (rest days). Thanks to all of my friends and family who are kindly putting me up for the night.

There are various bits and bobs to sort out now, not least some final tweaks to the bike and plotting my route between stops.

Many many thanks again to all those who have kindly provided a donation.

Cheers,

Mat.

Getting better

2007-06-23T18:58:00.000+01:00

We've been away on Holiday at Penmaen on the Gower Peninsula in Wales. Despite increasingly wet weather we enjoyed a day long walk along and around lovely Oxwich Bay on Tuesday, a half-day walk at the fantastically windy Rhossili on Wednesday followed by an afternoon sheltering from the downpours at The Mumbles - only 50p to walk the pier. We came home a day early on Thursday when the rain looked to have set in for good.

I've made up my mind as to the route I'll take once I reach Scotland. I had a vague idea that I could travel across to somewhere south of Glasgow and then catch a Ferry in order to take a route to the East of Glasgow/Edinburgh. After reading through Phil Horsley's route suggestions this seems like a goer. If I've not taken too long to get there, the Ferries there & back work out and there's cheapish accommodation, I'm hoping to pop over to Islay for half a day of Distillery visiting - which would effectively be a rest day !

However, I'm dithering over how to start ! Need to decide soon or I'll be sleeping under the stars.

At least I'm getting a bit more used to the new bike, and cycling with a load. Had a lovely run today of about 60 miles, which wasn't entirely flat, but still gives me a little more confidence. At the end of the day the backside is okay, only 1 knee is giving me any grief and I don't feel like I imagine you would if you'd of spent the day on the back of a rodeo horse. I feel happy now to plan to cover 60+ miles on the less hilly days, which should provide more time to enjoy the hillier ones. Snapped a couple more taster place names.

Todays thanks for water go out to the lady at the Bosworth Battlefield visitor centre, and thanks for directions and added-value historical revisions to the chap at Barwell.

Cheers,

Mat.

Farewells

2007-06-17T18:38:00.000+01:00

It was my final day at work on Friday 15th. My colleagues very kindly gave me some leaving presents, two of which are pictured here on the left. I've no doubt the book will come in useful, but I'm not expecting to be travelling fast enough to warrant the use of the horn, cute as it is. The other present was a goodly value of vouchers for use at a local bike shop - I've not decided how best to spend them yet, but when I do I'll pop a note on here to let people know.

I think I've made a bit of progress in getting used to the LEJOG bike, with a quick ride during the week and a longer ride this morning with panniers full to the brim. I set off today at 8.30am, to see what sort of progress I could make with an early start. Unfortunately, my destination, Belvior Castle, was closed when I arrived - I was too early !. So progress was good enough for me to miss out on tea and cakes. I'll perhaps not be in such a rush to get out of the door during the holiday.

Still on the way back home I got my first opportunity to take a photo of bike near funny, for me at least, place name. This obviously won't have the element of suprise for locals, but I'm hoping to snap some corkers further from home.

Overall, I'm feeling a little bit more confident now about covering 50 - 60 miles per day with about 10kgs of luggage on the back.

First Dry Run

2007-06-10T21:28:00.000+01:00

I'm thinking that I may have left the 'training' a little late. For various reasons, this weekend was the first time I've ridden my End to End bike fully laden. Rather than just have a quick run around the block to see how things felt, I decided to have a mini-weekend tour. The journey started in Loughborough late on Saturday morning with a trip to Penkridge - a large village between Stafford and Wolverhampton. On Sunday I came back to Loughborough. Total distance for the trip was about 110 miles, but this felt a little bit harder than I'd expected. The pace was around about 10 m.p.h on average, which was fine, but my legs now hurt in ways I've not experienced before (not after a bike ride in any case). Nevermind, it'll all come right on the day/week/weeks/months (?).

I know its pointless, as they'll most likely never ever read these words, but I just want to say thankyou to a few people who helped me out with water during the weekend, including the slightly reluctanct chap in the pub at Packington (nice club sandwhich), the kind lady in Blithbury who provided it from her garden hose and the publican, in the pub whose name I can't remember, at Worthington. I was also lucky to get free entrance to the Curborough Sprint for half an hour or so, during the practice session for an even that afternoon, and found that tea and 'triple' (bacon, sausage & egg sarnie) were delicious. Its people like this who, although they don't know it yet, will make the ride possible.

So, plenty to work on before the big day arrives on the 16th.

First Post !

2007-06-06T08:52:00.000+01:00

Starting on 16th July I'll be cycling from Land's End to John o'Groats. The tour will take between 2 to 3 weeks, covering somewhere between 50 - 80 miles per day. The total distance covered will be over 1000 miles. The exact route is yet to be decided, but it should take in: Lizard Point; Dartmoor; Cotswold Hills; Peak District; Yorkshire Dales; Scottish Highland (lots of) and Dunnet Head. There are a lot of beautiful places to pass through, so the pace is going to be leisurely rather than heroic, but either way its going to be a fantastic challenge.

Prior to the ride I'll post updates on my preparations here, and, somehow or other I'm hoping to provide an update on the ride at least every other day.

The trip has provided me with an opportunity to try to raise some money for the Parkinson's Disease Society, for which a fundraising page has been created on Justgiving at:

http://www.justgiving.com/matslandsendtojohnogroats

the aim is to raise a £1 for every mile ridden. If you're able to, we'd very much appreciate a donation.

If you've arrived here after kindly providing a donation , many many thanks again.

Cheers,

Mat