Super Mum

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.