Week Two - Video

Despite YouTube blocking my last video, I've uploaded our week 2 video in the hope that Europe are a bit more relaxed about me using their song than the Proclaimers were! If this doesn't work, I'll find an alternative way to share this....

Location:Home

Day 15 - Dunbeath to John o'Groats

A rather late blog entry, but.... we did it!! After an early start, and a very rapid 40 miles, we finally reached the end of our epic journey yesterday morning.



Google Maps Link

It was a great finish to a challenging but fun 2 weeks - with some fast cycling fueled by adrenalin, excitement (and maybe a bit of a tail wind!), following the beautiful coastline of north east Scotland. Even the weather was good, with the sun shining, giving us a fantastic view of the Orkney Islands as we went over the crest of the final hill before the long run down into John o'Groats.

It's difficult to describe how I felt as we rolled into the town - simultaneously happy, relieved, excited, and drained.... and even a little disappointed that it was all over! Whilst being relieved that the long rides and early starts are over, I think I'm really going to miss cycling to new places with everyone day after day.

After all the obligatory photos, we started the long trek back home, with the first leg via a minibus with our bikes taking us to Inverness. It really struck me then how far we had come, as we drove past towns and villages we had stayed in. This was cemented further on the next leg of the journey from Inverness to Edinburgh by train - Scotland really is a pretty big place, and we'd cycled the whole length of it.... and the length of England on top of that!

I was also thinking how strange it will be readjusting to 'normal' life after 2 weeks of early starts, cycling all day, eating ridiculous amounts of food, sleeping, and then repeat, day after day. I think I'm going to feel restless being back behind a desk at work!

I have a few more photos and videos to upload over the next couple of days, but for now I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed for the first time in over 2 weeks :-)

Location:Home!

The morning after

By the way... we got there!

Bloggers have been too knackered to post updates.

Everyone in good spirits this morning, after making it to Edinburgh. Even Tom is feeling better, yay!

Had a gentle 12 mile ride around the city this morning.

Final day updates to come later....

Days twelve to thirteen

Catching up on my blog!

Not much worth reporting has happened over these two days, the focus seemed to be on getting there. Some brief notes.

Day twelve

The A82 which led us so brilliantly through Glencoe the previous day stretched on in front of us, connecting west with east. The destination Dingwall, just North of Inverness, probably the most northerly city in the UK of any significance.

As James blogged... "from Euphoria to Chernobyl". The full steam ahead efforts of the previous day taking its toll on the body. The day started in a fine misty rain, which did nothing to raise spirits. The rain was in for the day, and gradually got harder as the day passed.

The ride took us past several Lochs; we rode along half of the north side of Loch Ness. It all looked rather eerie. Tranquil, still water, the surrounding hills shrouded in mist at their base, and low clouds covering the peaks. I remember one view that made everyone sit up and take notice.... the road turning a corner and we burst out from under some trees. Rare sunshine treated us to a view of Loch Ness as far as we could see, both forwards and backwards. Quite a sight... The terrain was easy going, but all the riders remained calm and steady. No one had it in their legs to sprint.

Only two real moments of any significance. After lunch, we were expecting a hill. Our trusty Garmin GPS devices were pretty good at fore-warning us of the contours, but I wasn't really expecting what I saw next.

At the foot of the hill there were two signs standing proud on an 8 foot post. One said 15%. The other, "For 3/4 mile". On their own, neither sign is particularly troublesome. Together they looked rather daunting. There was a unified crunching of gears as all 7 riders changed down to the small chainring.

Yorky and I pulled away from the front of the pack, not particularly fast, just at our own pace. Maybe 75metres from the foot we were side by side, standing on the pedals. The scene was set for Alberto Contador vs Andy Schleck style alpine battle to the top. Another turn of the pedals and we both seemed to realise at the same time that our legs were gone. We both sat back and settled in for the long crawl.

I don't really know how I got to the top. A mix of sitting or standing, using the lungs then the legs in turn. I stood as long as my legs could take it, until they started to buckle. Maybe ten turns standing,.ten seated. All the way up the three quarter mile, fifteen percent ascent. At the top I pulled aside into a lay-by. Massive intakes of air, my glasses steaming with the output from my lungs. I waited for the others. 30 seconds till sight of Yorky, a minute to James. 4 minutes for the next two and six minutes till the last pair. That was a tough one.

The next remarkable moment, happened straight after. The group  enjoying a celebratory bag of Jelly Babies, Tom was reluctant to come pick up the bag, maybe his legs too tired from the climb. "Just throw me one..." Lo and behold, Andrew served up a Jelly Baby through the air and Tom caught it in his mouth. Hole in one, amazing!

The rest of the route took us into Dingwall, eventually peeling off our favourite road in the UK, the A82. A short day, just 65 miles, at a relaxed speed. Quite welcome after the previous ride.

Aunty Jan at the Marsule B&B was also most welcome. Warmth and shelter from the rain. I even had a hot bath... bliss!

Day thirteen

The end now most definitely in sight, and the weather forecast showing no sign of rain. Things were looking up. The day saw us pass the first sign emblazoned with 'John O'Goats'. Just 104 miles to go at the first sighting. But with Tom's illness, we had to play it safe. The fact that he even got in the saddle that day amazed me. Lizzie and I spent the whole day towing Tom 70 miles to Dunbeath. On a bike, if you sit behind someone you are sheltered from the wind. You can freewheel whilst the guy in front pedals away. Today, I was 'la domestique' ... the workhorse. There was a light but noticeable headwind for the whole day so we kept the pace easy, sticking to 15 on the flats. I was taking the brunt of the wind to make it easier for those behind. We made it in the end, even up a 13% incline. La Domestique is of little use going uphill, the speed is low so the air resistance is negligible. With relatively fresh legs I took the opportunity to race to the top, a hard lung bursting climb. I waited for the others next to a cottage called 'Hilltop'. Some great views on offer, the whole day had been a coastal route. From where I stood it all looked rather pretty. North east coast of Scotland... if it wasn't for the changeable climate, I might consider retiring there.

The final day would be a formality, in terms of the ride... just 40 miles. Our recent overnight accommodations had all had maps of Scotland adorning the walls. The imaginary "you are here" dot  getting higher and higher each day. It was incredible to think how far we had come. My bike computer showing just short of a thousand miles. I had never been North of Scotland's two biggest cities, and I had never cycled more than three consecutive days. Still, the legs and body were feeling it... it was hard going just walking back to the accommodation after dinner. I went to sleep thinking about how it would feel, tomorrow, finally at JOG.

Day 14 - Dingwall to Dunbeath

Another 72 miles down, only 38 left to go!

Google Maps Link

Can't quite believe we're so close to the end now - it's almost as unbelievable as having finally experienced our first (almost) completely dry day since we arrived in Scotland!

It was another fast paced day today, with barely any stops and an impressive average speed. The scenery has changed again, and it was quite beautiful riding along the north east coastline - especially with the sun shining down upon us. We even had a little picnic by the beach for lunch!


We also saw our first road sign showing the distance to John o'Groats, which was met with much excitement, especially with each subsequent sign highlighting how close we were getting.



The day ended with us speeding down into Dunbeath, with only 38 miles left ahead of us to tackle tomorrow. It will be an early start, as some of us are being met at the end point by a man with a van at 1100 to transfer us down to Inverness.

So around 940 miles covered; over 96% of the ride complete. A good thought to end the day on :-)

Location:Dunbeath,United Kingdom

Thoughts

As the penultimate day draws to a close I can't help but wonder how we got this far. At times during the first few days I thought crikey we haven't even scratched the surface. There was one particular moment that seems to be implanted in my head when we were in Bristol. We came across a map of Britain which was roughly three times the size of your average person. I scaled the map several times up and down and it made our heroic efforts over the ever undulating landscape of Cornwall and the Dartmoor hills look worthless. A steady approach however is the only way to do these things. I tended to focus on small term objectives i.e. Get to lunch or just get to the next place of rest and so on and so on then finally I find myself with just 38 miles to go.

In many ways it will be good to draw the trip to a close purely on the basis of tiredness but on the other hand it's been the greatest test and adventure of my life. I'm not sure what the feeling will be tomorrow when reach the finish line but whatever happens it will be a moment savour!

Proud Moments

Last night Tom went to bed with a 39 degree temperature, looking white as a ghost. This morning he limped to breakfast, had half a slice of toast and 5 Imodium tablets. 70 miles later he rolled into Dunbeath.

Well done, Tommy.

The Final Push

Today is the last full day of cycling. My legs feel wrecked. Strange, given the relative ease of yesterday's route.... completely wrecked.

We have a very sick rider in the camp. We will be towing him on the flats, and pushing him up the hills if need be. I hope he holds out. We'll do everything we can to make it as easy as possible for him. 70 miles to Dunbeath. There's no rain at the moment, the sun is almost shining. Fingers crossed for a good day.

A quick blast of Eye of the Tiger and "I like to ride my bicycle" by Queen and we are good to go...

My day 12 blog will come tonight...

Day 13 - Spean Bridge to Dingwall

Today was always going to struggle to match the fantastic ride yesterday, and the ever present rain made for a pretty bleak 65 miles.

Google Maps Link

I'm getting quite tired of setting off in rain, and today it seemed to be more persistent than any other day, with hardly any let up. Pretty miserable.

There was some nice scenery again, but I got the feeling we missed out on a lot due to the lack of visibility. Nessie may well have been swimming in her Loch right next to us - we wouldn't noticed with our heads down pedaling through the rain!

I also didn't take a single photo today - hence the plainness of this entry. Stopping off to take snaps wasn't going to get us any closer to our destination and out of the rain! To make up for this, I've included a photo and link to something that has been playing around and around in a few of our heads today....




The Family Ness

You'll Never Find a Nessie in the Zoo

On the bright side, after today's ride we are now only 120 odd miles from our end point - wooo! Looking at a map and seeing how far we have traveled is quite something now!

And even better, the forecast is looking better for tomorrow and we may get our first rain free day since arriving in Scotland - fingers crossed!!

Location:Dingwall,United Kingdom

See-through

This is one blog entry that you'll be glad will not be featuring a photo. With all the rain, Nige's tight Lycra cycling shorts have gone see-through!

He's the fastest so is normally at the front, but we've been franticly pedalling to stay in front of him so we don't have to see what's under his shorts. I hope he doesn't give any old ladies a heart attack tomorrow when we stop for tea and cakes!

Location:Goyal Rd,,United Kingdom

Day 12

Today saw us start in Spean Bridge and end in Dingwall, 65 miles in total. After yesterday's europhic ride my body was going into Chernobyl.
I saw Nige make an early break my mind wanted to chase but the legs did not. My body was having a tug of war and the legs won, arghhh!

After 20 miles or so we reached Fort Augustus where we stopped for elevenses although the restaurant staff did not make us feel welcome at all. I would go as far as saying it was the most complicated cup of tea I'd ever had! We were told to serve our selves by one lady then another lady told us off for using the machine, then she said she would bring them over. Then the final nail in the coffin arrived from yes a third attendant "can someone come and collect the teas?". Arghhhhh communcation breakdown or what!!

This will now be the third time I've been to this small town once with my family back in 1997 on our Loch Ness sailing holiday and 6 months ago with my girlfriend. It's always nice coming back but I'll avoid that shambolic tea room in future!

We then rode along Loch Ness and continued along the A82, which if you don't know already is the best road in the UK. The views were excellent but not a touch on yesterday only an appearance from old Nessy would have changed that!

After a brief pit stop after a further 20 miles we hit the hardest part of the day a 15% incline, which would last 3/4 of a mile. My lungs were doing overtime and my body felt like it was pulling a 20 ton truck up a hill. I wanted to stop but realistically that was never going to happen. I arrived exhausted at the top after Yorkie and Nige. The following 20 miles to Dingwall were more pleasant but the persistant rain was starting to tell on group morale. Tomorrow we have 80 miles to do, so close now I can almost smell the finish line : ).

Cycling near Fort William

After stopping in the Firedart cafe in Fort William, Nige lead the ride for the final ten miles through some fantastic scenery.

Cycling along Loch Lomond

This is the view cycling along the west side of loch Lomond

Great Glen

The Great Glen lies between Fort William and Inverness, encompassing, amongst others, Loch Ness. So far its living up to its name, providing lovely scenery for us to ride through. We're currently at Fort Augustus, at the start of Loch Ness.

Hmmmm, I wonder what's causing those ripples out on the water....?

Day eleven

The most spectacular day of the trip.

I'm not sure what James had for breakfast but I'm guessing  rocket fuel or something similar. I spent the whole day riding flat out with James... the ride of our lives.

We set off in light rain which soon passed. Continuing up the west side of Loch Lomond with the Loch to our right, hills to our left, under a canopy of bright green trees. The roads were not flat, but gentle undulations made for some impressive speed. With 25 miles knocked off in an hour and a half we stopped for tea and cake, meeting up with Mary at the Green Welly Cafe.

With a bit of bike tinkering going on, the riders left the cafe at different times... Lizzie first, then James, Chris and tom then finally Yorky, Andrew and myself. (I'm always last to leave!)  The remainder of the hill took us to the highest point of the day, and the first proper view of what was to come... Glencoe.

A breathtaking view demanded a photograph so five of us stopped and faffed about with a camera for a few minutes. Keen to catch James, I set off before everyone else. A gentle downhill slope allowed me to run between 30 and 35mph for what felt like forever. I was riding as hard as I could, but so was James and it took me about 30 mins to catch him. When I caught him, he didn't let up the pace.

"James, what the Hell have you had for breakfast?" I asked... "nothing special, I'm just inspired by the views" he replied. I'm convinced he would have failed a drugs test, it was all a bit 'Floyd Landis' - amazing pace from nowhere. Free from his knee support for the first time in a few days, James was well up for it. We were pedalling hard, the others surely left for dead. The pace was the fastest of the trip. I was letting James ride at the front, let him maintain that inspiration. Occasionally I'd pull alongside "what are we doing? Are we planning to let the others catch up?" James would just say "dont know, but I'm loving it..." and we would both burst into laughter. This type of riding was unheard of.

James had been on this road before, whilst driving through the area. He kept telling me... "wait till we drop back down into the valley". We motored on, through open moorland, bright greens, browns everywhere snow topped peaks on the Grampian Mountains up in the clouds, bluebells providing the only splash of colour. Eventually the valley came, at about the same time the heavens opened. The rain was falling hard but took nothing from the ride. The landscape down in the valley was spectacular... really quite incredible. The pace was still electric, the riding was scintillating.... beautiful views.

If anyone is looking for a bike ride in the UK, this is it. Loch Lomond to Fort William. I would rather do it in bright sunshine .... maybe I'll come back...

James and I pressed on, heading for Fort William for a pit stop. We stopped briefly to take on food. Was quite surprised to see Yorky pull up alongside us (how fast had he been going to catch us?!) The three of us pushed on, meeting Mary again for tea. The other four arrived just as we had finished food and drink. The seven riders finished the last ten miles to Spean Bridge, where we found our very well deserved bed for the night.

We had covered 80 miles, in a little over 4 hours. The power of cake had got me through. The legs will be weary in the morning. Just a short day tomorrow, 65 miles to Dingwall, traversing over to the east side of the country. We'll be riding along Loch Ness... I'll be on the lookout for the fabled monster, unless I've got my head down trying to catch James again...

Day 12 - Inverbeg to Spean Bridge

What a day! I think you can tell from the blog posts below that the 82 miles we covered today was something quite special.

Google Maps Link

I must say that I started the day feeling pretty low - it was raining, (again!), it was cold, I was aching, and I'd left behind a very comfy bed. Cycling along the side of Loch Lomond soon raised my spirits, especially as the rain eased off. We were making really good progress too, and rewarded ourselves with a food stop at the Green Welly - including polishing off all the cakes kindly given to us by Cat...




An hour later, all fueled up for the 48 mile trek to the next sizable town, we set off again. After a bit of a climb, we were greeted by some quite incredible views, and long open roads. Me, Tom, Lizzie and Deano fell a little behind at this point since we kept feeling compelled to stop and take photos (well, Deano didn't so much but we made him stop anyway!)




I also took a short video, but this in no way does the ride justice....

With the pace we were maintaining, despite all the photo stops, we soon made it into the Highlands, which called for another photo stop to feature Tom, Lizzie, Lizzie, Deano and me....



Not long after this, we met up with Mary again for a well deserved scotch pancake (thanks Caz and Si!)




Tom and Deano then proceeded to chase Mary down the mountain, managing to keep up surprisingly well with the car for most of the way down!

It wasn't long before the heavens soon opened again, and then it was a long slog for the last 15 odd miles through Fort William and onto Spean Bridge.

Quite a day - definitely up there with Dartmoor and South Lancashire as one of the most memorable.

Only 2.5 days of cycling left now.... and hopefully more of what we experienced today (minus the rain!)

Location:Spean Bridge,United Kingdom

A ride i shall not forget!

I awoke this morning feeling mentally tired and my legs completely lethargic but i didn't know what was about to happen next.......

From the moment my legs hit the pedal I could sense today would be no ordinary day. The views around Loch Lomond were quite inspiring and the roads were conducive to speed. After a brief stop in Tyndrum after 25 miles we headed for the highlands.

What happened next can only be described as a 48 mile adrenaline rush the views and the atmosphere sent my body into overdrive i went as fast as i could for as long as possible and we (nige, yorkie and I) got to Fort William in roughly two and a half hours. It was the best ride of my life and probably one of the best moments too! AWESOME : )

Ride of our lives...

So far, today has been EPIC!

There's a storm brewing...

... and for once, its not in the sky. The weather is holding up for us. I knew it would if I wore my shorts. We are moving so fast today we're leaving a whirlwind behind us. That must be the fastest 25 miles we've covered all trip. We're at the Green Welly cafe between Loch Lomond and Fort William. Possibly the last sight of civilisation for 40 miles.

Time to fuel up. I have three cakes in front of me.

Reception is becoming intermittent so blog updates are not going to be so easy...

Photos!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150256918150663.367475.648885662&l=44c1b954a8

I've just realised i still don't know what a nipple tool is....

Cycling by the loch

Thankfully the clouds cleared at the end of the day, giving us some amazing views as we cycled by the Loch. There were lots of trees to avoid, as they had all been blown over by the previous day's wind (the same wind which tried but failed to stop 7 hardy cyclists reaching Glasgow).

Some sensible people got off their bikes and walked round them. Others tried to ride through them, which was more fun :o)

Day 11 - Crawford to Inverbeg

Short entry for today as I'm rather tired - but want to keep up my record of blogging at least once a day!

Also no google maps link as the hotel wifi here seems to have a problem with the site I use to generate the link - rubbish!

But we made it as far as Loch Lomond today, and are staying in a rather lovely hotel - again not the place we had originally booked, which had no power still after the storms yesterday. The thought of staying somewhere where I couldn't charge my iPhone was too awful to entertain. Oh - and no showers would be bad too!

As well as a lovely hotel, we also had the pleasure of meeting up with Caroline and Simon, with the added surprise bonus of Cat, who had driven over 2 hours from St Andrews to see us!



Was a lovely end to what was another tiring day - so thanks to you all for making the trip across :-)




I'll hopefully write more tomorrow when I'm less tired.... although we have another long slog ahead of us I believe.... but almost there now!!



(final quick photo showing what we had to deal with across some of the cycle paths today in the aftermath of yesterdays high winds!)

Location:Loch Lomond

Eye of the Tiger

Woke up this morning to the Rocky soundtrack. Feel really pumped up... in the mood for bashing chunks of meat, running up and down steps, and chasing chickens!

Thanks James, let's ride!

Days nine and ten

Double update because I fell asleep writing day nine, and we don't have any reception at our day ten hotel.

Day nine...

Yuck.

Much of today's events already covered. This morning was awful, simply not safe. We were heading west and the wind was coming up from the south, straight off the Irish Sea, where ferry crossings had been cancelled. So, it was hitting us perpendicularly. My neck was aching from forcing it to my left, just to keep my head upright. I felt like I was turning a hard left the whole time just to keep in a straight line. Every now and then the wind would just pick you up and dump you in the middle of the road. With the rain as well it was just a stupid time to be out on a bike. Just wind or just rain, and it would have been manageable, but both at the same time, to that extreme, was not good.

When we stopped I was all for plan B, a train to Ayr. But some bright spark, who happened to be celebrating his birthday, devised plan C...

We wanted to wait for the rain to stop, so this allowed for a quick bike shop visit. Tom and I went and whilst we were there I overheard Tom chatting to the guy about how to get to the new destination. All I really heard was "highest village in Scotland" and "category one climb" (cat one being the second hardest type of climb you find in a pro cycling race). These words concerned me slightly, but fortunately they never materialised. I guess he was telling us which routes to avoid.

The route here was actually really quiet... running parallel to a motorway. A never ending road with dull grey concrete stretched out in from of office, traffic was light, almost non existent. There wasn't much to do except get the head down and pedal hard. The wind was fierce, but often when its behind you it's not noticeable. At one point, I was a couple of hundred metres ahead of the pack, and approaching a roundabout. Thought I would do some laps to let the others catch up (you can often find me racing round and round in circles). As I got halfway round, I was at 90 degrees to the wind and just could not turn anymore. The invisible power of the wind was immense. I had to straighten up and just carry on...

Day ten takes us through Glasgow and up to Loch Lomond. Hopefully with the wind behind us...

Day ten...

A really tough day.

As I was thrashing Bianca down the main road on the west side of Loch Lomond, I couldn't help but laugh to myself. I was chasing the bunch after a navigation error. I'd spent the whole day either driving hard into the wind, chasing people at flat out speed, or chasing people at flat out speed, whilst cycling directly into the wind! My legs were feeling it, my thighs seem to be ripping themselves apart with every turn.

An extra 30 minutes in a Glasgow bike shop had already left Yorky and I with plenty of ground to make up. We rode hard on the main road west out of Glasgow, along the Clyde to catch the other guys. Frustrated by the amount of traffic lights. We knew the rest would be slower through the traffic... eventually we caught them before the Erskine Bridge, which is where tbe road starts to turn a wind friendly North up towards the Loch.

The morning was equally tough. We left our truckers hotel, continuing on the same quiet road that brought us there. Up hills and straight into the wind, our speed was sub 10mph. The road took us into the suburbs of Glasgow... a couple of punctures delaying us further.

In other news:

James is now winning the race to take the most painkillers. A change of strategy by Tom has put him on 'long lasting effect' tablets, whereas James is still eating them like Wine Gums.

Yorky managed two days without going shopping.

The cake count is sky high (i just had one for breakfast)

The weather is not looking good for the rest of the week, and a couple of heads are dropping as a result. I am insisting on wearing my shorts which almost certainly guarantees sunshine. And James is defiant. "we can do this guys, F### the weather!" he proclaimed at breakfast... turning a few heads from the other diners.

Today takes us to Fort William... according to all the guides, one of the most picturesque days of cycling...

700 miles down, 300 to go.

Day 10 - Gretna to Crawford

The best laid plans....

Google Maps Link

So this evening we were meant to be staying in Ayr. However, the weather has been against us somewhat, so instead of following our planned route we are now in a small town called Crawford.

The day started early - breakfast at 6am, leaving before 7am. The weather was horrendous! Heavy rain, and already strong winds. Not at all pleasant. Still, we ploughed on, with a planned 85 miles to cover.

However, after most of us had the unpleasant experience of being blown into the middle of the road, it became clear that it was simply too dangerous to continue. So after 25 miles covered, we hunkered down in a Little Chef to come up with a cunning plan!



I must admit that the option of taking a train to Ayr was discussed. But we soon dismissed that thought, and instead found some alternative accommodation a more manageable 35 miles away (as opposed to 60 miles away!)

3.5 hrs (and a Little Chef breakfast, lunch and lots of tea) later, we headed off again to brave the elements. It had finally stopped raining, so we only had the wind to deal with.

As it happened, the route we ended up taking was between two large hills, so we were somewhat sheltered from the worst of the wind. For short stints, we even had it behind us - which was an awesome boost for tired legs! We got to our alternative lodgings at a relatively early 3pm - phew!

We still have some strong winds (and more rain!) forecast for tomorrow, but hopefully we're through the worst of it. And having just seen on BBC News that the winds of up to 100mph here have sadly claimed someones life today, I feel very relieved that we're all heading to bed in one piece this evening.

Location:Carlisle Rd,,United Kingdom

Happy Birthday Tom!

Location:Crawford

Blown off course

We set off this morning at 6:40 hoping to get to Ayr from Gretna Green however we've ended up somewhere completely different!

Within the first 10 mins of riding we were all completely drenched and were being blown all over the road by the howling winds. It really was bitter, i found myslef singing the hit classic 'American Pie' over and over again whilst riding in order to keep the internal spirits high. Thankfully no one heard as the wind drowned out any musical tunes!

We continued for a brave 25 miles Then we decided to head for shelter in the Little Chef. After ringing out our clothes and drying our socks via the hand dryer in the disabled toilets we decided to replan our travel arrangements over a few cups of tea. We were now going to head to Crawford, 40 miles south of Glasgow thanks to some useful iphone work by Chris. This way we would not be fighting the wind as much.

We arrived in Crawford a few hours later. I can only describe it as a local town for local people, so looking forward to heading north tomorrow!

Starting to count down the days now : ) !

P.s it's navigator Tom's birthday today, so happy birthday to him!!!

Ride like the wind

Thanks to those of you sending messages of concern. The rain has stopped so we are pushing forwards. Our new destination has put the wind directly behind us.

Now then, the guy in the bike shop said something about a category one climb.... must be coming up here somewhere..

Weather woes

The weather is abysmal. Typical Scotland.

We've cycled 25 miles west to Dumfries. It's the worst weather I've ever been in out on a bike.

We needed a plan B so we pulled up in a Little Chef (why do they always smell of pi$$?)  and debated several plans. Right now its just not safe outside. Treacherous conditions.
We've considered trains planes and automobiles, but everyone is determined to cycle the whole way, so the answer is still the bike.

We've rejigged our accommodation and will wait for the rain to die down. Then its direct North to Crawford, just south of Abington. In 40mph winds... at least, that's the plan....

Day 9 - Kirkby Lonsdale to Gretna

We made it to Scotland!!!

Google Maps Link

The day started off horribly. During breakfast, there was a large hail storm, and I don't think anyone was particularly looking forward to getting back in the saddle. We waited till the hail ended and the rain eased off, then set off. And about 2 mins later the rain started again!

It wasn't long before we were drenched, cycling into cold rain which then turned back to hail. Ouch! Not at all pleasant.

But we kept on pedaling, and made it to Penrith for lunch. And as it happened, the place we stopped at had free wifi so I could watch the last 20 laps of the Spanish GP whilst I ate! Just a shame Hamilton couldn't make it past Vettel for the win.

Back on the road, and the rain started again. Bah! But there were blue skies ahead! The two photos below were taken at exactly the same spot to try to demonstrate this.... the first, looking backwards:







The second, looking forwards:





However, whilst the rain stopped, the wind got progressively worse. Despite this, we powered along a very straight Roman road into Carlisle, tiring out Deano and Yorky in the process....







Within spitting distance of Scotland, we ploughed on until we saw the welcome sign we had all been waiting for!




(we took this using a very cool iPhone app called PhotoSynth, from Microsoft, which allowed us to use some trickery to get us all in one shot. Very cool!)

Not far into Gretna, we found our accommodation for the night - but I plodded on just a little further to find the place where my little sis got married not so long ago....





Very early start tomorrow to try to avoid the 70mph winds which are forecast. Yuck. Will also be raining again. Bah! And worst of all.... due to the early start, we're all going to be missing out on our cooked breakfasts :-( The sacrifices we make.....!

Location:Sarkside,Gretna,United Kingdom

Day eight

Into the land of the enemy.

Things are starting to get a little spicy, and not just because of last night's curry. Over breakfast we watched hail hit the fields outside. As we departed the rain started to fall and persisted in doing so until lunch time. The wind grew fiercer the further North we travelled.

Our morning was spent threading through twisty, treacherous lanes. Wind, rain and sometimes hail stinging our faces. Eventually we climbed up over Shap, a long slow incline to the summit. With the low grey clouds everything looked bleak and miserable. Two of the riders had walked coast to coast last year, 192 miles in total. This was about the point where their west-east walk and south-north ride crossed.

Despite the relentless weather, all 7 riders where determined to press on. Not one complaint from anyone.

Lunch was delightful. A chance for me to change my rather sodden socks and dry the shoes a little. On my table of three we had five cakes between us. As we departed the sun started to peek out at us, and indeed, by the end of the day, skies were blue and clothes were drying in the sunshine. The route from lunch led us straight into a 100 metre climb. Normally not a problem, but not ideal with lunch still sitting in the stomach!

After the climb, some nice easy downhills and long open flat sections brightened up the day. Bianca was able to open up for ten miles or so, despite a tricky side wind. Running comfortably at about 22mph for twenty minutes or so seemed so unlikely in the morning.

The road led us all the way into Scotland, and Gretna. We spent about ten minutes looking for a "welcome to Scotland" sign, only to find it was 50 metres further down the road.

Tomorrow could be hellish. Amber weather warnings. 70 mph gusts of winds. More rain. We've plumped for an early start, trying to  beat the wind. I could be running on gels tomorrow because I don't think I'll have time to eat.

So... time to sleep.

I've cycled to Scotland... can't believe it :)

Pictures, for blogs sake

Had a morning of washing, shopping (for one is a lot easier & cheaper than for 8!), getting a temporary fix 3 hours after reporting a dead phone line, doing a Blue Peter job on my rear view mirror and getting a call from Andrew who was cycling down a hill and couldn't talk but just wanted to thank me for the top i found for him. Couldn't keep away from driving and headed to Crystal Palace. They only offered roasts so after a wander round the bric-a-brac shops (no shakes or bike related items) we turned around and went to Dulwich for a fish pie jacket potato. As odd as it sounds!

My blogging after today would be repetitive and boring but thought i'd add some pictures:

The riders headed as far west as possible from the lands end sign.

Andrew started the week looking happy on a hill

My favourite picture from day 1

Cake munching on Dartmoor

Wild horses on Dartmoor

Hilly Dartmoor riding

Nige didn't realise when he asked for chicken he needed to specify it should be dead

View from the highest waterfall in England

Needed to turn round in Crediton - very randomly was in this road

Yorky finds a new way of riding for the day

The boys get ready to spend a night in Paradise

Superlambananas in Liverpool

View from the rest day cottage

Mary arrives!

Cross dressing

A miserable morning, started with us watching a hail storm through the window whilst eating breakfast. We had to set off through some very persistent rain.

Just as you think it could not get worse we take a puncture, on Andrew's Trek bike. As he takes the wheel of to check the tyre he has a startling realisation that its not his tyre and its not even his wheel. For the first 25 miles of the morning he'd been running Lizzie's back wheel... crazy! Normally wouldn't make much difference but they have different rear cassettes. No wonder both of them were complaining that their gears were mashing up a fair bit.

A quick change and we're off again, thankfully into some rare sunshine.

Rest Day

Rest and recouperation mean different things to different people.

Chris spent the day relaxing, a short walk and some time being creative on the iPhone.

James spent the day either in the pharmacy or icing his knee.

Tom ran some errands and spent a few hours tinkering with bikes.

Lizzie did about 13 loads of washing for us all (muchas gracias), ferried people to and from train stations, and cooked curry for 8.

Andrew dozed for the morning, frazzled Bacon for lunch (mmmm) and made some essential weight saving changes to his bike. He's currently fiddling with an unusual looking lump on the side of his knee.

Yorky ran 17 miles.

I rode down to Lancaster, the heavens opening as I departed. I bought a sausage roll and a muffin. I fell off my bike. I walked into a bike shop looking like a drowning cat washed up on the beach and asked "do you sell waterproofs?" "Not really," they said. "Oh... drat." I zoomed back, gave Bianca a clean and washed all my cycling gear. Then I put my feet up and battered a pack of digestives.

There was another significant event today, the ceremonious passing of the car keys from Kim to new-comer Mary. Kim has supported us for the first week with exceptional patience, now Mary picks up the baton till John O'Groats. Hopefully she'll be able to put up with us. We seem to be getting more demanding as the days go by. Mary already had a new tyre express delivered to her place in London which she had to bring with her. "8 pairs of brake pads, please", "we need more milk than you can imagine", "I need smokey Bacon crisps" and "we need cream for the strudel" are some of the other requests being thrown up.

Without Kim and Mary, this ride would be a million times harder, and a million times less fun, so we thank them both.

The other job for today was to get the final days mapped out. Routemaster Tom got to work on Google Maps and plotted the final 495 miles up to the North East of Scotland. He then got to work with the ice bag on his own knee, with James in the foreground, in a rather bizarre Yoga inspired stretch/knee icing position.

Tomorrow will see us cross the border, with a 75 mile jaunt to Gretna. We'll be skirting around the East side of the Lake District but some of the hills are unavoidable.

Time to sleep, then let's get riding.