They think it's all over....it is now!!

We finished as we had begun cycling into a strong headwind! It was only 57 miles and perhaps we were a bit too relaxed with a 10am start. The wind and hills - is anything flat in Cornwall? - slowed us down and made it hard work, but I guess it's not supposed to be easy! The weather was a mixture of everything but any sunshine we saw was extremely limited. The strong wind was supposed to clear the clouds away, but just served to make us work harder. The traffic was also very heavy, in fact it was probably the worst of the whole trip. All those holiday makers rushing down to spend time in the wind and rain!

Anyway enough of all that we made it! What an incredible journey. It was great at the end as we cycled three abreast into Lands End. Sarah, Sandra ,James, Emma and Mark's friend Pete were there to meet us. The kids soaked us with champagne, sparkling water and anything else they could throw over us. Hopefully I can add some pictures later today or tomorrow. We also met the four guys who started half an hour before us 12 days ago. They finished half an hour before us! They also thought this was one of the toughest days. It was great to see them as we had built up a great sense of camaraderie.

Now for the facts: 960 miles ridden at an average speed of c13.7 mph giving around 70 hours in the saddle. Feet climbed over 50,000 and calories burned well over 30,000. I need to adjust my diet quickly before turning super sized!


Lots of people to thank. Firstly Mark and Steve, could not have done it without them, when the going got tough they just knuckled down and put the miles in. Couldn't have wanted a better two guys to join me. Sandra of course made life so much easier for us, she worked so hard and no one could have asked for more. Most importantly Sarah and the kids for putting up with the training,having to see me in lycra and making the long trip to support us at the end. I also got some great advice from a number of you who are cyclists, some of whom have done the JOGLE, which was very helpful,and indeed some of you even rode with me even though I slowed you down! You know who you are and thank you. Thanks also to Roota and Steve K for joining the ride, it was good to ride with you guys.Finally I would like to thank the readers of this blog, it's been wonderful to know that people are taking an interest and wishing us well every pedal of the way. You should not under estimate how important that has been to all of us.

I'm sure I will look back on this trip with a great sense of achievement. Just now I need a shower , a few pints , a meal and a long sleep! But as well as what it means for me I have been lucky enough to raise c£7,000 for my chosen charities which I am delighted about.

Thank you and goodnight!!

Cornish Delight!

The Lamb Inn was wonderful, I can't find any fault with it except it's too far from Pinner! It is what a pub should be.

As we were leaving Sarah and the kids arrived having left London very early. They saw us off and then had an excellent breakfast at the Lamb, some consolation for getting out of bed in the middle of the night!

We were straight into the hills and the first 20 miles or so was quite challenging. Steve K suddenly realised that today was going to be a bit different to the flatter ride the previous day! Still we were doing pretty well and the rain was keeping away. We kept passing Sarah, Sandra and the kids who were taking photos. Apparently we have lots of pictures of the empty road, I'm sure this was down to our speed and not any lack of photographic skills on their part!

We were going to have lunch just passed Launceston but the village we chose didn't have a pub and so it was another 5 miles before we could stop, all of which was uphill! This just built up the appetite! Fabulous views from there though, although it was getting colder and windier. It was a relatively flat last 20 miles but they were wet and cold miles! The rain had come although it was nothing compared to that encountered in Scotland!

So here we are in Cornwall, over 900 miles covered, with 57 to go. It was a sweet moment entering Cornwall and we are all feeling quite strong, which is remarkable. The big challenge tonight will be keeping out of the bar, Steve K leaves us in the morning and I can sense there may be some encouragement to imbibe more than usual!

More guests joined us, Pete and Jan friends of Mark and Roy and Betty. I worked with Roy many years ago. Lovely to see all of them. It's been great over the last eleven days to see so many friends and to have so many messages of encouragement. It has helped when the motivation to go mile after mile wavered.

Now for the facts:

Stats for the day - 65 miles covered at an average speed of 13 mph ,feet climbed close to 5,500.

Ale and Arse report - four beers on tap and only three sampled! Did well especially considering King was on a mission! The IPA, Tribute and Trelawney's. Tribute has to take the title for tonight. There is no doubt that whilst I have sampled some great beers from the north as we have moved south the quality and choice has improved, as has the consumption! Well I felt with the demise of Nature Watch and the Porridge Report that I had to make sure the Ale report was as full as possible! As for the Arse I have a feeling that I must have hard skin forming there now as it not longer hurts so much. Recently Emma ,my daughter, went to have the hard skin on her feet (not that she had any!) removed by having fish nibble at her toes. I am suspect the fish will go on strike if they see my bottom hovering above the bowl!

Forecast for tomorrow — it would be lovely to finish the ride in the sunshine. It looks like that could happen although there will be a brisk south westerly wind. Me thinks we are heading south west! We have actually been quite lucky with the weather considering how poor a month it has been. We've only had three really wet days although a strong headwind has been blowing on and off for the passed four days which has hindered us.

I remember on the first day at lunchtime, we were cold and tired after a battle with the wind,when we spoke with some people who only had 50 miles left to go and I thought how lucky they were. Well I do smile as I see the odd group battling away on the other side of the road, I wave ,wish them well and then think I'm very glad I don't have all those miles to look forward too! It has been a fantastic trip but there comes a time when it needs to finish and that time is tomorrow!

Easy Rider!

Today was the easiest day so far. Most welcome as the relentless nature of this challenge doesn't give much recovery time and we were at our pub by 4pm which is great. The pub is also looking great but more on that later.

We set off with Steve K in tow from the lovely little town of Axbridge, which is well worth a visit. Once on the A38 the next 40 odd miles were pretty dull to be honest! The road was not too busy as most transports go on the M5 and it was the flattest section of the whole ride. We couldn't have everything though, the wind was very strong from the west and we were heading south west so it had quite an impact. You could tell that by the maximum speeds which were around 34mph despite a couple of great long downhill sections.

We had lunch at a Burger King just off the M5. We really know how to enjoy ourselves and how to ensure we eat the right food to get maximum performance whilst on the bike!!

The remaining 25 miles or so where much better. There were some hills but the scenery was starting to get much more interesting. The sun was shining and everything was fine with the world. Then Mark's bike broke down! The gears wouldn't change properly. We stood around, muttered to ourselves, scratched our chins and then played with the bikes gears when it was on it's wheels and then put it upside down and did the same things to it again! Funnily enough putting it upside down didn't help! When the advice from various web sites we accessed got what we considered too technical - talking about derailleurs - we headed for Tiverton and the nearest bike shop! £5 and 10 minutes later we were on our way although there is some concern that the problem will recur again tomorrow.

The remaining miles were down some traditional Devon lanes - it's sounds really good saying Devon, it makes me feel like we are getting close! - which was lovely. We arrived in the village of Sandford which you would never find unless you were going there! Of course it was near the top of the hill but the village pub has some wonderfully appointed rooms - Kate Moss has stayed here apparently but there was no talcum powder in our bathroom! The early arrival meant we could relax a bit more before heading for the bar!

Now for the facts:

Stats for the day - 66 miles at an average speed of 14mph. Feet climbed 3,500 feet climbed.

Ale and Arse report - the Lamb has Otter which I have sampled before and Lighthouse. I have to say Lighthouse is the best I have tried on the whole trip and this does not bode well for tomorrow! For the bottom news there is not much to say, I seem to have found stability which is better than detioration! Tomorrow with loads of hills will be more of a test!

Forecast for tomorrow - if we continue to be lucky we will avoid the rain showers. We were not far from Glastonbury yesterday and this morning and they have had rain and we haven't so may our luck continue, especially as the family is coming down. I think they just want to check I'm riding the bike and not sitting in the Audi all day writing my blog! The ride to Wadebridge is a hilly one and so it's our last major test, well at least we hope so! May the force be with us!

The hills are alive with the sound of.... exertion!

We left Lugwardine at about 9am, nothing unusual there! The B&B was really high class and we had a very good breakfast. We had to order our breakfast the night before and remarkably each of us each ordered a different form of eggs - fried, poached, boiled and scrambled! If we had all ordered scrambled we probably could have left half an hour earlier!

It didn't take long for the first of the hills to appear on the horizon. We climbed and climbed and climbed. The scenery was wonderful and well worth the climb. That was very true until we had to re ride a hill after Mark had left his sun glasses at the top of it! Yes it was sunny, in fact we didn't see any rain, or even the threat of rain, all day. We were truly lucky with the weather, although you can't have everything and the wind was still strong and in our faces for most of the day.

The twenty five miles to Monmouth were hard but spectacular. It was also a bit of a trip dowm memory lane as Steve and I went passed pubs and B&B's we used to visit when we went to parties each year at a hotel in Brockhampton, which was very close to our route.

From Monmouth we followed the Wye down the Chepstow. A lovely ride with a twist in the tail! Yes at the end there was a long hard climb. Still the wonderful chip butty we had in the centre of Chepstow made it all worth while. There have to be compensations for all this exercise and a chip butty was one of them! Also I'm sure in the cycling books I have read the nutrition section recommends this particular form of sandwich!

We then rode over the Severn Bridge which was great fun. It was a long way up and despite the size of the bridge every time a lorry went passed the bridge vibrated!

Then it was on to Bristol! This is not a city you should cycle in. You go up a hill, go down it and then go up another one! I don't mind that in the countryside when you get wonderful views but somehow when you are just trying to get through a city it all becomes rather irritating! Once we were over the Clifton Suspension bridge, another impressive bridge, we sped on to meet Steve K. This meant a quick pub stop before braving the A38 for about 15 miles until we got to Axbridge where we are staying. What a wonderful little town and we are lucky enough to be staying at a small hotel right in the centre and so a beer in the square was fair recompense for all the hills we had to climb during the day!

Whilst it was a relatively short day, 77 miles, the riding was hard given the wind and the hills. The scenery was fabulous though and this made it a great day. Also crossing the Severn Bridge gave us a sense that we have made huge progress. Over 750 miles done, which I know seems hard to believe even though I have pedalled every single one of them! It's interesting to note Scotland took about five and a half days whilst from Carlisle to south of Bristol it has taken three and a half days! Having said all that there is still much to do before we reach Lands End.

Now for the facts:

Stats for the day - 77 miles at an average speed of 12.5 mph, which tells you hills, wind and possibly the cumulative impact of over 750 miles took their toll! The feet climbed was close to 6,500. Maximum speed deserves a mention, I'm not the bravest going down hill , and I was hoping to break 40mph but fell short tonight on the A38 at 39.8mph! Just not good enough!

Ale and Arse report - the only ale in the pub was Axbridge Ale, unsurprisingly a local beer! Very good it was to! No great change on the Arse front despite the hill climbs which make it all the more painful!

Forecast for tomorrow - if we are lucky, like we have been for the last two days, we will dodge the showers. A bit like today, shortish on the miles but long on the hills! Bring them on!

You don't always get what you wish for!

When planning this ride we felt the two days from south of the Lake District down to Herefordshire would we the recovery days between the hills of the North and the hills of the South West! After yesterday we certainly were hoping for a fast flat 85 miler with no complications. We didn't get that!

After a good breakfast - the porridge report is now officially closed! - we set off before 9am, it doesn't sound it but that's good. Sadly we set off without Steve's sat nav Garmin working, it seemed to have deleted the ride! Now in Scotland where the Garmin worked flawlessly you barely needed it, I mean its not difficult to navigate when it's "30 miles down the A82"! Across the fields of Shropshire however it would have been helpful, but instead we had to rely on the pages I had ripped out of a large atlas on which I had marked our route and then covered the pages in sticky backed plastic! This was not hi tech, but perfectly acceptable. The only problem is you have to stop more to check the map and this slows you down.

It did not slow us down as much as a strong and gusting head wind which bedevilled us all day. It made for a tough day but at least it didn't rain.

Well that's not quite true, it did rain briefly but at the time we were under a large oak tree sorting out a puncture. No one had been allowed to use the "p" word as we felt that if we talked about it then we would end up with punctures. Not rational I know but it worked for us for the last seven days. However my back tyre gave away and we all looked at each other to see if anybody knew what to do! We replaced the inner tube only for it to "pop" when inflated! So we did it again and this time it worked. This delayed us by close to an hour, there was a lot of thinking to be done as we all stood around and looked at my crippled steed!

We were a little behind schedule anyway due to the wind and due to spending a little longer at our first break as Mark's brother Guy met us for a coffee. As a result it was close to 2 o'clock and we still had 50 miles to ride. We set off trying to make up time only to be confronted by some significant hills around Shrewsbury. I haven't found the name for these hills, we made one up today but that can't be published! Whatever they are called they were unexpectedly steep! Indeed one of them, I think, was the most difficult on the ride so far. I know it wasn't an 8 mile climb like we faced in Scotland, but it was long and in parts incredibly steep.

We battled on, still into the wind, and rested briefly in Ludlow. What a lovely looking town not that we had time to enjoy it! There was still 25 miles to go to our stop in Lugwardine, just east of Hereford and we needed to get there so we could rest, eat, drink and of course blog! We decided to ride on the A49 which although busy was faster than going through the quieter back roads. This was a good strategy although a large hill at Hope-under-Dunmore was less than welcome. We arrived at 6.30pm and had a pretty good dinner in the local pub, whose landlord was either drunk, eccentric or probably both!

So it was not what we wished for but we battled through and now we are close to crossing the Seven Bridge and moving into the South West, another major milestone. All legs are tired and all bottoms sore but it was another major step forward, all the more satisfying given the challenges faced.

Now for the facts:

Stats for the day - 87 miles covered at an average speed of 13.4mph. Feet climbed over 5,500 feet climbed. Strong head wind!

Ale and Arse report - the Otter, from Devon, and Timothy Taylor's, from Yorkshire, were sampled. I asked the landlord why he didn't sell any local ales, he said because he didn't like any of them! Fair enough I guess. The Otter beat TT's and I look forward to drinking some when I get to Devon. The benefit of double cycling shorts seems to be wearing off and after a tough hill climb the pain is quite strong, so lots of standing when whizzing down the other side of the hills! All sorts of creams being applied, but I'm reconciled to it not getting any better!


Forecast for tomorrow - The weather looks damp, the wind sadly looks strong and we have some hills on way to Chepstow. After that we have the excitement of cycling over the Seven Bridge so hopefully it's not too windy! And then in Bristol we are meeting up with my mate Steve who will ride with us until Friday night. We are looking forward to that.

Finally I know a number of you have been trying to post comments on the blog but are struggling to succeed in this task. I have changed the settings to make this easier but I'm not sure if this has really changed anything! I much appreciated you trying to leave comments so I wish you best of luck in doing that!

Something surprising happened today ......... It didn't rain!

We awoke to see something strange in the sky, the sun! After three days where we have alternated from being damp and cold to being absolutely soaked this was welcome news!

We had a great breakfast, despite a lack of Porridge! - the Longlands Inn Tewitfield was excellent , dinner was also first class - and they donated £50 to our charities which was wonderful.

We left just before 9am and we flew down to Preston where Chris has a Care Home business. 30 miles at an average speed of 16mph. It was a good trip which included going through the centre of Lancaster, which looks like a lovely city. Slightly worryingly as we arrived at the Care Home one of the lovely ladies we met told us she had smelt us before she saw us! Still only 5 days to go, but watch out Devon and Cornwall! We had some bacon butties and bade farewell to Chris. Thanks for joining us Chris, it was great riding with you.

We had a further 65 miles to go. The first 30 odd miles was through the industrialised belt of the North West. We went through more traffic lights than we had done on the previous six days! Most of them , of course, changed to red just as we approached. I only recognised the names of the towns we passed because of the late great Eddie Waring! It was real rugby league country.

We then emerged into what Steve calls the Cheshire Flats, not sure why as there were quite a few rolling hills! All fairly rural, so lots of farmyard smells which seem to go on for a long time when cycling. Of course the harder you ride to get to clean air the harder you have to breathe, sucking in more smelly air! No easy solution there then! Talking about that Steve managed to let his water bottle fall from his bike into some rather unpleasant slurry. I shall make sure i don't need to slurp from his bottle tomorrow!

The last 30 miles was tough. The exertions of previous days are taking their toll and the schedule is relentless. Over 100 miles yesterday and 96 miles today, the pressure is on! Having said that these were the two longest days... always look on the bright side of life!

We arrived in Nantwich and checked into our hotel. We had to carry the bikes upstairs so they could be locked away, just what we wanted after a long day!

Steve's family joined us for dinner, which was good fun and meant we didn't start our blogs over dinner, something Sandra gets irritated with! Probably quite understandably!

Now for the facts:

Stats for the day - 95 miles at an average speed of 15 mph.

Ale and Arse report - three beers tried today , Quadraphenia an ale from Sheffield and two from the Woodlands brewery in Nantwich, Ash Blonde and The Crown. The local beers were best, the Ash Blonde winning the day, fruity and very drinkable! As for the bottom news, not much to report other than the fact that despite two pairs of shorts the pain is getting worse. Surely I can't squeeze into three pairs and be able to walk to my bike!

Forecast for tomorrow - the weather will be worse! We were very lucky today, it was perfect cycling weather, tomorrow we may well get wet..again! The ride is 85 miles which seems refreshingly short - I used to think 25 miles was a long ride! - and so hopefully we can make good time and the legs recover in time to allow that to happen! All of us have very tired legs tonight.

No pictures again tonight, need to get my act together but ibuprofen calls!

The Ton Up Club!

When I was young,a long time ago,the Ton Up Club represented those mad (motor) bikers who rode down the motorways at over 100 mph. Nowadays of course a granny can do that in her 1.1 litre VW Polo! Well we joined another Ton Up Club today. For all of us this was the first time we had ridden 100 miles in a day. Why we decided to do this when we had to navigate through the Lake District, including riding over Shap, I don't know! We could have picked an easier 100 miles! Still it's done now, and various parts of my body are confirming that fact!

Other milestones passed were that we have successfully riden through Scotland and we have passed the half way mark, both of which we are absolutely delighted about.

We left the Auldgirth Pub a bit later than planned, after a breakfast we were originally told we could not have as they could not serve any food before 8.30am! Not good if you have to ride over 100 miles! Anyway we ate well and set off. It was of course raining and quite miserable. We had just over 40 miles to ride to get to Carlisle where friends of mine, Chris and Mandy, live. We rode hard and fast, despite the rain and spray, and arrived in Carlisle almost on time, our average speed was close to 16 mph! When you know you can enjoy Mandy's baps you get a move on!

The only stop we had on the 40 mile trip was a photo opportunity at the Scotland/England border. Remarkably as we approached Gretna was saw the four guys we have met many times before crossing the main road in front of us. The chance of that happening must be minuscule. They headed off east and we continued south to Carlisle.


Mandy did us proud and we set off full of fine food and with dry socks etc, thanks Mandy. We were joined by Chris and his two friends Andrew and Simon. These guys helped inject some pace back into our relatively tired legs and the weather started to improve. We rode down through Penrith before Andrew and Simon turned back, Andrew having a buckled rear wheel. I think they knew something I didn't, the size of the climb at Shap! By this stage we had covered over 65 miles and the weather looked like it was closing in. However we took on Shap and conquered it! The downhill ride into Kendal was great fun with speeds approaching 40mph despite a strong wind. The next milestone was achieving the 100 mile mark which we did just before arriving at Carnforth.

It was quite a day.

Now for the facts:

Stats for the day - miles covered 102!!!, with average speed of 14.5 mph, with a climb of over 5,000 feet.


Porridge report - pretty good actually but no Demerara sugar, got to lose points for that!


Ale and Arse report - three beers tried tonight, well it was a big day! Black Sheep, Everards Beacon and one whose name escapes me! It's been long day! The Black Sheep, a beer brewed in Yorkshire gets my vote. The good news is the choice and quality of beer is improving. This of course means I have to put my body on the line by trying them out! All I can say about the other part of this report is that wearing two pairs of cycling shorts was a god send. So much more comfortable and it definitely saved my arse from moving from the passed "sell by date" category into the "baboon" like category! Same again tomorrow I think! As with all great things however there is often a down side. Lets put it this way I now know why toddlers walk bowlegged!

Forecast for tomorrow - well firstly I hope my legs regain some strength! We have c90 miles to go tomorrow and Chris will be with us until Preston. The weather looks better and so its all about how we recover from what has been a big big day for us.

Sorry no photos today, will try to add some tomorrow!

It's all about the mileage!

Una continued to look after us well at 16 Charles Street, although porridge was not on the menu again! Why does a country that is thinking of independence not better promote one of their great national dishes! So no Porridge report nor Nature Watch today, looks like it could be a short update!

We left Largs before 9am which was good and for the first 35 miles we made great time. It was dry, relatively flat and not that windy. Also we stayed longer on the A78 than planned. It was a dual carriageway, which was interesting at intersections, but luckily there were only a few cars and a slow moving haggis on the road and so we could keep up a good speed! At rush hour it would have been a different proposition.

We did so well we decided to stop for lunch later than planned and so had another 20 miles to go before then. Sadly as we turned south west the roads got hilly but worse than that the surface was awful. This slowed us down and made it hard work. Add in the rain that arrived and any fun factor disappeared, it was all about getting those 20 miles done. Just before we arrived at the cafe it absolutely poured down, i guess that was so we continued to have that lovely feeling of having lunch in wet clothes!

After that a couple of things improved. The road surface and the the road itself. We had to navigate a long winding climb but once at the top we could see the road sweeping down again for miles through a series of twists and turns. So instead of taking pictures from the top we couldn't stop ourselves from heading off down at full speed! Very exhilarating and after something like that you forget about the climb up the hill!

Soon we arrived at the pub where we were saying, a 4 pm finish which was very welcome. The pub looked absolutely perfect but as is often the way it failed to live up to those expectations!

Now for the facts:

Stats of the day - 82 miles covered at an average speed of 14.7 mph, our fastest yet. Feet climbed was 3,300.


Ale and Arse report - despite the shortcomings of the pub two ales have been tried tonight, Belhaven Best and that fine Scottish beer Greene King, brewed in Bury St Edmunds!! Sadly the Greene King wins! As for the other matter that slightly bruised peach is now approaching it's sell by date and so double cycling shorts are going to be worn tomorrow. It will be interesting to see if this helps!


Forecast for tomorrow - it's a big day tomorrow in a number of ways. We leave Scotland which is a big milestone. We have had a great time in Scotland, the land of my father of course, and the people have generally been wonderful whilst the scenery has been fantastic. There have been a few times though when I wished Alex Salmond had the courage of his convictions and had declared independence. If that was the case we would be well on the way to finishing the Across England ride!! We will also pass the half way mark tomorrow! But it's our longest day with over 100 miles to be covered, many down through the Lake District. So it's going to be tough and the weather could well be damp to wet! However we are meeting a friend of mine Roota, or Chris as his wife Mandy calls him, at his house in Carlisle. Mandy's baps are famous in Cumbria and so hopefully we will be able to sample them before we leave for the remaining 60 miles! Roota and a couple of his friends are joining us for this part of the ride which will make it more fun, especially if there is a headwind as they can ride up front and give us shelter! So a big day to look forward to!

No pictures today as none were taken!

Wet Wet Wet

Well we got 3 dry miles in! And 81 wet ones! The rain alternated between drizzle and some really heavy showers. The road surface also alternated significantly. Drizzle and great tarmac was good, heavy rain and a poor road surface, with potholes, not good. Difficult to get excited by the scenery in those conditions, especially when you can only see the rain spots on your glasses!

Breakfast at the Oyster Inn at Connel was the best so far and we were on the road before 9am which was good for us. We had a lunch appointment with some of Steve's friends at 1pm 50 miles away and so we had to keep moving. We made it slightly early which was good considering the conditions. I'm not sure the pub quite appreciated three drowned rats arriving in their lovely restaurant. We used part of the bar as a changing room to get some dry socks and shirts on whilst using all radiators to dry our clothes! Perhaps not too unreasonable bu

maybe we took it too far when spraying the rather smelly ralgex to our tired and cold muscles! We left shortly after that!

The rain had got worse and so the 25 miles to the ferry over the Clyde was tough. The temperature was less than 10 degrees and in the wind chill and we had to pedal fast just to keep keep warm.

We arrived at Largs and are staying in a lovely B&B. Una , bless her, welcomed us in despite the state we were in and washed and dried some of our clothes. All much appreciated. Dinner in Largs was fine although the choice of restaurant was very limited. Ye Olde Anchor sold a fine pint though which was well deserved after the day we've had!

Now for the facts:

Stats of the day - 84 miles at an average speed of 14 mph meaning six hours in the saddle. Feet climbed was just less than 4,000 feet.

Ale and Arse report - the Ember 80 shillings was excellent and puts a marker down for the beers yet to be drunk! Admittedly it didn't have much to beat but I'm hoping that it will be beaten as we move south! The other boys have gone for two pairs of cycling shorts to protect their derrieres, not at that point yet but unlikely to be long before I try that out!

Porridge report - great, good consistency, no salt but sugar and honey. Might not be beaten that one!

Nature Watch - given I see that Spring Watch is off the air now I think Nature Watch will be discontinued. Just more road kill today!

Forecast for tomorrow - less rain hopefully! We are aiming for near Dumfries. Four days in and still hanging in there but a long way to go!

PS - I know some of you have had trouble leaving comments. Well done JT, the only one who managed it! I've changed the settings now to make it easier so comment away!

Loch Ness ....... its a Monster!

The day dawned early as usual in these parts not that we were exactly bright eyed and bushy tailed! Breakfast was pretty good but there will be no porridge report today as there was no porridge for breakfast! Angry of Pinner this morning as a result!

We set off down the A82 which runs down the west side of Loch Ness. Now back when we were planning this trip the A82 looked a lovely road, straight down the shoreline. So I stupidly assumed we would have a flat ride with the sound of the waters lapping gently against the shore, ice cream sellers, girls wearing not very much walking along the beach etc etc. I was wrong, its a Monster!! The A82 is narrow with many blind bends, a very poor surface and lots of undulations. Add in the fact that aggregate and timber lorries, coaches, camper vans and many others treated it as a bit of a race track then you had a dangerous cocktail. We rode well as a team and survived! It wasn't that much fun though and concentration was key.

Further south Steve was adamant we turned off the A82 and take an off road path down Loch Lochie. I was not convinced and was, in my view, proved absolutely right! Yes the A82 is as above but the track we went on was not meant for road bikes. There is a clue in the name, they should be used on the road. So if any potential End to Enders are unlucky enough to find this blog then stick to the road or buy a mountain bike!

This off road trip slowed us down a lot but following lunch at Fort William it was a 35 ride, sadly into the wind, down Loch Linnhe to Connel where we are staying tonight. The A828 made up the bulk of this ride and they are building some cycle tracks alongside the road. We rode on part but once they are finished they will be great and like all good cycle tracks they are covered in lovely flat Tarmac!

The scenery throughout the day was fabulous. We saw some great sites Loch Ness, Loch Lochie, the Bridge of Oich,Ben Nevis (still some snow up there) and Glen Coe to name but a few. We were so lucky with the weather as well. Rain threatened occasionally but we were dry all day and the sun made an appearance from midday onwards. All in all it was fabulous, the only downside was we had to ride 92 miles to see it all! The sun still hasn't set yet and there should be a great sunset if I can stay awake to see it!

Now for the facts:

Stats of the day - 92 miles ridden at an average speed of 13.9 mph - despite the off road nonsense - with 4,400 feet of climbing throughout the day. A pretty long day my body is telling me!

Ale and Arse report - the Deuchars IPA takes the mantle from McEwans as the best beer so far. Going down very nicely! As for the other part of the report I was reminded of the words of great Jim Royale from the Royale Family when I was asked at the end of the day what hurt. My Arse!! Plus a few other bits it has to be said!

Nature Watch - lots of dead things are appearing in this section, it was a sheep today, and so I think I shall have to find something else to talk about!

Forecast for tomorrow - 85 miles to Largs in the rain in a nutshell, with a long climb just to make we want to cry! We have been lucky with the weather but I think that is coming to an end!

A great days cycling

We had an excellent breakfast but set off later than planned. As we were tucking into our sausage and bacon the four riders we met the previous day sped past. We sipped our tea but did marvel at their enthusiasm!

The first 25 miles were lovely. The weather started a little damp but soon cleared up and the wind was much lighter. The sun peaked out behind the clouds and we were flying! The scenery was fantastic again and we managed the toughest climb on the whole ride without any major issues apart from exhaustion!

After 50 miles we had some lunch in Dingwall, not a centre for culinary delights, and then continued southward. We met the group of four again. They were a bit down as not only had they started much earlier than us they taken a different route which was longer although much flater and they had further to go than us! It's tough carrying all your stuff and it was a reminder to us that whilst we were having a great day we know it won't always be that way! Just to remind us of that we finished the day, as with the previous day, with an 8 mile climb! It seemed longer than that but the last mile downwards was quite exhilarating although the lorries slowly climbing the hill made me nervous as we swept around the bends at close to 40mph!

We really noticed the difference in traffic levels during the day as we moved away from the sparsely populated Highlands down towards the more populated and popular tourist areas such as Loch Ness which is a mile from our hotel. We need to bare this in mind as we have got used to not worrying too much about traffic. We did have a funny incident today when a little old lady pulled out in front of Steve. She was in the wrong but he banged on her boot and gave her such as shock that should could well be in the Inverness Infirmary! I had a word with Steve!

We arrived at the Polmaily Hotel quite early as it was a relatively short day. This was helpful as we had things to sort out. The trouble is we were initially told the chef had gone out and there was no dinner and the hot water would be sorted out shortly! Not impressed! However the staff were absolutely lovely and the rooms were great but behind the facade things were a little haphazard and a certain TV programme, unfairly, came to mind. Anyway there was loads of hot water, they cooked us a special pasta dinner and have even offered to sponsor us! So no complaints apart from there was no draught ale which will make that section of my blog a big shorter!

At dinner we were joined by Steve's friends Patrick and Jane, which made it for a fun evening.

Now for the facts:

Stats for the day - 73 miles at an average speed of 13.8 mph with c 5,000 feet of climbing although I'm increasingly nervous about these numbers as they don't tie in with what others state when doing the same route. Our numbers are lower for some reason.

Ale and Arse report - not much to say on the ale front and a little more soreness on the other front!

Porridge report - well at the Crask in what do you expect, nothing other than very traditional salty Scottish porridge. Not all members of the team took a liking to it, and I can't say how one member of the team described it's texture, but I was a good boy and ate it all up. I have to say there wasn't anybody saying in a pleading voice "but who ate my porridge"!

Nature Watch - apart from a dead deer not much to say and frankly a dead deer is not that interesting other than to it's relatives! However I just returned to the room to get some facts from today's ride to found a bat had unwisely entered! He could have picked a lot nicer room as ours has some rather unpleasant cycling kit adorning chairs and some half clean cycling kit draped over the radiators! However in he was and I had to get him out! I opened the windows but he wasn't having any of that! Eventually the proprietor had to stun the poor little chap with a towel and take him outside to join his friends. When he wakes up,and hopefully he does!, he can rejoin his friends.

Forecast for tomorrow - we are off down Loch Ness tomorrow ending up on the west coast near Oban, the weather looks OK we might have to deal with a shower but that's fine. Friday is looking more challenging but it's one day at a time for me!

Not quite the dream start we wanted .......... too much wind!

Whilst regular drinkers of McKewans might suffer from bouts of wind this was of the meteorological variety! After not a great nights sleep, again partly due to the wind whistling outside the B&B, we awoke to partly cloudy skies and a very strong westerly. This was disappointing as we had to cycle the first 50 miles due west along the north coast of Scotland!

After an good breakfast, we were well looked after by Sandy at Bencorragh House, we headed for the starting point. Four other End to Enders were there, they were hardy souls though, carrying their own clothes in panniers! We set off not long after them after taking the obligatory photos. We would have liked to have the John O'Groats signpost in the picture but that had been removed by the owner in case it got stolen! He was not around to replace it and charge us for the privilege of taking photos as he probably considered it unlikely that people would set off into that wind!

The first 50 miles was very unpleasant from a cycling perspective but the scenery was absolutely fabulous. Initially it was very flat, with no trees or hedges, which gave us no shelter from the wind. However the hills began to build and by the time we turned south there were some serious hills on the horizon.

Cycling along the River Navar , which feeds Loch Navar, was joyous. Sheltered from the wind, flat, sunny and very beautiful. It only lasted 15 miles or so but oh was it fun. We were joined by the four who set off before us. Good lads cycling for the Anthony Nolan Trust as one had just received a bone marrow transplant after spending three months in intensive care. All off a sudden the numerous aches and pains I had faded slightly. They stopped before us and left us with an 8 mile climb to the Crask Inn. We may well see them again as they are doing the ride in 12 days as well.

We arrived at the Crask Inn to find some rather basic accommodation. However there was hot water, the heating was on and an excellent meal awaiting us. Main courses were around £8 and starters and desserts were £3! We pushed the boat out and had starters and desserts! We  then retiried to our "bunk house" over the road! There are effectively only two properties in Crask, the pub and our bunk house, and so the pub as usual is the centre of village life! I have no idea how many miles you could see in any direction but it was a lot, even at 10.30 pm!


Now for some facts:

Stats for the day - 84 miles covered and c6,000 feet climbed. Average speed a low of 11.4 mph

Ale and Arse report - McEwans 70 shillings this time, no other choices I'm afraid. Perfectly drinkable but more choice and local beers needed. As for the latter a slightly bruised peach!

Porridge report - a little thin and milky but quite tasty. This category will I suspect finish as we leave Scotland, probably to be replaced by Road Rage Report! We have had the luxury of cycling on largely deserted roads but we know that will change so we will enjoy it while we can. The only issues we have had is with timber lorries who seem to think they rule the world.

Nature Watch - not a lot of birds around and those that were flying were going so fast in the wind I couldn't tell what they were. Did see a dead snake on the road, and a dead snake is the best type of snake! At the Crask Inn a Highland heffer had given birth earlier in the day. They were just outside the dining room window and with a hint of irony we were admiring mother and calf as we tucked into our steak pie!

Weather report - covered above and no idea for Wednesday except we were told that it's winds from the SW gusting up to 25 mph. Yup you guessed it we are heading SW!

PS - sorry its late, no internet access last night!

We've arrived!.............at the start!!

After almost 500 miles and 10 hours in the car we arrived in John O'Groats from Manchester. The weather on the way up was OK, the weather in JOG is truly awful. 9 degrees C and a wind that can knock you off your feet! In the wind it's is seriously cold. The hope is that the storm will clear by morning. We are hopeful! Everything is crossed.

We did pop out to Duncansby Head to see the lighthouse, if I can get the photos uploaded the strength of the wind is clear to see!

The big debate in the car was what sub titles we were allowed to use in our blogs! Some of the choices are The Arse and Ale Report, The Beer and Rear report or the Cask and Crack report! Tomorrows blog will let you know which one I am allowed to use! Having said that getting a signal here is as easy as getting a sun tan and tomorrow we are staying at the most remote pub in Britain. So unlikely to get a signal, and unlikely to get a sun tan!

Talking about beer it's McEwans 80 shillings and is slipping down a treat!

So let's hope the storm passes and another pint arrives shortly!

No more training!

My training ride today was a bit wet, helpful practice for Scotland I suspect!

The really good news is no more training rides! Its too late now!

Off to Manchester on Sunday, to pick up Steve, and then on to John O'Groats on Monday.

The next update will be from JOG!

Welcome to my blog

As a bit of background the three men are myself, Steve, whom I have known since God was a lad, and Mark who I have known not quite as long! Another very important member of the team is Sandra, Mark's wife. Sandra is driving the "support vehicle" amoungst many other things, and we could not do the ride without her, so a big thanks Sandra.

This blog will record the highs and lows of our journey as we attempt to complete the trip to Lands End in 12 days. None of us had ridden bikes seriously before and so the last three months have been about buying bikes, falling off bikes - whose bright idea was it to clip your feet onto the pedals! - as well as training to get fitter than we were!

The blog will, I hope, be fun to read and irreverant in parts so for those of you with weak dispoitions don't read this over breakfast! I really should get one of my lawyer friends to write a disclaimer!

I hope you enjoy the ride!

Alan