The final part of our route can be found here.
An excellent nights sleep at The Sheiling B&B at Melvich followed by our final cooked breakfast of the trip sets us up for the final push of the ride.
The sun was shining to start the day but the breeze is still with us. We had been warned about the steep climb out of Melvich but the road afterwards was supposed to be 'undulating'. It did seem at times to be much more 'up' than down!
On through Thurso and towards John O'Groats.
Met a guy called Bob Jones who is currently cycling around the entire coastline of England, Scotland and Wales, some 6000 miles. Bob is raising money for the Stroke Association and the Meningitis Research Foundation. http://www.coastrider.org.uk/
Three and a half miles from the end we got hit with massive side wind and a hail storm which was nice!
Just before entering John O'Groats we cycled through the village of Dunnet which we thought was appropriate. Dunnet point is apparently the northern most mainland point of the UK.
We finally made it to John O'Groats - Success!
Many thanks to everyone who has been following our progress and supporting us and sending us text messages of encouragement.
For those of you who have kindly donated on the Just Giving page, a big thank you. We'll try to get round to all of you to say our thanks personally. We'll post some more photos up to the Gallery page when we get a decent WiFi connection just to prove we actually made it!
Just that 12 hour drive home now then...
Friday, 20 May 2011
Day Twelve - Muir of Ord to Melvich
Today's route can be found here.
This morning started bright with sunshine with the occasional showers but very windy. Fortunately the wind was from the West or South West so not directly in our faces.
We left our B&B lodgings and drove back to our finish point from yesterday near Alness.
It was decided to avoid the main road route using the A9 and head north on the B9176 towards Kinkardine and Bonar bridge. This was an excellent quiet road but quite hilly and lots of bends (think Top Gear road tests in Scotland and you'll get the picture).
We then continued to head north along a single track road with passing places which was really really remote with nothing but heather and sheep for miles and miles. We'll upload some pictures but doubt if they can really convey the size of the landscape.
At Altnaharra we turned right and headed along the side of Loch Naver and a very pretty ride following the route of the river Naver all the way to the North coast at Bettyhill.
The final push to the B&B at Melvich was extremely hilly with a nasty side wind. Pete counted 3 hills but the cyclists think there was at least five. (you think they would be used to them by now!)
We found a pub called the Strathy Inn just a couple of miles up the road and guess what? Thursday night is curry night ;). Actually when we arrived we doubled the size of the crowd in the pub and that included the landlord and his wife! We had a very warm welcome and nice food so it was a good end to the day.
Under 40 miles to go now so the end is in site. (Bob says that he is retiring from bikes without an engine after tomorrow!)
This morning started bright with sunshine with the occasional showers but very windy. Fortunately the wind was from the West or South West so not directly in our faces.
We left our B&B lodgings and drove back to our finish point from yesterday near Alness.
It was decided to avoid the main road route using the A9 and head north on the B9176 towards Kinkardine and Bonar bridge. This was an excellent quiet road but quite hilly and lots of bends (think Top Gear road tests in Scotland and you'll get the picture).
We then continued to head north along a single track road with passing places which was really really remote with nothing but heather and sheep for miles and miles. We'll upload some pictures but doubt if they can really convey the size of the landscape.
At Altnaharra we turned right and headed along the side of Loch Naver and a very pretty ride following the route of the river Naver all the way to the North coast at Bettyhill.
The final push to the B&B at Melvich was extremely hilly with a nasty side wind. Pete counted 3 hills but the cyclists think there was at least five. (you think they would be used to them by now!)
We found a pub called the Strathy Inn just a couple of miles up the road and guess what? Thursday night is curry night ;). Actually when we arrived we doubled the size of the crowd in the pub and that included the landlord and his wife! We had a very warm welcome and nice food so it was a good end to the day.
Under 40 miles to go now so the end is in site. (Bob says that he is retiring from bikes without an engine after tomorrow!)
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Day Eleven - Fort William to Muir of Ord (West of Inverness)
Today's route can be found here.
We started the day from the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge where we had finished yesterday.
Occasional rain showers and a very blustery wind to start. At least it wasn't hammering down with rain as it had done in the middle of the night!
The first part of the route is downhill towards Loch Lochy and Invergarry. Then following the A82 north eastwards along the side of the lochs.
The guys made good time to Fort Agustus where they met a cyclist who had spent some time cycling around Ireland, was now spending a couple of weeks in Scotland before taking the ferry over to Denmark and heading back home to Lithuania! He had all of his camping kit with him and made our little jaunt with support seem very trivial!
Heading up the side of Loch Ness (keeping an eye out for Nessie) we made our lunch stop in Drumnadrochit and after looking at the maps and talking to another cyclist we decided to continue alongside Loch Ness all the way to Inverness and then see if we could push on to Alness some 20 miles further on.
When the team met up just before the North Kessock bridge it transpired that Karl may have been lucky enough to get a photo of Nessie so we will upload this to our Gallery along with some other recent shots for you to make your own minds up.
The side wind on the Kessock bridge was really hard work to cycle through having to lean the bikes into the wind just to stay in a straight line. The radio reports mentioned closures and restrictions on a number of major bridges in Scotland.
The A9 lived up to it's reputation of being very busy (we did reach it just around the evening rush hour though).
We eventually made it to our planned stop at Alness and managed to load the bikes onto the car just before a major rain storm which lasted until we reached our B&B accommodation at Muir of Ord.
We started the day from the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge where we had finished yesterday.
Occasional rain showers and a very blustery wind to start. At least it wasn't hammering down with rain as it had done in the middle of the night!
The first part of the route is downhill towards Loch Lochy and Invergarry. Then following the A82 north eastwards along the side of the lochs.
The guys made good time to Fort Agustus where they met a cyclist who had spent some time cycling around Ireland, was now spending a couple of weeks in Scotland before taking the ferry over to Denmark and heading back home to Lithuania! He had all of his camping kit with him and made our little jaunt with support seem very trivial!
Heading up the side of Loch Ness (keeping an eye out for Nessie) we made our lunch stop in Drumnadrochit and after looking at the maps and talking to another cyclist we decided to continue alongside Loch Ness all the way to Inverness and then see if we could push on to Alness some 20 miles further on.
When the team met up just before the North Kessock bridge it transpired that Karl may have been lucky enough to get a photo of Nessie so we will upload this to our Gallery along with some other recent shots for you to make your own minds up.
The side wind on the Kessock bridge was really hard work to cycle through having to lean the bikes into the wind just to stay in a straight line. The radio reports mentioned closures and restrictions on a number of major bridges in Scotland.
The A9 lived up to it's reputation of being very busy (we did reach it just around the evening rush hour though).
We eventually made it to our planned stop at Alness and managed to load the bikes onto the car just before a major rain storm which lasted until we reached our B&B accommodation at Muir of Ord.
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Day Ten - Crianlarich to Fort William
Details of today's route can be found here.
Today dawned cloudy but thankfully dry. The road surfaces towards Fort William are a definite improvement on yesterday and all this cycling seems to be paying off as Bob says that the hills seem more rideable. (He must be feeling fitter!)
The cloud got lower as the day went on and it was definitely feeling colder in the wind. The clouds were obscuring the tops of the mountains but the scenery was impressive none the less.
In the excitement of reaching a 'Welcome to the Highlands' sign Karl started the guys on an impromptu highland dance much to the amusement of passing traffic!
There were intermittent rain showers during the afternoon but the team made good time to Fort William so decided to push on another ten miles and cycle the hill up to Spean Bridge and the Commando monument. It certainly was a sobering moment to view the memorial garden with many current entries.
Whilst we were loading the bikes onto the car to drive to the B&B back in Fort William (I really don't know why they didn't cycle back ;) ) a guy from one of the visiting coaches asked if he could make a donation to the charity we are supporting and gave us a Scottish £20 note. What a really nice chap!
All this high speed riding has burned out Karl's other tyre now so we headed back to the bike shop in the town for two brand new tyres so that he could finish the trip confidently.
Karl spent a happy 30 minutes in the rain fitting his new tyres before we sorted ourselves out at the B&B and went in search of dinner.
Still on track to arrive at John O'Groats on Friday all things being well.
Today dawned cloudy but thankfully dry. The road surfaces towards Fort William are a definite improvement on yesterday and all this cycling seems to be paying off as Bob says that the hills seem more rideable. (He must be feeling fitter!)
The cloud got lower as the day went on and it was definitely feeling colder in the wind. The clouds were obscuring the tops of the mountains but the scenery was impressive none the less.
In the excitement of reaching a 'Welcome to the Highlands' sign Karl started the guys on an impromptu highland dance much to the amusement of passing traffic!
There were intermittent rain showers during the afternoon but the team made good time to Fort William so decided to push on another ten miles and cycle the hill up to Spean Bridge and the Commando monument. It certainly was a sobering moment to view the memorial garden with many current entries.
Whilst we were loading the bikes onto the car to drive to the B&B back in Fort William (I really don't know why they didn't cycle back ;) ) a guy from one of the visiting coaches asked if he could make a donation to the charity we are supporting and gave us a Scottish £20 note. What a really nice chap!
All this high speed riding has burned out Karl's other tyre now so we headed back to the bike shop in the town for two brand new tyres so that he could finish the trip confidently.
Karl spent a happy 30 minutes in the rain fitting his new tyres before we sorted ourselves out at the B&B and went in search of dinner.
Still on track to arrive at John O'Groats on Friday all things being well.
Day Nine - Glasgow to Crianlarich
Today's route can be found here.
Today started windy and wet and just kept raining! We left Glasgow and headed into the area known as Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. The plan for today was basically to follow the A82 up the side of Loch Lomond and get as far as we could.
In the end after two punctures on Karl's front wheel we discovered that his front tyre was deformed (he must have been riding too fast ;) ). (Yes, we did use the wheel which you lent to us, Pete! - Thank you Mr Penwarden!).
Lunch courtesy of Greggs the bakers was had sheltering from the rain under some nearby trees at the village of Tarbet situated on the edge of Loch Lomond.
We had decided to look for accommodation near Crianlarich and then see how far we felt like cycling. All of the B&B's were full and the only option was a shed with three sets of bunks in it which the pub laughingly called it's 'Bunkhouse'. In the end we decided to send Karl into the posh hotel in the village looking like a drowned rat. Result! One family room and extra bedding for the same cost as the 'bunkhouse'.
Tomorrow is forecast to be better weather so the plan is to head to Fort William (or further if Pete can get the guys out of their room and on the road early enough).
Scotland is big and wet! Very wet!
Today started windy and wet and just kept raining! We left Glasgow and headed into the area known as Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. The plan for today was basically to follow the A82 up the side of Loch Lomond and get as far as we could.
In the end after two punctures on Karl's front wheel we discovered that his front tyre was deformed (he must have been riding too fast ;) ). (Yes, we did use the wheel which you lent to us, Pete! - Thank you Mr Penwarden!).
Lunch courtesy of Greggs the bakers was had sheltering from the rain under some nearby trees at the village of Tarbet situated on the edge of Loch Lomond.
We had decided to look for accommodation near Crianlarich and then see how far we felt like cycling. All of the B&B's were full and the only option was a shed with three sets of bunks in it which the pub laughingly called it's 'Bunkhouse'. In the end we decided to send Karl into the posh hotel in the village looking like a drowned rat. Result! One family room and extra bedding for the same cost as the 'bunkhouse'.
Tomorrow is forecast to be better weather so the plan is to head to Fort William (or further if Pete can get the guys out of their room and on the road early enough).
Scotland is big and wet! Very wet!
Monday, 16 May 2011
Day Eight - Carlisle to Glasgow
Today's route can be seen here.
Sunday morning dawned overcast and trying to rain. The outside temperature was 10 degrees but fortunately only a light breeze. As the guys got kitted out and left Sue's Mum and Dad's house it started to rain, so extra layers and rubber pants were in evidence.
Weather permitting a long day of cycling is planned today so we were all thankful for the good nights sleep courtesy of Sue's parents last night.
After about 45 minutes or so the rain eased off to just occasional light showers. Team Monday entered Scotland and continued towards Glasgow on the B7076 which shadows the route of the A74(M).
Bob had our first puncture in several days. Unlucky as the roads are pretty good at the moment. A quick tube change and onwards. Pete can patch the tube whilst the guys continue onwards.
Lunch outside Annadale services. (Morrisons French stick sarnies and a shared hot chocolate) and then on again. Just as they were leaving Trudy noticed that her tyre was flat (only at the bottom though) so it was on with a replacement tube and business as usual.
The feature of the afternoon was a strong headwind, taking our 10 degrees down to more like 5. Persistent intermittent rain and poor road surfaces (making Bristol's roads look like a bowling green) - Bob is thinking of writing to Sustrans to complain! After all, a cycle track should be more than just a white line on the road! After such a tough day, we were pleasantly surprised to realize that we had achieved in excess of 100 miles in one day! (Good job we brought the bike lights!).
Rain forecast for tomorrow We plan to head along the side of Loch Lomond and into the Highlands.
Sunday morning dawned overcast and trying to rain. The outside temperature was 10 degrees but fortunately only a light breeze. As the guys got kitted out and left Sue's Mum and Dad's house it started to rain, so extra layers and rubber pants were in evidence.
Weather permitting a long day of cycling is planned today so we were all thankful for the good nights sleep courtesy of Sue's parents last night.
After about 45 minutes or so the rain eased off to just occasional light showers. Team Monday entered Scotland and continued towards Glasgow on the B7076 which shadows the route of the A74(M).
Bob had our first puncture in several days. Unlucky as the roads are pretty good at the moment. A quick tube change and onwards. Pete can patch the tube whilst the guys continue onwards.
Lunch outside Annadale services. (Morrisons French stick sarnies and a shared hot chocolate) and then on again. Just as they were leaving Trudy noticed that her tyre was flat (only at the bottom though) so it was on with a replacement tube and business as usual.
The feature of the afternoon was a strong headwind, taking our 10 degrees down to more like 5. Persistent intermittent rain and poor road surfaces (making Bristol's roads look like a bowling green) - Bob is thinking of writing to Sustrans to complain! After all, a cycle track should be more than just a white line on the road! After such a tough day, we were pleasantly surprised to realize that we had achieved in excess of 100 miles in one day! (Good job we brought the bike lights!).
Rain forecast for tomorrow We plan to head along the side of Loch Lomond and into the Highlands.
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Day Seven - Lancaster to Carlisle
Today's route can be found here.
After another full English breakfast we set off in good form whilst it wasn't raining! We reached Kendal with no problems, however, wondering where our support car had got to for topping up our supplies, we learnt that he was running late due to having been locked in at the B&B by mistake! He'd been engrossed in updating our blog, and the owners had forgotten he was there and ended up going out and locking all the doors behind them! After a hunt for an appropriate key, a safe escape was made!
We climbed numerous challenging inclines en route to Shap... Highest climb was almost 1400 feet in one go! It was very windy (north westerly) which meant even harder cycling, and it was bitterly cold too. Our reward after the tough climbing, apart from lunch, was some much deserved Kendal Mint Cake! Bring on those calories!
Further hills en route to Carlisle were made even more tiring as the north westerly cold wind continued. A hot cup of tea was welcomed on arrival at Sue's mum and Dad's house in Carlisle - thank you for making us feel so welcome!
After another full English breakfast we set off in good form whilst it wasn't raining! We reached Kendal with no problems, however, wondering where our support car had got to for topping up our supplies, we learnt that he was running late due to having been locked in at the B&B by mistake! He'd been engrossed in updating our blog, and the owners had forgotten he was there and ended up going out and locking all the doors behind them! After a hunt for an appropriate key, a safe escape was made!
We climbed numerous challenging inclines en route to Shap... Highest climb was almost 1400 feet in one go! It was very windy (north westerly) which meant even harder cycling, and it was bitterly cold too. Our reward after the tough climbing, apart from lunch, was some much deserved Kendal Mint Cake! Bring on those calories!
Further hills en route to Carlisle were made even more tiring as the north westerly cold wind continued. A hot cup of tea was welcomed on arrival at Sue's mum and Dad's house in Carlisle - thank you for making us feel so welcome!
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Day Six - Whitchurch to Lancaster
Another longer day today to make the following day to Carlisle easier.
Our route is here.
An early start (around 08.30) saw us on the road and making good time. After about an hour we found a nice roadside cafe just outside the village of Tiverton (not the one in Devon) and there were full breakfasts all round.
We knew it must have been good because it was full of police trainee drivers!
Showers on and off during the day and wind which made it really cold. Fortunately the terrain was reasonably flat (Bob was disappointed that there were so few hills) so the guys were able to make good progress. Traffic in the towns (Wigan and Preston) was really heavy so it was quicker to get through by bike than in the car.
Made it to Lancaster and an excellent B&B - The Lancaster Town House, which also had secure parking for the bikes.
We walked into town for dinner (which was further than we thought) and got back reasonably early and slept soundly!
Off to Sue's Mum & Dad's at Carlisle tomorrow. Shorter mileage than today but a bit hillier?
Managed to upload some more photos to the Gallery for your viewing pleasure.
Our route is here.
An early start (around 08.30) saw us on the road and making good time. After about an hour we found a nice roadside cafe just outside the village of Tiverton (not the one in Devon) and there were full breakfasts all round.
We knew it must have been good because it was full of police trainee drivers!
Showers on and off during the day and wind which made it really cold. Fortunately the terrain was reasonably flat (Bob was disappointed that there were so few hills) so the guys were able to make good progress. Traffic in the towns (Wigan and Preston) was really heavy so it was quicker to get through by bike than in the car.
Made it to Lancaster and an excellent B&B - The Lancaster Town House, which also had secure parking for the bikes.
We walked into town for dinner (which was further than we thought) and got back reasonably early and slept soundly!
Off to Sue's Mum & Dad's at Carlisle tomorrow. Shorter mileage than today but a bit hillier?
Managed to upload some more photos to the Gallery for your viewing pleasure.
Day Five - Hereford to Whitchurch, Shropshire
We left Rita's after a leisurely breakfast and headed north.
Details of our route can be found here.
Weather was good and Team Monday took a route through minor roads which was pretty but longer.
Mobile phone reception and therefore tracking the guys was more of a problem today but we managed to catch up with one another.
Today Team Monday decided to push on a bit and rode their furthest distance in a day to date (a little over 92 miles).
We eventually arrived at a B&B just a mile north of Whitchurch in Shropshire around 20.30. There was a nice little hill to finish the day off. Mile Bank Farm B&B were great and managed to make two rooms available which saved having to pitch the tent.
A quick shower and then into the town for some food and local beer at The Bear. Excellent!
Everyone was tired tonight so a good sleep was had in readiness for an early start tomorrow.
Details of our route can be found here.
Weather was good and Team Monday took a route through minor roads which was pretty but longer.
Mobile phone reception and therefore tracking the guys was more of a problem today but we managed to catch up with one another.
Today Team Monday decided to push on a bit and rode their furthest distance in a day to date (a little over 92 miles).
We eventually arrived at a B&B just a mile north of Whitchurch in Shropshire around 20.30. There was a nice little hill to finish the day off. Mile Bank Farm B&B were great and managed to make two rooms available which saved having to pitch the tent.
A quick shower and then into the town for some food and local beer at The Bear. Excellent!
Everyone was tired tonight so a good sleep was had in readiness for an early start tomorrow.
Thursday, 12 May 2011
Day Four - Edington to Hereford
Today's route details are here.
A cloudy start, but the sun certainly shone down on us for the rest of the day once we were in our stride. The first 30 miles were generally flat - we were crossing the Somerset levels; the Strawberry Line cycle path and on through the Gordano Valley - a lovely road surface!
Once we had crossed the old Severn Crossing (very windy!) and waited for our own David Bailey (Bob) to get his mini tripod out, we found that the hills were back with us as expected, however, cycling through the Wye Valley made for a very pretty cycle ride.
We were joined by Mike (who really should get a faster bike as he had only managed to catch us up by the end of the day!) He had located us via his iPhone - we're not sure if he wanted to see us or was pining for his iPad which we are borrowing! (He's really missing it - cheers for lending it to us Mike!)
We were greeted at our Hereford stop by Rita (Rita offers a fantastic B&B for people visiting Hereford or surrounding areas and can be contacted at - rita117@btinternet.com ) who made us very welcome in her lovely house, and food a-plenty - thanks Rita! We also met up with an ex-tutor of Trudy's, who offered us some sponsor money and introduced us to some fine local beer, a pint of Butty at The Barrels (highly recommended) - thanks Richard!
Onwards and northwards...
A cloudy start, but the sun certainly shone down on us for the rest of the day once we were in our stride. The first 30 miles were generally flat - we were crossing the Somerset levels; the Strawberry Line cycle path and on through the Gordano Valley - a lovely road surface!
Once we had crossed the old Severn Crossing (very windy!) and waited for our own David Bailey (Bob) to get his mini tripod out, we found that the hills were back with us as expected, however, cycling through the Wye Valley made for a very pretty cycle ride.
We were joined by Mike (who really should get a faster bike as he had only managed to catch us up by the end of the day!) He had located us via his iPhone - we're not sure if he wanted to see us or was pining for his iPad which we are borrowing! (He's really missing it - cheers for lending it to us Mike!)
We were greeted at our Hereford stop by Rita (Rita offers a fantastic B&B for people visiting Hereford or surrounding areas and can be contacted at - rita117@btinternet.com ) who made us very welcome in her lovely house, and food a-plenty - thanks Rita! We also met up with an ex-tutor of Trudy's, who offered us some sponsor money and introduced us to some fine local beer, a pint of Butty at The Barrels (highly recommended) - thanks Richard!
Onwards and northwards...
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Day Three - Okehampton to Edington
Our route for day three can be found here
We have also started to upload some pictures to our LEJOG gallery at http://gallery.me.com/pete.nichols Gallery
For those of you wondering why there are pictures of pints of beer every now and then, Pete's alternative LEJOG is to sample a local pint from each county which our route passes through!
The day started with a much needed cooked breakfast in "Woody's Diner", located along the road from the Travel Lodge we were staying at in Okehampton. By permission of the staff there, we were allowed to bring our bikes into the room with us.
A puncture-free day, however, Karl and Trudy were starting to suffer with a twinge in their knee. Thanks to the ibuprofen and pain relief gel, we managed to complete the day's route successfully. 76.63 miles were logged today, and a total ascent of 2337 feet - no wonder we felt more human this evening compared to the last two days! Conclusion: Somerset is much, much flatter than Cornwall and Devon!
We must now be getting nearer to Bristol - the road surface doesn't match up to what we've experienced during the last two days! It's amazing what the human body will endure from the white knuckle vibrations travelling up through the handlebars and saddle.
The technology today is amazing - wherever we are, our support vehicle seems to just appear, even when we go 'off road' to follow canal tow paths... There's no escape!
Our hosts tonight are Karl and his wife Liz - we are staying at their home in Edington. Top marks for our dinner tonight Liz, thank you very much! Also, thank you to Keira for the entertainment (age 20 months!) and Karl for his home-made beverages!
We have a long day tomorrow, crossing two magnificent bridges, Avon and Severn.
We have also started to upload some pictures to our LEJOG gallery at http://gallery.me.com/pete.nichols Gallery
For those of you wondering why there are pictures of pints of beer every now and then, Pete's alternative LEJOG is to sample a local pint from each county which our route passes through!
The day started with a much needed cooked breakfast in "Woody's Diner", located along the road from the Travel Lodge we were staying at in Okehampton. By permission of the staff there, we were allowed to bring our bikes into the room with us.
A puncture-free day, however, Karl and Trudy were starting to suffer with a twinge in their knee. Thanks to the ibuprofen and pain relief gel, we managed to complete the day's route successfully. 76.63 miles were logged today, and a total ascent of 2337 feet - no wonder we felt more human this evening compared to the last two days! Conclusion: Somerset is much, much flatter than Cornwall and Devon!
We must now be getting nearer to Bristol - the road surface doesn't match up to what we've experienced during the last two days! It's amazing what the human body will endure from the white knuckle vibrations travelling up through the handlebars and saddle.
The technology today is amazing - wherever we are, our support vehicle seems to just appear, even when we go 'off road' to follow canal tow paths... There's no escape!
Our hosts tonight are Karl and his wife Liz - we are staying at their home in Edington. Top marks for our dinner tonight Liz, thank you very much! Also, thank you to Keira for the entertainment (age 20 months!) and Karl for his home-made beverages!
We have a long day tomorrow, crossing two magnificent bridges, Avon and Severn.
Day Two - Truro to Okehampton
Quote of the day - Bob 'Not another amazing hill! They must grow them in Cornwall'
Our cyclemeter app showed a total ascent of 4688 feet today and it certainly felt like it!
We had great plans to start early this morning. There was even some talk of being away by eight although in the end due to a combination of a very chatty and sociable breakfast with our hosts Jill and Trev (Thanks once again guys, you were fantastic, Trev your toast was excellent!) and a downpour of major proportions including a few claps of thunder we eventually got going around 10.30.
Details of today's route can be found here.
Bob was highly impressed with how good the road surfaces are in Cornwall compared to back home in Bristol. (well at least he was happy with one aspect of the day ;) ) Karl said that Bob was able to inspect the road surfaces because he was going so slowly...
The rain had dried up and we had a southerly breeze helping us along. (well at least it wasn't in our faces!)
After a long morning we made it to Liskeard where our newly sign written support vehicle was waiting along with some comfy chairs and fresh local steak pasties. Bob commented later that without those pasties and one of Olive's rock cakes the day might not have ended up as successfully as it did!
The afternoon continued in the same vein with the majority of the hills appearing to go 'up'. There was some excitement with narrow lanes and oncoming cars but in the end everyone made it to our overnight stop just outside Okehampton.
A trip down into Okehampton itself found us in an excellent pub with huge plates of food all round together with a sample of local Devon beers and ciders. Needless to say we all slept very soundly!
Onwards to Karl's tomorrow at Edington. Slightly longer in distance but fingers crossed not so much 'up'.
Thanks for reading. Live long and prosper.
Our cyclemeter app showed a total ascent of 4688 feet today and it certainly felt like it!
We had great plans to start early this morning. There was even some talk of being away by eight although in the end due to a combination of a very chatty and sociable breakfast with our hosts Jill and Trev (Thanks once again guys, you were fantastic, Trev your toast was excellent!) and a downpour of major proportions including a few claps of thunder we eventually got going around 10.30.
Details of today's route can be found here.
Bob was highly impressed with how good the road surfaces are in Cornwall compared to back home in Bristol. (well at least he was happy with one aspect of the day ;) ) Karl said that Bob was able to inspect the road surfaces because he was going so slowly...
The rain had dried up and we had a southerly breeze helping us along. (well at least it wasn't in our faces!)
After a long morning we made it to Liskeard where our newly sign written support vehicle was waiting along with some comfy chairs and fresh local steak pasties. Bob commented later that without those pasties and one of Olive's rock cakes the day might not have ended up as successfully as it did!
The afternoon continued in the same vein with the majority of the hills appearing to go 'up'. There was some excitement with narrow lanes and oncoming cars but in the end everyone made it to our overnight stop just outside Okehampton.
A trip down into Okehampton itself found us in an excellent pub with huge plates of food all round together with a sample of local Devon beers and ciders. Needless to say we all slept very soundly!
Onwards to Karl's tomorrow at Edington. Slightly longer in distance but fingers crossed not so much 'up'.
Thanks for reading. Live long and prosper.
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Day One - Lands End to Truro
After a lengthy drive to Cornwall via Edington to pickup brother Karl who is joining us for the first leg of the journey (and all hoping the bikes are stable enough on the new bike rack) we made it to Lands End.
It's bright sunshine but with a stiff breeze blowing (fortunately from the South).
After the obligatory photos we eventually set off at about 16.00 heading for Truro.
Trudy managed to get the first puncture of the trip within 10 miles of leaving Lands End! Hope this isn't a sign of things to come...
To view our route please click here.
Bob decided to take the scenic route avoiding the busy A30 as much as possible. Hills, hills, hills and more hills - highest climb 700ft (good practice for Scotland) however it was very pretty!
We eventually made it to Truro and were picked up by Pete who had been monitoring our progress using an iPad and already knew we had stopped near McDonalds. how spooky is that?
A short car journey brought us to our first stop of the trip where we were made very welcome by Pete's cousin Jill and her husband Trev. A brief stop to shower and freshen up before heading to the pub for a meal and some cornish ale. Bring on those calories!!
Looking forward to our first full day of cycling tomorrow. Hope the weather stays kind to us.
It's bright sunshine but with a stiff breeze blowing (fortunately from the South).
After the obligatory photos we eventually set off at about 16.00 heading for Truro.
Trudy managed to get the first puncture of the trip within 10 miles of leaving Lands End! Hope this isn't a sign of things to come...
To view our route please click here.
Bob decided to take the scenic route avoiding the busy A30 as much as possible. Hills, hills, hills and more hills - highest climb 700ft (good practice for Scotland) however it was very pretty!
We eventually made it to Truro and were picked up by Pete who had been monitoring our progress using an iPad and already knew we had stopped near McDonalds. how spooky is that?
A short car journey brought us to our first stop of the trip where we were made very welcome by Pete's cousin Jill and her husband Trev. A brief stop to shower and freshen up before heading to the pub for a meal and some cornish ale. Bring on those calories!!
Looking forward to our first full day of cycling tomorrow. Hope the weather stays kind to us.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Countdown to the start
It's all happening in a little over a week!
Starting from Lands End on Sunday 8th May. Watch this space...
Starting from Lands End on Sunday 8th May. Watch this space...
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