Lands End to John o’Groats….Done!

We made it!

What a fantastic trip I’ve enjoyed every minute…even the hills and the rain! We left the hotel fully recouped and fuelled by a full Scottish breakfast. The midges began to swarm so we made a quick exit towards Bettyhill.

Sheep on the road

Very much up and down all the way to Thurso. Once we started to see signs for John o’Groats excitement began to set in. Quick stop for lunch (macaroni scotch pies are amazing!) and we began to count down the miles.

We arrived at about 4.30. Took plenty of photos then found the bar!

We’ve met some lovely, amazing and crazy characters along the way. The scenery at times has been breathtaking and I’ve visited so many places which I want to come back to.

I’d like to thank everyone who has helped along the way….especially Victoria for letting me disappear for two weeks.

Also a big thank you to everyone who sponsored me. I think I’ve raised over £1000 which is great. If you’re reading this blog and fancy giving some money to a worthwhile charity click the button to the right.

Just got to get home now!

Av 13.3 mph
Mx 36.4 mph
Tm 5hr 37min
Dst 75.3 miles

So close….

Not far now….no back brake, one bald tyre and only a handful of gears working! No stopping us now.

Dig deep….

Tough day….left the youth hostel and said goodbye to nessy. As we left a few cyclists told stories of a massive hill towards Beauly. The gradient was terrifying. Only just managed to cycle all the way up, with one stop along the way.

Both feeling quite tired today….probably a result of the 115 miles we cycled yesterday. The wind was also beginning to pick up as we approached our destination. Concerned about the distance left to John o’Groats we considered the option of doing more miles today. After a few phone calls, and a generous offer of accommodation, we headed 30 miles further north to Altnaharra. The road was totally unforgiving with strong headwinds. We arrived at our hotel at about 7.30pm totally exhausted.

Definitely the right move putting in the extra miles today. Tomorrow will be far more enjoyable now. Concerns over the weather and distance have gone. Last day tomorrow it’s gone so quickly!

Today’s stats:
Av 12.8 mph
Mx 33.2 mph
Tm 7hr 6min
Dst 91.5 miles

Today’s food:
4 cereal bars, 2 bananas, 2 bottles of lucozade, 1 boost, 1 twirl, 1 tuna sandwich, 2 pork pies, 2 boiled eggs, 1 pepparami, 2 bags crisps, 1 bag of jelly babies, 1 plumb, 1 apple, 1 pear, 8 digestives, 4 ginger nuts, Scampi and chips, 3 litres of water, 2 cans of coke

Loch Ness…

Big day 114 miles from Inveraray to Loch Ness. We set off at 7pm knowing we had a long day ahead of us. The morning started with a big climb into the clouds. The road was flanked with snow stakes which is never a good sign.

The scenery just seems to get better everyday. The mountains were awesome today. Luckily our route skirted round the bottom of them tracking enormous lochs.

We came across John the paramedic and his boys several times again today. They are hoping to finish early on Thursday which is pretty crazy. We stopped at Fort William for an elite athletes lunch….Mc Donald’s! So wrong yet do good. The last 40 miles dragged on a little. Probably a consequence of lunch! We did see deer and a few birds of prey along the way.

We arrived at Loch Ness after some 8 hours in the saddle. This hostel is great. I’m basically in a wooden shack on the beach right next to the loch. I’ll probably be eaten alive tonight by midges!

Forecast looks very wet tomorrow but the wind is in the right direction. We won’t talk about Thursday yet! Carbisdale Castle tomorrow which should be good.

Today’s stats:
Av 14.3 mph
Mx 31 mph
Tm 7 hr 57 min
Dst 114.2 miles

View from the shack – Loch Ness

The wilderness….

Well Scotland certainly gave us a soaking today. We left our accommodation at 8am and headed north towards our ferry crossing at Gourock. The CTC route placed us on a hideous dual carriageway. Luckily the route improved as we approached the ferry crossing. The lovely chap on the ferry didn’t charge us which was nice.

On the ferry to Dunoon

We left the ferry at Dunoon and spent the rest of the afternoon on fantastic roads. Our route tracked numerous lochs including Loch Long and Loch Fyne. The scenery and landscape has been the best yet. I’ll upload my photos tomorrow….poor phone signal again today.

Big day tomorrow 110 miles to Loch Ness. With any luck we should arrive by 7pm. The winds are looking favourable at the moment.

Today’s stats:
Av 13.8 mph
Mx 31.4 mph
Tm 5hr 36min
Dst 77.5 miles

Turbulent times….

Left the b&b and headed north west towards our destination Kilmarnock. To start progress was excellent….then as we left Sanquhar things got a little choppy. The head wind was pretty extreme coupled with very rough roads. We battled on with our speed dipping to 10mph on the flat!

We met two paramedics yesterday cycling our route. They are supported by a lovely chap called John driving a silver Volvo. John and his car became a familiar sight today. They kindly supplied us with fruit and pumped my tyres up.

Let’s hope the wind is a little kinder tomorrow. Our next destination is Inveraray. The route is split via a ferry crossing from Gourock to Dunoon. Fingers crossed for calm seas. The last time I ventured onto a ferry things got a little messy!

Today’s stats:
Av 12.9 mph
Mx 27.4 mph
Tm 5hr 44min
Dst 74.7 miles
Cal 2718
Av hrt 118 bpm

No escape even at night!

Scotland!

Another great day. Really big climb up to 1400ft then a massive descent into Scotland. Fantastic scenery pretty much all the way.

Staying in a b&b tonight so will hopefully be fully recuperated by the morning. Another great meal with Anne & Dave really nice to have some familiar company.

Our route switches direction tomorrow so hopefully the wind won’t be to bad?! Longer update tomorrow.

Today’s stats:
Av 13.8 mph
Mx 34.6 mph
Tm 5hr 6min
Dst 70.7 miles
Tired 100%