In an effort to avoid this mornings Edinburgh marathon traffic our very generous host Mike cycled with us the first 5 miles to guide us out of the city. We have been so well looked after by Pat & Mike. Liz & I met Mike while we skiing in Austria in March & he kindly invited us to stay as we cycled through the fact that they are both retired GPs was an added bonus as we had lots to keep them busy with!
Cycling over the Forth bridge today ticked off another significant landmark but this turned out to be a long 60 mile ride on pretty rough roads which meant a 7 pm arrival at our B&B north of Perth tonight. Looking at tomorrows route we've just realised we have a 13 mile climb to one of Scotlands highest passes but at least the weather is great!
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Sunday, 31 May 2009
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Day 14
What a treat, we have arrived in Edinburgh on the hottest day of the year so far. Even better we arrived by 4pm (our earliest finish), so have had a couple of hours to sit in the sunshine and enjoy the Scottish air. Tonight we are staying with our friends Mike and Pat, Mike has just opened a bottle of cava and as i type we are sitting in the garden with their two dogs enjoying the sunshine. Bliss!
Today has been another beautiful trip, quite remote but the roads got gradually busier as we approached Edinburgh. Scotland is offering an ‘eat as much as you like buffet’ of stunning scenery and blue skies. The sheep and cows have grown horns and more hair, the yellow gorse has introduced a new colour to the landscape and perhaps it’s the highland water but we are starting to feel a bit fitter... finally! We also got our first glimpse of the sea since Cornwall. Suddenly this challenge is starting to feel achievable and the time is flying.
The sunshine has definitely drained energy levels though and Scotland is serving up long, pulling hills which are hard work. I have had numb fingers for the last week now, i think it’s the handle bars from the bike, but the journey does feel like it’s taking its toll a bit. Last night both Dad and I had to struggle to keep our eyes open during Britain’s Got Talent. It’s a treat for me having access to ITV (not available in Amsterdam) tonight is the final and seen as we are in her home Country I shall be keeping my fingers crossed for Susan Boyle!
652 miles from Lands end!
Day 13
This has been without doubt the best ride of the entire trip so far. Crossing into Scotland this morning was another significant landmark but why did they have to stick the border at the bottom of a steep hill which means you loose the run up the other side when you stop to take the obligatory photo!
An unexpected treat was finding a Tibetan tea room miles from anywhere complete with Bhuddist monks, temple and prayer flags. The ride through the remote border lanes to our isolated stopover at Tushielaw Inn was spectacular and the superb weather completed a great day. The only down side is a rather predictable absense of any signal so our apologies for the late arrival of Day 13. Distance from Lands End 610 miles.
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An unexpected treat was finding a Tibetan tea room miles from anywhere complete with Bhuddist monks, temple and prayer flags. The ride through the remote border lanes to our isolated stopover at Tushielaw Inn was spectacular and the superb weather completed a great day. The only down side is a rather predictable absense of any signal so our apologies for the late arrival of Day 13. Distance from Lands End 610 miles.
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Thursday, 28 May 2009
Commenting
Good news looks like our comments facility is running again thanks to Alfred on holiday in Penzance - seem to remember we were there about 550 miles ago,
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Day 12
Today is a rest day in Brampton, on the Scottish boarder. As rest days go this one has still involved a fair amount of organising, washing (although the oil hasn’t come out of most of my clothes), stocking up on supplies and for me a massage… wonderful!
We also met a group of people staying at the same hotel as us who know one of Dad’s good friends from school. Small world, even in Brampton.
I am currently writing this in the local library, where we had to book in for a 15 minute slot to use the only computer in town. So shall keep it brief and post this before the computer shuts down!
Back on the road tomorrow, Scotland awaits…
We also met a group of people staying at the same hotel as us who know one of Dad’s good friends from school. Small world, even in Brampton.
I am currently writing this in the local library, where we had to book in for a 15 minute slot to use the only computer in town. So shall keep it brief and post this before the computer shuts down!
Back on the road tomorrow, Scotland awaits…
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Day 11
We've discovered the new must have accessory for todays cyclist - bright yellow gardening gloves! An essential protection for Chris's hands during the torrential rain that greeted us as we emerged for our days ride this morning. The day improved when a lady stopped us asking if we were cycling to John O'Groats, turns out she was the wife of Paul who we met in Cornwall & Shropshire doing a solo ride and who was just a couple of miles behind. We met up for a long lunch in a local garden centre which also gave the opportunity to dry and warm up. Cycled to Brampton today only 43 miles and we've decided to take a days break tommorrow as we're feeling the miles a bit. Hopefully we'll find a computer and upload some pics.
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Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
Day 10
Today was a day of ups and downs in more ways than one. A highlight was cracking the 500 mile mark which was also our half way point. Mind you the cafe owner we met 20 miles before was adament that his establishment was the official mid point and so we signed the End to End book and paid for a cuppa for the next lejoger to come through.
We saw a lady this morning putting up a Post Office sign outside a remote village hall which is only open 2hrs a week. So we asked her to stamp our official form and when we told her what we were doing she gave us £5 towards our charity which we thought was really great.
Moving quickly on to the low point of the day...the first 26 miles took over 5 hrs of hard cycling mainly due to a 2mile 1 in 5 hill with a huge gale blowing straight into us! For the first time in the trip we thought we were not going to make our overnight stop in Tebay - but we eventually made it 10 hrs after setting off - seems like a lifetime! The upside has been the spectacular views and the opportunity to rescue a sheep that had gone astray - that we nearly ran into.
Lands End now 515 miles behind us.
Ps There seems to be a problem for people commenting on the blog - this might be linked to people using internet explorer, Firefox might work but if anyone can offer suggestions please let us know however our access to computers is very limited at the moment. Thanks
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We saw a lady this morning putting up a Post Office sign outside a remote village hall which is only open 2hrs a week. So we asked her to stamp our official form and when we told her what we were doing she gave us £5 towards our charity which we thought was really great.
Moving quickly on to the low point of the day...the first 26 miles took over 5 hrs of hard cycling mainly due to a 2mile 1 in 5 hill with a huge gale blowing straight into us! For the first time in the trip we thought we were not going to make our overnight stop in Tebay - but we eventually made it 10 hrs after setting off - seems like a lifetime! The upside has been the spectacular views and the opportunity to rescue a sheep that had gone astray - that we nearly ran into.
Lands End now 515 miles behind us.
Ps There seems to be a problem for people commenting on the blog - this might be linked to people using internet explorer, Firefox might work but if anyone can offer suggestions please let us know however our access to computers is very limited at the moment. Thanks
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Monday, 25 May 2009
Day 9
Knutsford to Whalley is a 53 mile ride through the heartland of what was once a thriving manufacturing industry but today most of the mills have been turned into apartments or long since pulled down. The last 10miles or so seemed particularly hard today I guess the pedal strain has been gradually catching up with our legs and knees - but still we soldier on! Sandra and Steve exercised exceptional hospitality by collecting us and bringing us back to their lovely home in Preston for a fabulous meal and a very welcome bed for the night - thank you...particularly for the apple crumble! Road kill count went up significantly today which is probably due to it being bank holiday. Crossing the old bridge over the Manchester Ship canal was interesting and the lady in the toll booth did'nt even charge us.
Lands End now 465 miles away and tomorrow we should reach our half way point - it seems amazing to be so far north and still not got to that milestone yet.
Lands End now 465 miles away and tomorrow we should reach our half way point - it seems amazing to be so far north and still not got to that milestone yet.
Sunday, 24 May 2009
Day 8
So a week on from our cream tea at Lands End we have just cracked the 400 mile barrier and completed a pretty tiring 64 mile jaunt to Knutsford today. After spending a couple of days with us Liz went back home this afternoon. We're very grateful for the great BBQ and hospitality from Roger & Lesley Sutton in Altrincham tonight - they even arranged a warm sunny evening.
Average speed 11.4 mph
Distance from Lands End 412
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Average speed 11.4 mph
Distance from Lands End 412
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A trip down memory lane
One week to the day since we started at Lands End and I am pretty astounded that we, or should say I, have made it to the outskirts of Manchester. Having had little access to a computer for the week, just my mobile phone for Twitter updates, I wanted to try and give a brief summary of the first week’s cycling.
I can’t tell you much about Cornwall or Devon. I don’t remember a lot, just looking down at the road and forming explanations in my head about why I was going to have to pull out of the trip in the first two days. But I can tell you a lot about the roads and the pathways, the flowers by the sides of the lanes and the state of our tarmac in Britain (not good). Slowly as the week has passed, the scenery has changed. The flower filled, high grassy banks in Cornwall, with pink Fox Gloves, Hedge Parsley and Blue Bells have given way to Devon’s grassy verges and then the red earth of Somerset.
I can tell you how the hedge rows seem to physically shudder when cars pass and how fat bees crawl along the hot road, squashed frequently by fast moving tyres. Of course I can also tell you about the animals, dead and alive, the badger almost perfect, lying on the grass, knocked cold by a passing car, or the fields of staring sheep, stock still except for their twitching ears. Inquisitive calves, over fed ponies in Buttercup fields, and dogs of all shapes and sizes who bark at bikes and run along side until tired or prevented by a tall fence.
I think Shropshire ‘the forgotten country’ is where I started to look beyond the roads. Void of the tourist hype and swerving holiday caravans, the county seems to be one of these places that just exists, where houses have hens and where the same dog wonders up and down the same road. I am sure that there are many things about Shropshire that are unbalanced and deprived. However it seems to me to present the opportunity of escape to anyone who cycles its roads. Perhaps it’s the farm houses and English gardens, or pigs rolling in dust or a whistling postman on his usual round, but I feel that bad things could happen in the world and the Shropshire countryside would just shrug it off and carry on.
Of course I can also tell you about the leg pain, various bruises and countless visits to the pharmacy… but I wouldn’t want you to think that the past week had been all bad. Let’s see what the next one holds.
I can’t tell you much about Cornwall or Devon. I don’t remember a lot, just looking down at the road and forming explanations in my head about why I was going to have to pull out of the trip in the first two days. But I can tell you a lot about the roads and the pathways, the flowers by the sides of the lanes and the state of our tarmac in Britain (not good). Slowly as the week has passed, the scenery has changed. The flower filled, high grassy banks in Cornwall, with pink Fox Gloves, Hedge Parsley and Blue Bells have given way to Devon’s grassy verges and then the red earth of Somerset.
I can tell you how the hedge rows seem to physically shudder when cars pass and how fat bees crawl along the hot road, squashed frequently by fast moving tyres. Of course I can also tell you about the animals, dead and alive, the badger almost perfect, lying on the grass, knocked cold by a passing car, or the fields of staring sheep, stock still except for their twitching ears. Inquisitive calves, over fed ponies in Buttercup fields, and dogs of all shapes and sizes who bark at bikes and run along side until tired or prevented by a tall fence.
I think Shropshire ‘the forgotten country’ is where I started to look beyond the roads. Void of the tourist hype and swerving holiday caravans, the county seems to be one of these places that just exists, where houses have hens and where the same dog wonders up and down the same road. I am sure that there are many things about Shropshire that are unbalanced and deprived. However it seems to me to present the opportunity of escape to anyone who cycles its roads. Perhaps it’s the farm houses and English gardens, or pigs rolling in dust or a whistling postman on his usual round, but I feel that bad things could happen in the world and the Shropshire countryside would just shrug it off and carry on.
Of course I can also tell you about the leg pain, various bruises and countless visits to the pharmacy… but I wouldn’t want you to think that the past week had been all bad. Let’s see what the next one holds.
Saturday, 23 May 2009
Day 7
A short day today only 36 miles which meant time for an afternoon snooze. Liz took our bags in the car today which was a big help. The waitress in a very posh Ludlow cafe was able to help us reset our bike computer which was a real bonus! It was good to meet up with a fellow end to ender Paul who we last saw on the hills of Cornwall. Highlight has been to visit our friends John & Lindsay for a great meal and the best rhubarb crumble and custard on the planet (see photo). Off to Knutsford in the morning - gradually knocking off the miles but still too many hills for the old knees!
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Friday, 22 May 2009
Day 6
Breakfast at Costa nearly cost a fortune as the waitress tried to charge us £117,000- when we pointed out this seemed rather excessive she just replied that it's not me it's the machine! We escaped England for a few hours this morning after crossing the Severn bridge and heading through Chepstow and Monmouth meeting up with a number of fellow End to Enders en route and swapping stories and fudge. - It was so good to meet up with Liz in Leominster who's with us for a couple of days. A slightly more manageable 54 miles today maybe down to the fact that the computer says our max speed was 132mph - I think it needs resetting!
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Thursday, 21 May 2009
Day 5
A great mornings ride through the beautiful Somerset lanes. We stopped for coffee before tackling the ascent of Cheddar Gorge and asked the waitress what we could get for the 1010 calories the computer said we'd used so far this morning - she seemed unsure but settled for the bacon bap. This turned out to be the longest day yet at 67 miles but we hope to make tommorrow a bit shorter if possible. It was great to see our friends Ian & Pat who drove over to see us tonight and took us out for a great Italian meal. High & low spot today Cheddar Gorge. Miles 67
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Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Day 4
So we've made it to Somerset after a day of even bigger hills both up and down. Going down a 1 in 4 with a fully laden bike is not for the faint hearted and then the climb up the other side is another story! Met a number of others heading for John O'Groats today so its been good to exchange stories and tips. We've been travelling through stunning countryside with lots of wildlife for company including a Buzzard who literally buzzed us while we cycling along this afternoon. Looking forward to Cheddar Gorge tomorrow. High point a 2 mile downhill ride, low point hitting Taunton ring road at 5.30. Lands End now 190 miles behind us!
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Tuesday, 19 May 2009
Day 3
Our day started with us walking into a bike shop only to discover the young man looking after it had not yet turned up and had left the door open from the previous night while his boss was away! Grim start in hail and spray but that paled into insignificance when we met the first monster hill of the day. However a late lunch in the sun in Bude and a decision to reroute by the A roads which meant only one 18% hill was a good move. Highlights for the day - passing our first 100 mile mark and entering Devon. Low point realising that the road to the B&B required a 1 mile ride up a 1 in 5 hill just what we hoped for at the end of the day. Total miles so far 130 - top speed 33.4 mph. Off to Bridgwater tomorrow to sample delights of Somerset.
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Monday, 18 May 2009
Day 2
Lands End now 72 miles behind us and we are trying to work out how Cornwall fits in so many hills and why do they all go up? Dodged most of the rain and roadkill - Scotland still seems light years away but we resisted boarding the Manchester train we passed this morning!
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Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
Sunday, 17 May 2009
Saturday, 16 May 2009
Almost ready
All packed and ready to go just testing to see if the blog works from my mobile
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Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange
Friday, 15 May 2009
Rush hour
We are by no means alone in undertaking and planning Lands End to John O’Groats (lejog). With long day light hours the months of April, May, June seem to be popular with lejogers. After some web searches I found numerous people either doing the trip now or planning it for the future… here’s hoping we meet some on route!
Lands End to John O'Grotes for Water Aid
The Great Cycle Adventure of 2009
John 'O to Lands End
YFC Lands End to John o'Groats Bike Ride
Royal Marines End to End Challenge
Andrew's lejog cycle ride
Lands End to John O'Grotes for Water Aid
The Great Cycle Adventure of 2009
John 'O to Lands End
YFC Lands End to John o'Groats Bike Ride
Royal Marines End to End Challenge
Andrew's lejog cycle ride
Counting the calories
On arrival back in the UK I find that, as Mum says ‘the bikes have taken over’. So whilst everyone runs around arranging stuff I have contributed by calculating some vital statistics…
We will be cycling 1050 miles over 18 days
This is an average of 58.3 miles per day (that’s 93.8 km). From what I have read on the web we will probably average around 12 miles per hour, taking us to around 5 hours of cycling per day.
Now for the best bit…. according to caloriecounter.co.uk we should lose 160 calories per twenty minutes of cycling, which is 480 per hour. This makes for a whopping loss of 2400 calories per day!
So with the 2000 calories I am meant to eat each day anyway, this gives an allowance of 4400 calories.
I am happy to share with you that this is the equivalent of:
- Almost 14 100g tubs of Belgian Chocolate Haagen – Dazs
- 10 Mars Bars
- 24 pints of beer
- 8 curries
- 26 slices of Domino’s Pizza
- or the healthy option…338 carrots, 2200 sticks of celery or 74 oranges!
I think I am starting to build an appetite for cycling.
Sunday, 10 May 2009
The final count down
The ferry back to England is booked, the accommodation arranged and it’s starting to feel like there is no turning back. I have covered some miles over the past weekend, but still feel it’s not enough, especially on my gear-less town bike. I actually visited a cycle shop in Amsterdam this weekend. There wasn’t a padded pair of shorts in sight, just picnic baskets, sun hats and some umbrellas which can be attached to the handle bars of a bike. Not really what i had in mind.
Dad has been working his way through our route, updating it onto a bike GPS system, which is taking a painfully long time but saves lugging a lot of maps with us… although we might take some for back up! Other cool kit that I have picked up this weekend includes a pair of sunglasses with changeable lenses, the yellow lenses are wonderful as everything is ten times brighter. Might help wake me up in the mornings.
A few weeks back I met Anik See, at a clothes exchange party in Amsterdam. We got talking and I discovered that she is a writer who has cycled in countries all over the world. So this weekend I stopped by her house and she has lent me some kit and has given me a copy of her book, ‘A fork in the road’ which describes her bike adventures combined with stories of food from around the world. Bikes and food are probably two of my favourite things at the moment, so Anik’s book is coming with me on the trip for sure.
On the subject of reading matter I have searched the web for other Lands End – John O’Groats (lejog) blogs and found a great one from a couple of years back where two guys did the whole trip for free, relying on people’s hospitality and generosity and made a documentary about it on the way. Sounds like a good ‘credit crunch’ idea for a trip.
We are being put up by various hospitable people that we know along the way.... at some point, once dad has the route 'digitised', I will post up our itinerary.
Dad has been working his way through our route, updating it onto a bike GPS system, which is taking a painfully long time but saves lugging a lot of maps with us… although we might take some for back up! Other cool kit that I have picked up this weekend includes a pair of sunglasses with changeable lenses, the yellow lenses are wonderful as everything is ten times brighter. Might help wake me up in the mornings.
A few weeks back I met Anik See, at a clothes exchange party in Amsterdam. We got talking and I discovered that she is a writer who has cycled in countries all over the world. So this weekend I stopped by her house and she has lent me some kit and has given me a copy of her book, ‘A fork in the road’ which describes her bike adventures combined with stories of food from around the world. Bikes and food are probably two of my favourite things at the moment, so Anik’s book is coming with me on the trip for sure.
On the subject of reading matter I have searched the web for other Lands End – John O’Groats (lejog) blogs and found a great one from a couple of years back where two guys did the whole trip for free, relying on people’s hospitality and generosity and made a documentary about it on the way. Sounds like a good ‘credit crunch’ idea for a trip.
We are being put up by various hospitable people that we know along the way.... at some point, once dad has the route 'digitised', I will post up our itinerary.
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