Day 15 Saturday 18th June Helmsdale to John o' Groats

WE MADE IT! Even more amazing was that the sun was shinning when we got there.



A great team effort - George, myself and the trusty steed



Setting off from Helmsdale I felt a certin amount of nervous adrenalin - excited in that I was about to achieve my goal but nervous in case anything happened along the way to prevent it.

It took me a good 25 minutes to cycle the first 3.5 miles virtually exclusively uphill into the mist. No-one told me I needed to take fog lights on my bike. Then I came to Berriedale - a very leisurely downhill sweep. The only problem was that what goes down has to go back up again.

That was probably the most challenging incline of the whole tour. Still with that achieved and the sun starting to show I had every intention of getting stuck into the last 30 miles with gusto. However, the wind had other ideas - it was hard work. So much so that when I smelt cooking bacon coming out of the tea room at Ladhay Croft, I just had to stop for a late elevenses.

From there it was onto Latherton, where I departed the A9 and took up the A99 towards Wick. Once I came to Lybster I took the local advice (well that from Phil Cross anyway) and headed directly north on a minor road towards Watten. Great call Phil - the road was superb. No other traffic (only two ladies on horseback) and the best bit was that I was no longer straight into a head wind. At Watten I met George for our last picnic lunch of the trip and then started out on the last 17 miles to JOG.

Interesting Signpost at Slickly - been a long time since Gills scored 6

By now I was counting down the last few miles - 12 to go when I recieved the last of many encouraging texts from Inners, 10, 9, 8 at my last drinks break etc.

Then all of a sudden the end was in sight. Left turn 1/2 mile to go.

Made it!

Once I had arrived there was a sense of "What Now". I had been so focussed on getting to JOG, I had given no further thought as to what would happen after that.

We took a few photos, made a few calls, bought a few souvenirs; I quickly changed out of cycling gear and we stopped at Duncansby Head. We then jumped back into the car and made the short trip to Dunnet Head - the most northerly point of mainland Britain before setting about the task of returning home. Back to Stirling Sat night and then home on Sunday.

Today's mileage: 53 mile

Duration: 4 hours and 3 minutes cycling

Calories burned: 3132

Max speed: 25.52 mph

Average speed: 12.98 mph

I make that a grand total of 952 miles. A fascinating and very satisfying venture.

As my tour of Britain comes to a close, I would like to thank everyone that has texted, sent e-mails, posted on Facebook, blogged, phoned and visited. Your support from near and far has been amazing. A big thank you to all of you that have sponsored me.

Thanks to my bike for getting me there - one puncture and no other mechanical failures, apart from a few times when the chain came off, but that was probably more to do with the man operating the gears!

Most of all a huge thank you to George for accompanying me and supporting me on this venture. It wouldn't have been possible without your endless encouragement and uncomplaining assistance throughout. It was great to see your smiling face at each stop.

Where to in 2012?

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93779378

Day 14 Friday 17th June Inverness to Helmsdale

The day started with a hearty breakfast and swapping stories of training regimes with our hostess, Jo Norris, who is a keen marathon runner. Many thanks to Jo and Bradley for their extremely generous contribution to our sponsorship fund.

I set out straight onto the A82 where the B&B was situated, soon joining the A9, crossing the Moray Firth via Kessock Bridge to the Black Isle. From there I utilised NCN1 to avoid the busier section of A9, taking me to Tore. From there I used A835/A862 to take me to Dingwall, where I again picked up the NCN1 for the delightful ride along the Cromarty Firth, through Evanton and Alness.

Looking South across Cromarty Firth

Today's lunch rendevous was at Tain.  From Tain I had no choice but to pick up the A9, crossing the Dornoch Firth.  At this point I saw my first distance marker for John O'Groats (85 miles).   It was a huge fillip to realise that the distance left to travel was less than 100 miles.  By the end of the day's cycling this had been reduced to 55.

George had a short visit to the Glenmorangie distillery near Tain and although liked the look of the whiskies on sale, decided to make a quick exit to avoid 3 coach loads of tourists.  She stopped by the beach at Dornoch and took some photos instead.

From Tain I then passed through Evelix and on to Loch Fleet, the road offered a superb view of the Loch as it descended towards the coast.  Then it was a gradual climb to Golspie and again meeting up with George for a quick cup of hot chocolate at the Coffee Bothy before completing the last 17 miles along the A9 to Helmsdale.  The route afforded great views of the coast and the moderate (15mph) ENE wind meant that I could smell the sea as I made my approach to the penultimate destination.

George managed a quick visit to Donrobin Castle, but although shut at 5.30pm when passing, looked very impressive, and then she stopped by Brora  harbour and it's award winning beach with a golf course running alongside.



Donrobin Castle



We checked in at the The Bridge Hotel at Helmsdale http://www.bridgehotel.net/ at around 6.30pm.  The hotel was built in 1816 and is situated at the head of the old Helmsdale river bridge. The hotel bar offers a selection of over 200 whiskies covering all the regions of Scotland. 

We limited ourselves to trying just 2 each!  Bearing in mind I had earlier sampled a couple of their Black Isle real ales.  The whiskies we tried were:-

Glenmorangie Astar
Longrow 7 yr old from Camplertown region
Talisker 57 degrees north
Old Poulteney liqueur

The menu for dinner at the hotel was impressive, with locally sourced deer, beef, lamb, fish and shellfish.  I opted for a whole lobster which was fantastic, and George had a fillet of Caithness beef.  We finished it off with some Scottish cheeses.

Today's mileage: 72 miles
Duration: 5 hours 20 minutes cycling
Calories burned: 4355
Max speed: 29.52 mph
Average speed: 13.51 mph

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93779388

Day 13 Thursday 16th June Calvine to Inverness

The day started with a brief vist from Phil Cross at breakfast. What a great effort to come all the way cross-country from Aberdeen. Great to see you Phil and thanks very much for your support.

First stop after checking out was the bike shop in Pitlochry to see if we could find a map of the cycle route to Inverness. We did and the National Cycle Network route 7, runs all the way alongside the A9 to Inverness. Brilliant - no need to further dabble with the A9. The cycle route is fantastic. It follows B roads where possible but there is a cycle lane / track where there is no other alternative. It was like having my own personnal cycleway! I can fully recommend it to anyone else taking this route. It was also a lovely morning, with the sun shinning brightly. It was the first time for a week I put on a short sleeved shirt and suncream.

The route took me through the gorgeous Glen Garry, past Dalnacardoch, Dalnaspidal, with the Sow of Ahtoll behind, through the Drumochter Pass and into the Cairngorms National Park. From there it was onto Dalwhinnie, past the distillery (no time to stop unfortunately) and through Glen Truim to Crubenmore. The scenery is breathtaking.

At Crubenmore there was a potential drama. There are some roadworks on the A9 and the cycle route is closed. There was a sign indicating cyclists should ring for help. I rang and was told a vehicle would be along shortly to transport me through the roadworks, as the road was too narrow (and therefore dangerous) through the roadworks to allow vehicles to overtake bikes. I explained to the guy that I was not wanting to be transported - I am on and End to End and want to cycle the whole distance. In the meantime another group of cyclists doing the same thing arrived - 2 solo and 1 tandem. When the highways vehicle arrived we explained our dilema and the man was extremely helpful and offered us a rolling road block through the 3 miles of roadworks. What a star! There was no way I was entertaining cycling nealy 1,000 miles to have to have my bike in the back of a truck for 3 of them!

I cycled a short distance with the other cyclists until they stopped at Newtonmore for lunch. The tandem was part of a group that had set out from Land's End, but the others had had to retire due to mechanical issues. The guy on the back was blind - what a fantastic effort! I carried on to Kingussie for my planned lunch with George. Yet again she had excelled with a fantastic picnic. It was so nice we were able to eat outside at a picnic table near a park.

Anticipating another fantastic picmic

From Kingussie, I followed the B970 to Aviemore. I passed a sign advertising watching sheep dog demonstrations at 2 and 4pm. Unfortunately, it was closer to 3. If it had been nearer 4pm, I am sure I would have stopped to observe as I have always found it fascinating. On the approach to Aviemore I experienced a real change (drop) in temperature and a couple of really heavy downpours ensued. Time for a quick call to George to see if she was close by as I stopped at Bei Nannini cafe (cafaidh - I assume is gaelic) for a warming cup of hot chocolate.

George went off exploring in the Cairngorms - Loch Insh and the Watersports Centre and Loch an Eilein with it's castle on a small island, before heading into Inverness to find our guesthouse (Avalon Guest House) http://www.invernes-loch-ness.co.uk/.

View over Loch Eilein

Meanwhile, I continued on the A95 to Carrbridge and then followd the NCN7 again as it went off the main roads past Sloch Summit, Tomatinand Dalmagarry, before joinging the B9154 through Moy, towards Daviot and then to Newlands and into Inverness. The road into Iverness took me past the Culloden Battlefield site, which George and I had visited on our last trip to Scotland in 2003.

I arrived at the Avalon Guest House to a warm welcome from Bradley and Jo Norris and a very pleasant surprise - Jon Jones had organised for a letter of congratulations on reaching Inverness together with a bottle of champange, to be in our room. George and I look forward to enjoying that on the completion of the journey on Saturday evening. Thank you very much Jon.

We headed into Inversness, via a very peaceful stroll along the River Ness, for a superb Italian meal at Riva http://www.rivarestaurant.co.uk/. We got chatting to a couple of ladies at the table next to us, that were on a short touring holiday around Scotland, having first been to one of their grandchildren's confirmations in Glasgow. Thank you to Gill and Gaynor for adding a fiver each to the sponsorship kitty.



View of Inverness Castle from outside Riva restaurant

 Today's mileage: 83 miles
Duration: 6 hours 16 minutes cycling
Calories burned: 5217
Max speed: 27.3 mph
Average speed: 13.28 mph

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93779410

Total fundraising to date: £715.00

Day 12 Wednesday 15th June Dunblane to Calvine

Another enjoybale day's cycling. I set off this morning from Dunblane heading north on the B8033 through the villages of Ashfield, Kinbuck and Braco, where I picked up the A822 through Muthill (there was ceratinly a hill but I didn't see any muts) towards Crieff. The Thai restaurant owner suggested I continue on the A822 towards Dunkeld and so avoid the busy section of A9 around Perth. This turned out to be a great call. The A822 through Glen Almond and then Strath Braan was a magnificent cycle showing the spectacular Scottish countryside at it's best.

At one stage it was really eerie with a dampness in the air and peaks either side of the road, notably Meall Reamhar, which was shrouded in low lying cloud / mist, it felt like I was travelling through a natural tunnel.

At Amulree I stopped for a quick drink outside the Amulree Hotel, which thrived during the 50s-70s, but is now closed and up for sale. I then pressed on towards Tochry, where I had my first mishap. Durning the morning I had been thinking how fortunate I had been and was praising Adam for his choice of tyres (wrong). Less than half an hour later I experienced my first puncture - the tyre actually split and blew completely, with no chance of repair. Fortunately, I was only 6 miles away from our picnic lunch rendezvous and the support car arrived within 15 minutes with a spare and a cup of tea.

The offending tyre

Being replaced

After a quick clean up, we pressed on to Dunkeld for a lunch of smoked salmon, crab pate and chicken portions - superb service from George.

The short stretch to Dunkeld was not that straight forward, as weel had to undergo a detour to avoid a wide load. The wide load turned out tobe the components of a wind turbine. The blades were absolutely massive when seen on the back of a lorry.

Although only an hour away, we decided that we would head into Pitlochry and check in at our guesthouse - the very comfortable Craigatin House and Courtyard www.craigatinhouse.co.uk.

To avoid the extremely busy A9, my bike sat nav suggested I take the B898, running parellel to the main road and along the River Tay. It then took me on an "unpaved" road (which turned out to be the 7 cycle route) and over a private bridge across the river. What a great choice of route. I came across a deer on the road while passing through a wooded glen.

George then proceeded to explore Pitlochry whilst I took the bold decision to get back on the bike. Tomorrow's leg is a planned 88 miles to Inverness, so it made sense to eat up a few of those. I travelled as far as I could on B roads ending up at Calvine. This included passing through the village of Killiecrankie - I couldn't help a quick thumbs up and a fan-dabi-dozi.

 I then rode the last 3 miles on A9 whilst I waited for George to collect me (12 miles in the bank). The journey on the A9 was not very pleasant with loads of heavy and fast moving traffic. I will be spending some time on the internet once I have completed this blog to see if I can find an alternative cycle route to make tomorrow's leg slightly more pleasurable.

We ended the day with a wonderful meal at The Auld Smiddy www.auldsmiddyinn.co.uk, topped off with a wee dram of local whiskey - Blair Atholl. I think George may well invetigate the distillery tomorrow. We are also looking forward to seeing Phil Cross in the morning, as he plans to meet us before we leave the guest house.

Today's mileage: 62 miles
Duration: 4 hours 46 minutes cycling
Calories burned: 4799
Max speed: 28.62 mph
Average speed: 13.02 mph 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93779420

Day 11 Tuesday 14th June Whitburn to Dunblane

Today was meant to be a rest day, but I was determined to wipe out the deficit from yesterday. My competitive nature just wouldn’t allow me to operate in arrears.

After a more leisurely breakfast than usual we back-tracked to the Co-op at Whitburn, where we left off yesterday. George set off to investigate the Falkirk Wheel, while it only took me 53 minutes to get back to the hotel. Having got the bike out it was rude not to cycle a bit more than 53 minutes so I continued on my way to Bridge of Allan.  Another reason to do a few more miles is that the A9 will be my companion for much of the next three days, and it seemed a useful opportunity to get acquainted.

A quick call to George to check on her progress suggested I could have another ½ hour cycling before she caught me up. I made it to Dunblane – which leaves only 50 miles to Pitlochry for tomorrow. A nice distance in the wood should the weather or terrain prove difficult over the next 4 days.

Today’s mileage: 31 miles

Duration: 2 hrs 11 mins

Calories burned: 1836

Maximum speed: 26.65 mph

Average speed: 14.4 mph

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93779427

George’s 2^nd rest day blog

Well it should have been a rest day – even though half of it was taken up by cycling for Rich.  I was more worried that he could really do with the break, but as the weather was so much better today, the sun shining, the wind reduced, an opportunity not to be missed. He seemed to feel it would help psychologically if he didn’t just catch up but also got ahead, especially now the realisation of the changeable weather had sunk in.  He mentioned yesterday that at one time he was only managing 5mph into a head wind, that must have been tough!  I noticed a real difference yesterday when I caught him up at one point, he was not as far ahead as I thought he should be based on previous reckoning and suddenly I was upon a yellow jersey with that familiar cycling gait (and bum, dare I say it!!).  Yesterday evening he was exhausted, falling asleep with the TV on in the hotel room, selected at a WWII programme he like the look of – which I ended up enjoying on my own.

My morning was great, but as always a little short as I need to do something close to his route as I then end up racing to catch him up in time for lunch.  The Falkirk Wheel came recommended by Phil Cross (and a big thank you to him, we’ll be seeing him en route either day 15 or 16!).  It’s a mechanical canal boat lift, instead of locks, and very impressive.  I would have loved to have a ‘ride’ into the air on a boat in the ‘lift’, but the hour long tourist trip was too long. Consolation was seeing it in motion from the ground and a whippy ice cream – the first of the holiday so remiss on my part!

Once I then met up with Rich I overtook him and managed to pull into a side road – Bogside.  We won’t forget that in a hurry! 

We drove back into Dunblane for lunch, I admit to being a bit reticent to visit there but it was so close and I’m really glad we did.  As well as having a nice lunch, we had a quick look at the cathedral and a walk along the river.

Rich took over the driving from here, he normally likes to drive but hasn’t had a look in due to the long spells in the saddle.  I asked him how it felt to be driving for a change, his reply – “comfy”, which made us both chuckle.  As long as he doesn’t try to drive between 12 and 35 mph we’ll be fine!

We decided to go on a scenic drive around The Trossachs in Central Scotland – and I said I’d like an afternoon spent with ‘Richard and the Trossachs’ – he felt this sounded like a nasty 60’s pop band!

Rich had broken the front of his cycle helmet so I googled on my blackberry to find a shop en route and came up with Wheels Cycle Centre, Invertrossachs Road, Callander, Perthshire, FK17 8HW.  What a gem, smashing chap, he hires, repairs and sells bikes etc and I think he has accommodation there too.  I have to admit I was taking more interest in his tiny terrier who kept licking my hand and a friendly big fat black cat! And rather surreal, listening to the orchestra playing in a high ceiling hall he had in his home (which we walked through).  Rich got a new helmet and was very happy!

We then took in some lovely scenery including some lochs, Vernachar, Achray, Katrine and finally the lake of Menteith. Then we took a minor road across some more remote countryside from Braco to Comfrie, which was really lovely and I enjoyed being a passenger so I could take in the sights. 

I wanted to take this route to get to Deil’s Caldron waterfall, and we took a short walk down to see the falls. But by this time it was 7pm and Rich was hungry.  So we quickly drove into Crieff to look for something to eat and struck lucky with a really quaint little Thai restaurant where we had a really gorgeous meal. I could recommend it – Thai e-San, 7 James Square, Crieff.

And after some jasmine tea, now it’s time for bed …

Thanks to Graham at the Cladhan Hotel for adding £5.00 to the sponsorship kitty. 

Day 10 Monday 13th June Hawick to Whitburn

Today was one of those days best described as “character building”. For most of the day I have been battered by a strong westerly headwind and I would be lying if I said I had enjoyed it. It was really hard work and whilst I have fallen short of the planned distance by 14 miles, I think I have done remarkably well to have managed 65 miles in the conditions I have faced.

The most positive thing I can say about the day is that it was a necessary step in the overall goal – which is now only 281 miles away.

I set out from Hawick after enjoying a good cooked breakfast including haggis, which was fantastic and I am sure helped fortify me for the day ahead. It was a good steady climb from the town along the A7 towards Edinburgh but it was only after 4 miles that I managed to change out of the low gear cog for the first time.

Halfway up a long hill I pulled into a parking area to catch my breath and ended up chatting with a litter picker. He seemed genuinely impressed with my goal and even offered a tip on the best route to Peebles. On parting he wished me a safe passage. When I saw the width of the road and the size of the lorries I understood his sentiment.

At Selkirk, I turned off the A7 and left signs for Edinburgh behind (I think I had reduced the distance to 54 miles) and headed west and into the wind. I crossed the beautiful River Tweed at Fairnlee and followed it’s course along A72, through the villages of Walkerburn, Innerleithen and then Peebles. From Blyth Bridge, I followed the A721 towards Carnwath as the wind picked up – at some points I was only managing 5mph! The countryside was magnificent but battling against the wind I spent too little time appreciating it.

River Tweed looking West at Fairnlee

River Tweed looking East at Fairnlee

I hoped that I would fare a bit better once I turned north on B7016 and ultimately A706 towards Falkirk. Unfortunately, the road was so open and the wind very gusty at this point that it was all I could mange to stop myself being blown towards the middle of the road. It was time for discretion to triumph over valour and call a halt to preserve my sanity and welfare. George picked me up at Whitburn and we headed for our hotel in Falkirk.

  

Today’s mileage: 65.6  miles

Duration: 5 hours 15 minutes cycling

Calories burned: 4141

Maximum speed: 29.49 mph

Average speed: 12.49 mph

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93779442

Day 9 Sunday 12th June (George's B-Day) Toft Hill to Hawick

After today's leg, I can claim that I have cycled the length of the country of my birth, having crossed the England/Scotland border at around 17.30 this afternoon. Not quite as challenging as having been born in Chile, but I'm still quietly proud of myself this evening. The route I took meant that it was 587 miles from Land's End to the border.

Crossing the border - check the rain clouds

The A68 has represented about 80% of my route today and I would like to thank the A68 for being principally a cycle friendly road. I will admit to having a little wobble on the section between Corbridge and Otterburn where the hills seemed to be relentless.

Setting out from Toft Hill, I soon came across a pub called the Duke of York. It would have been very rude not to have a couple of verses of “The Grand Old Duke of York, He had 10,000 men. He marched them _ _ to the top of the hill and he marched them _ _ _ _ again. When they were _ _, they were _ _ and when they were _ _ _ _, they were _ _ _ _ but when they were only halfway _ _, they were neither _ _ nor _ _ _ _”.  Unfortunately, I caught myself out with one of the ups in the second rendition, so I had a little drink. I did check that it was right-handed drinking at the time.

From then on until Corbridge it was fairly plain sailing (or should I say cycling) as I sped along a decent and relatively flat road, knocking off over 30 miles in the first 2 hours. The first signposts I had seen for Edinburgh this morning showed 103 miles to go, by the time we met for lunch this was in the 70s. My progress was so good that George and I had to abandon our plans of a picnic at Hadrian’s Wall. She eventually caught me up at Great Swinburne. Our birthday feast was so good that I had to have a 20 minute power nap before setting off for the afternoon leg.

The next 15 miles after lunch were really hard going – not so much physically but mentally as I struggled with hill after hill. The stretch of road north of Corbridge was advertised as having had 75 fatalities in the last 3 years. Whilst I negotiated it safely, at one point I was desperate not to see another ******* hill. It was also very open and the cross wind made keeping a straight path quite difficult (note it was not a windy day). This stretch must be very bleak when it is howling a gale and tipping it down with snow. The sheep must be very hardy.

After passing Otterburn and entering the Northumberland National Park (how many National Parks was that?), the road flattened out again and the rate from this morning was resumed. Like in Cornwall, many of the establishments advertised themselves as the “First and Last” – hotel, café etc We stopped outside the First and Last Café in England to enjoy a cuppa and George’s birthday cake – chocolate caramel shortbread and Bakewell tart.

On towards the border. The last mile and a half has a gradual incline. It is almost as though someone thought that if you want to escape England, you have to do it the hard way. It was also at this point that it started to rain, so out came the waterproof and determined to reach the border, I pressed on. Whilst I know there is still a long way to go there was definitely a strong sense of satisfaction at having reached this landmark.

It would have been easy to call it a day at this point, but with only another 17 miles to go to reach Hawick, I cycled on. Whilst there was elation at reaching Scotland the reality on arriving at our accommodation in Hawick was that I was absolutely drenched. The forecast for tonight is heavy rain, clearing to sunny intervals with the odd shower, so hopefully a bit drier but I think I will need to keep the waterproof handy.

We are staying at a converted bank http://www.thebankno12highst.com/ . From the façade it does not look particularly like a guesthouse and from the front you can still see the traditional money deposit box, but the inside has been furnished and decorated beautifully. Our hostess greeted us with a couple of glasses of red wine – how very civilised!

The recommended Damascan Drum was not open this evening, so we had to console ourselves with our second birthday curry of the week. This time the nan bread was definitely XL if not XXL.

Today’s mileage: 79 miles

Duration: 5 hours 19 minutes cycling

Calories burned: 5,461

Maximum speed: 34.72mph

Average speed: 14.84 mph

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93779462