James's Last Post

How Hard Was It?
We knew it would be tough, and it was. 9 days averaging 110 miles a day was not easy, but was achievable. The main feature was the relentlessness of the days. Up early and on the bike for 0830. Ride 50-60 miles and stop for lunch. Start again after about an hour's break knowing that we'd be riding until around 7pm. While leg muscles needed to be fit it was also, as Matt put it, the "muscle between the ears" which also needed exercising. This was especially true on around day 5 when we still had "Another 4 days of this" to go!

Was It Fun?
Undoubtedly - yes. The feeling of achievement at the end of each day was great - and the feeling at the end of day 9 was fantastic. While bits of me hurt at times, pushing on and making it to the end was a great feeling.

What amazed me was the beauty of the countryside as it slowly changed from Devon and Cornwall to the Somerset Flats through the Welsh Borders and up to Scotland. We'd always expected Scotland to be beautiful, but the hidden surprises around Cheshire and Lancashire were great. We also met some very kind people along the way - Alison who showed us the way to the bridge in Runcorn, for example.

Would I Do It Again?
Ask me in a few weeks - when I want to look at a bike again. Maybe another challenge awaits.

I Couldn't Have Done It Without...
First of all I must say a huge thank-you to Matt and Joe for accepting me into their team, and especially Matt for having the initial idea and doing all the planning. Without your work Matt, this wouldn't have happened - thank you.

Of course, we definitely couldn't have done the trip without the amazing support of Cathy who lugged our bags up the country in the car, phoned ahead to accommodation, sweet-talked washing facilities from proprietors and was always brilliantly supportive. With Clare arriving in Largs our support team was doubled and the encouragement more than doubled. Thank you both for all your help.

First and Last Post from Matt

We finished! - photo to prove we got to John O'Groats - so even if it was the sign man's day off and he had taken the sign with him, we know that those are the Orkneys in the background so we had made the complete end to end. (there are other issues here but I will leave that to some one else to explain!)

9 days was relentless, but as we proved it was possible if at times painful, not something you would want to too often but occasionally its good to stretch the limits.

We all owe a very special note of thanks to Cathy, who was relentlessly cheerful when we were not, organised when we were falling apart at the seams and patient to a fault while we grumbled and groaned. And how did we repay this? We gave her the the day off to walk up Ben Nevis in the pouring rain with Clare, surely there can be no greater reward than aching limbs and being soaked to the skin? But seriously,and its a much abused phrase but it does ring true - we could not have done it with out you so very many thanks.

Things to remember?

Devon has as many hills as Cornwall, the Somerset flats are not nearly wide enough, cream teas can have too much cream, the Severn Bridge is longer than you think, the Welsh Marches - forgotten England - must go back again, Lancashire in the sun will stun even the most cynical, Shap is a piece of cake - wait till you get to Drumadochit, evening sun in Largs, brooding lochs and ferries in the wrong places, deep, deep Loch Awe, legs feel like tenderised meat and there is still 30 miles to go, can it rain any harder? sun, black clouds,heather on the Caledonian Canal; random contributions for H4H from the most un-expected quarters, how do you pronounce Drumandochit? the meal at Tain, who says its brutal beyond the Dornoch Bridge? the last miles and 3 extra hills, Cathy's grin - and patient wives. Very special memories

If non of this make sense we can spend hours explaining after a wee dram!

TEAM BLT LEJOG - Joe's final musings

Well we have all arrived back in Emsworth save and sound. Since my last blog post, we have ridden a further two days and James will post the details of the rides elsewhere.

My memories of the event include lots of different emotions.

Riding - the days I found most difficult were the ones with steep hills and rain. My best days were the ones with lots of rolling hills and sunny spells. Luckily all the hills were rideable although there was one hill in Scotland where we all had to stop half way up just after lunch at the Loch Ness Inn.

The Road surfaces - some local authorities need to spend more money on tarmac - East Ayrshire was very bad with a surface resembling the bumpy pavement next to a pedestrian crossing to help visually impaired people.

Lorry drivers - all very patient. Thank you.

Bus Drivers - all very good bar one - you are lucky we did't get you registration number!

Car drivers - most were good but a few were truly dangerous generally as they thought two feet between their car and your bike was plenty of room. It isn't at any time but particularly if the car is going at 70 mph!

The Scenery - England, Wales and Scotland - we do live in such a beautiful country. Cycling was the way to see it, smell it and really enjoy it.

The People - we met so many lovely people on the way - James has mentioned many of them in his blog. From the B&B proprietors to the cafe waitors, waitresses and shopkeepers to just people who stopped to talk to us. They were all so very kind and helpful to three middle aged men in lycra.

Matt and James - for keeping me going when the riding got tough for me - ie on steep hills.

Matt - for planning such a beautiful route well away from major roads.

Cathy - for being a fantastic support crew and wife.

Clare - for her incredible positive attitude when she joined us in Largs that helped pep us all up when we were getting a bit weary after five days!

Mandi Owens for the Cemon Homeopathics joint cream - a life saver.

All the people who sent messages of support ever day by text or by email. Especially, my cousin Tom for the endless supply of rude jokes.

And finally, a special thank you to all the donors who have helped us raise over £8,000 for Help for Heroes. You made all the pain and suffering worthwhile.

Yes - overall I did enjoy it. Would I do it again? Well let's just say that the most memorable moment for me was coming over the top of the final hill and seeing John O'Groats bathed in glorious sunshine with the Orkneys in the back ground and knowing that there were no more hills to climb!

Anyone thinking of doing LEJOG, speak to me first.

Joe

Day 9 - Tain To John O'Groats Via Duncansby Head

The Day’s Ride
Willie and Dylis made us very welcome at Creagh Dhu Guest House the previous night in Tain - even taking the trouble to book us a table at the only eatery in town which seemed to have space. As they were going there too, we had to be on best behaviour!

Setting off on Sunday morning, we were definitely all feeling the effects of 8 days' riding. As we went up the first hill out of the guest house, our legs felt 'on empty'. While this was normal most mornings, it took longer for them to 'fill up' as we warmed up.

We stocked up with sandwiches at the local Co-Op, as we weren't sure whether there would be anywhere open on a Sunday at the mid-point of the ride, and then headed North on the final day's ride. The route took us along the coast, with the North Sea to the right and the open moorland to the left. As we went out of Helmsdale (I think), Matt commented that this was 'the last hill' to John O'Groats. How wrong he was! While the road was mainly flat, there were still pretty big hills to come, and in our 'last day' state, they were not appreciated.

We found a pub/cafe open for coffee - and Matt nearly added some 'extras' to his, as it also had an extensive range of whiskies - but he managed to restrain himself.

We decided to have lunch at Berriedale -having enjoyed an eye-watering descent down the winding, steep road into the village. Matt recorded 48mph, while James (with no working speedo) didn't go as fast but certainly frightened himself. Joe was a bit more sensible (allegedly). At the bottom, we discussed where to have lunch, at which point James stated pointedly that he was not going to eat at the bottom of a hill, as this meant having to start off going up it as our immediate post-prandial activity. Hence we slogged up the hill out of the village, round two hairpins, and over several false crests to finally get to the top. Once there, we hopped over the other side of a dry stone wall to eat our sandwiches enjoying the view over the North Sea.

After lunch we continued on towards Wick, but before then there was yet another very long hill -again with false crests - which went on for at least 1.5 miles; we finally go to the top and had a quick rest before continuing.

Wick seemed to take ages to arrive, but it finally did and we found Morag's Coffee Shop for a rejuvenating hot chocolate, coffee, tea and cakes. While we were there, the girls arrived but as soon as they got to the tea shop, we needed to head off again on our quest. We really wanted to just get this thing finished.

As we neared John O'Groats, we started to wonder whether the girls were going to get there before us, and Matt was just reaching for his phone to suggest that they hurry up a bit, when frantic hooting behind us announced their arrival and they shot off ahead.

Now, Matt had plotted our route to Duncansby Head, which is the furthest NE point in mainland Scotland, so we turned right on the outskirts of John O'Groats, and headed off for the 2 miles out to the headland - including a couple of descents and, you've guessed it, hills. The weather was absolutely glorious, with clear views of the Orkneys, and the view from Duncansby Head was even better. The only problem was that there were no Cathy and Clare. A phone call from Matt to Clare revealed that they were "At the sign in John O'Groats"! It turns out that 'the sign' is not at the furthest point at all, but in the town. Lots of mutterings like "More like Land's End to Somewhere Not Quite At The Other End In Fact Might As Well Make It Inverness" from James, while Joe logically pointed out that if we'd been meant to go to Duncansby Head, the trip would be called "Land's End To Duncansby Head". He had a point!

We finally arrived at the appointed location at the harbour in John O'Groats at 1615, to find Clare and Cathy waiting with a bottle of Champagne, glasses and nibbles. We'd made it! We had managed to cycle the length of the country in 9 days.

All we needed now was to have our photos taken by the sign. Ah, there was no sign - the 'man with the sign' had left with his sign (“It’s my sign, and I’m taking it home”). In fact it turned out later that he hadn't been there all day! Luckily we found another sign and the necessary happy photos were taken. This was after Clare had risked starting a fight when she told a group of large bikers who were hogging the sign that they should "Make way for some chaps who've done it properly, unlike you!". Luckily they had a sense of humour -actually they were very nice.

Now all we needed to do was get changed out of the lycra, load the bikes and drive to Inverness.

The drive to Inverness was a revelation to us - it illustrated just how far we'd been cycling. Bearing in mind that this was the shortest day of the ride, it still took us a good 1.5 hours or more to get back to Tain, and this was with Joe driving, erm, not slowly. We kept noticing how far back along the route various landmarks (like our lunch stop) were, and how long and steep the hills were. Various comments of “Did we really cycle up that hill non-stop?” were made.

Anyway, we finally got to the Premier Inn at Inverness, where Cathy and Clare had previously dropped off the bags, and enjoyed a shower followed by a meal consisting of whatever we wanted –no carbohydrate loading! This was followed by a grateful sinking into bed with the glorious prospect of not having to cycle anywhere tomorrow.

Day’s Facts
Distance ridden: 89.5 miles
Start time: 0845
End time: 1615
Strange signs seen: “Whale Disentanglement Unit” on van which passed us. Now that’s an interesting chat-up line.
Days to go: None!

Thoughts Over A Beer
In the pub, that evening, we had a chance to look back over the trip and reflect on some of the highlights and significant features of the ride.

What was remarkable was that we’d had very few problems – only two punctures (discounting Joe’s self-inflicted one), no mechanical problems and no crashes. The lack of mechanical problems was especially surprising given that some of the roads – particularly in Ayrshire – were of appalling quality, giving a bone and bike-shaking ride. On a couple of occasions James nearly bit his tongue going over some of the bumps!

We’d seen some amazing countryside and ridden some great country roads – all a testament to Matt’s route planning which aimed to avoid main roads as much as possible. We’d only really gone through one urban area – around the Mersey – and even then the Cheshire and Lancashire countryside either side were a revelation.

The B&B’s we’d stayed in could be described as ‘varied’, but the welcome in many was brilliant. After much discussion, we decided that Cuilcheanna House (www.cuilcheanna.co.uk) on Loch Linnhe was the best, but closely followed by Parkfield 7 at Chepstow (the brilliant Elizabeth and Ron) and Broome Lodge (run by Holly and brother while their parents were away) in Largs.

And Finally
This is my last blog for the ride – I hope it’s given anyone interested an idea of the general happenings on the days’ rides. Matt, Joe and I will be putting our more personal reflections on the ride in separate entries shortly (in fact I think Joe’s beaten me to it).

And Really Finally
Thank you to everyone who has donated to Help For Heroes in support of this ride – we’ve now raised over £8,000.

THE END

We finished at just after 4pm today in glorious sunshine. Just off to eat having driven back from John O'Groats to Inverness. James, Matt, Joe, Cathy and Clare will all do a post when they get time later today or tomorrow. For the moment, we are all very tired but very happy to have completed our epic ride.

Day 8 - Loch Linnhe To Tain (Snorkels Advised)

We are now ensconced in Creagh Dhu Guest House in Tain, having had what turned out to be one of our shorter days in terms of elapsed time (at least, judging by arrival time).

Our stay last night in Cuilcheanna House in Onich was perfect. The house is right at the head of the loch, so the tantalising approach was worth it, as we had views down the loch from our rooms (well, Clare and Matt did). The house was beautifully set up and the family running it were really accommodating and friendly. Supper was a little different to previous nights, as we were recommended a pub a short drive down the road, and it turned out to be attached to the local outdoor activity centre, and so was heaving with lots of active-looking people in full cheer. This made a difference from some of the quieter places we've eaten in previously.

Breakfast was a feast - with a wicked fruit and yoghurt mixture (a compote?) followed by cooked (Matt and James going for scrambled egg and smoked salmon). Unfortunately, time was pressing, and we had to head out into the rain en route for Tain. As we were leaving, Kirstie (or was it Mary?) pressed £20 into James's hand 'for the pot' - another unexpected and very welcome donation.

Today Cathy and Clare had plans too, as they were heading off to walk up Ben Nevis - so we were all aiming to leave smartish. The cyclists finally got on the road at 0845, with 112 miles in prospect - followed shortly by the girls in the car.

Unfortunately, the rain didn't let up, and as we headed up through Fort William, past Loch Lochy (yes, really) and towards the head of Loch Oich, it became torrential. We were all wearing over-the-knee shorts (James in full leggings) and heavier duty jackets but we were soon soaked. At one point the rain was so heavy that James had call an emergency stop as he couldn't see where he was going because it had run down behind his cycling glasses so hard that both eyes were full of water. However, salvation was to hand. We had already passed a posh looking hotel at Invergarry, but had surmised that three dripping cyclists would not be welcome. Matt advised that when in this situation before, he usually headed for the nearest McDonalds, as they have plastic seats. This was not to be an option. Salvation appeared in the form of the Thistle Cafe, where we had huge hot chocolates and two rounds each of cakes and scones (James choosing the treacle scones because they looked the most unhealthy). The proprietor reassured us that there would be eateries at Drumnadochit on Loch Ness - a good 30 miles further down track - "Because that's where the Nessie centre is".

A few miles down the road, James realised that he had a drinking problem. He'd already had to munch Ibuprofen while pedalling up the first hill (mustn't let the troops down by stopping), and had found that his left knee only stopped hurting if he cycled very smoothly. Smoothly meant not stopping/restarting and not moving the knee out of line while cycling. The problem was that to get the drink bottle out of the holder with his left hand, he needed to move his left knee out of line. Agony. Solution - use right hand. Yes, this what a degree education does for you. The problem was then that he now had reduced strength in his right hand due, probably to a compressed nerve or something from the last 8 days of cycling, so couldn't squeeze the bottle! Life gets complicated, sometimes. Sorry if this is James-centric, but he's writing this blog.

Luckily the rain soon stopped and we were treated to glimpses of the mountains around, and patches of sunshine lighting up the Caledonian Canal - which we crossed several times, over the still-active swing bridges. We finally arrived at Drumnadochit, and got food at the Nessie Pub (where else?). As we entered the pub, we got chatting to a local, Willie McKenzie, who donated £5 to the ride when he heard that we were raising money for H4H - which was really kind. He then asked where we were headed, and blurted out "Ah off to Beauly eh? You've got a bugger of a ... I meant there's a bit of a hill out of town going that way".

It was a bugger of a hill. 15% for 3/4 mile. We'd done 25% in Monmouthshire, but this was worse - especially straight after lunch. We all had to stop for a rest - James because he thought lunch was going to reappear, and Matt because he thought his lungs were going to explode! We finally made it to the top, and were treated with an even longer (i.e. less steep) downhill the other side. From then on the country rapidly changed from moorland and hills to farmland, and we were at the East coast of Scotland. We had traversed the country.

Due to the continued presence of the Cromarty Ferry at a boatyard in Southampton, we had to take the mile-long bridge across the Cromarty Firth, and then head up the A9. The A9 was very busy, and was to lead all the way to Tain. Luckily James, on checking the printed maps, spotted a cycle path (in fact Sustrans Cycle Trail Number 1) which took us through the forest - cutting the corner and obviating the need for the A9.

At this point, we were made aware of a logistical problem. Cathy and Clare were still en route, and were due to arrive at 1840 according to the car satnav. This gave us both a problem (no clean clothes) and a challenge - beat the girls to the B&B. At 1802 a quick mental calculation by James estimated (based on 15mph - i.e. a mile every 4 minutes) that we'd arrive between 1818 and 1820. It was to be 1818 and victory to the cyclists!

Interestingly, there now seems to be a thriving drugs trade in the team, as Cathy (the pharmacist) has run out, and is blagging pills off James. Still, most aches and pains were eased by a good meal tonight!

Tomorrow, it's the last day. Not sure about the team's feelings on this. On the one hand, it's a pity it's coming to an end. On the other, it's the end of a relentless 9 days of at least 8 hours in the saddle, finishing around 7pm each evening, with the need to be up at 0630 the next day.

Statistics For Day:

Miles covered: 108

Mountains climbed (by Cathy and Clare): 1

Monsters spotted: 0

Puddings/cakes eaten: too many

Day 7 - Largs To Loch Linnhe

The beautiful evening of Thursday gave way to a blustery, wet day in Largs this morning. We set off at 0810 in rain, with a stiff Southerly wind helping us along. We'd been well fed with a superb breakfast cooked by our hostess Holly - the daughter of the house (Broome House B&B in Largs) who was holding the fort with her brother while their parents were away. Their hospitality and helpfulness were brilliant - especially the pile of still-warm dry washing which was deposited in the breakfast room! Now would you leave your teenage (apologies to Holly and brother if you're older!) son and daughter to run your B&B?

We knew it was a short ride up to the ferry which would take us over to Dunoon. After we'd gone about 3 miles, Matt commented that we'd missed the next ferry, as we could see it heading out. James thought (and commented) that it looked like the Rothesay ferry and thought nothing more of it. We duly arrived at the ferry terminal, and went into the classic Victorian station-cum-ferry terminal to get tickets. As James arrived at the kiosk, he heard the lady behind the glass saying to Matt "But Rothesay is on Bute, which is an island, you can't just have a single."

James interjected "Very sorry about this, I've been trying to explain this to him already, I'll take him away quietly now." and we headed off to Gourock to find the right ferry. Matt professing that on his maps, there was only one ferry!

Having managed to catch the right (and a lot smaller) ferry, we headed out of Dunoon and into some proper Scottish countryside. This was not before James found that, as he started off up the ramp from the ferry, his left knee was agony whenever he pushed off on it. Cue a serious amount of ibuprofen - taken while Joe was re-stowing his glasses which had fallen out of his pocket and had been retrieved from the middle of the road by James.

We progressed North, alongside Loch Eck, over the hills (thankfully not very big) and alongside Loch Fyne. We then had to go all the way up to the head of the loch, and back down to Inverary - rather galling as we could see Inverary (our lunch destination) for about two and a half hours before we finally reached it! All the time the scenery and light were improving (it had stopped raining by this point).

In Inverary we had a rather large lunch in a great coffee shop, served by attractive Bulgarian waitresses. Joe had soup of the day (smoked ham and lentil) followed by Caesar salad. James and Matt had a delicious pasta dish (parmesan and pear parcels, with a walnut sauce). However, after finishing this, James caught Matt's eye and said "I need more". Our waitress was concerned when we asked for two helpings of soup of the day, asking "Was not enough?" "Not for me, I'm afraid. I've got 110 kilometres to ride after lunch!" replied James. "Ah, I see." she replied, backing away slowly.

A large lunch did not set us in good stead for the very long climb we then faced out of the town. A good 3 miles of it, but with the reward of an eye-watering descent to the shores of Loch Awe. From the top of the hill, we were presented with a view of the North-East end of the loch, with the mountains behind illuminated by patchy sunshine. Just enough time to utter "Yee-ha!" before approaching terminal velocity.

We again had to round the head of the loch, with the initial temptation of seeing our prospective exit from the loch from the opposite shore, but with 6 miles still to go! We headed off up the Northern arm of the loch, and stopped at the Cruachan hydro-electric power station visitor centre for James to get rid of some coffee. The girl behind the reception desk asked if we would like a free tour (normally charged for), as it was policy that anyone who arrived by bike or public transport got a free tour. James pointed out that unfortunately we didn't have time, as we were off to Loch Linnhe. At which point, she said "My God, you're mad - you'd better get going!".

Onward we pedalled, crossing the bridge at the Falls Of Lora - and watching the massive eddies and overfalls below as the tide rushed through the narrow gap below. Finally, we arrived at Loch Linnhe, with only 22 miles to go. These final tens of miles are the hardest, as we just want to get to the end - so it was a case of "heads down", and we put on some pace to get it over and done with. The final torture was being able to see the B&B, but knowing that we had a 7 mile ride round the bay and out onto the headland where it was situated!

So, another long day - around 117 miles ridden over relatively flat roads.

Off to Tain tomorrow - around the same distance as today, and probably in the rain. Joy.

It's now 2330, and I need to get some sleep, so any other reports will have to wait.