Tuesday 28 June 2011

Day 15, the Last Post!

Well here I am back in the comfort of home with a bike to service and kit to sort out.  I had a long lie this morning as the alarm was set for 07:30, but not as long a lie as I shall have tomorrow  The day was the best possible on which to complete the journey.  Sunny, tailwind, and still quite fresh (my arms haven't seen the sun since Cornwall!)  The last 21 miles was a dream with good tarmac and gentle hills on quiet back roads (and with panniers that had been virtually emptied into the car).  The last 10 miles to John O'Groats provided no cover for a comfort break whatsoever (no trees up here) so the first thing I had to do on arrival was find Anne for a 20 pence piece ... nothing is for free at this spot!

After a quick morning coffee-and-cake picnic, I changed, loaded the bike into the back of the car, and we headed home to Inverurie.

So this is it.  All over.  Back to normal life, or as normal as it's likely to be whilst the next project is carried out (a total kitchen refit).  So what have I achieved?  I've covered 1045 miles of some of the best cycling territory that Britain can offer.  I've sat in the saddle for 94 hours and 52 minutes making an overall moving average of 11.02 mph.  I've climbed 16,187m of ascent (and it feels like most of that was in Corwall & Devon).  I've been shown great consideration and kindness (like when Ian from Slochd Hostel drove out to chase me down and return to me the water bottles I'd left on the step); and I've seen some real idiots in control (possibly) of cars and trucks.  I've been nearly run off the road twice and had my butt slapped once.  I've had generally fantastic weather for cycling except for the day traversing Inverness and Beauly Firth, with happily no heatwave.  The only item on the packing list that was not touched was the sun-screen.  I've stayed at quite a range of B&B establishments from the full spectrum of standards.  All hit the spot and provided exactly what was needed at the time, and the hosts have all been great.  Special thanks must go to the Hermitage Cottage in Market Drayton for a really pleasant evening of their company and a great standard of accommodation too.


Hewitt Cheviot SE

My trusty hand-built Hewitt Cheviot SE has performed absolutely faultlessly for the entire trip.  It was self-serviced before the journey with a new chain fitted and has been brilliant.  It's taken some big hits both on the road and on the tracks, but the wheels still run perfectly true.  Thank you Paul Hewitt and all at Hewitt Cycles for turning out such a gem (and to Hewitt's Gethin who is the inspirational record-holder mentioned in the intro to this blog).  I have had no punctures at all.  I can say that now.  The p-word is an unmentionable subject amongst cyclists on tour.  (The only time the subject came up was when I was asked by an obvious non-cyclist, one breakfast time, if I'd had any yet.  He also asked the other question that gets my hackles raised : "How many gears has your bike got?" . "27 actually".  Happily this wasn't followed by the second most banale question that is generally asked : "Do you use them all?"  And in case you're wondering, yes I do; I paid for them, I'm damn well going to use them!). 

1045 miles polishes the rivets!

Happily I discovered Sportful Tour cycle shorts before this trip and thay have been brilliant.  I can really recommend them to anyone contemplating a long trip.  They're the best shorts I've ever used.  These and my ace Brooks B17 Champion Special have kept my 'contact points' in good shape for the duration.  A little bit of Ischial Bursitis (Google it!) was the only slight discomfort during the entire trip but this is probably due to my lack of natural padding!  (Easily controlled with anti-inflammatories)

View from the cockpit

A lot of planning went into this trip by both Joe and me.  It paid off.  All the routes were planned, refined and uploaded to my Garmin GPSMap 62s.  It has behaved faultlessly for the entire trip. The rolling OS mapping was a huge benefit when closed roads were encountered and diversion routes needed in a hurry.  The only problem is that the past-actual, and yet-to-come height profile display can be pretty depressing when you see a big hill looming in a couple of miles.  If anyone wishes to use the route that was finally followed then I can let you have the .gpx files of every day's track.  There is virtually nothing I'd change in retrospect, unless Leigh, the most depressing place I've ever ridden through, could be avoided.

I have to say big thanks to wives Anne and Maeve without whose support this trip could not have been contemplated by Joe and me.  Their encouragement and support, both moral, logistical, nutritional, and accommodational, was invaluable.  Corwall and Devon, in particular, would have been a harder place without their bag-carrying assistance.

The low point of the journey was inevitably Joe's unscheduled medivac at Nantwich.  He was, and still is, gutted.  Happily all is now well with no lasting effects and it was an event that could happen to anyone, anytime, and was not necessarily triggered by the exercise.  LEJOG, for Joe, remains unfinished business!  It was fun riding with Joe, we were well matched, it's just such a shame that it didn't continue until the destination.

For me, I look forward to no alarm clock tomorrow!  I'll have a day off to sort out my stuff, then I might just go for a bike ride.

Thanks to all who have been watching our progress on this blog.  It has provided additional impetus to the journey, and has certainly meant that we couldn't slack off and get away with it.  I hope you, in turn, have derived some entertainment from following the story as it unfolded.  I know that I shall enjoy re-reading it and reminding myself what we've done ... it all tends to merge into a blur after a while!

Adios, until the next adventure ...

Phil Keeble

Day 15 part 1, Thurso to John O'Groats

Made it!

Job done by 10:45 and what a beautiful day to finish on!

Full account to follow later, but stats for the day : 20.9 miles at 13.0 mph avg; 1hrs 36min saddle time; 216m ascent.

Monday 27 June 2011

Day 14, Lairg to Thurso

It's getting closer!

The forecast was good and so it turned out to be. After an early breakfast at the excellent Saddler's House B&B, I exited Lairg at 08:00.

Heading north, I noted yet again a pleasant tailwind ... it all helps! There was not much chance of getting lost as there was only one road north out of Lairg. The logging lorries that I'd been warned about were out in force and that was one vehicle I was more than happy to pull over for!

At Altnaharra (no more than a pub and a few houses) the NCN1 bears left and follows the 'A' road to Tongue. I really don't know why. I forked right and followed the single track road all the way to Bettyhill along Strath Naver. This is a truly beautiful ride with easy gradients, such as there are, and little traffic. It also stays much lower than the Tongue road, and makes the route a wee bit shorter. It also results in having to cycle less of the hilly, windy coastal road

Getting closer to the north east tip, more and more cyclists were evident, clearly doing the end-to-end the wrong way round. (German cyclists can always be recognised by their matching 5-piece Ortleib pannier sets, by the way).

Snack stop and lunch break were both provisioned from the food Anne left with me when we met up at Inverdruie/Slochd. The weather stayed fair with plenty of sun but was still a bit nippy. Jacket and windshell were worn all day. Two miles south of Bettyhill I ran into the coastal wind. This then acted on me as a head wind all the way along the north coast towards Thurso. This, combined with the repeating long, bottom-gear grinds up the switchback coastal road really dropped my speed. It was every bit as tough as Joe had warned! It was a great relief to roll down finally into Thurso to rendezvous with Anne for the last night's B&B before journey's end. After a, what can only be described as adequate, meal in Scrabster we had a stroll around the sea front in Thurso (don't book a week's holiday here) by which time I was ready for some shut-eye.

Only 22 miles left!

Stats for the day : 75.2 miles at 11.1 mph avg; 6hrs 46min in the saddle; 907m ascent

Sunday 26 June 2011

Day 13, Slochd to Lairg

Blog Day 13

Slochd to Lairg

The advantage of staying in a hostel is that you are not restricted on breakfast times so can get up early. Only problem is that you have to creep around in semi-darkness because of others in the dorm. That done, a hearty non-fried breakfast ensued from provisions out of Anne's red-cross-parcel. Then, of course, you have to clear up - a disadvantage of hostel living. Being early, the shed wasn't open so I had to warily ring Ian, the host, but got a friendly reception, happily. Swiftly changing into waterproofs before leaving, on account of the threatening clouds, I loaded up and sped off thinking what a brilliant place this was.

I completed the climb to Slochd Summit then plummeted down the other side. At Tomatin I was hortified to notice that I'd left both drink bottles on the hostel step, but with a long day ahead, bad weather brewing, and the prospect of reclimbing Slochd, I decided to leave them and continue. This was with some anxiety as it was a Sunday and I may not be able to find bottled water. 8 miles down the road I was overtaken by a wee 4x4 with man waving a bottle. It was Ian who had spotted the bottles and chased me down! What a star!! A service well beyond the call of duty; I was terribly grateful. Thank you Ian.

Not long afterwards as I approached Moy the rain came on, slowly at first, then the heavens opened! The approach to Inverness, crossing the city, passing over the Bridge, and riding up the Beauly Firth was all a blur literally. It absolutely bucketed down and only eased off as I reached Conon Bridge. My run of good weather-luck had truly ended. Feet squelched, eyes stung as 2 weeks of accumulated sweat-salt leached out of the helmet padding and ran down, and all thoughts were focussed on pedalling hard to cover some miles and to keep warm. A bus shelter past Conon Bridge was my morning snack stop, and a gateway near Evanton was my lunch venue.

Slowly the weather improved as I climbed up after Alness, the sun actually came out briefly and it warmed up by mid-afternoon.

By the time I reached the Falls of Shin the rain started again. I passed Carbisdale Castle and crossed the river via the railway bridge viaduct (see picture) before riding the final few miles to Lairg where I was welcomed, dripping wet, at the B&B with a cuppa and toast and syrup!

Everything is now dry and it should stay so tomorrow so long as I get to Thurso by 18:00 (according to Met Office). There's motivation for you!

An early night is called for ... I've been really needing the alarm clock the past two mornings!

Stats for the day : 79.0 miles at 11.6mph avg; 6hrs 47mins in the saddle; 877m ascent.

Saturday 25 June 2011

Day12, Blair Atholl to Slochd Summit

Woke up to a grey day, but no rain and little wind. After a big breakfast and a stop at the Blair Atholl corner shop for sandwiches, I left town at 09:00

Again I kept to NCN7 and climbed steadily into the lowering clouds. The mist turned to drizzle then turned to
light rain as I climbed higher towards Drumochter, so I stopped to don waterproofs. This had the usual effect of stopping the rain almost immediately and the weather started too improve from that point on.

I soon met up with John, a retired KPMG man who was also doing a lone LEJOG and we rode together for quite a while. I was going to stop for a coffee at Dalwhinnie, but there was no coffee shop, so continued.

The winds were at our backs, the track was well surfaced and the gradients all now downhill so we made excellent progress. Roadworks north of Dalwhinnie had closed the cycle track and we were told we were supposed to phone Recovery for a lift along the road on the breakdown truck. Aye, right! 2.1/2 miles? All downhill? Brand new asphalt? Single lane with no overtaking allowed? No-brainer! We hit the A9 with gusto and beasted it down the road with a tour coach and tailback in hot pursuit and cracked it in around 6 minutes. I left John in Newtonmore as he took a break and I carried on apace as I was meeting Anne for a picnic lunch at Inverdruie. I covered the 52 miles to there at a pleasing average of 12.7 mph (and remember, all you who scoff, that this included Drumochter Pass with a full pannier load) By this time the sun was shining strongly and the knee warmers came off (donned today for the first time this trip)

After dumping some dirty washing and eating my fill (and dumping my rancid old cycling mits - Anne brought my new ones over) I left my good lady to go for a walk and continued towards tonight's abode : the Hostel at Slochd. This a) got me an extra 4+miles past Carrbridge; b) lowered my average accommodation cost; and most importantly c) got the climb to Slochd Summit over on a comparatively short day. Tomorrow is c78 miles but the first 23 are virtually all downhill to Inverness. The hostel is brilliant. I can get my own breakfast as early as I want and get cracking. Good find, Anne!

Anne picked me up after a shower and we had a meal at Carrbridge's Cairn Hotel (CAMRA pub of the year 2011, coincidentally) then we split until Thurso.

The end is getting closer!

Stats for the day : 68.6 miles at 12.0mph avg ; 5hrs 40mins saddle time; 798m ascent

Friday 24 June 2011

Day 11, Callander to Blair Atholl

It didn't rain all night and it didn't rain at all today, so hooray for Scottish weather! Sunshine and clouds with favourable tailwinds was the theme, but it remained cool in temperature. I don't think my arms will see the sun this trip!

I left Callander at 08:55 and hit the NCN7 again which took me by traffic free track and some country lanes to Killin. A tea and bacon butty stop at the burger van just before the descent into Killin was a life-saver, and I took the time to oil the chain in the sun. The NCN7 is a brilliant ride, well recommended, especially the scenic stretch above Lochearnhead (see picture).

The descent from the burger van was great and just clips the southern end of Killin before routing you along the switchback lane that runs the length on the south side of Loch Tay. A great ride and virtually no traffic.

I tried for a lunch at the new poncey bar/restaurant by the bridge at Kenmore and fell about laughing at the price of a sandwich, turned on my heal and departed. I had a much more reasonable toastie at The House Of Menzies near Weem ( and ate most of my 'insurance' pork pie bought yesterday in Aberfoyle).

Cracking on, I soon joined the route we followed on the Etape Caledonia and got to Pitlochry at 16:20. This was a good thing as I was under strict instructions to get Anne some Smartwool arm warmers from the bike shop there. I also got my tyres pumped up for free!

5 miles to go and I arrived at the Ptarmigan Guest House in Blair Atholl at 17:20. After a shower and kit-wash, a stroll to the Atholl Arms was in order. Haggis, neeps and tatties followed by sticky toffee pudding, washed down with a couple of pints of Braveheart completed the calorie balance for the day. Well, I'd earned it hadn't I?

Tonight is the most expensive (but far from the best) B&B so far this trip, but tomorrow will be the cheapest. Watch this space to find out where...

Stats for the day : 70.9 miles at 10.8 mph avg; 6hrs 34 mins in the saddle; 1056m ascent

Thursday 23 June 2011

Day 10, Cambuslang to Callander

Blog Day 10

Cambuslang to Callander

I know, I know, I'm starting to sound like a stuck record, but it really did rain all last night and was clear this morning. After another full fry (I'm really going to have to detox when this is over!) I was packed and ready to leave by 08:15.

I wended my way back to NCN74 and followed the march of the giant hogweed (Genesis, 1975?) all the way along the River Clyde Walkway (see picture). This was a mixture of quite good to brilliant tarmac that had me at Glasgow Green before I knew it (apart from a slightly confused diversion around some of the Commonwealth Games redevelopment work).

From here I followed the NCN7 all the way to, well, Callander actually. Again, the track was traffic free through town and along the canal all the way to Bowling where I had a tea stop. It was then largely traffic free following the river to Balloch. From Balloch it reverted to country lanes and track (where I stopped to eat yesterday's 2nd sandwich pack) to Aberfoyle where I had another tea break in the sun.

Aberfoyle was the originally planned stop point for day 10, but because: a) I'd banked extra miles yesterday; b) weather today has been fantastic - cloudy blue skies with plenty sun and light winds to aid progress and; c) the Aberfoyle to Callander stretch is a tough, rough, steep offroad section that I'd rather do at the end of today than the start of tomorrow, I was keen to push on a bit.

I spoke to Anne at lunchtime and she duly found me an excellent farmhouse B&B on the outskirts of Callander at which I arrived around 17:45

It's been a great day cycling and I'm feeling good. No aches and pains, legs feel strong, and even my 'contact points' are holding up OK! It's great to be back in the Scottish hills in the sunshine. Tomorrow looks good, but it looks like a good soaking for me on Sunday. Or not, if my run of luck continues.

Stats for the day : 66.7 miles at 9.5 mph avg (Glasgow traverse and a lot of offroad); 7hrs 01min pumping pedals; 952m ascent

Wednesday 22 June 2011

Day 9, Gretna Green to Cambuslang

Yet again it rained during the night but cleared by breakfast. Great, no need for waterproofs ... until I opened the door to find the clouds had burst. Quick change then left at 09:00

I hit the road with a vengeance as I was determined to stretch today's mileage past the planned Larkhall stop. It was a fairly uninteresting ride as it followed the NCN74 route that was virtually never out of earshot of the M74, but at least the gradients were gentle. I tried for a coffee stop at Beatock village but despite proudly displaying a huge 'Local Services' sign there was nothing but a dozen or so houses and a pub that didn't open until noon. I cracked on and phoned Base Control at 13:10 from Beatock Summit to big up my performance and discuss tonight's accommodation. Whilst Anne was on the case I continued to Abington for a sandwich and pint (of milk!) in the sun at the general store.

As I continued, Anne booked me B&B in Cambuslang (thereby bagging an extra 12 miles). Parts of the route were on a cycleway that was part of the old road and enabled a quick pace with no traffic (see picture), but South Lanarkshire roads use the coarsest roadstone imaginable and soon my vision was blurred and my fillings shaken loose. I'm sure it costs at least 2 mph.

The final bit of the day's run was on new cycle tracks from the Chatelherault Country Park which was great whilst it lasted but not when it stopped without proper warning. This, combined with road closures delayed my arrival at the B&B until 18:15. Overall the day was a good one with light headwinds and punctuated by showers, but the rain did start as I approached the Glasgow area ... no surprises there, then.

A good curry completed the day. Didn't really want to try out the pubs in Cambuslang!

Stats for the day : 84.1 miles at 11.2 mph avg ; 7hrs 29mins in the saddle ; 774 m ascent

Tuesday 21 June 2011

Day 8, Barbon to Gretna Green

The weather luck continues! Every time I woke in the night it was lashing down, as it still was at breakfast. This fell away to a drizzle that persisted as I bade farewell to Joe and Maeve who returned to Inverurie today. A few miles up the road I started to shed waterproofs and never saw another drop until 5 minutes before arriving at Gretna. Even the wind seemed to remain, generally, a tail wind

It continued to look very threatening over the hills and I had 2 big ones to climb by Tebay and past Orton so I planned to avoid a coffee stop. This was a good thing because I found no coffee shops anyway! I carried on apace as I'd arranged to meet son Rob at his flat in Penrith. I got there at 12:30.

After a blether and a lunch he donned his kit and accompanied me for 6 miles to escort me out of town. He looked the part on his new Trek road bike and was naturally way faster than me, but then he was younger, fresher, and not riding a fully loaded tourer! We should have swapped bikes!

After that point the ride was a doddle as it was all generally losing height. The guest house is very nice, which is about the best thing I can say about Gretna. The whole town seems to be geared purely for quickie, low-end weddings; the pubs are dire and real ale absent (not surprising after observing the typical clientele). The food was, well, think of it purely as fuel for the journey.

But it's not all bad news: I'm back in Scotland! Just.

Thinking of cranking up the pace a bit, but weather forecast not great and I can't get breakfast earlier than 08:00 (and that is a special dispensation!). Oh, and I've got Beatock Summit tomorrow as well, so will see how things go. And today is the longest day!

Stats for the day : 70.9 miles at 11.2 mph avg; 6hrs 17mins saddle-time; 1236m ascent

Monday 20 June 2011

Day 7, Westhoughton to Barbon

Well, the Mercury didn't serve breakfast 'til 09:00 so that was not an option. I set the alarm for sunrise and, after a room meal of humus wrap and a yoghurt, I hit the road at 05:45 happy to leave this part of the Midlands behind me. This was to ensure I completed the 10 miles to Chorley on the A6 well before rush hour. This put me on to the back lanes by 06.30 and what a pleasure it is cycling at that time of the morning. It was fine and windless and quiet.

Trouble is, nowhere is open at that time and I had over 3 hours cycling done before I could stop for breakfast at a sandwich bar in Whalley. A full traditional, a mug of coffee and insurance pork pie (yes, again, Steve) all for £6, eaten outside in the sun. Feeling rather stuffed, I continued, circling Clitheroe, then started the big climbs across the Forest of Bowland to Slaidburn, then up again for a loooong way until plunging down into Bentham

Here I met up with Anne for a lunch stop and a much appreciated resupply drop.

Then it was off again on my own for the final miles to Barbon just north of Kirby Lonsdale. The weather has stayed remarkably fine, plenty of sun, not too warm, and no wind or rain. Too good to last.

The really good news is that Joe was discharged today as his heart flutter has normalised, so he and Maeve reverted to the original plan of staying here at the B&B. We had a great meal at the local pub to celebrate. He's under doctor's orders not to continue with LEJOG, but it's good to see him back to his cheery self. The photo is proof positive that he's feeling a lot better and has his appetite back!! They'll be heading home tomorrow.

Meanwhile I'll continue heading north, not quite so early this time.

Stats for the day: 68.9 miles at 9.5 mph avg (the hills!); 7hrs 13mins saddle-time; 1613m ascent

Sunday 19 June 2011

Day 6, part 2, Nantwich to Westhoughton

Once Maeve had arrived at Sainsbury from her drive from Wales, we loaded Joe's bike into the car and she departed to see Joe at the same time as I departed to complete the final 44 miles to Westhoughton. Happily it was a level, steady run and fairly quiet, being a Sunday evening. The clouds were left behind and the sun came out.

The only notable event was the first physical assault of the trip. As a car load of youths passed me on the Manchester Ship Canal bridge, I received a double slap on the bum! I'll generously put it down to horse-play, but it was quite a shock and left a sour taste! Just as well they weren't wielding a knife!

Soon after I passed through Leigh on the Bollton/Wigan interface. What a grim place (like Shirley but much more extensive, Em). I felt uneasy passing through. English folk who have preconceptions of Glasgow should check out this part of the world ... I know where I'd feel more comfortable!

I arrived at the Mercury Hotel at 20:00 with a bit of a shock. It is dire from the outside (looks like a load of outbuildings attached to a garage - like Stracathro, only worse) but the folk here could not be more helpful, and once inside, the room was clean, basic and comfortable. The manager is even a biker! So I can't complain at all. It has a bar, though the karaoke persuaded me back to the room early! Happily I stocked up with food at Sainsbury so, as you can see, had a gourmet pasta salad on 'room service'.

The 'hotel' is on the A6 to Chorley so it will be an 05:00 alarm tomorrow ao that I can get the 15 miles done before rush-hour, then on to the back roads towards Clitheroe. (if you're around, Steve & Lynda, I'll drop by briefly ... If not, then we'll catch up later).

Right time for an early night. Joe's probably getting one too as he's wired for sound in the cardiac ward of Leighton Hospital, Crewe, in good hands and and in good spirits. I miss you, Joe! Just think of all those bags of flapjacks, bananas, & energy bars that Maeve can now give you!

Day's stats: 61.6 miles at 12.1mph avg; 5hrs 4mins saddle-time; a paltry 398m ascent

Day 6, part 1 : Market Drayton to Nantwich

Well, not the normal start to the day! Joe woke up not feeling too good and blaming over-eating the Chinese meal. We left the fantastic Hermitage Cottage after a hearty breakfast and took it very slowly to see how things went. Joe's heart rate was elevated and he still felt washed out so we soldiered on slowly aceoss the flat, pretty back-lanes until we reached Nantwich (at 18.4 miles)

We searched out the pharmacy at Sainsbury on the edge of town where he had a BP check and a precautionary call was made for an ambulance. To cut a long story short, Joe will be kept in Crewe hospital for a few days for tests so it is with great sadness that we have to announce the end of the tour for him. It is worth stressing that it's nothing serious, but is sufficient to keep him off the bike for a while (especially with the Lancashire Dales looming tomorrow).

Maeve is still in the vicinity and so is on hand for the medivac and cycle recovery. From now on this will be a solo ride.

Joe is bitterly disappointed so I'm sure he will appreciate all your good wishes for a speedy recovery and repatriation (he's not supposed to have his mobile on, but can probably read a sneaky text, or a comment on this blog). I shall miss his company and the whirr-clickety-clickety-clickety-clickety-clunk of his maladjusted front derailleur as he tries to engage the granny-ring (often followed by a curse as the chain overshoots and droops off!)

Finally: a huge vote of thanks to Julie and the pharmacy staff at Sainsbury, Nantwich, who were fantastic in the help and support they gave us. You should all buy your groceries from Sainsbury!

The journey continues ...

Saturday 18 June 2011

Day 5, Fownhope to Market Drayton

We headed away from the beautiful 15th century Bark Cottage B&B at around 09:20 with the promise of heavy showers all day. It was to be the longest day at 80 miles so we cracked up the pace, helped by a wonderful tail wind. The roads were generally great and the Herefordshire and Shropshire countryside beautiful. The picture shows Joe with a Wenlock Edge backdrop. A welcome coffee stop in Leominster was just what we needed at 19 miles and I bought an insurance pork pie (n.b. Steve!) which was to be a life saver later! We planned for a lunch stop around 13:00 but were so rural that no shops or pubs were on the route. We found one ex-pub that had turned into a snotty, pretentious restaurant that said they'd stopped serving food as soon as we stuck our rain-soaked heads round the door, so we pulled over into the next farm entrance and, using the farmer's wheely-bin as a dining table, divvied up the pork pie. It was fabulous!

Much Wenlock was the next treat as we found a coffee shop still serving the day's special of a big bowl of spag bol at 15:00. Fully fuelled, we sailed up the Wrekin hill by Telford and beasted the last 20 miles to Market Drayton arriving about 18:20.

We ended up at the overflow accommodation (Hermitage Cottage) for the B&B we'd booked which was a huge treat as it was lovely. We spent a pleasant evening with the hosts after sharing a beer and a Chinese take-away and retired to bed replete.

Lesson of the day : don't ride an extra 1.5 miles of trunk road to save 3 miles of detour to Ironbridge without checking that the road you want to turn off onto isn't 30m above you on a fly-over; doh!

Stats: 80.3 miles at 11.2 mph avg; 7hrs 9mins in the saddle; 1225m ascent. Only 2 light and brief showers!

Day 4, Lower Langford to Fownhope

A delayed blog post, I'm afraid, as there was no reception at Fownhope:

After the best full cooked breakfast yet, and an amazing home made compote, we set off from York Cottage B&B with a deep sense of foreboding based on the appalling weather forecast. We were expecting a drenching!

Waterproofs were donned on the edge of Bristol when we stopped for a mug of tea at a roadside burger van, but we only had a steady spit of rain and nothing more. They soon came off again. We took the scenic cycle way around the north east edge of the city (see photo) and kept off the roads almost completely, then continued along the route all the way to the Severn Bridge on back roads.

Here we met up with Maeve for a tea and snack and a pannier-content adjustment for Joe. Leaving the service area we firstly met a group of 3 ex-military riders cycling a JOGLE in 6.5 days for Help For Heroes (they'd already done a LEJOG!), and then ran into the James Cracknell Ride Across Britain tour group who passed us coming the opposite way from Severn Bridge all the way to St Briavels! That was an awful lot of cyclists to wave hello to !!

A sandwich stop around Coleford kept us going for the rest of the journey and the waterproofs were needed in anger for the last 10 miles. Even so, it was a great day and the constant light tailwind really helped (even if it wasn't the southerly gale that was forecast!). The last bit all the way up the Wye Valley on a single track road was great.

We got the last available table at the pub and pondered the 80-miler we have to look forward to tomorrow. Hmmm!

Stats : 69.9 miles at 10.5mph avg; 6hrs 38mins saddle-time; 1150m ascent

Thursday 16 June 2011

Day3, Exeter to Lower Langford

Blog day 3

Exeter to Lower Langford

Day started with some stress! Having been forbidden to ride on the A30/303 (with good reason, it has to be admitted) I added an alternative route to the GPS last night and it deleted all the other routes! Happily I noticed just as we were to set off and I had to fire up the laptop and reload them. Disater averted.

It lashed down during the night but happily was clear by breakfast and we set off, later than planned, in fine fettle. Today's hills were quite manageable and we missed all bar one of the forecast showers. The route alteration was brilliant after we'd done the vicious climb out from Honiton onto the ridge. Perfect riding and tea at a farm shop, with a later pub stop for lunch. We actually met up with Keith and Dave from Merseyside again in Honiton who were going to tackle the A-road ... wonder how they got on?

We met up with Anne & Maeve at Street and swapped our wee bags for the panniers as from then on we were on our own. The Somerset Levels were an easy break-in to cycling with a full load and we even managed the climb out of Cheddar with no problem.

We arrived at the B&B in Lower Langford rather late at around 19:30 to a welcome tea and cake, then a pub meal to finish the day.

An early night, I think. Bristol and the Severn Bridge to conquer tomorrow. Thank you ladies for the bag-carrying - it's all down to us now.

Stats : 79.2 miles at an average of 11.7 mph; 6hrs 45mins saddle-time; 1150m of ascent.

Wednesday 15 June 2011

Day 2, Pelynt to Exeter

Woke up in the night to lashing rain and high winds. Woke up for breakfast to drizzle and hill fog. Set off in watery sunshine with a light tailwind. How lucky was that!

The first mile was a downhill but was immediately followed by a vicious steep climb just to remind us what is still in store. We made reasonable time for the first 19 miles to the Torpoint ferry to Plymouth but that delayed us, then getting through Plymouth was a slow process (routing using an OS map doesn't reveal the one-way streets or the closed roads!). Leaving Plymouth we realised we needed to eat so detoured to Morrisons for lunch. (Thankyou Morrisons at Plymport for letting us put the bikes in your dry cleaning room whilst we ate)

The Plym Valley cycleway took us, traffic free, to the base of Dartmoor where the big climb began. thank goodness Devon hills are easier and longer gradients : less strain to climb and brilliant to descend! It was also good to have a light tailwind to help us over Dartmoor ... and no rain!

It was a slow day really with all the ascent, and we arrived tired at Gypsey Hill Hotel at around 19:20.

No sign today of the two Merseysider Lejogers that we had been leapfrogging yesterday so I guess they are ahead of us now.

Looking forward to the Somerset Levels tomorrow! At least Joe's dodgy front mech won't be an issue there.

Stats: 74.3 miles; 10.3 mph avg; 7hrs 10mins saddle time; 1974m ascent (& 47.1 mph max coming down off Dartmoor!)

Tuesday 14 June 2011

Day 1, Sennen to Pelynt

Well that's the first day done. We set off at 09:15 from Sunny Bank Hotel, 2 miles from Lands End, in glorious sunshine but with a bit of a nip in the air. Doing LEJOG from south to north means we go with the prevailing wind, so the light headwind we experienced for the first 20 miles was clearly imaginary.

We didn't even make it to midday before we needed a stop and after nearly 60 seconds deliberating, we opted for a pint rather than a coffee at the Royal Oak in Perranwell (36 miles). As a consequence, the lunch sandwich stop was delayed until 14:00 at Tregony (49 miles).

It was a good day, but the second half was tougher than the first. It's true what that say about how hard Cornwall and Devon is. We are extremely glad that the ladies are bag-carrying because the hills are killers and it's impossible to get into a rhythm as it's a constant up and down. It wasn't helped by Joe's front mech playing up and not always allowing him to get into the small chainring (not good on a steep hill). The two ferries broke up the journey and we arrived in one piece at the B&B at 17:15; 5 minutes after the drizzle started.

An excellent meal and a pint of cider completed a fantastic day.

Stats for the day : 74.1 miles; 11.0 mph avg; 1861m ascent; 6hrs 43min saddle time

Monday 13 June 2011

We're here : Day 0

We've started!  Okay, okay, so we cheated a bit.  Anne and I arrived at Lands End around 15:30 and met up with Joe and Maeve who got there just a few minutes before us.  After a long blether with a couple of Merseysiders (who were also just arrived and planning on doing the LEJOG in 15 days) we decided that as the weather was so uncharacteristically good, we'd return to the B&B at Sennen, don the kit and return for a photograph.  So here it is.  Doing it at this time also had the advantage of being able to use the signpost after the chap had gone home for the day ... so it was free!

So with a following wind we banked the first 2 miles of the journey back to the B&B ready for a meal and an early night.

Easy so far!

Thursday 9 June 2011

Last Post Before Lands End

So, Joe's sly training on Isle of Wight was somewhat eventful as he was thrown form his trusty Thorn into a hedge.  Clearly down to poor quality cycle paths and not rider error (as if!) but the result was a mammoth multi-coloured bruise and slight cosmetic damage to bike.  No worries, though as the bike was booked into St John Street Cycles (in Bridgewater, where it was built) for a service and check-over.  Now it is resplendent with new leather bar tape to match the Brooks B17 saddle.


Nice leather bar tape, Joe, but what happens when it rains?

Meanwhile my Hewitt has had a couple of hours of loving attention lavished on it by my own hand with a wash, polish and service (complete with new chain).  I just have to get it inside the car and see how much room there is left for the rest of all our luggage!  The route is now fully loaded into the GPS, and as a back-up, transcribed onto the butchered pages of an old AA road atlas.  Now all we have to do is get down there and ride.  Just hope I don't forget the tyre levers!


On top of the Lancashire Dales ... to be revisited on 20th Jun according to plan

Next Post :  Lands End.  Back soon!
Phil



Tuesday 7 June 2011

Nothing to do with LEJOG!

Just a test to check I can post to blog from iPhone using hotmail account over mobile network ('cos my other account plays up occasionally!)

7 days to go, oo-err!

Sunset over Marischal College, in case you were wondering.

Thursday 2 June 2011

Countdown Continues ...

Well, as Joe and Maeve drive south (on the best day we've had all year) for 2 weeks of partying, golfing and general fun, Anne and I are just returned from a 7-day, 347 mile cycle tour.  We went from Swanland (overlooking the Humber Bridge) to Lancaster and back and managed to choose the worst possible weather in which to do it.  We way underestimated the hills across the Pennines and the Lancashire Dales, and we underestimated the amount of offroad tracks on the Trans-Pennine Trail.  This, combined with high winds (in our face, naturally), torrential rain, cold, and discovering I'd forgotten the tyre levers when Anne eventually punctured in the rain, all combined to make the westerly leg a bit of a trial.  Thank you Steve and Lynda Almond for providing an oasis of calm in Clitheroe in which we could recuperate in luxury after the toughest day! We cut short the extension to Morecambe where The Way Of The Roses (by which we returned) actually started, and took a half day in Lancaster.  The return via Grassington and York was a comparative doddle (except for the rain), and the last day was actually sunny and warm for a change.  Still, it was all good battle-hardening for the epic journey to come.

Lesson learnt:  (1) hill climbing performance is seriously compromised when dragging 10kg of luggage!  (2) Check the tyre levers are actually in the tool roll (before you set off)!

Talking of lessons learnt, Joe has one too.  After packing saddle bags, panniers, handlebar bag (how much stuff are you taking, Joe?) kilt bag, two suitcases, golf kit, and the rest for a multi-faceted break, he can't find his wallet.  In the way that only wives can manage, he was made to unpack everything, bit by bit (I know the feeling, you have my sympathy, Joe ... ask Anne about the tyre levers!).  Wallet was found under the final suitcase on the floor of the boot!  It just shows what happens when you rush these things!

Anyway, Joe will be in Isle of Wight (with bike, so can get some hill climb practice there) then on to the West Country.  We head off to Kendal for a spot of visiting friends and Lake District hill walking, then home for some catch-up and bike prep.  Then we all meet up at Lands End on 13th June when the trial really begins and we see for real if we've done enough training.

lets just hope we get less of this ...

Lancashire Dales in the rain

and a lot more of this ...

Yorkshire Wolds in the sun