Monday 31st August 2009

Woke this morning to the sound of ..nothing, then the realisation that we were in our own bed and that we could stay there all day if we wished!

When we set off a little over two weeks ago with great anticipation, we thought then what a daunting task lay ahead of the three of them, Rob and Sara not owning a bike until last February (having not ridden for 10 years or more in Sara’s case) and Doug not far off half a century (but very fit despite the constant jollies he seems to be on!).

Starting at the zoo that is Lands End, whoever decided to make it into a tourist attraction wants shooting, Dr Who!!! whats that all about, perhaps we missed the episode when he landed there.

Well what a journey it has been.

If anyone ever offers to be a support team, dont imagine that time will drag, we thought of long walks along beaches, walking around Cathedrals etc while they made their way up country, not so. Quite often they would beat us to chosen meeting point and sometimes would even cycle on ahead – while we were searching out lunch (and doughnuts – thanks to everyone who contributed to supply of doughnuts – and muffins etc). The smell of wet socks, gloves etc on the dashboard, phew! when you opened the truck up in the morning. As for the Kia, she did us proud, a welcome sanctuary at lunch stop, especially if it was pouring down.

The weather seemed to throw everything it could at them, picking its moments carefully just to test their resolve. Rancoh Moor did its best to defeat them wind and rain from every direction, poor visibility, Rob borrowing high vis jacket from support team looking like he was about to take off as he battled against the wind. When the sun did come out the scenery was glorious. Doug’s delight was whenever he spotted a long stretch ahead and put his bike to the test, wind in his face, rain stinging his legs but grinning from ear to ear. Sara still remains the hill climbing queen (although we still arent sure if she pinched some gaffer tape and stuck herself to the saddle, never left it even on the toughest climb!)

Wendy flew into Inverness to join us on Wednesday, travelling light, only one large suitcase for 4 days. Needless to say plenty of photographs, she has got quite an eye, cant wait to see the photos.

They made it to John O’Groats on Saturday morning around 11 am, again leaving us to catch up as they had a brilliant tail wind. We had stopped for fuel and a bottle of Champagne, but left them with a couple of miles to go to get to JOG before them. Must admit brought tear to my eye when they came into sight and crossed the line.

Well done all three of you, we are so proud of you and if anyone is reading this and hasnt yet made a donation to their charities, please do, they deserve it.

Would we do this again, most definitely, but perhaps next time pick somewhere where the sun shines!!

Few tips we learnt on the way:

Oil of Olay eye make up remover, very good for removing oil.

Avon skin so soft spray good against midges if you dont mind looking like you have been pebble dashed (only downside is that it makes you hair greasy according to Big Al – whose hair Wendy and I had to wash on the roadside with freezing cold water).

If you are planning on saying Hello to a local, make sure you say it loud enough for them to hear or risk being chased off their land!

If you are reading the description in a guide to accommodation – near to somewhere really means that it is probably between 10 and 20 miles away. If it says it is homely it probably needs a bulldozer.

Thanks again you three for letting us take part on your journey.

Big Al and Little T

In memory of Clive (Ern) Best Mate and fellow End to Ender – still miss you – Al x

I am probably going to end up writing pretty much exactly what the other two wrote…but I couldn’t do this amazing achievement without trying to summarise it all in some ways.

I think in reflection, there were highs and lows (mainly weather related)….but definitely more highs! It is an experience that I will never forget and is one that shows that if you put your mind to something…you can achieve it. Just think…6 months Rob and I didn’t even own a bike!

And now the thank yous…

• Once again…the support team. After spending the car journey from John O’Groats back to Inverness yesterday in the car…I can appreciate how hard it was for them too! Big Al and Little T, you have been fantastic and as the other two mentioned we could not have done it without you! Thank you!
• A thank you to all of our sponsors…giving up a little bit of your time has helped us make the trip what it was. Thank you!
• A thank you to all of the messages and comments we have been receiving on the way…including weather forecasts from M&D (even though they often were not what we wanted to hear!). The support from everyone has been amazing and has kept us going along the way.
• Doug…legend…I am not convinced that your hands will ever be the same again after having to sort out my tyres multiple times. Also…leg and arm warmers, shoe covers…was a bit dubious first, but looking back…possibly the best invention for the chilly Scottish weather! Saying that…still not totally convinced by the white short!!!!
• Rob….so so proud of you…who would have thought it!
• And finally the biggest thank you to all that sponsored – As Doug mentioned the whole reason for the trip was to raise money for three charities specifically chosen by each of us. It had been amazing to think that we have raised over £5000 across the three. And for all you who had doubts about us finishing and waiting until we reached the end, please go on and sponsor us on the Donate page. We did not go through all that blood, sweat and tears for nothing!

So..this is it…LEJOG…done!

Would I recommend it…definitely…one of the hardest, but most satisfying achievements I have done.

What advice would I give…in addition to what Rob and Doug mentioned…make sure you have good tyres that aren’t going to split 60 miles to the end!

Would I do it again…no…its a once in a lifetime, but I wonder where the next challenge will take us!

Its sunday morning, early, and my legs are twitching as my body thinks I have to get back on the bike, such was the way of the last 2 weeks. Its strange to think that as we take off from Inverness the plane will cover the distance we done on the bike, in less than 2 hours.

So as I reflect on the ride I have a few thank you’s to mention, to Assos who make the best Chamious cream in the world,period. To sudocream who make sticky stuff that helps any little rash.

To my trek bike she knows how much I love her when we are doing 40 mph down a hill with the wind rushing by.

To Big Al and little T…..this would not have worked without you both. To our sponsors Sigmavs and Lamb.

So also to you guys who have read this blog and commented on our ride it has helped us get through all of the highs and the Lows, thank you.

To Rob and Sara, at no time on the ride did I think this was to much for either of you. So well done you two.

Lets not forget why we done this in the first place for the 3 charities, so if you read this and you havent yet donated please do so on the site.

Its been fun its been hard, and its been worth it.

Doug

Even on the drive from Leeds to Gloucester with the bikes in the back of the Sedona, I seriously doubted we would ever get to this point where we could say we were officially LEJOGers…..but I can!!!

This morning, after a very fast 20 miles, fuelled by adrenalin and a strong tail wind, the three of us, Fatboy, Dory and Grumpy, arrived at John O’Groats, side by side…..I won’t lie I had a lump in my throat!!

It was almost a year ago that I suggested this idea to the others; a year ago that to my surprise they all said yes! And here we are, after cycling nearly 1,000 miles, we can finally put the chamois cream away and sit on a seat with ease….my knees will never be the same again.

We have seen the extremes that Britain has to offer, from the chaos of Leigh and Preston to the complete isolation of the Highlands….although the level of strange yokals at both ends did not change!

I would recommend this trip to anyone….and if you ever doubt yourself, just look at me – a fat accountant who never did more than walk to the pub!

However, two key words to take into consideration: SUPPORT TEAM!!!

Without them we would have been lost, so I just want to say a big big thank you to my parents, Big Al and Little T, who sacrificed a holiday in the sun to follow their son through Britain in the driving wind and pouring rain crawling at 15 miles an hour! They put up with a lot, from strange local dialect to our lows (and of course Mr Grumpy and his unreasonable demands – where can you get minestrone soup when you are in the middle of the Highlands???!!!).

So there we go. Lands End to John O’Groats. Done. Now I’m off to sit with the rest of the team as they all have had a drink and I have an idea………….

So…stocked up with Marks and Spencer supplies, courtesy of the Support Team’s raid in Inverness, we headed off in to the wilderness of the Scottish Highlands on the A836 from Lairg to Altnaharra. I think this must be the only A road in the whole of the UK that has 1.) cattle grids, 2.) single track road with no road marking , 3.) passing places…and is possibly the most exposed road to the elements….especially noted when you are on a bike.

As if the ride through Rannoch Moor and Glencoe 3 days ago had not battered enough….the gales today we faced often left us cycling like mad, but not getting anywhere due to the force and random direction of the wind. Once again….the support team came to the rescue to drive in front of us to take the blow of the wind (and rain….that I can only describe as ‘horizontal’ at times), while we attempted to ride in the slip stream. They also came to the rescue thankfully, lead by Doug, when once again I required assistance with a flat tyre….that’s a total of maybe 4 inner tubes…I think I’m in the lead!

Due to the weather, progress this morning was very slow and tiring. The scenery however was once again spectacular…now changing to remote hills surrounded with colourful heather…passing a random cottage or desolate house. Half way up to Altnaharra we did manage to find an pub called ‘The Crask Inn’ …literally in the middle of nowhere, where we had a well needed toilet break, and where Rob managed to upset the owner as he ‘did not say hello to him when he walked past’….manners Robert, don’t want to upset the Yokals!

So…once we reached Altnaharra, we got off the horrendously busy (???!!!) A836 and took a smaller B road that ran along Loch Naver, heading towards Bettyhill on the north coast of Scotland. Finally we managed to hit some shelter from the wind and rain…it was a great road that once again allowed us to enjoy the great highland countryside, comfortably and at a better pace. The rain however did not allow us to enjoy this for long though….as we continued the rain came down and the wind was up once again…..and then I got through inner tube number 5…oops!

Team mechanics 1 (Doug) and 2 (Big Al), diagnosed my bike with severe tyre damage, with less than 40 miles to live….not good when John O’Groats is over 60 miles to go. With a new inner tube, and a lot of duct tape (duct tape fixes anything…according to Big Al) to cover the tyre damage, we carried on and it was decided that after lunch the Support Team were having to leave us and go on a hunt for a new tyre (to prevent my embarrassment of having to stagger over the finish line!).

So in the afternoon the Support Team went on their mission and we rattled on up to Bettyhill (which is called BettyHILL for a reason by the way!!!)…and that was when we reached it..the north coast of Scotland…unbelievable we had made it all that way! An amazing feeling…but also realisation that we still had a long way East to go!! But we cracked on….fighting the hills and weather, even though we were all suffering from tired legs from the mornings beating!

We met up with the Support Team again in Melvich where my bike got a shiny new tyre, and we rattled on to Thurso, where we are for the night. Tomorrow awaits us….due to our valiant efforts today, only 19 odd miles to go until John O’Groats…amazing!!! Who would have thought it!!??

So we near the end, let me tell you that Inverness is no where near John O’Groates. The hotel was fantastic and we all had what we thought was going to be our last nice hotel before we hit the top of the Highlands.

So today was all about the support team and the Midges. Our thoughts as cyclists were with Big AL who had the dubious pleasure of sharing the car with Little T and her Sister Wendy.

Now Alan has a hearing aid but not in both ears! His day started by being dragged into Inverness to see what the shopping was like!!
As we made our way through Inverness and across its many bridgs poor Al was in M&S!!

We made steady progress with the scenery changing as we went further North passed Digwall (who won a 3 star toilet award 3 years in a row, it is the only toilet in Dingwall) Alness and made our way up to Bonnar Bridge, we lost count of the number of bridges we crossed since leaving Inverness.

The weather was mixed with it being warm then wet then warm again, this is apparently great weather for Midges, who to compound Alans day, like his blood!! He was bitten to a pulp the poor chap, and having to put up with the gruesome twosome we were glad we were on the bikes.

Lunch was a quick affair again, we were in the company of some horses who took a liking to Wendy,some horses have no taste, so one more drink and and we were off, climbing through some hills that went on a bit far to long.

Sara done her usual by having a puncture 4 miles from the Hotel so another Mclaren like pit stop seen us arrive in the picturesque village of Lairg in the middle of nowhere but the beer is good and bed beckons, we are all so tired now and with just under a 100 miles to go we are all confident that this is the last leg before we cycle our 17 miles into JOG.

We have enjoyed the feedback and every comment spurs us on so please please leave us a message as we go into our last 2 days.

Good night all. x

Cycling over 250 miles in three days has taken its toll (well on me at least), so today’s shorter day of 50 miles was much needed. This was supposed to be the picturesque day, cycling along the road running along Loch Ness, taking in all the scenery.

Unfortunately things don’t always pan out the way you have imagined them. The weather which has battered us from the minute we crossed the Scottish border decided it wasn’t done with us yet as it rained from the minute we got on the bikes to the minute we got off (literally as it is clear blue skies tonight!!).

It was a fairly uneventful ride really, cycling along the A82. It was not quite the flat straight road we were expecting as we climbed and turned, climbed and turned, descended, climbed again.

Once we heard the accommodation was booked for the night, our thoughts were filled with hot showers, baths, food and best of all a nap!!

A quick lunch and we were back barrelling along the A82, stopping only for a quick snap with Nessie. Of course Grumpy refused to pose for the photo!

Soon we were at our hotel for the night and while me and Sara dried out, Doug went off with Big Al and Little T to Inverness Airport to pick up Doug’s wife Wendy.

A tearful reunion at the airport (like something out of Love Actually according to the support team) and a romantic walk around the grounds of the hotel, Doug was no longer Mr Grumpy (well, for about half an hour).

So, we have covered 815 miles of the UK. Looking at the map we are all a long way from home! By the time we have finished we will be close to 1,000 miles. Tomorrow we head into the northern Highlands of Scotland…..the support team are going to stock the van full of supplies before we head into the wilderness!!

We went down for breakfast this morning to see Doug packed ready and raring to go….little did we know that he had been up early fighting the swarm of dragon flies in his room, and eventually cut his losses, let them win and quickly vacated the room!

The morning was quite a struggle getting started…it had been a long day yesterday and the aching muscles are starting to kick in, especially in the mornings when we are just getting warmed up…(that is for all you who have said that this is ‘easy’ according to the stories we have been telling so far!!).

So anyway…back to the journey…our route in the morning took us up and around the rest of Loch Lomond on a windy, very bumpy road. On most of it I felt I was more mountain biking than road biking……or handling some kind of pneumatic drill! The road was windy and quite narrow, so we took it pretty steady.

We hit some traffic lights at one point, where a car tried to cut up in between Rob, who was up front, and me behind. Well of course Doug was not happy about this…and once again took it on himself to eff and blind to the driver (deservedly so!)….seriously don’t mess with Doug…he is called Grumpy for a reason! He even tried to chase the car once he overtook us all and drive off!

So…after getting round Loch Lomond…we hit the steady loooong climb up to the peak of Rannoch Moor. It’s weird because the roads when riding them look really flat, but in fact the climb is quite significant. The roads became a bit wider and the scenery became more stunning hills rather than Lochs. It was just beautiful…..if only is actually WAS flat and Scotland had 365 days of sun a year!

The weather just couldn’t make up its mind today, literally one minute beautiful sunshine…then next absolutely tipping it down. We therefore got to about 20 miles from Glencoe found a beautiful view point…climbed to the top of a steep incline, the heavens opened (again) so we bundled in the van and had homemade (by Little T) ham sandwiches (as we are starting to get in the middle of nowhere the ‘by request’ menu for lunch has gone to ‘get whatever we can get!).

This afternoon was a real mixed bag…the route took us over Rannoch Moor (once we finally got to the top approx 1145 above sea level) and on to Glencoe (which, being a huge Harry Potter fan, I have been looking forward to!). The scenery was just stunning, however…the weather was just insane….the wind blew every which direction…although no matter which direction we were riding the wind always seemed to be coming in to us!! Even on the downhills we had to pedal like mad to even get anywhere. Once again the Support Team rose help us out and drove the van in front to take the hit of the wind!

Once we got to Glencoe Village we had been astounded by the scenery, but severely battered and bruised by the wind…we were pretty shattered…but we only had 15 miles to Fort William our supposed stop for the night, so we battled on through. It was a struggle, but we got there…only to find out by the Support Team that the B&B booked was actually only another 10 odd miles from there……easy for them to say that in the car!!! According to Big Al it was ‘all down hill’ too…..one thing I have now learnt from this trip is…not to believe him!!! It was in fact 20 miles from Fort William and it most certainly was not all downhill!!!

That last 20 miles for me was the hardest struggle I have had, physically and mentally…I was aching all over…it was raining (still), I was cold…but just keep your head down (‘Just keep swimming’ as Dory would say)…and focus on the hot shower at wherever we are staying…whenever we get there!

So…we eventually got to our stop a beautifully located B&B off Loch Lochy (original name!)…and it was worth the last push. Tomorrow really should be a short day (as originally the trip to Fort William was supposed to be a short day….88 miles…that is definitely not short!).

Next day….cycle along Loch Ness, probably in the tail of Hurricane Billy…wet weather gear back on me thinks!

We all had a great meal last night in a pub in the middle of nowhere recomended by the receptionist at the Days Inn at Abington.

We met a bloke in this bar who is walking from JOG to Lands End, its all mad.

So an early start with the sun shining and a great road to follow with little traffic and great views we headed off towards Glasgow.
Pretty uneventfull morning saw us ride throught Strathaven them into East Kilbride, they dont have corners in East Kilbride, they have roundabouts. Support were tracking us all the way making sure we did not go wrong as we negotiated our way through our last major city before we head further north.

Needless to say we did take a wrong turning as we headed towards Paisley. We quickly got back on track and headed through Busby, where Doug had a shouting match with a woman who turned sharply in front of him. This almost ended in tears as Doug was insisting in turning round to throw his bike through her car window.

Big Al and Little T had gone off for lunch, so in a lay bye near Paisley we eat a combination of Scotch Pies, sandwiches and sausage rolls.

We had been warned of Paisley and its delights, but to see grown men drunk at 12.30 on a monday  morning was a shock, the place needs a health warning.

Weheaded up passed Galsgow airport and on to the Erskine Bridge, where Sara and Rob acted like tourists and took loads of pictures.
The bridge moves and squeeks, a bit like a mouse, and its high so Doug and Rob wasted no time in getting of the bridge for fear of it falling over. Sara being Ms cool happily took more pictures.

It was at this point or at least shortly after that the first falling over incident occured.
Having discoverd the cycle path to Loch lomond Sara decided to try and take another picture forgetting that she was cleated in on her right shoe and lost her balance, a shreek was followed by the sound of a bike hitting the ground, which was the folowed by Sara laughing her head off.

 Not exactly a cycling accident more of a Rob fall over thing.

Falling incident number 2 took place whilst Doug was explaining to Rob how the scottish education system would allow youngsters to get Jobs,and work for companies that they might even start themselves, only for Rob to come over the hill and be the merchant of doom, and close them down.

At this point, on a cycle track, Dougs front wheel embeded itself in a rut and doug had the first moving accident of the whole trip, well in cycling terms it was a nothing scrape as no lycra was lost. In fact if you have read the blog so far, it was  Doug was trying to take Rob down in revenge for the Testicle incident near Bristol, Rob however has this weird way of cycling, he stands upright and cycles just when he senses a bit of danger.

The trip to Loch Lomond was nothing short of stunning the cycle path runs alongside the Loch for almost all the lenght of the Loch providing David Bailey(Sara) with yet more photo opportunites.

So the day ended another load of miles done, and to cap it all Dougs sister Morag, Sarah and Jim had driven all the way from Edinburgh to meet us all, which was handy as Doug had some tlc from his sister as she bandaged up the scrapes.

Our hotel resembles Fawlty Towers, more on that tomorrow.

Things have just clearly got a whole load better for Doug and considerably worse for Rob,  as the Mighty Aston Villa beat Liverpool at Anfield, happy days!!!

So to finish the donut update, Asda have failed miserably with no votes from the team, so sorry Asda you dont even get a look in, the resounding opinion is that they are rubbish at donuts.

Tomorrow sees us of to Fort William and the foot of Ben Nevis the highest mountain in Great Britian which tells you all you need to know about tomorrows ride.

Please keep bloging and supporting us it really does spur us on.

As the title suggests, today we crossed the border and headed for Doug’s homeland. Our trip to the border was twinned with a bike ride from Switzerland to the French border, how glamorous!! Sara’s sister Kaz, who is lucky enough to live by Lake Geneva in Lausanne, cycled to the French border and on to Evian (where the water is from) whilst we hit Gretna. Kaz – you need to leave a little blog in the comments section about your ride!

Anyway, back to us. Over the past week it has been obvious who would win which jersey if this was the Tour De France. Sara clearly gets the Queen of the Hills poker-dot jersey, especially after Shap, and today Doug staked a claim for the green sprint jersey when he disappeared over the horizon to Carlisle (I think he felt bad after being left in Sara’s dust yesterday on Shap!).

All this speed meant we were soon in Carlisle and heading for the road which runs alongside the A74 all the way to Abington. It was at this point the heavens opened. Luckily the support team were close by to hand out all the wet weather gear…..good job too as what felt like a month’s rain dumped on our heads. It is still raining now.

Despite this we soldiered on and our spirits were lifted as we reached the Scottish border. And before anyone asks, there was no eloping at Gretna Green today!

Our spirits were raised further as we came out of Gretna. I was leading and could just make out through my steamed up glasses a mad woman jumping up and down in a layby waving a Scottish flag.  

At first I thought this was just the local hospitality you hear so much about and half expected a bagpipe player to be stood beside her. As I got closer, I realised the mad woman was in fact Sara’s cousin Lorna, who was with husband Gav, little baby Millie, and Blue the dog (who very sensibly elected to stay in the car!). A few Irn Bru’s for the team (very much appreciated) and we were off again through the driving rain.

We battled on towards Lockerbie and were soon stopped on the B road outside it, huddled in the support van under a motorway bridge (much to the surprise of the guy who had stopped on the other side of the wall on the motorway for a call of nature!). The support team once again came up trumps despite the limited available goods in Tesco – some hot chicken and baguettes were demolished by the team whilst the gloves dried on the air vents!

I can confirm Tesco donuts are not a patch on Morrisons, and that Greggs do not do jam donuts on a Sunday (the Support Team had to settle for a ring donut, disgraceful). The chart currently stands as follows:

1. Morrisons
2. Marks and Spencer
3. Waitrose
4. Sainsbury
5. Tesco

TBC – Greggs (when they make some)

TBC – ASDA (for those of my friends who work for ASDA and are upset we haven’t been there, for the purposes of fairness can you let us know the nearest one on our route?)

At this point we realised the light would soon begin to fade as the rain continued to pelt down, so after a change of jersey, the waterproof coat was then covered by an orange high vis jacket (by safe, be seen). I looked ready to direct the traffic!

I continued to persevere with the glasses (now with clear lenses in), but they steamed up within 100 yards of getting back in the rain. For the next few miles I had to wear them on the end of my nose, which apparently made me look like Timmy Mallet. Brilliant. Another lookalike.

30 miles to our Days Inn hotel at Abington service station, we fought on. Soon we were being beeped at and flagged down by a car none of us recognised. We stopped and out popped Doug’s old school friend Elaine, who had spent all afternoon driving round looking for us with a boot full of donuts!

The Scots are very hospitable! The donuts and support was very much appreciated Elaine, thanks for coming out and braving the weather!

A second puncture for Sara meant Doug had to use his expertise with the help of the support team in a layby that was pretty much a lake!

As we arrived at the services, we were greeted by Lorna and Gav along with Sara’s aunt and uncle, Joice and John. Thanks for coming along and supporting us guys, it is much appreciated!

So, here we are, in Scotland…..amazing! The only dampener (quite literally) is watching the cricket on the news and seeing how hot and sunny it is down South!

Daily update:

Weather – what do you think?

Song of the day – Why does it always rain on me?