Day 12 - Tongue to John O'Groats

Today was a day of three halves if you'll excuse the mangled maths. The first was a hilly ride along the cliffs and north coast to Thurso for my lunch stop. The second was a 20 mile ride into a strong headwind to get to the destination of this entire trip, John O'Groats. The third was another 20 mile ride into the same strong headwind to get to my final overnight stop for the trip in Wick. Progress was slow.

I had an early night last night, going to bed before 10pm. When I woke at 6:30am I could have slept for another 8 hours! Breakfast was at 7:30 so I stocked up on cereal, porridge, scrambled eggs, toast, yoghurt, juice and coffee. A hearty breakfast and one I would require considering the effort I would need to put in for the rest of the day.

As I cycled up the hill from my hotel (the first of many in the next five hours) I spotted the first sign I had seen for John O'Groats. The journey was actually going to come to an end today!


The road followed the coast line and went up and down for mile after mile. None of the hills were particularly steep but at this stage of the trip they were sapping. I had to tell myself several times that I would not have to face any more after today. This might sound negative but it's only been a minor part of what's been an amazing journey. I've learnt as much about what my body is capable of going through on this trip as I have through marathon training.

12 miles after I start and I pass through the seaside village of Bettyhill. There appears to be a shop that's open 8 days a week! Either it's a deliberate error or they work on a totally different time scale around these parts.


The hills were making my progress slow and it felt like forever before I finally reached my lunch stop in the small town of Thurso (4 oatcakes and some dried apricots - meh!).

The sign out of Thurso said John O'Groats was 20 miles away. The hills disappeared only to allow a strong easterly wind to hit me in the face. Talk about taking with one hand and giving with the other!

All I could think about was trying to get to the end. As much as I wanted to reflect on how far I had cycled over the last twelve days I couldn't because all my energy was directed into cycling into this infernal gale (it probably wasn't a gale but you tell that to my legs!).

Eventually, after what seemed like an age the road signs started counting down; 15 miles, 9 miles, 7 miles, 6 miles, 1 mile and finally, the most magical sign of all, 1/4 mile. I turned left and coasted down to the car park dotted with souvenir shops and cafes that signalled the end of this whole trip. They have a signpost like the one at Land's End that shows the distance between the two points. There was a man there who charged £10 to take a photo that they send to you later. I asked him if I could give him £10 to just take a snap with my iPhone but he said that wasn't how it worked. Odd. I walked a little bit back down the path and asked a couple of bikers to take my photo with the signpost in the background which they duly obliged (and saved me a tenner, result!). I should have checked my hair first (check out my yellow jersey, a nod to Bradley Wiggins but is actually a London A-Z map).

The end of my journey? No. I now had to get to my hotel 20 miles away. There were no taxis about. There was a bus stop but I suspected they wouldn't take bicycles. There was only one choice, cycle it. Again into a headwind it took me another two hours to get to Wick. A shower, a pint and some food and I'm finally able to reflect on what I've achieved.

If you've been following this blog then thank you. I wrote it as much as a diary for myself as I did as a chance to pass on the experience to others who are either interested in doing this journey for themselves or just took an interest in why I should be doing this in the first place.

For those who sent me good wishes on here or on Facebook, thank you. They really helped.

Would I do this again? Maybe not in the same way. I've ticked off solo, unsupported. And I'd certainly alter the route; there are so many amazing things to see and places to go it would be silly to do it exactly the same way again. In all probability I won't do it again as I'm not sure the chance would arise again. It's not necessarily a once in a lifetime thing but for me it probably was.

My bike behaved impeccably. Not one thing went wrong. No chain snaps or punctures. I didn't even need to pump up the tyres once! A good service and fitting the right tyres shortly before starting were good moves.

Finally, I'd like to thank El. If it wasn't for her agreeing to let me do such a hair brained scheme then I'd not be able to share my experience on this blog.

I'll update the blog later to iron out imperfections that you can't really do on an iPhone. I'll also add route maps to each day and provide a list of the accommodation that I used.

Until next time! Or maybe not.

Day 12 route:

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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:High St,Wick,United Kingdom

Day 11 - Inverness to Tongue

The day started as the morning after the night before. With so much time on my hands the previous day that I did not know what to do with I spent it rather unwisely by drinking too much. I did meet some great people and chatted away but before I knew it it was 10:30pm and I'd put away 8 pints. This could get ugly so I went to bed.

The alarm sounded at 5:30am and I made the wise (I thought) decision to lie in for a bit. Eventually woke up again at 6:15 not feeling too bad considering, maybe a bit more tired than usual. Showered and headed downstairs for breakfast (cereal, porridge, yoghurt, toast, juice and coffee). I was on the road by 7:45am.
The road in question was the A82 again but only for a mile where I joined the A9 out of Inverness and said goodbye to the road that had guided me for the last two days.

Considering how I should have been feeling I actually felt ok. An hour or so into this day's 89 miler and it was business as usual.

I headed towards Bonar Bridge with Lairg a further ten miles on as my planned lunch stop. The conditions were the same as yesterday, perfect for cycling.

The A9 is not the best cycling road but there was a cycle path that followed most of it which I took, eventually crossing the Cromarty Bridge before cycling inland and upwards for the next 10 miles. The road began to descend so I free wheeled about 3 miles into Bonar Bridge, crossing the bridge of the same name and stopping to take a photo of the war memorial.



Another 10 miles peddling uphill brought me to Lairg where I stopped for a lunch of 4 oatcakes and a banana (the oatcakes were dry but highly calorific).

Feeling better for a spot of food I began another 15 mile ascent towards the Crask Inn, possibly the most remote pub in Britain. Apparently they keep some great ales but I didn't stop except to take a picture.


By now the road had changed to a single track with regular points that allow for vehicles to pass. Being on a bicycle this didn't present too much of a problem although I did have to pull over to allow the odd transit van and truck to squeeze through.

The scenery had also changed. Gone were the valleys and lochs, instead I was surrounded by flat plains dotted with pine trees. Quite wild. At least the inclines weren't too steep!

Another 20 miles on brought me to my hotel, the Ben Loyal Hotel in Tongue. It sits on the very north coast of Scotland with spectacular views.


Tomorrow is the final push to John O'Groats. 60 miles along the north coast. The first half is quite hilly but it then calms down for an easy ride to destination's end. Except that for me it won't be the end since I need to get to Wick for my overnight stop. If I can't get a taxi or any other form of transport then it will mean another 16 mile cycle! I'll see what happens.

Breakfast is from 7:30am but I'm not in any great rush to get away early. I'm hoping to savour the day regardless of how many more hills there are on the way!

Day 11 route:

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Location:The Village,Lairg,United Kingdom

Day 10 - Fort William to Inverness

Today could not have been more different from yesterday. Blue skies, fluffy white clouds, a hint of sun and a fairly flat, easy and short cycle along the Caledonian canal and lochs that connect Fort William to Inverness.

A 7am breakfast of cereal, toast, yoghurt, juice, scrambled eggs and coffee and I was ready on the road by 8am.

Again I would be following the A82 all the way to Inverness. Although it's a main road it wasn't too busy and the lorries and buses that went past gave plenty of room. Probably comes from their experience of dealing with cyclists doing LEJOG all year round.
First port of call was at Spean Bridge 10 miles away. A short, steep hill led out of this village at the top of which is the Commando Memorial. A statue celebrating the commando's position in the armed forces and the sacrifices they made in World War II set against the dramatic landscape of the lochs and hills surrounding it.

A lovely couple of miles whizzing downhill brought me to the banks of Loch Lochy (so good they sort of named it twice!). Stopped and took a photo. I skirted the loch on flat roads and crossed the Caledonian canal (first time of four in total today as I zig-zagged my way up the waterway).



After 20 miles cycling up the valley that the lochs reside in I couldn't help but think how different today was from yesterday. It was stunning scenery and the conditions were perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. Goldilocks weather!
I rode into Fort Augustus and had to make the decision of flat busy road or quiet hilly road. Since the busy road wasn't particularly busy (today at least) I decided to give my legs a break and stay on the A82. I'm sure there'll be other times for my legs to complain.

I was now cycling alongside Loch Ness and my senses were primed to watch out for Nessie. I know ghosts and ghoulies are just superstitious nonsense but I still couldn't help myself from being on the lookout for the next 30 miles of Scotland's most infamous stretch of water (I didn't see anything, unsurprisingly).

I stopped for a spot of lunch by Urquhart Castle (massive oatmeal bar and a banana), where I took another photo.


Checking the NavFree app on my iPhone I saw I only had 16 miles left to go and it was only 12:30pm! Head down, pedal away. There were records to be broken!

Loch Ness finally came to an end and I was on the final half dozen miles to my hotel. I arrived at 1:55pm, a record that I will not break on the rest of this journey. 65 miles in 6 hours and probably the best and most enjoyable ride of the trip.

The hotel is a Premier Inn (looks very new) on the bank of the River Ness in the heart of Inverness and I had almost too much time on my hands. Drink and food it is then!

  They serve breakfast from 6:30am (get in!) and then I'm on my penultimate journey, 89 miles to Tongue on the very north coast of Scotland. There are a few hills but nothing that will shock me, or stop me. Onwards and upwards!

Day 10 route:

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Location:Bridge St,Inverness,United Kingdom

Day 9 - Balloch to Fort William

Today would see me ride for 85 miles up the A82, alongside the length of Loch Lomond, across the Glencoe mountains and finally hugging the coast of Loch Linnhe before ending up in the Cruachan hotel in Fort William.
Last night I ended up drinking and chatting with a German couple from Hamburg who were spending the next three weeks driving their motorbikes around Scotland. They were amused and slightly astonished that I should be cycling from one end of the country to the other. To be honest I hadn't thought about the distance I had already covered. A little over a week ago I was setting off from Land's End and now here I was four days from finishing! All through pedal power, the human body is capable of far more than you give it credit for.

Breakfast was at the sensible time of 7am (cereal, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, juice and coffee). I was ready for the off just before 8am. Unfortunately the rain came down and wouldn't let up until I arrived at Fort William so it was a full wet weather gear day.
I started on the 25 miles that would take me alongside Loch Lomond. Even with the rain it was very beautiful. Stopped and took a photo while trying to keep my iPhone dry.


I then began a steady 10 mile ascent up the Glencoe mountains. As I rose higher and higher the wind became stronger, the rain became harder to the point of stinging and the temperature dropped. Not ideal but at least I was wearing layers.

The road levelled out and wound its way through the glen with mountains looming from all sides. I tried to appreciate where I was even whilst soaked and cold. I've noticed that when riding on the bike that there are very few alternatives to get out of a situation other than just to keep on pedalling.

I did manage to take a photo for posterity whilst stopping for lunch (a massive raspberry oatmeal breakfast bar).


After about 20 miles winding my way along the glen the road started to descend. At last I thought! Unfortunately the wind had other ideas and decided to blow directly in my face to the point of having to pedal downhill. Where's the justice in that! I did see a great waterfall on the way down that I stopped and snapped.


Eventually I came to the bottom and started on my final 20 miles to my hotel. All on flat roads I'm pleased to say.

Crossed the Ballachulish bridge (see photo) and followed the road that hugged Loch Linnhe to my hotel where I arrived at 4:30pm.


Tomorrow is another 7am breakfast (twice in a row, amazing!). Then I have a 65 mile ride along the banks of Loch Ness to Inverness (yes, this is shorter than the 67 mile ride that I did on day 6 that I thought was the shortest of the trip. A nice surprise). My decision tomorrow is to choose which bank of Loch Ness to follow, the flatter but busier west or the hilly (a 5 mile killer rise to start with) but quieter east. I'll have to see how my body feels.

More things I've learnt
1 - A good saddle is a good friend
2 - Social media is brilliant on the road.
3 - Sometimes you need to stand up out of the saddle to give the glutes a rest. Unfortunately this looks to the car behind like you've just stood up to blow off.
4 - The countryside sometimes smells like diarrhoea.
5 - It is hard to sign your name at a hotel after 8 hours holding a handlebar.
6 - Experiences stay with you.
7 - An iPhone is all you need to stay in touch, find your way, update a blog, keep you entertained and so much more.
8 - Britain is more varied and beautiful than I ever thought. From the hills of Devon and Cornwall to the historical beauty of Monmouth and Shrewsbury and the stunning scenery of the Lake District not forgetting the untamed wilds of Scotland.
9 - To do this you just need a determination to get on your bike and ride. This sounds easier than the practicalities of actually doing it. Having run two marathons this requires a similar mindset. It's not as physically demanding but mentally it's very similar.
10 - It will feel odd to not get in the saddle the day after this is all over.

Day 9 route:

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Location:Achintore Rd,Fort William,United Kingdom

Day 8 - Thornhill to Balloch

An 84 mile ride up through Kilmarnock, skirting around Glasgow and ending up on the southern tip of Loch Lomond in the small town of Balloch.

8am breakfast of cereal, porridge, toast, juice and coffee and I was away by 9.

I've got into a rhythm with my day in the saddle. The first hour finds me wincing as my right knee is still angry with me and takes a while to settle down. Then I'm able to enjoy the next three or four hours until a 15-30 minute lunch stop. Then it's two hours or so of peddling whilst eating into the last 30 miles. Once the miles remaining get into single figures I put my head down and opt for the most direct route to my hotel (I can almost taste the sweet coffee at destination's end).
Today was slightly different. Possibly because of the long day yesterday and the relatively short time between finishing, sleeping and starting again I found the first 3 hours to be tricky physically and psychologically.
Then I found my legs and it all clicked. After 50 miles of flat cycling I entered Kilmarnock. Stopped to take a photo of an odd looking house/tower.

Cycled through Kilmarnock (bit dull, could do with a spruce up) and took lunch 8 miles later in Dunlop (cereal bars and biscuits).

16 miles of pretty much flat roads, alongside a train track found me at the Erskine Bridge where I stopped and took another photo.


The weather so far had been overcast, dry and cool. Perfect cycling weather. Now it started to drizzle but I only had 10 miles left. An hour in my cycling terms. I put on my jacket, got my head down and sped up the A82 to Balloch, where I was staying for the night. The A82 was not as bad as I had been led to believe by reading other people's blogs. Certainly not half as bad as the A49 which is the yardstick by which I judge all other busy dual carriageways.

Arrived at 5pm to the news that Bradley Wiggins had won the Tour De France. A brilliant achievement! British cycling is certainly on a high, hope it continues into the Olympics.

Breakfast is at 7am tomorrow (rejoice!). Then 85 miles on the A82 all the way to Fort William. I'm hoping for spectacular scenery as the route goes through Glencoe (as long as the weather holds off, it's very drizzly at the moment).

Day 8 route:

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Location:Balloch Rd,Alexandria,United Kingdom

Day 7 - Ambleside to Thornhill

I'm not quite sure how far I've cycled today. It's more than 94 miles but no more than 103. Why the uncertainty? Well, after I had made a note of the distance for my original route I altered it to avoid the A75 to Dumfries and this increased the distance from 94 to 103 miles. But, in the saddle I altered my journey on the fly so it's somewhere in between.

Why alter on the fly, you say? Good question, I reply. When planning my route I thought it might be a good idea to detour south of Dumfries to see Caerlaverock Castle as it looked pretty cool on the Google satellite image (look it up, you'll see). After about 80 miles of cycling this no longer seemed like even an average idea. What kind of idiot wants to go sightseeing on a 9 mile detour after 8 hours in the saddle (this is a rhetorical question!)? So I altered my route and cycled parallel to the A75 before joining it for 1 mile on the Dumfries city outskirts.

The day had started dry with white clouds, blue skies and a yellow sun. It made a change.

My initial task was to cycle the 40 something miles through the Lake District before hitting my first checkpoint, Carlisle.

Within a few miles I was faced with the first of three horrible climbs that would see me puff, pant, swear and sweat. But even after all the pain they induced they couldn't take away from the beauty of the Lakes which made it all worth it.



Through Keswick then two more back breaking climbs (still haven't pushed!) that came one after the other (who thought that was a good thing to do?) and I was out and on flat roads for the rest of the day.

Carlisle came quickly and since I was passing it I stopped to take a photo of the castle.



Next stop, Gretna for lunch.

By the time I got there it was 2:30pm and I was hungry. I stopped on the verge on the Scottish border and took the obligatory photos of the sign and the First House in Scotland Marriage Room.





Lunch eaten (cereal bars, biscuits, apple and banana) and I headed off on my abandoned folly of a trip to see Caerlaverock Castle as I've already said.

Reached the Thornhill Inn in Thornhill at 6:30pm. It's a pub with rooms that look pretty new and they have free wifi so I'm happy. I'm writing this in their restaurant having just eaten a fillet steak on haggis topped with blue cheese! Surprisingly nice.

Breakfast tomorrow is at 8am (again! Don't any of these places deal with business people?). So a probable 9am start with an 84 mile (only 84!) ride to Balloch on the southern tip of Loch Lomond.

Day 7 route:

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Location:Drumlanrig St,Thornhill,United Kingdom

Day 6 - Charnock Richard to Ambleside

Charnock where? Look, I'm not going to explain again, just read yesterday's entry. Today's journey was just under 70 miles but felt much shorter. It's an odd sensation that only a week ago a 70 mile cycle would have been the longest I have ever ridden and yet now it feels almost as though I have done a half day!

Formalities first, breakfast was at 7am (cereal, banana, yoghurt, toast, croissant, juice and coffee). Carried my bike downstairs from my room (only one flight fortunately) and I was on the road before 8 and headed towards Preston for a morning of more urban cycling. Negotiated my way through Preston (pretty non-descript, sorry Prestonites) and got onto the A6 which I would stick to for the best part of 40 miles. A mixture of semi-country and small towns littered the route towards my next checkpoint, Lancaster.

Lancaster was a surprise, a nice surprise. I had expected another industrial Northern town but instead was faced with a charming historical town. I'm not sure if it's famous for anything but it certainly looks the part.


Sadly the local road planners had decided to turn it into a one-way maze. I had to stop by a canal to get my bearings but styled it out by pretending to take a photo of some canal boats.


I realised where I had gone wrong and headed off. In completely the opposite direction! After half a mile I realised my second mistake, turned around and got back on track, having to cycle down the same streets for a second time (the shame). Turned off where I should have done the first time and I was back on track.

Lunch stop was by the side of the A6 (breakfast bars, biscuits purloined from the hotel and an apple from this morning's breakfast buffet). About 2 hours later I entered the outskirts of the Lake District. I decided to load up the Ultimate Country album on my iPhone and headed into the national park accompanied by Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette et al.

The Lake District turned out to be a mini-me version of Devon and Cornwall. Maybe the hills are smaller or I'm a bit fitter than I was at the start of the week but I didn't particularly struggle with any of them. About this time Billy Ray Cyrus was imploring me not to tell his heart something which gave me cause to question the Ultimate part of this Ultimate Country album.

After a fair bit of uphill I started coasting down towards Lake Windermere which is very beautiful.


I reached my hotel just before 3pm (a record!) and within the hour I was unpacked, showered, washed my clothes and was downstairs making full use of the sauna, steam room, swimming pool and outdoor hot tub! For anyone else who wants to do this trip I recommend the Best Western hotel in Ambleside as a place to rest weary muscles and joints.


Tomorrow is another 8am breakfast unfortunately, especially since I will be doing my longest journey on the whole trip at 94 miles! A late finish is certain. I'm also aware from route guides that I will be faced with a right Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary of a hill to start with. Not much I can do about it except to grit my teeth and get on with the job in hand with the promise that the afternoon's cycling should be easier.

Here's a quick rundown of my average day:
• Wake up an hour before breakfast and get myself a coffee while watching the breakfast news.
• Shower, change and pack what I can ready.
• Breakfast with an eye on what I can take with me to eat on the road.
• Set off and cycle, cycle, cycle until my lunch stop, that is ideally at least 60% of my total day's journey.
• Lunch
• Cycle, cycle, cycle to my hotel destination for the night.
• Check in, lay down on my bed and drink a cup of sweet coffee (obviously).
• Shower whilst washing my cycle clothes used that day then put them on a radiator, towel rail or failing that use a desk fan to help dry them off.
• Change into evening wear and go and find a supermarket to buy some food for tomorrow's lunch.
• Find a pub and have a pint (or two or three or more) and if they serve food then eat there otherwise find a restaurant.
• Write my blog while drinking and eating then retire to my room.
• Read my book, set my alarm and collapse into my bed ready to face another day in the saddle.
• Repeat.

Day 6 route:

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Location:N Rd,Ambleside,United Kingdom