A stones throw.

Sadly, this is the end of the road for now. I was hoping after leaving my Backpack here and removing the tent etc from the back I would lose 12 Kilos and make the last stretch a little easier. Unfortunately my knee isn't going to play ball, I can barely walk from the Bedroom to the Lounge. This is really disappointing as I've pushed so hard to catch up from the first couple of bad days to see the finish line as close as Sunday would have been great. To complete it in 9 days would be personally rewarding as well as an achievement, but alas it's not to be. The final leg will have to be next weekend or sometime soon, for now I have completed the JOGG.

Apart from everybody I met thinking I was a complete Nutter for doing this on a fixed wheel, I started to enjoy it more after the first few days. It wasn't until I met up with Ali and he was leading I noticed how easily he made the minor climbs and long drawn out up hill stretches, he didn't break a sweat. I can safely say I had to push each pedal to work those hills with the sweet temptation of the slightest freewheel forbidden to me. I think I actually preferred the ride up hill than down, as when the road was too steep a descent I would have to pressure the back pedal to keep me from bouncing down the hill like a madman, backpack lurching around on my back and my ars being beaten into submission.

Ali once said after a long run down a hill.. "..That actually doesn't look that comfortable.." Well actually it wasn't. Who's crazy idea was it to do a fixed wheel anyway? (cheers Tom) To see Ali head down, tucked in and free wheeling most of the way made me almost glow green (hehe) but, I can say that I have pedaled every inch from the North to Here. Even the fact of only having a front brake wasn't really a bother, I only used to slow the bike a little on the really steep hills.

I wonder where I would be now if I had used a geared bike?

Thank you for all your text messages of support along the way, it was great to read them when I stopped or found some refuge from the weather especially the first couple of days. Thanks to the little Glaswegian punk who took my bottle as I would never have got into drinking the Lucozade 'Body Fuel' and Alastair from 'Fellfoot' for the initial doses of Ibuprofen and fantastic hospitality.

I'll run through the previous posts and edit my bad spelling and grammar from mobile posting and publish the routes for each day. I've taken a few photos on my camera which I'll also add.

Cheers.

to be continued...

Home.

130 miles later and I'm here. It feels like I've had a baby. Ali should be coming through Glos tomorrow before lunch. I'll have to see how my knee holds up by the morning.

That has to be the single most difficult test of endurance I have ever done. Today was tough.

I'm proud my legs got me home.
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Tewkesbury.

My fingers are frozen and the tears from the cold wind are freezing on my face. I sooo need that hot bath, I think I'll just dissolve.
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Worcester.

*phew*
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Who's been messing with the controls?

It's just gone really cold, making my way over the hills into Kidderminster was really hard going, After such a good run this morning it's a bit dissapointing to have taken this long to get here.

I'm hoping the road to Worcester isn't as energy draining, it's going to be a late one, I'll have clocked the miles today. Knee is getting pretty stiiff and I only have 1 power pill left.
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Tough cookie..

Been on the bike now for about 11 hours, Kidderminster is just over 10 miles away. Really feeling the strain now. I've been marinating in my own juices since hitting the Sun earlier, another couple of hours and I should be pretty tasty by the time I get home.
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Telford Tea.

It's hard to believe I set out from Liverpool this morning, I'm pretty chuffed I've made Telford by 1.30pm. I picked up this bike from Telford so I can almost taste Gloucester. I'll try to keep the pace going but the Sun is out which is nice, but I'm melting.
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Ooch!

The Ibuprofen doesn't seem to be working anymore.
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”..The Sun has got his hat on..”

First bit of real Sunshine in 7 days, just outside Whitchurch (A41)
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Bring on the dawn.

Only 4 hours sleep with a rush to get to Birkenhead tunnel this morning, bikes are only allowed through before 6am and after 8pm. After making my way to the dock with 5 minutes to spare I get told the tunnel entrance is back into Liverpool at the end of Victoria St.



On the way there signs are saying the tunnel is closed, at this point I was going to swim rather than cycle all the way down and round another 40 miles. Into the tunnel it was like riding through Black Mesa from Halflife, long unforgiving ride through. I was Stopped by a Policeman at the other end who made some excuses about them opening soon, but as soon as he realised I wasn't local I was on my way.



After a Bacon and Egg McMuffin it's almost 7am and the tunnel is still closed. Today is going to be a tough ride.

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Catch ya later...

Ali will be heading into Birmingham tonight so we'll be going our seperate ways for today. As long as my knee holds together after I reach Glos we'll be meeting up again there and doing the final run.
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Push from Preston

The A6 from Preston to Liverpool was the best road yet we stormed it all the way with a few minor stops. Crossed the 500 mile mark and made good time into Liverpool. We stayed at a friends of Ali's which was great, Lasgne and beer went down well. Thanks guys :D
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Day Seven - Liverpool > Gloucester - 133.95 miles

We are not amused.

Taking a break in Lancaster. Pretty much a straight run through direction Preston. Going to split with Ali at the Mersey Tunnel as he's staying in Liverpool. If I make it to Chester that'll be another good run for today.

Knee has been ok, being dosed up probably helps :D
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Just when you thought it was safe..

..And then there was Shap Fell, about 900ft up and not even a chocolate buscuit at the end of it. The visibilty was about 50 metres so it was just like and endless up hill sruggle. The photo is Ali pushing up the last leg. The run down into Kendal was long and downhill almost all the way, 7 miles of bliss.

Eating something different today, Egg and Beans on toast.. Noice :p
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Leaving Las Penrith

Off I pop. A good rest later and it's onward ho.. Stayed at 'Fellfoot' Independant hostel, great place to stay. A big climb ahead and then should become easier into the day.

Was given some Ibuprofen which seems to be working, have some cream too just in case. It's an enflamed tendon that's causing the pain.

Where's the Sunshine?
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Day Six - Penrith > Liverpool - 105.02 miles

Lions and Tigers and bears...

Sweet and Sour Chicken Hong Kong Style with deep fried Shredded Beef and Black bean Sauce.. Oh and Egg fried rice...

...Oh my :D
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My ars, my ars, an ice pack for my ars

Just after lunch I met up with another guy doing the end to end, he was from Devon. Ali started Sunday and had already made it to where I was (although I overtook him *cough*) It was good chatting to somebody along the way and as our destination was Penrith it wasn't long before the quotes from withnail came flooding out.. "Where's my soup? - It's not soup it's coffee"

We stopped just outside Carlisle for a bite to eat making good time on the cycle paths and pretty level roads.. It seemed Penrith was just a stones throw away.

The hills from Carlisle to Penrith are the worst so far.. Long ascents with steep descents, at the end of the day this was really putting me through my paces. My cap was sodden and the sweat drops were falling from the peak. I started with a niggle in my left knee this morning and after pushing these hills at the end of another long run when standing to push the last few yards it was starting to give me some real jip. It was only after my shower and walking into Penrith that it feels like it could get quite serious, I was almost limping.

Penrith reminds me of Cirencester, bigger than I imagined and very busy and lively. I'm sat in the Lowther Arms drinking a fine pint of Witchfinder Stout, very smooth and well deserve after tonights final push.

I'll see if I can chill my knee tonight so it doesn't give me too much hassle tomorrow, Ali said there's a big couple of hills on the way out tomorrow.
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Hey there Maria...

...What's it like in Gloucester City? You're a Thousand miles away but girl tonight you look so pretty, yes you do.. x
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Lunch in Lockerbie.

It's going well again today, didn't eat breakfast as I've found it just makes the going harder in the morning. Sitting down to some fine Poached Egg on Toast smothered with Beans and a mug o' Rosie Lee.
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B7080 - Road to Hell

Just when I think everthing is turning out nice again, this road is hellish. Maybe it's because I don't have suspension, or my ars has decided to wake up again after being in a coma for a day.. It seems like they forgot to put the top coat on, ridiculous on the way up from Happendon.



I picked up a cycle path (the 1st) leading over the hill to Abington, beautiful countryside views although a foreboding weather front moving in overhead (see pics). "C'mon boys, the skies beginning to bruise, night must fall and we'll be forced to camp"

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Early worms catch colds

Been riding about an hour en route carlisle. You know it's was so easy planning this and chucking the extra 10 or 20 miles on a days ride, it's only when you're pushing those miles that those little extras seems like marathons.

The road from Lanark on the B7078 is lumpy; straight, pretty clear of traffic but probably one of the worse roads I've ridden so far. It also seems people like to deposit black plastics bags all down the road as if they are offerings to the livestock populating the surrounding fields.

I was thinking about Glasgow from yesterday, I thought all jokes aside it was probably alright, but considering that within 1 hour of riding through I had my bottle pinched, was water bombed at traffic lights and found it difficult to get directions 'south' I'd say believe everything you hear.
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Day Five - Blackwood > Penrith - 97.2 miles

Dobra noc

Slodkih snow moya slodkih policzki
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Life on mars

Scotland is living in 1982. Fort william was the first town of real civilisation although it was impossible to get a USB (yew-es-bay) cable let alone a charger for a Blackberry. Irn-bru, Tunnocks and chocolate tea cakes all round. I stayed in a guest house with a back view of Ben Nevis although all I saw was a misty landscape.

The route down to Loch Lomond was long and through vast valleys, good riding, clear weather albeit overcast. Had an early start so made good time to Lomond and into Glasgow. I spent 2 hours trying to get through the hellish Scottish city.. Haha nah it wasn't that bad although signs all seem to lead back to the Centre, it was like being caught in some recurring dream of Harry Ramsdens and white dog poo.

I've escaped the mess and got to Cambuslang direction Carlisle. It's 8pm and I'm going to keep going until my legs give out. Long gone is the fresh air of the highlands, just the acrid taste of bus and car exhaust.

I stopped to ask some boys the direction out about an hour ago and noticed that my Sigg water bottle had gone when I stopped here.. Damn they're good. I'll update again before I bed down and see If I can get another charge later for the phone.
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Oops, where have I left me head?

The last post should have gone through last night, but I seem to have left my charger at the last B&B.. Doh!

If the post is being read then I've picked up one from a shop. Fort William is pretty nice, Drinking a nice pint of Guinness while typing this in one of the locals. Not enough power to send unfortunately.

I've yet to see another Ginger.. I thought in Scotland everybody ran round in Kilts with mad Ginger beards and Tartan Berrets.. Where's Supergran?

Tomorrow should be a good run as the roads are pretty normal now.. The run from Spean Bridge to Fort William was 10 miles of good road with the odd minor hill.. Knocked out 10 miles at 15mph rather than my 10mph average over the last 2 days.

It can only get better.. G'nite.
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Day Four - Fort William > Blackwood - 123.05 miles

A wee rest..

Just up from Fort William, stopped for a cup o' tea.. Goings been good today, going to try and get as far as I can direction Loch Lomond. The weather has been better, the scenery is fantastic.. Just a shame I can't stop every five minutes for photos.



Legs have been good as well, left foot is still giving me some jip from yesterday but hey ho, away we go.

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Eeeaargghh!!...

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Morning campers :D

Just heading past Loch Ness, no sign of Nessie yet. Will certainly be looking for a monster breakfast this morning. My right foot refuses to wake up, I think a couple of my toes might be frozen.. They'd go well with a G&T right now.

Onward to Fort William.
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Day Three - Inverness > Fort William - 63.5 miles

Nessie in da house..

Another tough day, had a little sunshine but got caught in about 20 miles of rain which made it a tough slog. Hit a hard climb before Inverness which really took some pedal power.

Would like to see Loch Ness in good light so I'm camped just north of the top end, tent is pretty good, we'll see how the lightweight sleeping bag does. My ars could do with an ice bag, my legs are holding it together and my back has been giving me some twinges over the bumps, usually a stray set of cats eyes.

Hopefully I won't be too stiff in the morning.

Thanks for all the messages of support, it really helps. Maya don't you worry yourself, each pedal push is one more closer to home x
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I am wet.

Just stopped for food. Not far from Inverness, the rain on the way here was terrible, my left foot was catching all the splash from the front wheel the wind was blowing. It got soaked, froze and then decided to cramp.



Some Quiche and chips should sort me out while my gloves dry on the heater. The end of Loch Ness is going to be tough if this weather keeps up, such a shame as it was great this morning and I was making good time.

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I've gone on holiday by mistake..

The afternoon brought rain, strong winds and even more hills. The big hill was actually a 13% ascent and descent.. Even cars were having problems getting up there. There was a really nice downhill run before Helmsdale and then it was back to the slow rises.

I stopped 10 miles short of the target Durnoch firth, ran out of water and came across the first Petrol Station since the start.. After some Juice and Chocolate the cold was setting in.. So another B&B was found just up the road.

Little bit of rain through the night but I'm still hoping for a bright day.. Off to see Nessie :D
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Day Two - Brora > Inverness - 59.3 miles

Mole out of a mountain..

Made it to Wick for a brew and a breather.. That was tough.. Up hill almost all the way.. Had to fight the wind even when the going was flat. Aah well, direction inverness.
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..And we're off

Saw the the North Sea for the first time this morning riding to JoG, it's amazing how much it looks like the rest of them. Wind was a bit full on but I'm warmed up now ready for the route to Durnock. Looks like the rain went over last night so at least it's dry(ish).

Breakfast this morning was great, full English with a bit of Haggis, I've forgotten what goes in Haggis but it was alright.

:D
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Day One - John of Groats > Brora - 63.05 miles

G'nite

B&B 'The Hawthorns' is fantastic, run by a really nice couple, modern. Very freindly, feel right at home. It was a real benefit to get picked up from the station in Thurso.

Mey is only about 6 miles from the start so an easy ride out in the morning to the starting block. Big breakfast includes Haggis in the morning, should be interesting. Feeling quite positive about tomorrow although I can hear the wind outside billowing.. Maybe it'll blow the rain across early :D
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Riding Thomas

This has got to be the longest train journey ever.. meh.. I'm hungry and bored. There aren't even any funny scottish people to speak to.. Maybe I look like a funny scottish person. :\

Just as I was typing this somebody came round with a tea trolley.. Note to self: Remember to visit a cashpoint.

Coffee and crisps. Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
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Easy Tiger..

Flight came in over the coast, landscape was fantastic. First ride 10 miles from the Airport to Inverness was good, Damp but no rain. Arrived at the station with an hour and a half to spare. I think a nice coffee is in order.
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..and here we go.

0930 Leave Gloucester
1030 Arrive at Airport
1120 Check in Bike
1320 Fly from Bristol
1445 Arrive Inverness

~ Eat ~ Unpack/Build Bike

1752 Train leaves Inverness
2137 Arrive Thurso station
2230 Arrive John of Groats

~ Sleep

See you in the morning :D

Ready.. Steady..

Almost packed and ready to go. The weather looks great for Saturday, the rain moving off to the East friday night is bringing most of the UK some clear sky. Apart from one place it seems. The northern tip of Scotland, Great. Hopefully my £17 Solo tent from Argos will do the job.



Day one is going to be the breaker I think, starting in rain taking on probably one of the highest ascents I will do over such a short distance.

Almost there.

After I phoned around a few local Taxis in Thurso it seems Just to get to John of Groats can cost anything from £30 - £40, taking you in anything from a mini bus with the back seats removed to an estate with the seats down. Doesn't anybody have a Bike rack? You would have thought this wasn't the first time they've been asked to carry a bike(s).

So, as luck may have it, after finding out all the B&B's are full friday night I came across 'The Hawthorns' only 6 miles from JoG and only £30 a night, she also offered to pick me up from the station :D

The Hawthorns
Mey, John O'Groats, Caithness. KW14 8XH
01847 851710
hawthorns.scotland@btinternet.com
www.thehawthornsbnb.co.uk

Trave plans.

The first thing to consider before anything is which way to go, JOGLE or LEJOG? After much site scanning and personal reviews I found them to be pretty much as popular as one another. I suppose it really depends are where you are in the country to start with and how easy it's going to be to get home once your done.

Checking wind forceasts here it would suggest that North to South winds are more prevalant throughout the year, which I thought was quite obvious although once your on the ground I doubt it's going to make much difference. Being in Gloucester it's going to be a lot eaiser to get back home from Cornwall than to head back from the Highlands. So, heading for the highlands is the plan and this is how I'm getting there.

EasyJet have a flight from Britol Airport (BRS) which flies out at 13:20 arriving in Inverness (INV) at 14:45, the cheapest flight in October is £23.99 although on Friday the 9th it's going to cost £37.99. At the time of writing it's £8 for 20kg of checked luggage, this does not include the weight of your bike. The bike has to be added as 'Sports Equipment' which costs a further £18.50. The Bike has to be either bagged or boxed, a local cycle shop have provided a bike box free of charge. Nothing can be packed in with the bike.

Arriving at Inverness the train to Thurso (Northern) or Wick (Southern) is £10.20 with 'No Charge' for the bike, although you do have to book over the telephone (08457 550033) to reserve the place for your bike. The train times from Inverness are as follows.

Inverness	07:14	10:38	17:52
Thurso	11:05	14:27	21:37
Wick	11:34	14:55	22:06

The best train to get would be the 10:38 as there is a Bus (Rapsons Bus Company 01847 893123) from Thurso and Wick at 15:35 whcih will take you to John of Groats, takes 1 hour and costs £4. Unfortunatey the only train I could get for this day was the 17:52. Train times differ for Saturday. There is only 4 miles difference to John of Groats from Thurso rather than Wick.

My only option arriving at 22:06 is to get a Taxi to John of Groats, I'll post some details once this is arranged as I dount all will be able to take a bike.

This is by far the easiest and cheapest way I've found unless ofcourse you have somebody that is willing to drive you all the way by car.

Preparation & Itinerary

I've got less than 2 weeks to go now and although I've been pushing a few rides out from Gloucester I've done nowhere near what is expected over the 10 days of the ride itself. Planning the ride using 'MapMyRide' website is making this really interesting (check out the link) although it is really bringing home the reality of how many miles I'm going to be pushing pedal. Just day one puts the Cleeve Hill incline to shame.

http://www.mapmyride.com/Ride3-Oxford

The Bike is almost ready, I've only a few more things in the way of kit to obtain from somewhere. The plan is to travel light and drop into Camping / Caravan places en-route and set up Tent. This is going to be the easiest way, I'm not really going to know where I'm staying until a few miles out, a simple Google search on the phone will give me my nearest spot to pitch.

The Bike.

The bike is a 2008 Specialized Langster. Although a couple of years old it's in pretty good condition and is light. I've removed most of the original parts and replaced with the items listed below.

• Outland D31EIGHT Handle Bars w/grips
• Ergo Alloy Barends
• Dia Compe Dirty Harry (BMX) 2 Finger Brake
• Shimano Exage SINGLE Front BRAKE Caliper
• Topeak Highlite Combo LED lights
• Topeak Comp 150
• MKS Sylvan track Pedals + Toe clips
• Zefal Leahter Clip straps
• 2 x Carbon Fibre Bottle cages
• Velocity Deep V ELVS Wheelset Hybrid Dura Ace Track HED
• Selle Italia 'Trans am' Gel Stiched leather seat
• Nimrod Alloy Bike Rack

I'll be traveling light, apart from a Tent and Sleeping bag on the Rack I'll carrying clothes mostly and a couple of books. I bought some padded shorts and a thermal riding suit, which I can probably sleep in if it gets too cold in the tent.

I still need to get some shoes as after the last ride out to Oxford the soles of my feet have been aching for the last couple of days. I'll be posting the route I am taking daily on the Blog, I'm really looking forward to seeing Loch Ness, I'll riding right down the length of it.

The camera will definitely be on the list.

This is going to be no easy task for me as I haven’t really been on a Bike for 3 years, so 80 miles a day for 10 days is going to take a lot of stamina and will power. I’m just getting used to riding a fixed wheel bike as well so this another element of the ride that isn’t going to make it any easier.

To sponsor the ride and help out these great kids: http://www.mycharitypage.com/Virtualburn/ - This is linked directly to the Charity itself

My target is £1000 so please give generously, this isn’t a huge amount in the grand scheme of things. Medical supplies among other needful things are comparably cheap in India so this will go a long way to providing support.

Also if you would like to send out and clothing, toys, toothpaste, pens or any plasters and burn creams to this address:

Children Walking Tall
"The Mango House",
House No. 148/3
Near Vrundavan Hospital
Karaswada
Mapusa
Bardez
Goa - 403 526
India

For information please visit: http://www.ChildrenWalkingTall.com

To Join the Cause and show Support via Facebook: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/323420/4687701?m=9dc74a6e

To Sponsor with as little as you can afford or as much as you can to help: http://www.mycharitypage.com/Virtualburn/

Thanks very much for your support

Darren.