The Final Push - Day Fifteen - Tongue to John O’Groats
May 19, 2009
Day 15
Tongue to John O’Groats
Distance 64.42miles
Average 12.8 mph
Time 4hours 53minutes and 40 seconds
Day 15, our final day began at 07.45 when we left Tongue and headed for our final destination; John O’Groats.
We were under pressure as we had to cycle on from John O’Groats to Wick to catch our train at 16.00 and therefore set ourselves a target to make it to John O’Groats by 13.00. In total that was 64 miles to cycle. To begin with, we set a good pace but progress was hampered as there were some very difficult hills. We headed along the A836 all along the coast although a little inland so we only had some good views of the sea now and then. Probably about half way along the last leg of our tour, the road flattened out and we made good progress from there on. Within five miles of arriving at John O’Groats, the heavens opened and we had to get the wet weather gear out so that we didn’t get absolutely drenched.
We passed through a place called Dunnet which is quite apt as we had very nearly ‘Dunnit’!! Boom boom. Not long after passing through Dunnet we were bombarded by some huge bugs and you could feel them constantly hitting your face and hitching a ride on your clothing!
Eventually we arrived at John O’Groats at 12.45. Hooooooray!!!! Just as we arrived in John O’Groats, the sun came out and made our day. There were great views from John O’Groats across the sea to the Orkney Islands and of course the sun shining made everything look quite spectacular. We were ecstatic and overjoyed to have reached our final destination.
We had a great feeling of accomplishment, having completed such a massive tour and all the hard work with training was well worth it.
We had our pictures done although we didn’t wait the five minutes for the guy to come back from his break as the sign said, because we had to push on and get to the train station in Wick! That part of the journey was very tough as we were cycling straight through a head wind and it took us a good couple of hours to get there and it was only 17 miles.
Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to all those who sent us text messages, emails, comments on both Facebook and the blog and all the lovely telephone calls. Those messages certainly helped us along our way and we found them morale boosting and inspiring.
We would also like to thank those who have already donated their time and/or money. Remember it’s still not too late to donate your time or make a financial contribution to Rob’s charity Wiltshire Air Ambulance http://justgiving.com/robertdentry
Day Fourteen - Lairg to Tongue (the second to last day!!)
May 19, 2009
Day 14
Lairg to Tongue
Distance 40.1 miles
Average 11.2 mph
Time 3 hours 28 minutes and 52 seconds
Our day started at 09.00 when we left Lairg heading for Tongue. It was a very very easy day today, mostly flat with just a few undulations. We took our time, poodled along and took some photos. Nothing much scenery wise apart from Heather everywhere. We went along the A328, a single track road all the way from Lairg to Tongue. The weather was mild but a bit chilly and overcast for most of the day.
We passed the 1,000 mile mark today and phoned Anne to sing the famous Proclaimers song ‘500 miles’ at the top of our voices. It was a great feeling to have cycled over 1,000 miles although it has been a very hard slog.
We’re right up on the coast now, in fact about as far North as we’re going to get as the next part of the tour is across to the East along the coast all the way to John O’Groats.
We arrived at the hostel in Tongue at 12.30. It is a nice big hostel with lots of runners staying in it and we are sharing our room with a load of motorcyclists. We took advantage of arriving early today and took an afternoon nap which we thoroughly enjoyed. The 1,000 miles and the hard work to have got that far is catching up on us!
The hostel is right on the bay looking out over the Kyle of Tongue. Strangely there is a road that goes right across the bay – it’s not a bridge just a road through the water from one side of the Kyle to the other (type “kyle of tongue” into google maps). We are surrounded by some impressive mountains.
We’ll be having an early night tonight so we can have a really early start tomorrow as we have to be at John O’Groats by 13.30 at the latest as we have to get from there to Wick to catch our train at which departs at 16.00. We’re really excited about completing the final leg of the tour and I personally can’t wait to get home for Anne’s cooking!
Thanks to everyone who has offered messages of support on the website which have really boosted our morale. Please, please, please keep them coming!!
John O’Groats here we come!!!
Well, I would cycle 500 miles and I would cycle 500 more just to be the man who cycles a 1,000 miles to fall down at your door…………
Day Thirteen - Loch Ness to Lairg
May 18, 2009
Day 13
Loch Ness to Lairg
Distance 72.1 miles
Average 11.8 mph
Time 5 hours 51 minutes 41 seconds
We left Loch Ness still not having managed to get a glimpse of Nessie at 08.00 and after about 10 miles we picked up some food at a service station. We passed through Urquhart Bay which is where the castle is and the Loch Ness monster has been sighted here the most apparently. We then came across a really nasty hill in a place called Milton which we nicknamed ‘B*sta*d Hill’ which went along the A833. It was extremely tough and we found ourselves out of the saddles again and zig zagging up the road which we hadn’t done for a few days and we felt like we were back in Devon and Cornwall.
We then passed through Beauly and then through Dingwall and up to Alness where the land was extremely barren. It was along the B1976 where we stopped at a place called Dornoch Firth view point where we saw some spectacular views across Dornoch Firth Bay and you could see as far as Tarbat Ness lighthouse which was 18 miles away.
We joined the A836 and went through a town called Ardgay where we took the chance to take more photos! We continued along that same road and when we got to Invershin, we took a slight detour on our way to Lairg on a single track road which followed the Shin River. We enjoyed a scenic route with spectacular views of the rapids and falls which was well worth the detour. As we were making such good progress, we took our time along this route to admire the wonderful views.
It wasn’t long after that when we arrived at Lairg at 15.37 where we stayed in a Bed & Breakfast called Ambleside. It’s a very nice place and I am looking forward to a good night’s sleep and not having to share a room with lots of strangers. It is luxurious in comparison to the hostels we have been staying in.
As we got here so early, we decided to go to the local restaurant and enjoy a meal without having to rush and of course cook it ourselves!! I had Venison and Rob had Haddock and although the food was good, it was still nowhere near as good as Anne’s! You knew that was coming didn’t you???!!
We are now up to 972 miles and will pass the 1,000 mile mark tomorrow due to earlier detours we made when we went round in circles because of Rob’s poor map reading!
Thanks for all your comments and words of encouragement over the last 12 days, we have enjoyed reading them and it has certainly helped to boost our morale. Keep them coming because we will need them to boost our spirits over the final two legs of the tour!!
Day Twelve - Glencoe to Loch Ness
May 17, 2009
Day 12
Glencoe to Loch Ness
Distance 60.1 miles
Average 12.4 mph
Time 4 hours 41 minutes and 45 seconds
We set off today at 09.15 and headed straight along the A82 literally all the way. It was overcast and a little bit drizzly but not too bad. The wind was mostly in our favour which really helped after yesterday’s tough day.
We went along to Fort William where we stopped to have a coffee in a little cafe. Just after that we passed Ben Nevis but unfortunately it was covered by clouds so we couldn’t really see the top of it but it was spectacular nonetheless. In fact all the scenery was quite spectacular and the weather and conditions were certainly warmer than yesterday allowing us the chance to admire the views.
We carried on through Spean Bridge and went through Invergarry, following that we went through Fort Augustus, and then onto Loch Ness and arrived at the Youth Hostel at 16.05. A very easy day compared to what we have been doing so it was a great relief. The hostel is right beside Loch Ness, only 10 metres away so we have a fantastic view of it but haven’t as yet seen Nessie although we are optimistic and have our binoculars at the ready!!!
Rob’s leg is still giving him a few problems. It was quite an uneventful day, and it was amazing to be able to do 60 miles and feel like it was a piece of cake. We managed to get our washing done when we arrived at the hostel which we needed to do because our clothes were really smelly especially Rob’s!! Today we went past the 900 mile marker and we should easily break the 1,000 mile total by the time we get to John O’Groats!
Rob decided to entertain all the guests with his repertoire of piano playing at the youth hostel and although he claimed the piano was out of tune, I am convinced it was Rob’s piano playing.
We picked up some ready meals and fruit for our evening meal and need I say……….. Oh ok then, I can’t wait to get home for one of Anne’s wonderful dinners! We are also keeping our fingers crossed for England tonight in the Eurovision Song Contest!!!!
We are looking forward to an early night tonight which we should manage very easily because at the time of writing, we are the only ones in our room.
Day Eleven - Stirling to Glencoe
May 16, 2009
Day 11
Stirling to Glencoe
Distance 85.08 miles
Average 11.6 mph
Time 7 hours 12 minutes and 59 seconds
Day 10 began with us leaving Stirling at 10.00 heading for Glencoe. We cycled up the A84 and the weather to begin with was overcast and a little bit drizzly and unfortunately that didn’t change all day.
We went through a place called Doune and we were lucky enough to have the wind behind us most of the way there. We stopped in a place called Callander to take some cash out, picked up some sandwiches for lunch and pain killers for Rob’s leg which is still giving him problems.
From there we picked up a cycle path parallel to the A84 which is an old railway track. It was 25 miles long signposted to Killin which we took but as it was a gravel path, progress was a little bit slow. The cycle path became very zig zaggy as we passed through Lochearnhead with really sharp hairpin bends and this took us quite high up and we were way above the road looking down onto the A84. Eventually we re-joined the A84 which became the A85 near to Killin heading towards Tyndrum
In Tyndrum there was a place called The Green Welly Stop, like a services with shops, petrol and a touristy gift shop. We got onto the A82 at Tyndrum which is when the day started to get very tough because the tailwind we had at the beginning of the A82 turned into a side wind as we turned a corner. The wind was coming from the right and was blowing us into the grass verge. It was extremely hairy as lorries passed us and we found that extremely hard going.
As the road turned, the side wind became a very strong head wind which made the going really tough. Temperatures were dropping as we passed some spectacular scenery through the Grampians. Some of the mountains had snow on the top of them which added to the spectacular views. As the temperatures dropped we added more and more layers of clothing as we found ourselves getting quite cold at this point.
At one point we went into a really strong head wind which is when I felt really bonked - I was lacking energy, food and drink and I really suffered on that part which I think was a mixture of the cold, the wind and lacking food. We were munching away all day quite nicely but probably not enough for the climate. Rob force fed me tons of chocolate so that I could complete that leg of the tour.
We turned a another corner and enjoyed the pleasure of a tail wind all the way to the hostel and went at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour on the flat. Quite impressive!
We arrived at the hostel at 19.45 and we cooked noodles for our dinner in the hostel kitchen. Need I say that the cheap, packet noodles were nowhere near as good as Anne’s cooking!! We found ourselves again sharing a dormitory with six other people, it seems Scotland is really popular this time of year! Let’s hope none of them are snorers as I really need a good night’s sleep tonight!
Day Ten - Greenhead to Stirling
May 15, 2009
Day 10
Greenhead to Stirling
Distance 131.64 miles
Average 12.5 mph
Time 10 hours 2 mins 37 seconds
We left Greenhead at about 08.50 heading for Brampton along the A69. We had a cracking wind behind us and on some of the flats we were doing up to 25 miles an hour which was pleasing. We headed north up through Longtown and across the border into Scotland, stopping to take photos as we did so. We went through Gretna Green where Rob promptly proposed to me!!! I of course declined the offer as I am already married to a wonderful woman!! Shortly after passing through Gretna Green we passed through Lockerbie.
We continued along the B7076 which runs alongside the A74(M) which was a pretty good road and dead flat so we made great time with the wind behind us… we covered the first 50 miles averaging 15 miles an hour and completed that mileage before 12.00. Again, we saw some lovely scenery and we were surrounded by beautiful Scottish mountains.
After about 70 miles Rob had a blow-out on his back tyre after hitting a huge bit of slate on the cycle path. We did a temporary repair to Rob’s puncture but the tyre itself was split so this affected the next 60 miles of our tour delaying us quite a lot and we had to detour off our planned route to a bike shop in Wishaw to get a new tyre for Rob’s bike. On the way there we came across some cows that had come through an open gate and onto the dual carriageway. Rob phoned the police to advise them of the situation. As the dual carriageway was quite empty, I ran back to see if I could get them back into the field and as I did they went back through the gate and I closed it behind them. My good deed for the day!
We arrived at the bike shop, called Centre Bike (www.centrebike.co.uk) at 17.30 and they stayed open late just to help us out - they normally close at 16.30. We really appreciated that and say a big thank you to John McArthur for his assistance getting Rob’s bike roadworthy again.
From there, we grabbed a bite to eat and got a free roll in Subway in Wishaw and we cracked on to get to Stirling as quick as we could after lunch to try and get a good night’s sleep after a mammoth day! It was the first time we had to use the lights on our bikes. We heard the weather down south wasn’t too good but we had dry weather all the way although it was a little bit chilly. Rob’s leg is still giving him some grief so I will have to use my wonderful massage skills on him again to see if I can get that sorted out for tomorrow’s leg of the tour.
We arrived at the hostel in Stirling at 21.50 and the building is very old, I don’t know how you would describe it really but it is a huge place. It’s a bit like an old town hall, massive place! We had a Chinese Takeaway for dinner - not my favourite and again not one of Anne’s wonderful dinners!! Tomorrow we’ll be going up through the Grampians so we’re sort of looking forward to that.
Day Nine - Slaidburn to Greenhead
May 15, 2009
Day 9
Slaidburn to Greenhead
Distance 95.81miles
Average 10mph
Time 9 hours 17 minutes 23 seconds
We left Slaidburn today at 09.00 and ventured through Lancashire and along the Yorkshire Dales. It was a long, tiring ride luckily with the wind behind us at the beginning of the route. We saw some spectacular views over the Yorkshire Dales. Coming down the other side of the Dales we had a wicked cross wind which made the descent very hairy.
Rob’s leg is a lot better so he’s managing to keep a good pace and got up to 48.9 mph going down the hills. I only managed 42 mph until the cross wind caught me and I slammed the brakes on because I am a chicken! We stuck to very very quiet roads today with not a built up area or City in sight. There were plenty of sheep, cows, ponies and hares but not too much else! We kept bumping into a couple of guys along the way that we met in Slaidburn who are doing the same route as us.
We went through Kirkby Lonsdale and up towards Appleby passing the Pennines on our right hand side which gave us spectacular views. We carried on up and down hills mostly with side winds and on occasions a head wind which made the going very heavy. We ventured up to Carlisle where we were originally going to stay but had to go further along the route to Greenhead adding an extra ten to twelve miles to our journey based on the Cycling Touring Club (CTC) route. Just before we got into Greenhead, about a mile before we got a picture of Hadrian’s Wall.
Rob pointed out a helicopter hovering over head and as I was looking up watching it I found myself drifting across into a grass bank. I was lucky enough to have realised it before it was too late and I ended up in a heap and I steered back out onto the road after about 20 metres.
We arrived at 20.30 at the Greenhead Hotel which used to be a youth hostel and we are staying in the part of the Hotel that used to be a hostel so still in a dormitory. Rob told the guy at the Reception that I snore so we managed to get our own room yet again.
We went into the hotel restaurant/bar to eat and I had a steak and vegetables and need I say, it still wasn’t a patch on Anne’s cooking!
I found today exceptionally tough and seriously need to have a shower and get to bed. Each day is now getting harder and harder and this tour is certainly taking its toll on me.
Day Eight - Chester to Slaidburn (wear the fox hat?)
May 15, 2009
Day 8
Chester to Slaidburn
Distance 79 miles
Average 11.4
Time 6 hours 26 mins and 6 seconds
Just before leaving Chester, I was giving Rob a massage on his left calf in the dormitory which we were sharing with six other people and he was lying on the floor when a young Canadian guy who we were sharing the dormitory with walked in. His face looked a picture as he walked in at the point when I was rubbing oil into Rob’s leg!! This isn’t what you think it is I said! Chester was a beautiful place with a lot of Tudor buildings and a lot of history. We left the hostel in Chester at 09.05 and following advice from the chef at the youth hostel in Chester, we took a different route to the official one again and we went along to Birkenhead which is just south of the Mersey river. We decided to take the ferry across the Mersey and saw some nice scenery going across - impressive buildings etc. We had to wait over an hour for the ferry on which they pointed out some familiar landmarks and played the famous song ‘Ferry across the Mersey’ at the end and Rob and I joined in for a little sing song!!
It was bright and sunny day but the wind was very strong and right in our faces. I am glad my massage techniques which were expertly taught to me by my wife over the phone seemed to do the trick because Rob stayed out in front again and sheltered me from the wind. Even then I still found it very tough going. We poodled along the A59 all the way up to Preston which was quite a dull and busy road. It certainly wasn’t a very scenic route. We stopped to have tea at Tootsie’s which was in a place called Much Hoole somewhere along the A59 half way between Lands End and John O’Groats. The lady gave us a free coffee which was very kind. This was our 500 mile marker which spurred us on to sing the famous Proclaimers song ‘500 Miles’.
We went through Preston and out the other side, not a lot to report but it was pretty dull. From there we followed country roads all the way then to Slaidburn and the wind never let up at all. Within about the last 10 miles even though Rob was out at the front, I found myself flagging as it was such a tough part of the tour.
We are still sick of the sight of chocolate so we ate mostly cakes, peanuts and cereal bars along with our lunch during the day.
We arrived at the hostel at 20.15 which is right in the middle of nowhere hence our not being able to get a signal on our mobile phones. Thank goodness for good old fashioned payphones as I was able to use the one in the hostel to speak to Anne to update the blog! We cooked pasta again for dinner yawn, yawn. I can’t wait to get home again for Anne’s cooking and I’m halfway there now!
We are both very tired now and we are having a relatively early night to try and recuperate for another tough day tomorrow.
Day Seven - Clun to Chester
May 12, 2009
Day 7
Clun to Chester
Distance 82.11 miles
Average 12.2 mph
Time 6 hours 32 minutes and 48 seconds
We started off with bright and sunny weather at 09.30 but we had a really strong headwind. Clun YHA is a very remote but very beautiful place to stay. It is an old flour mill and is one of the very first youth hostels. We had our own room again as there were only three of us staying in the hostel for the night! Thanks to Peter Walker who is a volunteer youth hostel worker for his wonderful hospitality at Clun YHA. Peter told us that Shropshire is an under-rated walking area with some great hills. Not as high as in the Lake District but still some lovely scenery.
We had a bit of a brutal climb out of Clun which was a bit shocking as I was left behind by Rob which is quite usual on the brutal climbs! I was literally down to about three miles an hour and keeping balance on the bike is very difficult especially with all the weight but I got there in the end! After that, most of the roads we did were pretty much flat so that was a bit of a relief but the headwind did make it very difficult. Rob was therefore doing a lot of the hard work with me tucked in close behind him to slipstream which made a big difference to me for about 20 miles.
An injury that I had been carrying for the first two days seems to have gone but Rob is now suffering with a pain in his left calf. This meant that I had to take the lead for the last few miles which I found tough going. Fingers crossed that the injury he is carrying will be eased tonight by my superb massaging skills thanks to Anne’s advice.
When we went down to the local shops to get our food tonight, we both had the feeling we were sick of chocolate. If you ever feel like you want to give it up, do something like this because you have to eat so much chocolate that you’ll be sick of the sight of it!
Apart from the hills in Clun, Shropshire, there was no spectacular scenery today but we did avoid the official route and stuck to a slightly straighter busier road which is probably why! On route we darted in and out of Wales on three or four occasions today as we followed along the Welsh border.
We arrived at YHA Chester at 18.20 which is an incredibly elaborate building. This is the first hostel that we have had to share our room! I’ve got my ear plugs at the ready just in case there are any snorers! However, it is quite luxurious and very much like a hotel rather than a youth hostel.
I bought a ready meal tonight at the local supermarket for my dinner but Rob wasn’t that hungry so he ate some fruit and a yogurt which I joined in with after my meal. Without a doubt, the meal was nowhere near as good as Anne’s cooking!
Day Six - Goodrich to Clun
May 11, 2009
Day 6
Goodrich to Clun
Distance 69.5miles
Average 10.8 mph
Time 6 hours 11 minutes 17 seconds
At 09.30 we began Day 6 of our tour and left Goodrich heading for Clun with warm conditions and the weather forecast saying 17 degrees. We both got a bit burnt in the sun today and I now look like I’m wearing white cycling gloves at the end of my bronzed arms. We went up through Hereford and through a place called Leominster which wasn’t too exciting but we did pass through a place called Eardisland which was very picturesque with lots of lovely houses and buildings.
The terrain was mostly flat today with hills that weren’t too serious which was a bit of a relief until we went over one called Blackhill which was over 400 metres high just before entering Clun and we only averaged about 3mph! We were out of the saddles again and zig zagging which was extremely difficult at such a slow pace - you know you’re in trouble when you have to do that but we managed to make it to the top in one go. .It was a very tough hill but we saw some fantastic views looking down over Clun from the top of it.
We passed through a little place called Brockhampton where we saw a church with a thatched roof today - very unusual and nothing like I’ve seen before.
We had trouble getting all our clothes dry last night because the drying room at the hostel was full of wet suits. We had to pack our stuff up wet and Rob had to wear his top while it was still wet. We tried to dry some things en route and Rob had his socks and pants hanging from his bike at one point earning him the name ‘PANTani’. It was quite a comical sight seeing him cycling along with his pants hanging over his handlebars! We stopped at a Little Chef in a place called Hope under Dinmore half way between Hereford and Leominster and while we were there we hung some of our wet clothes out to dry on the bench while we were stuffing our faces with cheese sandwiches. Anne left us a lovely coconut cake last night which we ploughed our way through during the day today. It was delicious!
We arrived at the youth hostel in Clun at 18.00 and we were again lucky enough to get our own room. We went down to the local pub called the White Horse which is the only pub left in the village out of 13!! We made our own dinner tonight; pasta with pesto and chicken with vegetables. Again, the food was great but still not a patch on Anne’s!
We have been able to spin our clothes as there was a washing machine in the hostel and hopefully they will finish drying overnight. We got chatting to a bloke at the hostel called Lindsey who is a youth hostel volunteer and happened to be staying at our hostel while he’s doing some walking. He came down the pub with us and has published over a thousand books and written about 50 mostly about travel and history. His latest book is about the islands off the coast of Scotland.
We are anticipating a tough day tomorrow so we’re heading off for an early night.