Enigma
From Sea to Shining Sea
Cycling from Lands Ends to John ‘o Groats solo and unsupported. 2009.========================================================
(Hover above the photos for a brief description)
List of benefactors for Kettering General Hospital’s Cardiac Unit can be found on www.justgiving.com/chrisfoster
Hi, I’m Chris Foster and work since September 2006 with Enigma Computer Services as a Customer Support Engineer. Early in 2007 the idea began to grow of doing a long cycle ride. Three years ago I cycled from Holland to England and last September I did the Coast to Coast route over Northern England with some friends.Eventually I started saving up overtime last year with the aim of doing Lands End to John ‘o Groats. I wanted to do it alone and without any backup – don’t know why – but it sounded good to me. Many trips of this nature are supported and with other people. Support is usually a van which carries all your night gear and spares and very often people can therefore cycle in groups with little or no baggage between B&Bs or camping sites. So they can cover up to 100 miles a day and not really have many worries. This trip was to be alone and unsupported which meant I’d be carrying everything with me – from tent to spares and tools. If I had a problem I’d have to fix it myself or walk.
Of course, one is never too far away from humanity on a trip like this, so you can stock up on food along the way (or beg if you have to). If you really get into big trouble there is always a train. But that would mean defeat, which is not my intention.
I was planning on cycling about 50 miles a day with trailer and 3-days worth of food at a time. The British Isles are quite hilly, so some days would be less than 50 miles, some more. Camping sites would be on the agenda for a decent shower and to wash clothes etc, but if needed I could set up near a river and wash there.
In the end it became a ride for General Kettering Hospital’s Cardiac Care Unit. If, by the time you read this, and you would like to donate, then please go to the web site here. 100% of your money goes to this charity. No money is taken for expenses on my part.
What is required for a trip of 1000 miles through a hilly landscape, unsupported and by bicycle?
Equipment:• 1 x bike. Koga Miyata Globe Traveller. Rear rack, front rack, lighting front and rear (hub dynamo). It's the bike pictured on the right.
• Some modifications to bike: low gears, front and rear. New pedal cranks. New rear wheel
• 1 x spare chain with spare chain section and linking pins
• 1 x spare tyre,
• 2 x spare break/gear cables
• 1 x lube for chain, gears
• Cassette removal tool – in case I break a rear spoke
• 4 x Spare spokes (2 suitable front and 4 suitable for rear)
• 1 x spare inner tube for bike
• 1 x spare inner tube for trailer
• 1 x bike Multi-tool
• 1 x cable cutter/clamp
• 1 x Swiss-style penknife
• 1 x adjustable spanner
• 1 x Bob trailer
• 2 front panniers (Ortlieb Waterproof Classic)
• 1 x tyre repair kit (patches, glue etc)
• 3 x tyre irons
• 2 spare valves (Presta)
• 5 x maps (OS: 4 miles to 1 inch)
• 1 x Compass
• 1 x Spare rim tape
• 1 x bike lock
• 1 x Wind-up torch
Cooking/camping gear• 2 x propane butane bottles (270 cc and 470 cc) with burner and lighter
• 1 x set cooking pots, stainless steel
• 1 x knife, fork, spoon set
• 1 x drying-up cloth
• 1 x piece of string and pegs for drying clothes
• 1 x tent (Bibler Ahwahnee, pictured)
• 1 x sleeping bag
• 1 x self-inflating sleeping mat
• 1 x tent pin set (4 + 2 spares)
• 1 x tent pin hammer
• 3 days supply of food (rice, pasta, dried veg)
• 30 days supply multi-vitamins and cod-liver oil
Personal/hygiene/clothes/medical
• 2 x cycling tops
• 2 x cycling shorts
• 2 x cycling socks
• 1 x each T-shirt, light-weight trousers (zip to shorts) and socks
• Cycling shoes (clip-ons)
• 1 x pair wet weather over-shoes
• 1 x pair trainers
• 1 x rain gear (full body)
• 1 x pair wet weather gloves
• 1 x pair cycling gloves (combinable with above)
• 1 x helmet
• 1 x bandana
• 1 x bottle 15-factor sun lotion
• 1 x cycling goggles (dark/clear lenses)
• 1 x MP3 player + 8 batteries
• Small Camera
• 1 x bottle water purification tablets
• 1 x quick-dry, light weight towel
• 1 x warm fleece with hood
• 1 x shower gel (doubles as washing-up liquid)
• 1 x bottle of pre-made coffee (coffee/milk powder/sugar)
• 7 x bottles of water
• 1 x loo-roll
• 1 x packet of plasters
• 1 x bandage
• 1 x antiseptic cream
• 15 x self-sealing plastic bags for non-perishable food
• 1 x credit card, debit card and cash
• 1 x mobile phone and charger
• 1 x keys to my house
* Toothbrush and tooth paste
* Notebook and pen
• Needle and thread
• Safety pins
MP3 Music (the most important part) by:
Led Zepelin, David Bowie, Manic Street Preachers,Primus, Creed, Crowded House,
The Beatles, Coheed and Cambria, Rush, Alex Lifeson, K's Choice, Blof, Maggies Dream,
Foo Fighters, The Jacksons, Human League, Extreme, Queen, Pearl Jam, ELO, Thin Lizzy, Talk Talk,
Whitesnake, Sweet, ABC, Level 42, U2, Kings of Leon, Queens of the Stoneage, Sting, Oasis, Deacon Blue, Paul Weller, R.E.M., Doctor and The Medics, Spin Doctors, Robbie Williams, Geordio Moroder, Steve Miller Band, Scritti Politti, Duran Duran, Keane, Is Ook Schitterend, The Smiths, Free, The Cure, Rose Royce, Boston, Ugly Joe Kid, Snowy White, David Sylvian, The Prentenders, Killing Joke, Kings X, Elton John, Anastasia, Iggy Pop, Elvis Costello, Alter Bridge, Geddy Lee, Cold Play, Derrin Nauendorf, Kane, Radiohead, Mott The Hoople, Phil Collins, Tears for Fears and Chris Cornell.
So, ready for the off...almost.
I'd like to say a special thankyou to a number of people here.
Obviously, everyone who has sponsored me.
My employer: Enigma Computer Services. Enigma has lent a van to get to Lands End and agreed to time off.
Andy Osborne: my colleague at Enigma. He'll be driving down to Lands End with me.
My parents for all ongoing support (I'm still wearing it, Mum and I'll wear my helmet)
A really special thank you goes to Lee Tomkins, director of the charity Migraine Action. Out of the blue, Lee offered her house near Lands End to Andy and me the night before I go.
Let's hit the road...we'll catch up again at the end of June, provided I can get back from Scotland somehow.
Chris
DAY 1 10th May 2009
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28 Miles.
Today started late (10.30) and finished early (4.30). Land End was sunny and dry. Andy, Katie and I sat and drank a few cups of tea outside a cafe. It was difficult to start this journey, but after my refill of tea I announced that I'd be off. Put the sun tan lotion on and said my good byes.
Then I was off. I was frankly quite shocked at the weight of my bike with the trailer, even though I had trained with this combination and was soon discovering that the higher gears were not going to be used much today. Today was extremely hilly and by the fourth big climb I started to develop a pathological fear of hills. It's quite well known that this part of England is the toughest part of the journey terrain-wise and I was finding that out first hand!
I was also tired from not having slept too well the last couple of nights.
At around midday disaster seemed to strike: I couldn't change gear from first or second! The rear gear changer spring seemed to be defective and after trying to solve the problem a few times - and not being able to find the solution - I started to get worried. On my fourth stop I decided to try and think about everything logically. I started to follow the gear change cable to find where it was sticking and finally found the problem: it was my own stupid fault. I had put one of my water bottles in it's holder in such a way that it was trapping the cable. I corrected it and the whole issue was solved.
At 4.30 I passed a campsite a Gwithian and stopped and set up camp. Wandering down to the beach I discover a hive of activity. I count 45 people surfing here.
DAY 2 11th May 2009
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42 miles
It's 2.30 am and I'm freezing. It's really windy outside and I'm feeling miserable. I pull on my cycling leggings and get a bit warmer, but I'm starting to wonder if this trip is a good idea. I need to change my mindset and get more positive, but I cannot ignore the fact that I'm a long way from home on my own, I'm cold and fed up. I try to relax and finally get some sleep.
6.30 am. The gusts are still bashing my tent and I'm still cold. I need something warm inside me and decide to brew up in the tent. Now, this isn't normally a good idea, not only because of the risk of burning your tent down but also because carbon monoxide can build up. So I was very careful to keep the flame small and to open the two sides of the tent enough to allow ventilation. I was determined to beat the 28 miles I did yesterday, even if it killed me.
Today I found out that I really needed to concentrate when map-reading. I made a few wrong turns and found myself twice at the bottom of a long hill before I realised my mistake. Just south of Wadebridge I found a camp site and set up camp at 5pm. Then I washed some clothes. When wringing out my cycling top I discovered I'd washed my MP3 player by mistake with it. It eventually dried out but it meant that I was without one of my only luxuries - music - for two days.
After the washing incident I wandered down to a villiage in search of a chippy. This place was great - you could eat in and have a cup of tea too. There I got chatting to truck driver Dave. It soon transpired that he was obsessed with money. The conversation was interspersed with things like "27 thousand in savings" and "40 grand for the divorce". In his book Lila Robert Pirsig likens the capitalist city of New York to a mean Giant who infiltrates and takes over one's life if you're not careful. Well, the Giant had Dave by the short and curlies.
Hit the sack at 9pm praying for some decent sleep.
DAY 3 12th May 2009
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39 miles.
Up at 6 am to find that I'd slept pretty well, if still a little cold. I'd taken to jogging around the camp sites to warm up in the morning. Must have looked like Max Wall in those tights!
My clothes are still not dry, so I hang them on the rear frame to dry as I cycle. I had made a decision to take B-roads up until now to keep safe, but today I want to go on the A39 towards Bude to where I will start heading East to get out of this hill-nightmare. I'm hoping Devon is flatter than Cornwall. The northerly headwind is extreme too - another reason to want to turn East.
This route turned out to have a 5-mile hill. One-and-a -half hours in first gear to reach the top, where it flattened out. Outside Bude in a place called Stratton I'm feeling lazy and opt for a B&B. £12 for a mini-apartment. I could even watch a film - Mad Max 2.
Turned in at 9 pm and slept like a log.
DAY 4 13th May 2009
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43 miles
It must have been my lack of sleep the previous few nights because now I feel very positive after a good night. I'm still way below my aim of averaging 50 miles a day, but with these gradients it will be a while before I can beat that goal.
Now and then I still feel that I've bitten off more than I can chew. I worry about little things like leaving some important piece of kit behind or breaking something vital. Yesterday I bent the aluminium rods that hold up the tent. The tent is basically held up by two long poles, each consisting of 6 or 7 smaller interlocking rods. These have to be heavily flexed and positioned to erect the tent - something that makes the tent particularly stable in a high wind. If these rods get too far bent I will have a problem. I'm starting to worry about being cold at night too. I think my sleeping bag is not up to the job as I have to be fully clothed each night to be anything like warm.
Rain is now forecast for the whole week ahead which means I'll be getting seriously wet. Anyway, I plod on and reach Crediton in Devon at 6 pm. It had started to rain quite badly and I chicken out and take a B&B again as there was no camping site for miles. The first place I try is full but the lady has a friend of a friend who owns a farm house who does a good B&B. I get chatting to her and she assures me that after midday tomorrow the hills flatten out and the going will be much less arduous. Her friend has a room and I'm directed into the countryside where I find the farm house. Nice place. The farmer gives me a ride into town to get a chinese take away and I spend my second night in a warm bed.
I think about the reasons for this trip. I have always wanted to do it and I've wondered whether I would have the stamina. Another thing that made me curious was how I'd fair mentally - would I be able to spur myself on when it got tough or keep calm if things went badly wrong, like an accident or having my stuff stolen. There have been moments when I've gone through options in my head and come up with some weird ideas. After all there is not much to do during the day except pedal and think. One idea I came up with was to throw my bike off a cliff then go and fetch the wreckage, take a photo and say that I'd been in an accident and had to abort. That would get me out of things pretty nicely, but it would mean lying to people and I'm a bad liar - I'd get found out, which is worse than doing this trip.
The way I think is certainly starting to change to a slower way of life. I see a lot of people around me hurrying to work, hurrying to the shops and getting flustered when they can't overtake me on a narrow road.
DAY 5 14th May 2009
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36 miles
What the lady at the B&B said was correct. After 25 miles it turned flat. Bad news was the rain which started at dawn and didn't stop until 2pm. BIt of a hellish day really. I'm now in Taunton, Somerset as I look for a camping site.
DAY 6 15th May 2009
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51 miles
Started at 8 am from Taunton. The terrain was flat at first but with the Cheddar Gorge it once again became more challenging. After a long climb I met two more cyclists on racers. They were training for the Iron Man Callenge in Austria. This event consists of a 2.4 mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112 mile (180.25 km) bike race and a marathon (26 miles 385 yards, 42.195 km) run, raced in that order and without a break. These two were doing hill training.
The wind was dying down now but the rain was still coming down in torrents. I was now nearing Bristol where there were again no camping sites. My budget was getting strained again as I looked for another B&B, but first I wanted to get through Bristol.
One of my main problems today was cold, wet feet. I'd heard of some socks which were really waterproof and I was on the lookout for a good bike shop in Bristol. I'd read nothing of Bristol before I cycled through the place and I'd classed it in my mind as just "another place." I was wrong. This place is buzzing with students and all kinds of other people - enough to liken it to London or Amsterdam.
I find a bike shop which looks decent and go inside and explain my "cold feet dilemma." I come away with some socks for £24.99 and feel ripped off. These socks turned out to be everything they aspired to be: perfect!
So, on again, to find a B&B. This felt weak, but the weather was so bad I decided to take a gamble with the cash and hope for some better weather in the coming weeks. Then I could just camp for the usual 5 pounds per night.
I found a B&B in the Northern part of Bristol for 23 quid a night. It should be called just a "B" because there was no breakfast on weekends. They also didn't supply towels and the shower was cold, but I did use the grumpy owner's central heating to the full - all my stuff got washed/dried out nicely, even the tent.
DAY 7 16th may 2009
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61 miles
Today was a good day. For some reason the idea of crossing the Severn Bridge was starting to fascinate me. I'd seen it on a Cycling video on YouTube and I'd even got the exact same music from the video on my MP3 player to "heighten the experience"
It was out there somewhere but I didn't know where. I got chatting to a shopkeeper, a merchant in Scottish Beef. He drew me a map of how to get there.
After a few miles I could see the bridge in the distance. For me there is nothing like a towering marvel waiting for you in the distance. It spurred me on. I wanted to be there, to experience this thing.
I arrived after 12 miles. Had breakfast at a Burger King - yuk.
Then onto the hallowed bridge to Wales. I stopped to take a picture - then discovered that this thing is in constant motion from being buffetted by the wind, presumably.
Massive stuff. Made by people I will never know. That's part of the fascination I think.
Ten minutes later I was in Wales. Now, here they know how to build roads - they go around hills instead of over them. In fact the road I was on just followed the River Wye. Of course it rained a lot.
Moving back across into England there was a big hill - with a road over it! That's just plain stupid!
Stayed at a camping site at a place called Moreton on Lugg. Got the tent up just in time before it started to rain again. Then it got sunny long enough to walk to the village where I'd heard there was an award-winning chip shop. I was hoping for a restaurant by it only had a take away. So ended up eating while walking back.
It turned out to be a wonderful Saturday evening - in bed by 9pm!
DAY 8 17th May 2009
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42 miles
It has rained in the night but I manage to get the tent dried (almost) just before it starts raining again. I stop every hour of so for a warm drink and to wring out my gloves. I'm not bothered by the rain though today - I must have slept well as I'm happy and have warm dry feet - those socks are brillliant! (If you want to check them out go here).
At lunch time I saw a Little Chef and stopped for soup. Last night I'd spoken to a friend in Swindon and he'd said that it was going to rain today "until about 4 pm." At precisely 4 o' clock it did stop. Amazing.
I'm now in Shropshire and this county gets the prize for the most uncouth people in Britain - and certainly the worst drivers (maybe they are all trained by the SAS). I had three "situations" with drivers on the whole trip - all in Shropshire. One slowed down to harass me and then sounded his horn. This shocked the living daylights out of me and I careered off the road into the gravel and mud. Gravel is the worst thing for a cyclist because you can't steer. So I just had to wait until I came to a halt.
I had no choice but to get off the bike into a muddy puddle and this made my over shoes come loose. They fasten under the shoe with velcro and after moving to a less muddy area I tried to re-fasten the straps. Somehow, when doing this my weight shifted and I came down on the fingernail of my left middle finger and split it down the middle - ouch!
By 3 pm I'd had enough of the rain and the pain. The nearest campsite was still 20 miles away. So, I'm ashamed to say I succumbed and found a B&B again. This was farm which had 250 beef cattle and the farmer and his wife were really nice. She offered to dry all my stuff out - their kitchen looked like a bomb had hit it with everything hanging above the range.
Good news too: my friend Russ from Warrington got in touch. I was welcome to stay as long as I wanted. It was 70 miles to Warrington and I decided to do it in one go the next day.
7pm: It starts raining again.
DAY 9 18th May 2009
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70 miles.
Didn't take many pictures today because of the rain. All I remember is pedalling for a long day, spurred on by the thought of seeing my friend again.
REST DAY: 19th May 2009
I cleaned my bike and saw that I'd gone through a set of brake pads, so got those replaced.
REST DAY: 20th May 2009
DAY 10 21st May 2009
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71 miles.
Set out from Russ' house feeling a bit sorry for myself. I was enjoying that rest an could have easily stayed longer.
Today it is raining. Surprise! In fact I got rained on the most today, and the most heavily. I don't recall anything interesting happening on the way. In Garstang it stopped raining and I found a camp site. The ground was still wet and so I looked for a spot a high as possible to pitch the tent.
I'd noticed a chippy down the road (I ate as much fish and chips as possible on this trip) and after dining on some concrete steps I returned to the camp site. There I saw another guy had arrived and pitched close to me. This was also a cyclist with a trailer, so I decided to check it out. He wasn't there. So, being near the coast I decided to take a walk to the beach. There I met my neighbour, a chap called Daniel Dabrowski. You wouldn't guess, but he was Polish.
Daniel and I clicked immediately and we were soon sitting drinking coffee and sharing cookies. Daniel made his living as a photographer in Edinburgh and his work is pretty good too. His main business is postcards. However, most impressive was his camera - an antique which weighed in at 5KG. It was so old that it still used photographic plates and had a black cloth we he draped over it when taking a shot. He took a picture of me in that field and has promised to send it to me. His work is quite original (you can check it out here).
The best thing about Daniel was his lack of a materialistic outlook and his carefree nature.
Daniel reckoned my sleeping bag needed to be replaced when I told him how cold I was at night. So, I decided to do something about that...
DAY 11 22nd May 2009
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60 miles
Left a little later than usual this morning - I was chatting with Daniel over a cuppa again.
Now, I'm on my way to the Lake District where two of my best friends live, Wayne and Fiona (and their girls, Catherine and Amy). It would be great to get there tonight - just in time for the bank holiday weekend. Wayne has told me that the weather forecast is good and he's already planning for a barbecue each night I'm there.
For breakfast I stop at a roadside cafe and order a quarter pounder with cheese, chips and a cuppa. I get chatting to the owner who is very interested in my trip. I'm a mile down the road before it occurs to me that I never paid him! Oops!
I'm following the shortest route to Cockermouth, where Wayne lives - and that means via Windermere and Keswick. Before long the terrain gets pretty hilly and I'm back into first gear regularly.
I see a camping shop - more like a camping superstore - on the way and decide to get a new sleeping bag. The old one went straight in the bin.
I finally arrive in Cockermouth at 6pm and am looking forward to a long weekend, climbing Whiteside and Hobcarton Pike and enjoying barbecues (which we did). Wayne and Fiona sponsored me too for 50 quid!
BANK HOLDAY - 3 Rest days
DAY 12 26th May 2009
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62 miles
On the road again. Cockermouth to Lockerbie. The weather is starting to improve - only drizzle today.
North of Lockerbie I see a sign for camping but when I follow it I'm met with a view of a very run-down camp site next to a restaurant. I enquire if this really is a camp site and if so, how much. The man behind the bar says that they will be building houses where the camp site is in a few months, but I'm welcome to camp for free where the grass has been cut. The toilet / shower block is still working. Turned out to be their only guest. The food in the restaurant was excellent and cheap.
DAY 13 27th May 2009
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92 miles
Today would be 14 hours in the saddle and would find me on the shores of Loch Lomand by 9pm.
The main problem was getting both into and out of Glasgow. I'm not sure how many rivers go through this city but I seemed to cross a few looking for the Clyde. The only roads leading west out of Glasgow seemed to be impassable for cyclists as they were flyovers and the like. I stumbled across an official cycle route however which followed a canal all the way to Loch Lomand. This added a few miles but I was glad to be away from the main roads, like the A82.
I decided to pass through Helensburgh, birthplace of John Logie Baird, the fool who invented TV. From Helensburgh it took an hour to get to Loch Lomond, which is far above sea level, believe me! Then another half an hour to the camp site where I had a quick can of soup and then went to bed, exhausted.
DAY 14 28th May 2009
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39 miles.
After yesterday I felt I was a kilometer eater! But in fact I seemed to have used up all my energy, so today was hard-going.
I thought that I would reach the end of Loch Lomond mid-morning. But at 2pm I was still cycling beside it - it is huge! I was heading for Fort William today, but I was seriously underestimating how far I had to go. After about 20 miles a car full of tourists asked me where they could get a loch boat trip. I said that Loch Ness is near Fort William and you can certainly do trips there. They put this into their SAT NAV - only 71 miles!
I must be dumb, because it only occured to me an hour or so later that I'd have to cycle almost 100 miles to make Fort William by night fall. Then it started to rain again.
At Crianlarich I'd had enough. I was disappointed as I was really looking forward to seeing Fort William today. But that wasn't going to be happening. I found a camp site and ate pasta and corned beef with Mexican spice mix. Yum!
Maybe it was because I was looking more and more like a tramp - not having shaved for 4 weeks, but I was getting accustomed to being a general source of interest for passers-by. People would shout things like "Good on ya!" or "Hats off!" and children in cars would turn around as they went past to see more of this curiosity on three wheels. It gave me a perverse sense of distinction but I also felt a bit like the bearded lady in a victorian circus. Because of this general interest I was regularly telling interested strangers what I was doing and where I was heading for. It made me wonder how awful it would be to be famous, because, although the interest was nice and I want to promote cycling anyway, I was getting tired of it at the end.
My favorite band, Rush, wrote a song about this phenomenon called Limelight. One of the lines is "Caught in the camera eye I have no heart to lie, I can't pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend." If this really small-time interest was getting me down then it would be a nightmare being famous.
DAY 15 29th May 2009
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61 miles
It stayed dry in the night! And the weather is beautiful and forecast to stay this way until I reach my destination. All, combined - the weather, the scenery, the route and my mood - the best day of the trip so far.
Tomorrow I would finally reach Loch Ness and travel it's length. I was planning on using the southern route under the Loch. I 'd read that there was a dreadfull hill awaiting me at the southern tip of Loch Ness but that it was fine cycling after that. The journey was reaching it's high point - the point approaching what Buddhists call Nirvana - or as close as you can get temporarily. It's that state where you are happy and don't crave anything, because it's all just enough. I was happy pedalling, I was happy in myself and I was certainly happy to be in Scotland, somewhere where I feel intensely at home.
En route I went through Glencoe. I'd heard of this, but don't think I've ever been there. I wasn't to be disappointed because it was simply stunning in the sunshine. Glencoe features a huge "bowl" - presumably the Glen, flanked by amazingly high and beautifully coloured mountains. It meant some climbing but also some dramatic descents.
I've always loved mountains - especially the ones in Scotland, Wales and the Lake District. I get annoyed when people slag off Britain and how rainy and cold it is here because I think we live on a jewel of an island even in bad weather. And mountains get to me more than anything else. I think that they just make me feel small and they've been there for so very long and will be there when my time is over. It's just the idea of Mother Earth for me somehow - She's just so massive and fertile and She supports us all while getting a lot of abuse from us. That's my take on it anyway. Being on a bicycle heightens this feeling because you are always "in touch" with the surroundings and unlike in a car you have time to see everything and even smell it. In fact in Scotland I was amazed at how fragrant the air was - it often smelt like sweet coconut. I discovered that it was the ubiquitous yellow flowering bushes called Broom which lent this aroma to the Highlands. Fantastic!
DAY 16 30th May 2009
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69 miles
After the panoramic views at Glenco I also in for a treat at Loch Ness. Today would top yesterday as the best day by a smidgeon. Yes, there was a huge hill at the loch's southern tip and I really struggled to get up it. The contour map showed me at the top at more than 500 metres. Then there was a long ridge which separated two valleys. Then the road drops down eventually through some lovely winding lanes to the Loch in all it's glory in the sun. The photos do not do the place justice! I was nearly at the top when an Irish cyclist caught me up and we started to chat. I suggested a breather and he agreed. He was keen on anything to do with bikes and had even heard of Koga - the Dutch manufacturer of my bike - and asked me how it was. Yeah, I had some problems, I told him, with the factory-fitted back wheel. Kept breaking spokes. He was amused and said that as kids we did everything on our cycles and treated them badly but they never broke! I didn't say it but I mused that I am a bit fatter now than I was at 10 years old.
Atop a hill on the ridge there was a lone bagpiper, playing. He was doing it for free. Brilliant!
The Scottish also get my acolade for being the most considerate drivers to cyclists in Britain. They also have the most and best cycle tracks - ones that make sense, not ones that are 10 yards long and end with an "End of Route" sign like in England.
I make it to Inverness and finally to Dingwall where there was a horrible, busy camping site. At least I'm on the right coast line now for my destination - the North Sea is in full view.
The A9 scared the death out me as it was like the A14 but worse. So I decided to get up at 5.30 tomorrow - Sunday - and get this road out of the way when it would be quiet.
Another Fish and Chip meal in the (awful) town centre in Dingwall then bed.
DAY 17 31st May 2009
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60 miles
I was up this morning before anyone else and left the camp site as quietly as I could. at 6.30. Onto the A9 - the main road up the east coast of Scotland. Now it was deserted and I made good progress - 30 miles before 11 am.
To my surprise things started getting hilly again and pretty sparse. I needed food and I was disappointed every time I saw what seemed to be a villiage up ahead (with maybe a shop) it turned out to be just a few houses. I began to wonder where these people did their shopping. At noon I had to stop and cook up one of my own meals - rice and dried veg.
Then on the road again, bridge after bridge. Suddenly two cyclists on racing bikes were next to me. Was I doing the End-to- End? They were too. Then they asked me how long I'd been travelling - 17 days. They were on day 5 and would reach John 'o Groats today. "I might get there tomorrow" I said. Then they were off. A couple of their colleagues turned up 10 minutes later wearing the same blue shirts. Turned out they had a support van, but still, it is pretty amazing how many miles they were doing each day - probably about 200.
Near Helmsdale I set up camp. The weather stays perfect.
DAY 18. 1st June 2009. LAST DAY!
===========================
Total: 980-odd miles
I leave Helmsdale at 8 am with mixed feelings and thoughts. John 'o Groats is about 60 miles from here, so that should be no problem, but I'm starting to wonder how I'll get home
I keep seeing haulage trucks pass from Wick and wonder if I can hitch a ride with them. Money is tight, so maybe just hitching with anyone is a good idea. Hiring a "man with a van" occurs to me but fuel alone would cost more than 100 pounds. I end up thinking that what I have to do is either take the train or take National Express - provided they take bikes.
A few miles after Helmsdale the going gets a lot easier. But first there is an amazing climb and descent where I find myself on a road which resembles the one in the opening scenes of The Italian Job (original version). I reached 38 miles an hour on the way down while I had Matt Munroe singing "On days like these...." in my head.
I feel weird emotionally as I approach Wick. It's a mixture of urgent thoughts and feelings about the trip which I have to push back for now. Wick is the last place round here with a station. I am now 16 miles from my target.
It's one of those times when you need to get going as soon as possible but also need to first just sit down and think things through beforehand. I was thinking: I'm as good as there now. But I want to get home soon and not hang around. I go to a travel agent for advice. National Express do not take bikes, not even for charity rides.
Outside the shop I realise that the only straight forward way of getting home is by train. I knew that if you want to take a bike on the train that you have to book in advance. So I went to the station and booked the single ticket. One hundred and thiry one pounds later I stepped outside at 3 pm. The train leaves at 6.40 am the next day.
I find a B&B and dump my trailer there. Nice old ladies run B&Bs and I'd told this one that I'd be gone until 9pm but that I'd need breakfast (full Scottish) at 5.30 am. Problem? Not at all. It was already 4 pm and I needed still to get to John 'o Groats and back - 32 miles in all.
It seemed strange to pass a Tesco-24 store on the way, just before the road became bleak and lonely - and misty. It's a long last road and I wanted to be able to talk to someone about the whole experience.
Then, my prayers were answered. A Canadian guy is cycling the opposite way and we nod, stop, talk.
He's just made it - it's only 3 miles he says. It's good to meet someone in this windswept, misty place because I'd felt like a loner, just doing the last few miles to make the story true. And a human contact in a desolate place.
I pedalled hard through the mist, which was condensing on me and the bike. My legs would take anything now - they were strong.
Then I saw the sign - John 'o Groats. I stopped and phoned Enigma - at 5.30 - just on time to reach Andy, my colleague. "I've made it!" Then I phone my Mum and Dad and my friends.
It was so misty that I couldn't take any decent photos. I had fish and chips in a pub and talked to some Austrians who had also done the trip. We watched Sky News. A French plane had been lost over the Atlantic.
Then I cycled back to Wick with a big smile on my face (unlike on the photo below!), MP3 player turned up loud. I sang all the way back. I needed the volume turned up because pedals were making an awful racket - the bearings were now completely shot.
I felt that this was enough for now`. It was a nice time - I'd achieved what I wanted.
I'd done what I set out to do and I was proud.
June 2nd - The Journey Back
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Apart from running between trains with a bike, trailer, large bag and two panniers, the journey back was mostly great and stress free. I'd met up with a couple of cyclist at the station at Wick (who'd I'd met en route at various stages) and as coincidence would have it we were all on the same train.
At the Tesco 24 in Wick I'd "splashed out" on two books to read on the way back. £7.50 for Michael Parkinson's autobiography (worth a read) and some SAS action novel I'd never heard of.
Paul, one of the cyclists was a nice enough guy, but he just kept talking and talking. Even burying my nose in "Parky" could not deter him from talking constantly. This went on until Edinburgh where we parted company.
Changing trains was a bit of a nightmare with all my stuff. In Edinburgh British Rail actually made three platform changes on the big board in 10 minutes which had us scurrying around like headless chickens. I was wondering on the best way back to Kettering - either all the way to Kings Cross or meandering from Peterborough to Leicester and then to Kettering. I decided to use "phone a friend" and rang Enigma: "Would anyone be willing and able to pick me up at Peterborough at half past 6?" I was not relishing the thought of an additional 4 hours in the train after Peterborough and I was crossing my fingers. Then: "Yep, Jake can pick you up!" This was fantastic as Jake had a bike rack on his roof too.
So, it all turned out OK in the end and in the early evening I stood outside my house after thanking Jake for putting himself out and thought: WOW! John 'o Groats yesterday, Wick this morning, then Edinburgh, Newcastle and now Kettering.
Within a couple of days I was itching to do something else, so I went to Holland and saw my kids. Got some cycling in too!
This cycling trip was brought to you by the letter "C."
CheCk out the youtube CyCling video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TI2Ss1youY