LEJOG Sarah and Max

An extra early start was needed today. Not only was it an extra long 85 mile ride (with plenty of climbs) but we had the added time pressure because the taxi was coming to pick us up from John O’Groats at 5pm. Although we were tired the adrenalin was flowing and we were all keen to finish the challenge! It was a much cooler start than previous days and although rain wasn’t forecast we were dubious. Base layers and rain jackets (and long trousers for me) seemed very appropriate.  Due to the mix up with the hotel booking we’d eaten at the pub where we were staying last night. It was a really tasty meal and to say that the portions were huge is an understatement. The bowl of pasta ordered by Ian T was going to pay dividends later for us all! Breakfast today was a different story though - a rather paltry offering of croissants for me and gluten free pancakes for Max delivered takeaway style the night before. We set off at 8am - our earliest start yet, so determined were we to ensure we...

Breakfast was at 8am today. The food itself was v good but it was chaotic as people struggled to remember what they’d pre-ordered the night before or their room name for the host to double check. Fatigue was clearly starting to set in!! We set off at a leisurely 9.30am which was fine as today was a shorter ride  - a mere 65 miles! The only sting in the tail was the 15% gradient hill which we’d have to climb after our first coffee stop of the morning.  Max has been getting progressively more weary each day and he’s quite keen for someone to take his place on the Tandem for the last day - no takers so far though!! One of our fellow cyclists greets us every morning as "Superman and Superwoman" - I’ve no idea why but we’re struggling to live up to the title!! After the coffee stop at a lovely roadside deli we braced to face our toughest climb yet. No sooner had we turned the corner when we saw the 15% gradient sign!! We had to dig really deep, we took it steady and we made it t...

Breakfast was at 8am today and very nice it was too. The midges were indeed waiting for us as soon as we went outside though and so we bid a hasty farewell and set off for the Highlands. We could see blue sky in the distance and were optimistic that another very pleasant day lay ahead. The climbing started early today as we made our way towards Glencoe. It seemed like a fairly gradual incline but before long we looked back at the road behind us and were amazed to see how far we’d already climbed! After the climb we were rewarded with a very long descent which was absolutely awesome. The views were stunning and with the sun shining it just couldn’t get any better. We took a slight detour of the main road to stop off at the Clachaig Inn. There was live music outside which turned out to be part of a documentary about LEJOG!!  Most of us weren’t quite ready for lunch at this point but were hoping for coffee and cake. As food stops go it wasn’t one of the best but afterwards we continue...

It was a 7am breakfast today - we needed to get ahead of the two coach parties who checked in just after us last night. This strategy paid off and we set off in glorious sunshine at around 8.30am. Today was going to be a day of two halves with a very easy cycle along the coast road this morning, catching the lunchtime ferry to cross the estuary for the afternoon climb. As luck would have it it was perfect weather for a bike ride along the coast - glorious sunshine with a gentle breeze which of course meant we had to stop for an ice cream at the Italian Gelato in Largs. Today was starting to feel a bit like a holiday!! We cycled 39 miles to reach the ferry - just over the half way mark in mileage terms but nowhere near halfway in terms of effort expended. We were certainly going to have to up our game for the second half with  over 4,000 feet of climbing to do.  The first climb after lunch wasn't too bad but it was swiftly followed by a second with a 15% gradient for half a mil...

Rumour had it that today’s ride was going to be quite a tough one so everyone was extra keen to make an early start. We managed to set off just after 8.30am and decided on a steady pace with short stops so as to save our legs for yet more climbs tomorrow. Very soon we were on quiet country lanes and as we started to climb the scenery opened up. It wasn’t long before we saw our first highland cows (who seemed very curious to see the Tandem!) and a couple of lochs too. There was certainly no mistaking we were in Scotland today.  We made our first stop around 13 miles in at a small but very well stocked local store. I dived on one of the freshly made rolls and Max grabbed a bar of tablet (which is like Scottish fudge with extra sugar!). This became a godsend towards the end of the day when we found ourselves in dire need of a sudden energy boost for the last 10 miles.  The weather seemed OK and the forecast suggested that we might be lucky enough to escape the rain. We stayed dry...

After a good night’s sleep in the most comfortable bed yet breakfast was at 7.15am. Settling the hotel bill was challenging as a second glass of malbec wine from dinner the night before hadn’t been claimed. For once it wasn’t mine! We set off about 9am and it was already feeling quite warm. The forecast was indicating that showers were going to be chasing us as we travelled further north so the big question for the day was whether we would manage to evade them. Our first stop was Penrith and with few options someone made the call to head to Greggs - coffee and a vegan sausage roll for me while Max managed to grab a macaroon from a nearby takeaway cafe. It was a good shout given the limited options and anyway a small pasty seemed pretty harmless given all the miles we’ve clocked up. From Penrith we headed for Carlisle choosing not to stop in an attempt to stay ahead of the showers. As we approached Gretna Green the temperature dropped and there was no mistaking the rain clouds sweeping ...

Breakfast was at 7.30am today and as we looked out our window it looked like we might just avoid the heavy downpour that was forecast for the morning. It seemed our luck had run out though as we set out in the pouring rain at 9.15am. We were determined not to let it dampen our spirits!  Heavy traffic for the first 20 miles of the ride as we navigated our way through Wigan and Preston only added to challenge. We dived into the arts centre cafe in Preston to grab some shelter. It turned out to be a greasy spoon in disguise but by the time we left at least the rain has started to subside.  As we reached Garstang the scenery started to improve and soon we made our way into the Trough of Bowland where we were treated to the very best of England’s green and pleasant land. The weather had cleared up nicely by this time and we were able to remove some of our soggy layers. Next pitstop early afternoon was a delightful tea room in Hornby. An important refuel as we got ready to face the ...

The focus for today was on recovery from yesterday's crash - both physically and reputationally! It was a relatively easy day - almost a rest day in relative terms and it couldn't have been better timed we all agreed. In the knowledge that the next few days are likely to be much tougher we took the opportunity to fuel ourselves up (or in Max's words 'shovel as much food down as possible'!!). Delicious breakfast  We set off just before 9am after a hearty breakfast and the road out of the hotel quickly led us to a series of long and very quiet country lanes. This was a very pleasant, scenic (and confidence building) start to today's ride. We cycled through a few market towns and soon stopped at a lovely little tea shop for gluten free cake for Max and luxury hot chocolate for me. Lunch was fish finger sandwiches with chips and lashings of ginger beer at the Anderton boat lift.  After lunch we only had 20 miles left so we were confident of an early fini...

An easier day today. Lots of quiet roads and lovely scenery. Nice views Our legs were paying the price for trying to keep up with the fastest riders yesterday. We had a good lunch in Worcester plus tea, cake and ice cream in Bridgnorth. Big lunch On our descent into Ironbridge we had a big crash, but emerged from a pile of nettles unharmed. It took an hour to fix our bike with everyone's kind assistance, but we were very lucky to be able to continue. Post crash repairs Let's hope for a quieter day tomorrow.