We made it ...

Day 13 - Altnaharra to John O'Groats
It is with great relief and joy the whole team arrived safe and well to John O'Groats late this afternoon.
Our journey today was moderately uneventful apart from the chain on the tandem breaking again so this time Judith & Michelle got it repaired and the tandem was back up and running. We had a few big hills just so we would not forget what they felt like, the occasional blast of wind; but apart from that the weather brightened up and gave us lovely views over the sea and the vast landscape. This truly is the remotest part of Scotland.
We hope you have enjoyed reading our blog and it is important that you know that the success of the blog has also been due to the fact that everyone has left comments which has made a huge difference to us along the way. When we arrived Jon and Stephen were jumping around with excitement - hugging everyone and overwelmed by it all. Lots of hugs, loads of photos underneath the signs - and Judith had covered the car with balloons so it was very festive.
On behalf of the team Nigel, Nick, Michelle, Lynne, Charles, Jon, Lawrence, Julian and Stephen - thank you.
We will be adding the photos as soon as we can ....

103 miles done only 80 to go!

Day 12 (June 22nd) Grantown-on-Spey to Altnaharra 103 miles

Apologies for the late entry..rather tired yesterday. We did battle with the elements to get to this destination. 103 miles in a head wind was no joke. Altnaharra is situated in one of the remotest places in Scotland and crossing the vast open moors we were nearly blown away and then the midges were waiting for us ..in their thousands!
Nigel had a probelm with his rear wheel and that had to be changed..so Judith and Jonathan came to the rescue.

This morning there is a sense of excitement in the team that we are nearly at our goal. The weather is looking better and we have been told the wind will be behind us....that remains to be seen. So off we go to John O'Groats 80 miles YIPPEE!!!!!

Now we know why its called The Highlands

Day 11 - Blairgowrie via Braemar via two ski resorts to Grantown-on-Spey ... 85 miles
The weather forecasters did get it right! We woke to howling winds and pouring rain, not a good sign for the day ahead.
We were greeted by 'Welcome to the Highlands' and after today, we certainly understand why they are called that. The scenery was truly magnificent as we made our way from Blairgowrie to Braemar, 33 miles, at that time the wind was behind us and we treated to a few hills to get us going. Once past Braemar and Balmoral we started our climb to the first ski resort, but much to our distress, the wind was now in front of us, and we had to make our way up hills 1/20 and climbing to over 650 feet. Nigel was consistently fantastic and no hill was too great. The wind was so strong all of us had to fight hard to keep our bikes on the road. When we reached the second ski resort our legs were hurting, Nigel's chain broke on his tandem and Lynne had a flat tyre; but we all managed to hold it together, although it was very cold and we were very wet; at one point we all got into the van for a coffee and some warmth. We finally got in to Grantown at 6.30 - we were so tired that none of us went out for dinner ... well Charles and Alex did.
It is hard to believe that tomorrow is our penultimate day - its also our longest day - 98 miles, when we make our way to Altnaharra where we will be greeted by Judith, Adam & Aimee (Charles' wife and two kids) and Jonathan (Lynne's husband).

Bonnie Scotland

Day 10 - Edinburgh across the Forth Bridge, via Perth to Blairgowrie - 60 miles
What a glorious sunny day as we left our B & B in the heart of Edinburgh with a castle on one side and views over the water on the other. Our first challenge of the day was to get across the Forth Bridge on the cycle path. If this was an exercise in making directions complicated then the local authority did an excellent job - it took us nearly two hours to get to the other side, and it was only 11 miles. We then had problems with the tandem - with the gear slipping it made it impossible for Nigel to make much progress.
Next challenge was to find a bike shop. A quick phone call to Judith @ Norwood who located a bike shop in Perth. Although it wasn't on our route - we needed to change our route and this proved to be a blessing in disguise, because it shortened the route so we knew we would get to Blairgowrie in good time.
Every time we stopped to help the tandem, Nick gave us a blast of classical music from the minibus to calm us down. The bike shop in Perth managed to solve the problem - the manager was very impressed with our bike ride but said, in his best Scottish accent, 'och ye still have a wee way to go'.
We got to our b & b just outside Blairgowrie, in a place called Wester Essendy which overlooks a beautiful loch, in plenty of time for us to get ready before the match. The days ride was actually very kind to us there were very few hills except at the end, and you guessed it, our overnight stay was at the top of the biggest hill.
It is hard to believe that there are only 3 more riding days to go, but they are going to be 3 very demanding ones. Tomorrow we are off to Grantown-on-Spey which is 85 miles away, with the forecast being gale force winds, low temperatures and heavy rain - not exactly what we wanted to hear. However, Alex is with us for another day and his laid back manner and funny banter is guaranteed to lift our spirits.

Edinburgh with time to spare

Day 9 - Langholm to Edinburgh - A7 historic route - 74 miles
What started as a rainy cold grey day as we left Langholm at 6.30 in the morning, ended in brilliant sunshine as we cycled into Edinburgh by 2.30 pm after a 74 mile ride along the A7 historic route. We had a slow climb out of Langholm in the pouring rain for 14 miles then thankfully things started to get better. All of us were cycling hard and managed to cover the miles well. The support van was brilliant and there was Nick & Michelle providing us with hot tea, bananas & the opportunity to add and remove layers as the weather changed. By midday the rain stopped but was replaced by a terrible head wind which made even going downhill a struggle. Nigel & Lawrence led us into Edinburgh where Stephen Treisman was waiting for us as he is taking over from Lawrence. Lawrence has been with us the past four days and his constant chatter will be missed. Alex Pomerance arrived this afternoon and will be riding with us for a couple of days and helping us through the highlands. Tomorrow the terrain becomes more demanding as we cycle closer to our goal. We have an 85 mile ride to Blairgowrie in what is forecasted to be bad weather.
We really love your numerous comments, keep them coming and to Sam & Eloise don't worry, daddy is doing his stretching.

Home & Dry (actually Wet) by 2.30 pm !

Day 8 - Appleby-in-Westmoreland across the border into Scotland, Langholm - 55 miles
What a treat - we completed our journey into Scotland in record time - partly because it was 55 miles and not the 81 we suggested and it was also reasonably flat. It rained all day but we didn't mind because we could see that we would get in early and have a sleep in the afternoon. What joy.
We rode as a team today following our split on Saturday and happily are working so well together. Nigel is always on tandem and he holds the record of having never got off his bike, no matter how extreme the hills have been. Jon and Lawrence take turns throughout the day. Nick and Michelle are the key to the support - before we leave in the morning they make sure the minibus is ready & loaded, and all the food and water at hand. They take it in turns driving and marking the route and also cycling on the solo bike to give Nigel some support. Driving the minibus and navigating is not easy and can be quite stressful - the roads are not clearly marked and often not marked at all. Some of the route is not even suitable for the bus so we then have to find each other. Both Michelle and Nick manage this so well and no matter what is thrown at them they are always laughing and making jokes.
Off to Edinburgh tomorrow - the terrain looks daunting and there are 80 miles to cover.
Lastly thanks so much for all your comments, we love them so please don't stop.

Helping Hands

Day 7 - Clayton Le Dale (Lancs) - High Bentham (N. Yorks) to Appleby-in-Westmoreland (Cumbria) - 76 miles
Yesterday afternoon we were joined by Michael Harris and Julien Sampson who volunteered their help to give us back-up this is because Jon and Lawrence, from The Village, did not ride on Saturday and had to be taken to the next destination on Friday. They were taken there by Michelle in our support vehicle and Julien and Michael ably filled the gap and took care of Charles, Lynne, Nigel and Nick on their 76 miles to Appleby-in-Westmoreland.
It was a beautiful day despite staying in the most miserable bed and breakfast which I recommend that you all avoid! We had glorious scenery and wonderful views - a perfect setting except these huge long steep climbs over the Cumbrian Moors. Our hearts sank when we saw what we had to face, but in true spirits we gritted our teeth and got on with the job - apart from when Lynne decided to get off her bike and not get back on. After a few well chosen words from Charles she was back in the saddle! Lynne's plight was rewarded by having the pleasure of her husband Jonathan's company this evening.
A huge thank you to Julien and Michael for their help, advice and support. It was a long way to come for such a short time - and was much appreciated.
Jon and Lawrence have had a good rest day and are looking forward to being back on their tandem, we are off tomorrow for a gentle 81 mile ride - not. Lets hope the weather continues to stay dry.

How did we manage to get lost?

Day 6 - Market Drayton to Clayton Le Dale (near Blackburn) - 92 miles.
What a fantastic start to the day we had- 10, 20, 30 then 40 miles and it was only midday. We were excited by the prospect of getting to our evening destination by late afternoon, or so we thought. We managed to get caught in a set of B roads while looking for our B & B. We eventually got there by 7.30 in the evening after having spent 12 hours in the saddle! Needless to say we are all extremely tired, sore and frustrated. We can crawl into our beds with the knowledge that we only have 71 miles tomorrow... Unfortunately it will mostly be uphill. By the end of the day we will be in Appleby in Westmoreland.

Didn't we do well !

Day 5 - Lea (Ross-on-Wye) to Market Drayton (Staffordshire) - 93 miles
The challenge of the day - could we complete 93 miles in time to get to see England play. Up and out by 6.30am - by 9.30 we had completed one third of the journey, the terrain was a little kinder and the scenery just delightful and the weather was in our favour. We had the pleasure of Jonathan Friend who spent the day cycling with us and happily navigated this part of the route. Unfortunately he had a problem with his bike - we couldn't believe it when his pedal fell off and he had to use our spare bike.
As if the cycling was not challenging enough - we found ourselves mistakenly on a busy A road outside Ironbridge below the B road. The only way was up - literally. Yes - up the embankment we clambered, through bracken and barbed wire - bikes and all - safely to the B road (fortunately the residents were having a rest in the bus at the time). By 5pm we had the last 10 miles - could we make it? We timed it so we missed the boring first half and caught the only two goals.
We are looking forward to Julien Sampson and Michael Harris joining us for dinner Friday night and supporting us all day Saturday and no doubt they will be sharing many memories of their own Land's End to John O'Groats experience.
Tomorrow we are off to Blackburn, a mere 82 miles.

Mixed Emotions ...

Day 4 Cheddar Gorge (Somerset) via Severn Bridge - Forest of Dean to Lea (Herefordshire) - 78 miles
We woke up with the knowledge that the climb out of Cheddar Gorge was waiting ... no worries. We pedalled out with relative ease - our legs definitely stronger.
What a day - saying goodbye to Judith and Elaine, saying a sad goodbye to Julian and a big welcome to Lawrence Black who has joined the team from the village - crossing the Severn Bridge, cycling past Tintern Abbey and through the Forest of Dean. We finally got to our destination at 7.30pm with yet more steep HILLS. A huge surprise was in store when we got to the bed and breakfast, Charles' brother David was waiting to greet us.
Tomorrow we are off to Market Drayton - who knows what time we will get there - we have ninety five miles to cycle.

It never rains..it pours

Day 3 South Molton (Devon) to Cheddar Gorge (Somerset) 77 miles.
Getting into a really good routine - all of us breakfasted and biked up by 7am. We have a new four letter word - its HILL and the day started as the past two, with many HILLS. We are starting to notice aches and pains and sore places (fellow cyclists will know what we are talking about) that we didn't know existed. And the tiredness by the end of the day can make some of us (especially Lynne) tetchy. Once again the scenery was beautiful but by 11am the rain started and then it just poured for three hours. We took it with good humour along with the problem with the tandem - the chain broke and we had to find a bike shop which delayed us for over an hour. We got into Cheddar at 6.30 in glorious sunshine, thank goodness and were thrilled to see Judith Barnett and her sister Elaine waiting to greet us - we couldn't believe our eyes. This evening it was diagnosed that Julian has a hernia and he needed to go to the hospital and was advised to return to The Village. Luckily Judith and Elaine can take him back in the morning. Julian has been absolutely fantastic and we will miss him very much.
Tomorrow we are off to Ross on Wye and goodnight.