The fat lady sings...

Well, we did it. We finally arrived at Lands End around 5.30pm to be enthusiastically met by the Tynan clan. Were feeling on top of the world right now, Mr Bojangles in Lycra. Leaving John O' Groat's feels like a long time ago.



Time to enjoy the moment now. There will be plenty of opportunities to reflect the enormity of the job in hand in the coming days. I have all the daily blogs in long hand which I will be adding to the blog over the course of the next week.

>

Halleluljah, Were kissing the sky.

Gravy.

8 miles high

A monster 131 miles. Goodnight. x

897/970miles

Bristol Cream

two daze to go. The minds still working-but can the legs keep up?

126 miles today.

646/970miles

the beat goes on......

Now in ironbridge in shropshire another 90 miles in 8.5 hrs.646/970miles

The world is most definitely not flat

Just gone through the rolling hills of Yorkshire

92 miles in 9 hours!

557/970 miles

well over the half way stage.

THIS IS ENGLAND

107 miles in 9.5 hours 462/970

Cloudburst

My word! What a day... Sheer hell. It began as it meant to go on. Rain, sleet and a ridiculously strong headwind to match.

We came down for Breakfast to be greeted with the ominous news that the Met office had issued a severe weather warning for the Grampian region. It advised not to take the route through to Glenshee which is at the summit as the conditions were meant to be atrocious. Unfortunately, we did not have any choice in the matter. We had to take a gamble and carry on regardless to Edinburgh or else it would shake us wildly off our daily schedule. This contrasted to the weather forecast for down South where it was Mad dogs and Englishman.

For the initial 25 miles of this 93 mile day It is safe to assume that It is highly unlikely that we will ever cycle through the conditions to what we experienced. The wind was directly traveling with intent into the path that we were traveling into. We could hardly make any headway, just briefly exerting all our efforts in slow motion one bit at a time. Twice this pushed us over to the ground. The rain was one mass orgy of thick icy droplets that sand blasted our face continuously without repent. This drained us physically as on top of this we were cycling up a 11% gradient which is a feat in itself.

We finally made it to the top of the summit, where the Glenshee Ski Centre is based. This says it all really. It had taken us 2 hours to make just 8 miles. A pitiful 4mph. It was time for a team meeting huddled in the cafe with only one conclusion. The show must go on...

The remaining miles installed a belief inside us that if we can get through what Glenshee had to throw at us, then anything else we can face head on... as nothing will ever compare to the wrath that we faced this morning. Finally made it to Edinburgh battle hardened 13 hours after initially setting off in Braemar after 9.5 hours in the saddle.



Hours in Saddle:9hrs 34m
Miles:93
Max Speed:32mph
Average Speed:9.7mph

TOTAL MILES: 330/970

Out to play at the Edinburgh festival

Blowin' in the Wind

We are now on Twitter, this enables us to send pictures via our mobile on the spot as its happening just go to... http://www.twitter.com/jogle2009er



This is supposedly a rest day. We have just cycled through 43 miles of some of the most arduous terrain so far through the Cairn Gorms with 2000ft climbs the norm. Its been hard on the body especially for the first time today. Due to the gradient there is a lot of 'out of the saddle' cycling like a jockey would do to gain extra strength in each cadence. This takes its toll on the lower thighs and knees after a while. Steve is convinced that his heart is going to burst. He is wearing a heart monitor for some bizarre reason which goes through the roof every time we are on a climb. He keeps shouting out, 'Dave, Ive hit 160bpm' at sporadic intervals.

The prevaling winds as expected are making a real nuisance of themselves. Predominantly coming from the South West this makes for strong headwinds. Think we will come the other way next time. To overcome this Steve and I take turns 'drafting' which is one cycles at the front with the other directly behind. The leader uses more strength at the front, this creates a slipstream for the follower who exerts less energy of around 40% .



It has been a welcome change finishing our day today at a relatively early time of 3.30pm. This has given us a few hours of rest and recuperation which is a breath of fresh air as our bodies do not know what has hit them.

We are off to Edinburgh tomorrow. This will see us breaking through from the higher more mountainous regions on to the lowlands. We have a beast of a 10 mile climb when leaving Braemar in the morning, then hopefully it will be more plain sailing. I am going to miss the highlands as for all that they have thrown at us it is every cyclists dream to be in such varied terrain.

Miles: 45
Maximum Speed: 38mph
Average Speed: 9mph
Time in Saddle: 5hrs 01m

TOTAL MILES: 236/970

Life is Sweet

Another 95 miles today, tough going in some parts as we have now hit the highlands where 2000ft Wainrights are the norm. These can be very deceptive when cycling up them as just when you think you have reached its height and are going over the brow of the peak suddenly another climb appears in its way towards the top. A real optical illusion especially with burning muscles screaming 'STOP'.

Today we began to realise the importance of taking enough food and water with us. We were caught short on the last 40 miles towards Lairg with no supplies left. This really pushed us physically as we were starting to get tired without the constant top ups of regular fuel. We are burning around a 1000 calories an hour and this needs to be replaced or else muscle fatigue then comes into play.

The scenery around this part of the world is truly stunning. No matter how hard we find the cycling it is easy to switch off when surrounded by such beauty. At times it is hard to grasp the concept of time as you just zone out for long periods and are just in the moment. This is ideal as it distracts from the job at hand and takes away any thoughts of racing against the clock. More please!

Miles:95

Maximum speed: 35mph

Time in saddle: 8hrs 18m

Average Speed: 11mph

Ladies and gentlemen... we are now floating in space

After all the last minute preparations over the last couple of weeks the time finally came for us to clip our shoes into our pedals and to finally make tracks.

We arrived at the famous sign post at JOG and had the obligatory photo. The photographer mentioned that only a few days previous there was a guy who ran from End to End pushing a wheely bin... it took him 3 and a half months. Then we dipped our toe in the Atlantic for some unknown reason then we were off.



Our waterproofs got put to the test as it was a torrential down pour all day. Its certainly not going to dampen our spirits as this has been our dream for a long time.



For the first 5o miles we were hugging the coast with some stunning seascapes and wild rocky crevasses. We stopped for lunch at the Crask Inn which is your typical middle of nowhere pub. Last 20 miles were predominantly down hill to Lairg where we were staying for the evening. It was getting dark by this time. Don't want to make a habit of that but we had our hands tied to an extent as the photographer did not start til 10 am. We were hoping to start our days cycling by 8am at the very latest so we are not constantly chasing the clock.

All in all a successful first day.

Miles: 95
Max speed: 36mph
Average: 13mph
Time in Saddle: 7hrs 18m

Flower of Scotland

We are flying out today so I have just stripped the bike down to its bare bones. It has to be put into a bike box in order for it to go in the hold of the plane. Fingers crossed it comes back unscathed at the other end.



Well, I guess this is it. There is no turning back now. What waits in store for us in the next couple of weeks remains to be seen. I am feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation of entering the unknown. Without doubt it is going to be quite testing for us at times both mentally and physically but I suppose that we will just have to keep our eye on the ball and remain focused on the bigger picture. If we start thinking in terms of the amount of mileage we have to do each day then it could become intimidating. When it gets to that stage then we have just got to try and stay positive because in the swing of things this is quite possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

See you on the other side.

Gravy.

Catching the Butterfly

Sunglasses - Check... Spare inner tubes... Check... Leopard print Speedos - Check... Splendid. Everything is now all packed up and ready to go for tomorrows travel day to base camp in Wick. Been double checking everything and trying to imagine all eventualities of things I might need in any given situation. Yet in realistic terms at the most that might occur is getting the odd puncture or at best a thick ear. So I am going to take a deep breath and keep repeating the Mantra 'Less is more', especially when you have to bear the weight for mile after mile up rolling hills.

It has just dawned on me that there is a possibility that my phone might not receive Internet connection in some of the more remote parts of the journey especially through the highlands. So gasp, shock, horror you might have to wait in anticipation for some of the daily blog updates from time to time. I am sure you will cope somehow.

Right, that’s it I’m signing off and going for a few beers as there is not a cat in hells chance that I will get a proper nights sleep tonight with the thought that I might have forgotten something.

The butterflies have started already... remind me, why are we doing this again...

Gravy.

Northern Soul

Phew! That’s a sigh of relief. I picked up my bike which was being serviced today. Typically left it right to the bitter end to be looked at which wasn’t good for the nerves. Ray, the man with the permanently oily hands who loves nothing more than a good old handshake has had to make a few adjustments to a few bits and bobs on the bike. He has fitted a special bracket to the frame to support the weight of the panniers as there was scepticism whether the frame of my bike could hold the extra load as it is more of a racing bike rather that a touring bike.

A big thank you to the guys at the shop (Rayment Cycles) who have patiently answered all my various questions no matter how obvious or bizarre they have been. And it also goes to show what superstars they are when they refused payment once they found out the cause we were supporting on our journey. Restores your faith.

Heres the breakdown of all the daily mileages. Click on the links underneath for breakdowns of route profiles, gradients, etc.

Stage 1 - Monday 17th August 2009 - John o'groats - Lairg : 96.25 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-kingdom/stage-1-jogle---john-o-groats---lairg/185124967122821952
Stage 2 - Tuesday 18th August 2009 - Lairg - Grantown-on-Spey 95.28 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=471124967151826040
Stage 3 - Wednesday 19th August 2009 - Grantown-on-Spey - Braemar 45.61 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=209124966568117117
Stage 4 - Thursday 20th August 2009 - Braemar - Edinburgh 93.47 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=450124968767527424
Stage 5 - Friday 21st August 2009 - Edinburgh - Innerleithen 31.23 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=392124968032785923
Stage 6 - Saturday 22nd August 2009 - Innerleithen - Kirkby Stephen 108.76 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=573124968531963364
Stage 7 - Sunday 23rd August 2009 - Kirkby Stephen - Holmfirth 85.91 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=742124969088134784
Stage 8 - Monday 24th August 2009 - Holmfirth - Ironbridge 92.15 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=502124974913144279
Stage 9 - Tuesday 25th August 2009 - Ironbridge - Cheddar 122.16 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=155124975885827565
Stage 10 - Wednesday 26th August 2009 - Cheddar - St Mabyn 125.06 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=388124977623257763
Stage 11 - Thursday 27th August 2009 - St Mabyn - Lands End 73.25 miles
http://www.mapmyride.com/view_route?r=928124977158938186

Thats 969.13 miles give or take a little (although keep it a secret but I think I might know a few short cuts!)

The pipes, the pipes are calling...

THE SCOTTISH LEG - DAYS 1 TO 6

Heres our planned itinerary for the trip:

Travel day: Sunday 16th August

Easyjet Gatwick flight to Inverness.
Then the train to Wick which arrives 10pm.

Were staying at: http://www.guesthousewick.co.uk


Day 1: Monday 17th August - Stage 1 jogle: John O'Groats - Lairg - 96.25 miles

We have to negotiate the 12 miles to to JOG from Wick to the start this will be the only time we cycle North. We will get the obligatory photograph at the famous sign and dip our toe in the water of the Atlantic Ocean. This will be replicated when we get to the other end not sure why really but it just seems a fun thing to do...?!?

50 miles along westerly coast to Bettyhill via Thurso, then south to Lairg via Loch Naver. Infamous crask inn 12 miles north of Lairg is a classic middle of knowhere pub http://www.letsgonorth.com/scripts/view.pl?27

Staying at http://www.parkhousesporting.com/ in Lairg
Lonely planet blurb on Lairg - population 904, the village of Lairg lies at the southern end of Loch Shin. in 1807, Lairg parishioners became some of the first victims of the highland clearances but the village is now famous for its annual august lamb sale, the largest one day sale in Europe.


Day 2 Tuesday 18th August - Stage 2 jogle: Lairg - Grantown-on-Spey - 95.28 miles

Keeping south about 3 miles out of Lairg we go past Shin Falls where they have salmon leaping out of the water, then another 3 miles later cross the small rail bridge at Invershin into Culrain and go past probably the best youth hostel in the world at Carbisdale Castle http://www.carbisdale.org/yourvisit.htm (they were full) .
Next of note is a turnoff to Cawdor Castle, made famous by Shakespeares Macbeth. Carrying on we go past dulsie bridge, a locally known swimming hole possibly for a wee dip to cool off, then onto Grantown-on-Spey. Were staying at www.kinrosshouse.co.uk


Day 3 Wednesday 19th August - Stage 3 jogle: Grantown-on-Spey - Braemar - 45.61miles

Tough tough day... going through the heart of the Grampian mountains..so shorter miles..
20 miles out of Grantown just pass Tomintoul the climb starts to Lecht pass at 637 metres (2089 feet). After about 35 miles we go past Balmoral, residence of the Queen during the summer months so hopefully she will be out with the corgis cheering us on. Oppurtunities abound here to fly fish on the River Dee.

Day 4 Thursday 20th August - Stage 4 jogle: Braemar - Edinburgh - 93.47 miles

Climbing all the way out of Braemar comes the show-stopper of a climb up Glen Shee over the cairnwell pass at 670metres (2199 feet) this is the highest main road in the uk and so the highest point in the whole JOGLE ride. At the top is the Glenshee ski centre, Scotlands oldest.

Luckily (or unluckily) on the way down we avoid the infamous devils elbow http://www.flickr.com/photos/castlekay/1260779884/ and so after 10 miles of climbing its downhill for the next 40 all the way to Perth. Continuing south from Perth near Kinross we can see Loch Leven castle situated on an island in the Loch. Were staying at http://www.syha.org.uk/hostels/central/edinburgh_metro.aspx


Day 5 Friday 21st August - Stage 5 jogle: Edinburgh - Innerleithen - 31.23 miles

A semi rest day with much lower mileage as we head into the borders region to rest our sorry legs by the River Tweed. Fifteen miles out of Edinburgh there are stunning views from atop of the Moorfoot hills looking back to the city and the Firth of Forth. Staying at Scottish guest house of the year 2009, (take a bow) http://www.caddonview.co.uk/ If we turn up between 4 - 5.30 we get free cakes and drinks!! Another stunning place to get the waders on J.R Hartley style and do some fly fishing is on the River Tweed.


Day 6 Saturday 22nd August - Stage 6 jogle: Innerleithen - Kirkby Stephen - 108.76 miles

Getting back into some serious mileage we pass the ton in a day for the first official time!
25 miles in near the village of Eskdalemuir the last thing you would expect to find is the kagyu samye ling monastery & tibetan centre http://www.samyeling.org/ founded in 1967, it was the first tibetan buddhist monastery in the west.

Fifteen miles from Carlisle and 52 miles into the ride we leave Scotland and enter England close to the town of Longtown. On through Carlisle and 45 miles of country cumbrian roads await.. a good food stop is the shepherds inn at Melmerby with apparent monster portions and fine ale. We then arrive in Kirby where Gravy is booked into the yha http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/yorkshire-dales-south-pennines/hostels/kirkby-stephen/index.aspx whilst Barry's at http://www.blackbullkirkbystephen.co.uk

Day Tripper

THIS IS ENGLAND - DAYS 7 - 13

Day 7 Sunday 23rd August - Stage 7 jogle: Kirkby Stephen - Holmfirth - 85.91 miles
This is England
An absolute cracker jack of a ride right through the yorkshire dales and onto the edges of the pennines at Holmfirth. The first 45 or so miles to Skipton are as good as it gets with stunning climbs and views and hopefully not many cars. From Skipton we continue through some larger towns in Halifax and Huddersfield to get to Holmfirth famous as the town where last of the summer wine is filmed. staying in a twin room at a glorious country inn on the moorlands http://www.the-huntsman-inn.com/


Day 8 Monday 24nd August - Stage 8 jogle: Holmfirth - Ironbridge - 92.15 miles

Straight out of Holmfirth through Holmbridge and Holme we tackle the classic Holme Moss hill climb, a legendry hill climb in British cycling circles which used to feature in the Tour of Britain cyle race. On over and through the pennine towns of Glossop, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Buxton we head south west through Staffordshire countryside onto the town Ironbridge which has the honour as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and a Unesco World Heritage Site. Staying at a stunning guest house http://libraryhouse.com/

Day 9 Tuesday 25th August - Stage 9 jogle: Ironbridge - Cheddar - 122.16 miles

We're off to Cheddar in Somerset... (you have to say it aloud in faux farmers accent)
Second longest day on the road its heads down time to get some serious miles in. Virtually straight south after hitting culninery capital of England Ludlow we head through Leominster, Hereford and down to Chepstow. Crossing the River Severn on the old bridge, now the M48, there is a cycle path below road level.

The big challenge once over is skirting Bristol to avoid most of the stop / start traffic so we stay on A roads to get round and then cross the famous Clifton Bridge http://www.clifton-suspension-bridge.org.uk We end the day cycling over the beautiful Mendip hills to Cheddar home of the great british cheese. Were booked into the yha in the centre of the village http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/south-west-england/hostels/cheddar/index.aspx

Day 10 Wednesday 26th August - Stage 10 jogle: Cheddar - St Mabyn - 125.06 miles

The monster... longest day on the road and probably the hardest. A sort of Devon, Cornwall version of the Mont Ventoux stage at Le tour except no 1900 metre mountain to get up..
What we do have is up down up down all day, getting through the miles, through Taunton, Tiverton and onto Okehampton at 80 miles on the edges of Dartmoor. Then we hit the 100 mile mark at Launceston before going through rolling Cornish countryside to St Mabyn via Camelford. Staying at http://www.theoldchapelhouse.co.uk/ perhaps the best B&B of the lot!!!


Day 11 Thursday 27th August - Stage 11jogle: St Mabyn - Lands End 73.25 miles

A brilliant day to finish. Head to Wadebridge then get onto the Camel Trail http://www.padstowcyclehire.com/cameltrailmap.htm all the way to Padstow. A really scenic ride this cycle path hugs the Camel Estuary to Padstow. Then we go south to Newquay on to Redruth, Penzance and finishing the day at Lands end... fancy a pint?


Day 12 Friday 28th August

No stages just the realisation of a dream, of shared experiences galore and a real understanding of what it means to be alive..
Staying in Flushing with the wonderful hospitable Tynan's..


Day 13 Saturday 29th August

Train back to London town where we will head our seperate ways. Booked onto the morning train from Truro to London Paddington arriving at shortly after 1pm

Then its United v Arsenal 5.30 kick off to bring us back into the real world.

Gravy.

You go your way and I'll go mine

Here is the route that we will be taking going from North to South. (Click on the map for it to magnify) It is 970 miles exactly from point to point. Most people who cycle the End-to-End follow a route that travels to the west side of the Pennines skirting through Liverpool and Manchester. Our route takes us east through the Yorkshire Dales which we figured would be more appealing to our senses.

Accounts of the western routes often seem to mention unappealing industrial landscapes. The route we will be doing will be far more scenic as it avoids urbanised sections in the northwest of England. This also relies heavily on joining fast A roads, which we are eager to avoid. There is also a 100-mile corridor, which loosely follows the M62, which is just one huge urban sprawl. However, going east and keeping on the Pennines involves more natural eye candy, amazing beautiful countryside and rolling hills to feast on.

There is a slight downside of us travelling from north to south as in theory we will be cycling into the prevailing winds which originate more often than not come from a south westerly direction. This is why most people take the sensible approach and go LE-JOG rather that JOG-LE.

Dirty Barry has been plotting the route we will be taking on a site called Map my Ride. This enables us to plan our journey in detail incorporating gradient profiles, mile counts as well as a physical reference for us to absorb our progress. We can upload all of this information to our global positioning system which should keep us on track accurately with our directions... Well in theory anyway?!?

Gravy.

Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum

When you're cycling 100 miles a day you'll be burning around 500 calories an hour. You need to replace about half that to maintain your efficiency or you'll start to feel fatigued. That's quite a lot of eating.

The traditional B&B full English breakfast isn't the best thing for cycling, although I know hand on heart that for all the tea in China that there is no hope of turning one down before we set off in the morning. I mean... come on! Unfortunately, it contains too much fat and it's too heavy yet sometimes in life you have to take the rough with the smooth.

Cereals and fruit are a better option. During the day we will try to snack little but often-on high-carbohydrate foods. Marks & Spencer’s used to sell low-fat apricot flapjacks, which were ideal and very tasty, but most people preferred the full butter type so they stopped selling the healthy version! However, their low-fat oat cookies in apricot and apple varieties are almost as good.

Bananas are, of course, the traditional cyclist's food and an excellent source of carbohydrate. That's why you see so many banana skins on the roadside on the approach to steep hills. I am going to keep a few Power Bars (high carbohydrate) in my panniers as an emergency source of oomph!

Drinking is just as important as eating; otherwise the process of converting carbohydrate into muscle energy cannot work. Once again, we intend to drink little but often, and keep ample supplies of water with us. We are going to carry two water bottles each, on a hot day we'll get through them in a couple of hours so will have to top up regularly at any opportunity.

Above all, experience has shown us the hard way that we will need to eat before we feel hungry and drink before we feel thirsty. If we don't, we will risk experiencing a phenomenon which cyclists call "The Bonk". All of a sudden you feel totally drained of energy and you may well feel that you can't go on. It's a shattering experience to say the least, especially when your 50 miles from the next port of call as no ones going to magically appear with any fast tracked solution. You’re on your own...

An average human tends to burn around 1200 calories per day. We will be burning in the region of 6000. We will have to think seriously how we are going to consume a similar amount on the road and quite possibly in the middle of nowhere considering the route we have chosen to take. If we get this wrong it could be crucial in our development. All the accommodation has been booked for each day so there is huge pressure for us to hit our targets or else it will put the whole schedule into jeopardy.

We have been told to expect to lose around 8% body fat over the journey despite how much we try to eat to replenish the burnt calories. So we are going to consciously eat as much carb rich food before we hit the road in a few days time.

Gravy.

Feel the fear and do it anyway

This bizarre episode quite literally has been arranged in haste over the last week or so. We have been talking about doing the end-to-end ‘one-day' for years. It had got to a stage where to be quite honest we had talked about it that much that I didn’t think we would ever get around to doing it and had resigned myself to the prospect of it only ever being pub talk after a few drinks.

However, a definite sea change occurred last month when Steve and I went cycling in Provence following the Tour de France to the final dizzy climbs of Mount Ventoux.

Our dreams started to become a little more realistic as we were in the saddle for 7+ hours a day in 40 degree heat climbing average gradients of 11% and having an amazing amount of fun in the process.

Stopping for a lazy lunch and wine throughout the day we were living the good life. This feel good factor started to inspire us to what other cycling adventures we could be getting our teeth into. Suddenly it started to become clear that experiences like this make us feel alive and there was no way we were going to let go of this 'anything is possible' feeling, hence me writing these words. The decision was made without much deliberation and with a clink of another glass of vino we set in stone the decision that there was no turning back and we were going to attempt to follow our dreams. In no time at all since we arrived back into blighty we have carried on this wave of enthusiasm and turned it into reality.

The whole thing is surreal and I can’t actually believe that we are actually going to do it. This whirlwind has happened so fast and I am loving every minute of it.

Carpe diem.

Gravy.

Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag.

Do I take this, do I need that? ...Will I regret not taking the Ironing board? ...Can I justify the extra weight of travel speakers? Decisions, decisions, obviously weight is going to be a major factor as anything we take we will have to carry. We have a huge bonus of not having to carry vast quantities of camping equipment, which will have been an albatross around our necks by day two I am sure. However, it is crucial with 8 days to go that we get some kind of an inventory on the go. If we forget an essential piece of equipment once we get going then we will be stumped as a general rule of thumb the route we are taking we have consciously avoided big towns and are most definitely taking the scenic route. The one major port of call on our journey will be Edinburgh where we will be staying in or around the evening of day 5 as the festival is on, and there was no way we were going to miss out on a night of merriment and wonder in Scotland’s finest. Without further ado here is the first version of the our equipment Inventory...

Clothes
Bike helmet
SPD-friendly cycling shoes
Rainproof coat (Altura NightVision)
2 x cycling jerseys
2 x cycling shorts
2 x base layer
3 x socks
Lightweight baggy trousers (for non-bike time)
Lightweight sandals (ditto)

Bike bits
Micro-pump
2 x spare tubes
Multi-tool, various other tools
Cable ties
Very small tube of grease
Small craft knife
Front and backlights
Spare batteries
Bike bag for aeroplane

Other
Phone/PDA/camera
iPod
Head torch
Small bag of toiletries
Sun cream
Sudocreme (prevents saddle sores)
Ibuprofen tablets & gel
Plasters

Gravy.

Twisted Wheel

Hallelujah, all of the accommodation is now booked. We will be staying in a mixture of Bed and Breakfasts and Hostels. This has been a test of our resolve in itself. As we have only just came up with the Idea of commiting ourselves to doing the End to End literally only a few days ago so finding rooms has been difficult with such short notice. With it being the height of the school holidays as well this has also been thrown into the mix for good measure. It is reassuring to know that we have a daily destination target to aim for rather than doing X number of miles each day. As being on the saddle for 8 hours plus a day then having to scout out accommodation for the night on spec with the risk of there being no rooms at the Inn would be a dent to morale, especially with weary limbs and hunger like a monkey on our backs.

I have made an appointment with the engineer at Rayment Cycles in Brighton to give my bike a thorough going over next week. Hoping he will be able to point me in the right direction regarding panniers (bags that sit alongside the wheels for carrying things in), as my bike is not designed to be ridden with them as it is a very lightweight aluminium/carbon frame. I am anxious that the weight which will be supported by the frame could damage the structure of it. I can only be optimistic that he can come up with a solution. Otherwise it is plan B which doesnt actually exist yet.

I will cross these paths as they come.

Gravy.

The long and winding road

The Grand plan is to leave on the afternoon of Sunday 16th August 2009. We are flying from Gatwick to Inverness then a 4-hour train journey to Wick where we will be staying overnight. Then it is the big day on the Monday when we start this wonderful journey. I've heard that the famous sign post at JOG is taken down overnight and not put up until 10am, so I'll probably wait around to get a picture of us with it. (Incidentally they charge 10 whole English pounds for this!) I can hardly sleep I am that excited. There seems to be so many things for us to remember, equipment mainly. If a spoke breaks in the middle of the highlands then a Halfords wont be 5 minutes away unfortunately. (*Makes mental note to write an itinerary*)

Shortly after 10 am we will be starting our journey. The plan is to do around 100 miles each day, therefore completing the entire trip in around 10 days including a day off somewhere along the way.. However, the furthest we have ever cycled in a day to date is 120 miles and that was a killer in Manila, so to do slightly less than that for 10+ days running might prove to be a little ambitious - we'll have to see. The total distance is going to be around 1000 miles.

We are going to get the accommodation booked in the next day or two. We are generally be going to be staying in hostels along the way trying to pinpoint them around our daily mileage target.

Gravy.

Because its there... John O' Groats to Lands End baby!

So here we are, welcome to David & Steve's John O' Groats to Lands End 2009 Adventures. We aim to capture all the sights, sounds and smells, warts and all for your pleasure.

We will be setting sail for the dizzy heights of John O' Groats on Sunday 16th August with the intention of arriving at Lands End on Thursday 27th August. So thats 10-12 days in the saddle as a rough figure. We will have to take into consideration any spanners being thrown into the works and even maybe a rest day if we wish to be so kind to ourselves in between.

We have decided to start in Scotland and work South as it looks downhill on the map and this appeals to us no end. There is also the Bonus that Davey Gravy will have his entire family together in Cornwall when we finish which will be an incentive in itself.

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THERE AINT NO STOPPING US NOW...

Gravy.