Tuesday July 23rd 2002

Departed Preston Station this morning at 11.30 am to travel to Penzance by Train (changing at Birmingham) and arriving at Penzance at aproximately 7.00 pm - Met two more cyclists getting off the train at Penzance who were taking 3 weeks to cycle to John O'Groats. They thought that they could only take one bike on the train so they had taken the other bike apart and packed it in a box. Five minutes from the Station we found our first B&B (Woodstock Guest House), the owner Mr Hopkins showed us to our room, which is up two flights off stairs and in the "attic", the room looks very nice and the bathroom is just outside the door. After booking in and leaving the bikes in the rear yard we walked to a chip shop near the Railway Station and the two cyclists we had seen earlier were just setting off for Lands End after putting the bike back together again.

Wednesday July 24th 2002

(Penzance - Lands End - Penzance)

We expected to have a bad nights sleep last night (first night on the road) and we weren't disapointed, the room in the attic was very nice, but we had the "neighbours from hell" in the next room and when they returned at midnight they went out of their way to make as much noise as possible. We decided to get up early and were sat in the dining room ready for breakfast at 7.30 am, the B&B owner, Mr Hopkins said that we were so early, we had even beaten the Germans, we thought he was only joking, until they came in and sat down at the next table in the dining room. After breakfast we went back upstairs to our room and emptied our panniers (no point in taking everything to Lands End and then bringing it back) and then set off to cycle to Lands End. On arrival we booked in and had the official photograph taken. While there we met a man who was setting off at the same time as us, but he was planning to walk to John O'Groats via Offa's Dyke and the Pennine Way, he kindly took our photograph on the official start line.

Prior to leaving home Matthew had made two flags (A4 size) to attach to the rear of the bikes, on the flags he wrote Lands End to John O'Groats and the name of the Charity. Before leaving Lands End we attached the flags to the bikes (for the next two weeks we always had car drivers and their passengers shouting support everyday). After having a look round and posting a few postcards we cycled back to Penzance, bought some cheese, tomatoes and bread for a picnic and then had a leisurely afternoon looking round the town. In the evening we went to the cinema and then walked back to the B&B along the sea front eating sausage and chips (tomorrow morning the hard work starts!).

Total Distance 20 miles - Average Speed 14.0 mph - Weather Hot and Humid

Thursday July 25th 2002

(Penzance - Bodmin)

"The neighbours from hell" must have left yesterday, because it was all quiet next door during the night. Another early breakfast at 7.30 am and then we left the B&B at 8.45 am. When planning our route we had decided that we would try and avoid the A30 if possible, so after leaving Penzance we headed to Marazion and then country lanes in the direction of Truro. Everything was going well until we somehow missed a turning in Porkellis and came upon the "Poldark Mine Museum", realising our mistake we retraced our route (about 3 miles) and found that, what we thought was the turning into the Porkellis Pub car park, was in fact the road we required. In Truro we bought sandwiches and sat on a wall near the Cathedral to eat them, while there, we were aproached by a local cyclist who was going to cycle the E2E in a months time, he had done it before but this time he was hoping to do it in 8 days with a following car.

We then left Truro on the A390 and took the B3275 to Fraddon, when passing over the A30 we could see a McDonalds at the side of the road, the weather was very hot so we decided to stop for a McFlurry and a drink. After a short break we left Fraddon on an unclassified road that runs parallel with the A30, with the intention of joining the A30 at the B3274 crossroads but somehow we again missed a turning and joined the A30 earlier than anticipated. We then had about 6 miles to cycle before we could leave the A30, the road was very busy and we were just glad that we weren't cycling all day on it. We arrived in Bodmin at 4.00 pm and found our B&B ("Chromarty") straight away, the owner Debbie Noyce, told us to leave our bikes in the garage at the rear of the house and she then showed us to our room, the room was upstairs and at the front of the house, it was very large and we were very impressed with the comfy settee and coffee table in front of the T.V. At this point I must mention that when I had enquired at various hostels and B&B's back in January, Debbie kindly refused to take a deposit from me and said that she was confident that we would turn up on the day. After a bath and a change of clothes we went searching for something to eat. Matthew spotted a nice cafe just off the main street where we had pizza and chips and afterwards had a walk to the supermarket to stock up on food for later that evening while we watched television sat on the comfy settee.

Total Distance 57 miles - Average speed 11.6 mph - Weather Hot and Humid

Friday July 26th 2002

(Bodmin - Okehampton)

When planning todays route we had decided to avoid the A30 whenever possible, so after a good nights sleep and a very enjoyable breakfast we left a very misty Bodmin at 9.00 am. We departed on the A38 and after crossing over the A30, turned left in the direction of the crematorium, visibility wasn't very good and the road started going upwards almost immediately and with only a few short descents we climbed for almost 15 miles and came out opposite the Jamaica Inn alongside the A30. After a cup of tea and toasted teacakes we put on bright yellow jackets, switched on our flashing rear lights and joined the A30 for a short distance until "five lane ends" where we left the A30 and again followed country lanes until Launceston. Here we purchased sandwiches and sat on a bench outside the Tourist Information Office to eat them. Before leaving we asked a passerby for directions to Okehampton (using the "old" A30) he pointed us in the correct direction and kindly gave us a £3 donation. We crossed over the border into Devon and it was noticeable that the hills were now not as steep as they had been in Cornwall.

The "old" A30 was nice and quiet with very little traffic and in the distance you could see the very busy "new" A30 on our left. On the outskirts of Okehampton we stopped at a service area and noticing a "Burger King" Matthew said that he would go in and use his Student Union card to pay for the drinks and get a discount, but when he came out he wasn't very happy. They wouldn't give him a discount and he had to pay the full price. On reaching Okehampton we called at a supermarket to purchase some food for later in the evening, the B&B we were stopping in tonight was in a small village (Samford Courtney) another 5 miles further on and the owner had informed me a few weeks before that the local Pub was having building work done and that there would be nowhere to get an evening meal. When we arrived in the village it was a cul de sac and every house appeared to be thatched, fortunately we bumped into the postman who gave us directions to the B&B (Langdale). When we knocked on the door Mrs Clayton the owner made us very welcome, she told us both to put our bikes in the workshop and after helping us to carry our bags upstairs, she told us to go outside and sit in the garden while she brought out home made cakes and a pot of tea. Later after a bath we both got changed and had a short walk round the village.

Total Distance 52 miles - Average speed 10.9 mph - Weather warm and dry with no wind

Saturday July 27th 2002

(Okehampton - Bridgewater)

We were both tired last night and it was so quiet that we couldn't help but have a good nights sleep, we both woke up refreshed and ready for the day ahead. We had now got into the habit of having breakfast at 7.30 am and being on the road for 9.00 am and today was no different, Mrs Clayton kindly gave us a donation of £5 and before setting off had a look at our planned route, she adviced us to stay on the A3072 until Bow, then take a right turn and pass through Coleford and Knowle. This turned out to be a very good route as it missed out Coppleton, but the downside was the steep climp out of Coleford. At the junction with the A377 we went straight across onto another unclassified road, missed out Crediton and rejoined the A3072 to Tiverton. This road wasn't to busy but there was two very hilly sections. After a cool morning the temperature had started to warm up and we found a cafe on the main street in Tiverton where we could sit outside in the sun, keeping an eye on the bikes while we enjoyed our lunch.

We left Tiverton on the B3391 and after being held up by all the traffic going to the Devon Agricultural Show we passed through Halberton & Samford Peverel, crossing over the A361 and followed country lanes until joining the A38 to Taunton. In the town centre we sat outside "Burger King" (Matthew didn't bother asking for a discount this time) and enjoyed a drink before re-joining the A38 again to Bridgewater, we were early and there was nobody at the B&B (The Admirals Rest) so we called at the nearest launderette to catch up on our washing. On our return to The Admirals Rest we were met by Mr Parker the owner who after making sure our bikes were secure in the rear yard booked us in, once again we were up in the attic but this time the room was en-suite and very nicely decorated, after our usual shower/change of clothes we went in search of something to eat. While looking round the town we found a Fish Restaurant were we had a very pleasant meal, on leaving the Restaurant we visited the supermarket for provisions and then retired to the B&B to watch television.

Total Distance 57 miles - Average speed 11.9 mph - Weather, dry, cool in the morning, warmer in the afternoon.

Sunday July 28th 2002

(Bridgewater - Monmouth)

After a good nights sleep and a leisurely breakfast we departed Bridgewater at 9.30 am and once again the owners of the B&B (Mr & Mrs Parker) kindly gave us a donation of £5. As it was Sunday and the roads were still quiet, we decided to stay on the A38 until just after the junction with the A370, here we turned right into an unclassified road that ran alongside the M5. We were heading in the direction of Congresbury, the roads were nice and quiet, but as usual the penalty for this is that the road junctions quite often don't have any signposts. We missed a turning and added a few more miles on, but eventually we passed through Congresbury, Yatton and then onto Clevedon. By now it was very hot and fortunately we found a cafe on the sea front where we could sit out at a table under a large umbrella and enjoy our lunch. At this point I must mention the gents toilets, because whoever cleans the toilets in the park at Clevedon deserves a medal, they were spotlessly clean, with flowers in vases and posters on the walls (Britney, Atomic Kitten and Kylie).

We then bypassed Portishead, picked up the Avon cyclepath and to avoid Bristol we joined the cyclepath in Pill and cycled over the Avonmouth Bridge (alongside the M5), we had a traffic free ride through the Avonmouth Industrial area (it was Sunday) and then crossed the River Severn on the Severn Bridge (alongside the M48), by now it was very hot and we had run out of drinks so we dropped down into Chepstow for refreshments. We then had a tough climb out of Chepstow before a fast and pleasant ride through the Wye Valley passing Tintern Abbey and arriving in Monmouth at 5.30pm. The owner of the B&B and her dog "Ned" made us very welcome with tea and biscuits, then showed us our room for the night. Once we had locked the bikes in the garage and had a quick shower/change of clothes she recommended "Weatherspoons" in the centre of Monmouth for our evening meal. Air conditioned, two meals for £5.50, it was excellent value and we even splashed out on a pudding. After a pleasant walk back through the town we returned to the B&B.

Total Distance 73 miles - Average speed 12.5mph. Weather hottest day so far.

Monday July 29th 2002

(Monmouth - Shrewsbury)

After breakfast we said goodbye to "Ned" and got off to an early start, we departed Monmouth at 8.45 am on the A466 and then the A49, first stop of the day was in Hereford where we had a drink in a cafe and purchased sandwiches from a bakery to have later in the day. When the lady in the bakery spotted the flags on the bikes she asked if we were cycling the E2E for charity, after paying for the sandwiches she then gave us a free bag of donuts. We then left Hereford on the A49 until the junction with the B4361 which we followed to Leominster, after passing through Leominster we stayed on the B4361 and about 4 miles from Ludlow stopped by the roadside and had a picnic with the sandwiches we had bought earlier and half the donuts.

On the outskirts of Ludlow we stopped at garage for a drink and to fill up our water bottles, we then left on the A49 but turned right in about one mile onto the B4365, we then kept on country lanes (quite a few hills) until about 12 miles from our destination when we again ran out of liquid refreshment. We hadn't seen any shops for quite a while when we came across a row of cottages, after knocking on every door and getting no reply, we decided to fill our bottles from the outside tap of one of the cottages. While stopped we sat at the roadside and finished the remainder of the donuts before carrying on to the B&B (Abbey Court Guest House) in Shrewsbury, arriving at about 6.00 pm. The owner Valerie McLeod explained that even though we had only booked a standard room, due to an error on their part, would we mind having an en-suite room for the same price, we said that we would put up with it and after securing our bikes in the store shed we were shown our room. We quickly showered/changed clothes and walked into the town centre, were once again there was a "Weatherspoons" for our evening meal. Afterwards we called in the nearest supermarket to stock up for tomorrow (longest day on the road).

Total Distance 71 miles - Average 12.1mph - Weather very hot again.

Tuesday July 30th 2002

(Shrewsbury - Preston)

Today we were cycling back home and we knew that this was going to be the longest day of our E2E journey, after having fine weather from day one, storms were forecast throughout the country. Another excellent breakfast and then we were once again on the road for 9.00 am, fortunately we had a street map of Shrewsbury to help us avoid the busy roads leading out of the town. We used several cycle paths but they quite often just seemed to vanish all at once for no reason. Our first road was the A528 and after about 6 miles we turned right onto the B5476 to Whitchurch, then unclassified roads to Nantwich, were we picked up the A530 to Middlewich. It was as we were aproaching Middlewich that the sky started to darken and as we put on our waterproofs there was a torrential downpour. Within a few minutes the road was awash and at one point we came upon a dip in the road that was covered in several inches of water and we had to cycle on the path. It was now midday and we thought that we might have problems finding somewhere to eat (we were both dripping wet) but just then I noticed a sign for a Garden Centre that had a cafe. After locking the bikes up, we ventured inside, luckily they had plastic seats and a sign welcoming cyclists.

After lunch we came out of the Garden Centre to find that the rain had stopped, we then departed Middlewich on the A530, crossed over the A556 and after a few miles on the A559 we turned right onto unclassified roads in the direction of Arley Hall. We crossed over the M6, A50, M56, A56, A6144, Manchester Ship Canal, then turned right at the junction with the A57 and left in Hollins Green, where we stopped at a newsagents to buy a snack and a drink, when I came out of the shop Matthew had a young audience with him, who were all amazed at the distance we had cycled. We then followed the B5212 through Culcheth and Ashton in Makerfield, crossed over the M6 and passed through Billinge and Orrel, here we had to take shelter under a garage forecourt as once again we were caught in a downpour. Once the rain had eased off we headed north on the B5250 until Eccleston, were we decided that as it was going to be late by the time we reached home, we had better have something to eat, there was a chipshop on the main street, so we bought fish and chips and sat in a bus shelter to eat them. We then set off again, heading for Leyland, Matthew now had Preston in his sights and even though at this point we had cycled almost 100 miles, he went to the front and our speed suddenly increased. By now everything was a blur as we passed through Leyland, Penwortham and bypassed Preston to finally reach home at 8.00 pm tired and looking forward to a good nights sleep in our own beds.

Total distance 107 miles but our best average so far of 13.2 mph - Weather started warm but two heavy downpours during the day, with a slight tailwind in the afternoon.

Wednesday July 31st 2002

Rest Day - Checked over the bikes and equipment.

Weather, it rained all day

Thursday August 1st 2002

(Preston - Penrith)

Left home at about 9.00 am and our first stop was Garstang (5 miles) to meet Matthew's Gran and Grandad and a few of their friends and neighbours, who had sponsored us. After taking a few photographs, we set off north on the A6, our original plan was to keep on "B" roads, but the weather looked like it could rain at anytime and there was a strong headwind. So we stayed on the A6 until the centre of Lancaster, where we picked up the cycle path at "Sainsburys" and followed the river Lune to Halton. Here we crossed the Lune and carried on to Nether Kellet, where we stopped at my aunty and uncles for a drink and home made biscuits. On leaving Nether Kellet it started to rain, so we put on our waterproofs, cycled through Over Kellet, then joined the A6070, and carried on through Burton in Lonsdale. On the outskirts of Kendal we had to stop at the roadside and shelter under a tree due to a sudden heavy downpour, but after about 10 minutes we were able to move off again and carried on through Kendal Town Centre, it was now midday and as we were passing "Morrisons" we decided to call in for lunch.

By the time we left, the rain had stopped, but as we began climbing Shap, we realised that we were going to have an headwind all the way to the top. It was a long steady slog to the summit and on the opposite side of the road we noticed a van parked up from "ACME Wheelers" waiting for a cyclist who was doing the E2E in the opposite direction. As we started the descent we noticed him climbing from the opposite direction and could tell he was climbing Shap a lot faster than we had. When he was almost opposite we gave him a shout and he called back, "I can't believe that i've had a tailwind all the way up Shap". After pedalling downhill against the wind to Shap village, we stopped at a shop to buy drinks and ice creams and then carried on to our B&B (Caledonian Guest House) in Penrith, were once we had secured the bikes we were shown to our room. Again we found ourselves in the attic but the room was en-suite and very nice. We had our usual quick shower/change of clothes before looking round Penrith for somewhere to eat, we struggled to find anywhere to "sit in" that was serving food, but eventually found a pub serving food and managed to order just before they finished serving food for the evening (7.00 pm). Tonight was Kareoke night and as there weren't many people in the pub and we were sat next to the machine, we decided to leave once we had eaten, on the way back to the B&B, we called at the supermarket and bought provisions for tomorrows ride.

Total Distance 67 miles - Average speed 12.4 mph - Weather today was showery with a head wind for the biggest part of the journey.

Friday August 2nd 2002

(Penrith - Sanquar)

After another good nights sleep and a nice breakfast, we left Penrith on the A6 at our usual time of 9.00 am but within a few miles it started raining, our first stop of the day was "Burger King" on the outskirts of Carlisle. As we sat there having a rest and a drink we watched the rain pouring down outside, eventually we decided that it wasn't going to stop raining and as we had been told not to leave Carlisle on the A74 (very busy dual carriageway) we followed road signs for Longtown A7. Getting through Carlisle wasn't easy, it was pouring down and all the traffic in the centre was gridlocked, but eventually we managed to weave our way through it all. After passing through Longtown we were again stopped, but this time by a traffic accident, all traffic going straight on was being diverted, fortunately we were turning left in the direction of Gretna Green. We crossed over the border into Scotland and reached Gretna Green at about midday and decided to find somewhere to eat, but after having a look around, everywhere seemed expensive and very busy with coach parties. By now we were both hungry and dripping wet, so we decided to carry on towards Annan on the B724, this road was nice and quiet and on a different day it would have been very pleasant, but not today, there was water everywhere and we were now both beginning to feel cold.

Just outside Annan we stopped at a bus shelter and put on our thermal vests (we didn't take them the first week), once we started cycling again I immediately felt warmer and we were soon in Annan. We stopped at a chip shop and stood outside looking at the menu and deciding whether the owner would want two dripping cyclists inside, when next thing the door to the alleyway at the side of the shop opened and the owner said "put your bikes in here out of the rain and get yourselves sat down in the cafe" On leaving the cafe there was a large puddle where we had been sitting, but we both felt a lot better after having eaten and dried out. It was still raining heavily as we left Annan on the B724 in the direction of Dumfries, but before reaching the town we had to stop in a bus shelter once again, just to have a break from the constant rain.

We had planned to cycle from Dumfries to Sanquar on minor roads, but by now all we wanted to do was reach our destination in the shortest time and by the shortest route, so we stayed on the A76 all the way to Sanquar. Fortunately the road was very quiet and we only stopped once, just before Thornhill in another bus shelter. As we passed through Thornhill with 10 miles to go, it finally stopped raining, we had covered 75 miles of non stop rain. When we arrived at our B&B (Newark Farm) we were made very welcome by Mrs Barbour the owner and put our bikes in one of the outbuildings, we were able to hang up our waterproofs to dry and after a shower/change into dry clothes Mrs Barbour kindly made us an excellent evening meal. She also informed us, that as we were cycling for charity, she would give us a £5 discount off our bill. She also said that because she had to leave early the following morning to attend an Agricultural Show, would we mind having breakfast at 7.00 am. As tomorrow was the day we had to catch the ferry from Adrossasan to the Isle of Arran, we thought that at least we would get off to an early start. So tonight it's early to bed, in preparation for our early morning start tomorrow.

Total Distance 85 miles - Average speed of 12.5 mph. - Weather, raining all day

Saturday August 3rd 2002

(Sanquar - Lochranza)

This morning we were up early and made sure we were sat in the dining room at 7.00 am on the dot, we hadn't realised there were other guests in the farmhouse until four other people came and joined us at the large dining table. When we talked with the first couple, we found out that even though we had cycled all the way from Lands End and over the border into Scotland, we were sat with a couple on holiday who only lived 10 miles from our house back home. The other couple were retired Americans who were touring round Scotland and seemed to have seen all of Scotland in about 3 days (it's only a small country compared to Texas back home). After finishing breakfast we collected our belongings and loaded up the bikes in the outbuilding, by now everything had dried out and it was becoming easier and quicker every morning to load the bikes and set off. Once again we decided to change the route, the original plan was to use quiet lanes were possible but we decided that as it was still quite early we would stay on the A76 until Kilmarnock. Knowing that the ferry to the Isle of Arran left Ardrossan at 3.15 pm, we couldn't afford to risk missing any turnings and losing to much time. As we set off the weather looked overcast so we put on our waterproof jackets, but within 5 miles the sun began to break through the clouds and we had to stop to remove them.

All was going well, the sun was out, we were ahead of schedule and already planning to go into the centre of Kilmarnock and have a leisurely lunch when disaster struck, I had our first puncture of the journey so far. We had travelled over 600 miles without one and just has my computer rolled over to 601 miles, down went my front tyre. The problem appeared to be a piece of metal in the tyre, after removing it, I swopped inner tubes and we were soon back on the road, but we now decided not to bother going into Kilmarnock but to join the A71 to Irvine. This was a dual carriageway, but there was hardly any traffic on the road and we were soon on the outskirts of Irvine, where we came across a retail park and Matthew spotted a "Burger King" (not another one), so after locking up the bikes we sat down in the window were we could keep an eye on them. The weather was quite warm as we departed "Burger King" in the direction of Kilwinning and then just before we reached the Ferry Terminal at Ardrossan we stopped at Tesco's to buy sandwiches and bottles of pop, we realised that by the time we had crossed over to Arran and cycled to the Youth Hostel it would be getting late. On reaching the Ferry Terminal the car park was full of cars all waiting for the next boat, I purchased "Hopscotch" tickets from the ticket office, these combined tickets would also allow us to catch our next ferry tomorrow morning. By now the sun was shining and we found a picnic table outside to sit at while we waited for the Ferry to arrive, by the time the Ferry landed and unloaded there were 6 cyclists in total and we were all allowed on first before the cars. Once our bikes were secured we climbed the stairs up to the deck and watched the Ferry departing the mainland, after buying drinks in the cafe, we found seats on the deck and ate our sandwiches. But as the Ferry aproached Arran we noticed a change in the weather, rain clouds were over the island and we couldn't see the port of Brodick until we were almost there. Once the Ferry had docked the benefits of being first on vanished, as all the cyclists had to wait until the cars had been unloaded, when we finally cycled up the ramp and off the Ferry Matthew said "somebody over there is shouting at us". When we got closer I realised it was a couple of workmates who were stopping on the island for a week and they had previously said, that if they were around Brodick on the Saturday afternoon they would look out for us. It was a pleasant suprise to see them and after we had taken a few photographs, they warned us that the road to Lochranza started off flat for about 6 miles as it followed the coast but it then turned inland with a long and very steep climb.

With this to look forward to we set off in the drizzle with our waterproofs on, very soon we passed a young lady on a mountain bike (she had also been on the Ferry) she was loaded up with everything but the kitchen sink, as we passed her, we gave her a wave and wished her well. But then further up the road, just has we reached the bottom of the climb, Matthew had a puncture in his front tyre, the young lady cycled past us and asked if she could help, so we thanked her and said that we were okay. As we took out the wheel to repair it, we had our first experience of midges, wave after wave attacked us and we swopped inner tubes in record time. By now the rain had stopped, so off came the waterproofs and we started the climb, it wasn't long before we had the lady cyclist in our sights again and as we caught her up we were thankful not to be carrying as much weight on our bikes as her. Once we were over the summit, there was an excellent descent to Lochranza, where just before the town, we were flagged down by a group of cyclists coming towards us. A couple of them had nets over their heads to ward off the midges and they were looking for a camp site, but not knowing the area we were unable to help them. The Youth Hostel was only a little further down the road, so once we had locked up the bikes and been given the key to our dormitory we had a quick shower/change of clothes, covered ourselves in midge repellant and walked into the town to look for somewhere to eat. It didn't take us very long to look round, as there were only a few houses and a cafe that was shut, but fortunately there was a Hotel with a bar that also sold meals. Probably with it being the only place open, it was very busy, but we managed to find a seat and ordered some food, the meal was very nice but we decided not to stay to long, as we needed to get back to the Hostel to catch up with our washing. The Hostel had a tumble dryer so after hand washing everything we threw it in the dryer and retired to watch television while it dried. Afterwards as we got ready for bed we realised that we had a 12 bedroom dormitory all to ourselves, we shouldn't get disturbed by anybody tonight.

Total distance 63 miles - Average speed 13.5 mph - Weather hot and sunny until we reached Arran (showers)

Sunday August 4th 2002

(Lochranza - Oban)

Woke up and had a quick look out of the window, the weather forecast on T.V. last night had said that for the next few days it was going to be nice, it looked like they could be correct because outside the sun was already shining. As it was Sunday the first Ferry leaving Lochranza to Claonaig wasn't until 9.30 am so we should have plenty of time to have breakfast and pack our bags. The Hostel was only five minutes from the jetty and last night we had noticed the Ferry tied up in the bay. It's our first self catering breakfast this morning, so we purchased cereals, milk and tea bags from the warden and made our way to the kitchen. By the time we have eaten breakfast and returned to the Dormitory it is after 9.00 am so we quickly pack our bags, unlock the bikes and make our way to catch the ferry. As we follow the road round the corner the jetty comes ito view and we can see a queue of cars waiting for the Ferry, which is still tied up in the bay. While waiting for the Ferry to land, we started talking with two Irish cyclists who we had seen in the bar of the hotel last night, they were starting off in the same direction as us, but then catching another ferry to the Isle of Islay. They were asking us about the route we were taking, when one of them points to my bike and says " I think there is something wrong with your front chainrings", I have a quick look but can't spot anything wrong with them, he then says " you must have lost one somewhere, because I can only see two of them" (both of their bikes and Matthews had triple chainrings). We were soon on the Ferry and looking back at Arran, the rain clouds of yesterday had gone, the sun was shining it was going to be a nice day. It's only a short crossing (30 mins.) and when the Ferry lands at Claonaig we let the cars depart before we set off as we knew that the road was only single track and quite steep. Once we were over the first climb of the day, it was a fast descent down to the A83, the road was quiet but after only about two miles Matthew had another front wheel puncture. As we were carrying five spare inner tubes between us, we hadn't bothered to repair yesterdays two punctures. I changed the inner tube but while putting the tyre back on I nipped it and had to put in another one, this now left us with just one good inner tube. Due to the later start this morning, plus the Ferry crossing and now a puncture, we had only cycled about 10 miles and it was almost midday, but once we got going again, we were soon cycling in to Tarbert, where a man who was stood on the street, shouted across to us "the chipshop has just opened" (maybe he worked for the owner), we decided to find the chipshop and have an early lunch. The chipshop was by the side off the harbour and it also had a cafe. After locking the bikes outside were we could see them, we went inside and sat down, the owner was Italian and while frying our order he serenaded us with a selection of songs from the 50's. I enjoyed my meal but Matthew said that it was the worst fish he had ever had (he found a couple of bones in it), back on the bikes we had a short climb out of the town before dropping down to Loch Fyne, by now the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

The Loch was now on our right hand side for the next 15 miles, the scenery was fantastic and there was very little traffic as we cycled into Lochgilphead, where we stopped for a drink and to fill up our bottles. Leaving the Loch behind we now took the A816 but it wasn't long before Matthew had another front wheel puncture, taking a lot of care I swopped it for our last good inner tube, hoping that we didn't have any more punctures today and that the five punctured inner tubes we were now carrying could be repaired tonight. Next stop was in Kilmartin for ice creams and then later in the afternoon we stopped in Kilmeford, where both the cafe and shop were closed, but just across the road was a hotel with a sign outside saying that they sold coffee and refreshments to non residents, when we went in the hotel we were told that they weren't open (perhaps they just didn't like cyclists). Fortunately we still had a couple of cans of Coke with us and also a packet of digestives that we had bought at the Youth Hostel that morning, so we sat outside on a picnic table and watched several other cars stop and go into the Hotel, then come straight out again (so it's not just cyclists). It's now only 17 miles to Oban and this last stretch of road is very scenic but also very hilly and we seemed to come upon Oban all at once with no warning. Our accomodation for the night was at the Youth Hostel which was at the far side of the Bay. I had booked our accomodation 6 months before and paid a premium for a twin bedded en-suite room in the lodge behind the hostel, so I was very suprised to be told by reception that due to the hostel being full, they had done a bit of "juggling" and we would have to share a 4 bedded room with another father and son. When I complained, I was told that there was nothing they could do and that I could "take it or leave it", not wanting to start searching for another B&B in a busy Oban I decided to take the room and complain at a later date (Note! 2 months and 3 letters later I got a full refund). There was nobody in the room, so our first job was to repair the inner tubes before a shower/change of clothes and walk back along the promenade into Oban. After a quick look around we decided to eat in the self service restaurant "McTavishes Kitchen", there was nobody sat at the tables in the window, so we thought we would sit there and enjoy the view out over the harbour, but we soon realised why; the sun was so hot it was unbearable and we had to sit further back.

After eating our meal, we had a walk around the harbour and looked in several of the gift shops that were still open, we then returned to our room at the hostel at about 9.00 pm and introduced ourselves to our new room mates. They were a father and his son of about 8 years old and this was the start of our worst nights sleep of the whole fortnight, the father got his son ready for bed and then left him with a "walky talky" and kept returning about every 1/2 hour to check on him, we were hoping for an early night, but neither of us could settle as we kept being disturbed every time he came into the room. At about 10.45 pm I heard somebody trying to open the door to our room and then knocking on the door, I thought it was the dad, so I stopped in my bunk, the young boy got out and opened the door and I heard somebody say "sorry I must have got the wrong room". The young boy then got back in his bunk and a few minutes later his dad came in and said to him " I thought you would be asleep by now" and when the young boy told his dad about the man at the door, his dad told told him off for opening the door to strangers (even though he had left him all evening with two complete strangers). He said to his son "it's to early for me to get ready for bed" and that he would be back later, finally just before midnight he came back into the room and then proceeded to wake up his son (who by now was fast asleep), he told him that he should have gone to the toilet before he fell asleep. After taking his son to the toilet, he got him back into his bunk and then got himself ready for bed, climbed onto the top bunk and proceeded to play with a handheld computer game. When he realised that I was beginning to get a bit annoyed he put the game away and I finally managed to fall asleep, only to be woken at regular intervals by his snoring. Morning can't come quick enough!

Total Distance 62 miles - Average speed 12 mph - Weather very hot.

Monday August 5th 2002

(Oban - Fort William)

Woke up at 7.00 am and felt like I had never slept all night, I asked Matthew if he fancied some breakfast and he agreed that we might as well get up and find something to eat. The previous evening we had noticed a shop nearby that opened early and sold "take away" breakfasts. On leaving the hostel we were suprised to find that it was so misty that we couldn't see the boats in the harbour. So after purchasing our breakfasts we found a bench on the promenade where we sat and ate them while listening to the unseen boats moving around in the mist. On our return to the hostel, our room mates were still in bed, so we quietly (I don't think so) packed our bags, retrieved our bikes from the bike store and had an early start to the day. While I was loading my bike, I had a conversation with a Scottish cyclist who was catching the ferry that morning and "Island Hopping", he asked about the route we were taking and adviced us to stop at any "tea rooms" we came across as they were few and far between. Before setting off we switched on our rear flashing red lights and put on our yellow jackets, once on the road to Fort William the mist began to clear and by the time we reached "Oban Sea Life Centre" (12 miles) the sun had come through and the mist had disappeared. Bearing in mind the advice of the Scottish cyclist we stopped for a drink and a cake in the cafe, unfortunately the machine for producing hot drinks was under repair and everybody was to busy to boil a kettle, so we ended up with two cold drinks.

The remainder of the morning was spent cycling on the A828 with only light traffic, but at Ballachulish we joined the A82 and suddenly it was noticeable how busy the road had become. Earlier in the morning we had purchased sandwiches and crisps in Oban and as it was now around midday we stopped at the side of Loch Linnhe and had a picnic. After a short rest we only had to cycle a couple more miles and then caught the ferry at Corran (cyclists are free) across to the other side of the loch. Once again the weather was brilliant and as we cycled along the single track A861, the views back across the loch to Ben Nevis were fantastic, on reaching Camusnagaul we were disapointed to see the passenger ferry just leaving for Fort William and the notice on the jetty said that the next ferry was in 1 1/2 hours time. But they say that "every cloud has a silver lining" and Matthew remembered that we had just passed a Village Hall selling home made cakes and cups of tea. It was only round the corner, so we spent a very pleasant hour eating home made scones, talking to a few of the locals and watching people walking up Ben Nevis in the distance. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, we were at the jetty early, but the ferry had beaten us and was already tied up and waiting. As it was a passenger ferry, I asked the Ferryman "where do the bikes go" and he said to take the bags off and he would strap the bikes the the side of the ferry. Nobody else came along, so the ferry departed on the short crossing over to Fort William, on reaching the other side we seemed to attract quite a bit of attention, several passersby stopped to watch us unload the bikes from the ferry and then ask us questions about the route we were taking (the flags on the back of the bikes paid off again).

Matthew decided he would like to have a look around the shops, so we walked through the main street, window shopping and then he went into one of the gift shops to buy something for his Mother and Sister. All this shopping was making us hungry so we succumbed to the temptation of the chipshop and found a bench outside the Tourst Information Office to sit and eat them. Our accommodation for the night was at a private Hostel (Farr Cottage) 4 miles further on at Corpach, so we left Fort William behind, crossed over the Caledonian Canal and on our arrival at the Hostel we were met by our first Scotsman in a Kilt. He asked one of his employees to show us our room and we were both suprised to find that we were sleeping in bunk beds, nothing unusual in that, but these were double bunk beds and as usual I drew the short straw and ended up with the top bunk, but this time with a lot more room. With the Hostel only being about a mile from "Neptunes Staircase" we decided to cycle back to the Caledonian Canal and have a walk alongside the locks, but after a short while we started to be attacked by midges and decided to return to the hostel to watch television. On our return to the Hostel the owner was giving a talk to the other inmates about Scottish history and it then became obvious why he was wearing his kilt. After watching television for a short while we retired to our large bunk beds.

Total distance 52 miles (short day) - Average speed 12 mph - Weather, a misty start but then another hot and sunny day.

Tuesday August 6th 2002

(Fort William - Inverness)

Up bright and early this morning, breakfast is self catering, so we walk across the road from the hostel to the local shop to buy, a paper, bread and bacon. Back in the well equipped kitchen it isn't long before the aroma of bacon sandwiches is spreading through the hostel, after washing up the pots we have used, it's time to pack our bags, load up the bikes and hit the road. Today we are trying to avoid the busy A82 whenever possible, so on leaving the hostel we take the B8004, this runs on the opposite side of the Caledonian canal to the A82. It isn't very long before the road starts climbing, but once again the views are spectacular and the road is very quiet until we meet the A82 at Spean Bridge, we stop for a few moments at the "Commando Memorial", but even at this early hour the car park is full of coaches, so we decide not to linger. Later while cycling by the side of Loch Lochy we notice a caravan parked in a layby selling refreshments, alongside are table and chairs, so we sit down with a cup of tea, a slice of banana cake and watch the jets practicing their low flying just above the Loch. But soon it's time to get moving and the A82 is now getting busier, after passing alongside Loch Oich we are about to cross over the Caledonian Canal when Matthew suggests that we follow the tow path to Fort Augustus, It's not the smoothest of surfaces and our tyres are quite narrow (25 mm wide) but it is still more enjoyable than being continually passed by wagons and coaches. It doesn't take us long to reach Fort Augustas and as it is now around midday, we find a cafe where we can sit inside and still see the bikes outside. After a very pleasant lunch, we fill up our water bottles and head out of the town.

To avoid the A82 our route takes us onto the B862, I had been warned beforehand that there was a long climb on this road but that it would be worth it, thats probably true, but when you seem to be climbing continuosly for about an hour and the sun is beating down on you, it makes you wonder if you have made the correct choice. Halfway up the climb we were passed by a minibus with Spanish number plates, the passengers all gave us a big cheer as they came by. Eventually we arrived at the top of the climb and were suprised to find a lot of cars and coaches all parked up and everybody stood around the official viewpoint, once again their was a lot of interest in our ride, (it's those flags again) but with still over 30 miles to go to Inverness, it was time to get back on the bikes, this was the best part off the day, a long fast descent, then halfway down, the Spanish Minibus came past and gave us another cheer, eventually the road took us into Foyers, first stop was the tea room for home made cakes and plenty of fluid replacement, everywhere in the village there were signs pointing to the famous Foyers waterfall, but we didn't have time to explore and as we cycled out of the village we passed the Spanish tourists, who were returning on the path from the waterfalls, this time it was us who gave them a big cheer. The road now dropped down to follow Loch Ness, because of the high hedge on our left we never spotted "Nessie", but every time there was a gap we did notice all the traffic on the other side of the Loch on the A82. Before long we heard a car horn and it was no suprise to hear a cheer as the Spaniards passed us yet again, two miles further up the road they were parked in a layby and were pitching their tents for the night, once again there was cheers all round as we passed them for the final time.

Today had been the hottest day so far, but as we aproached the outskirts of Inverness the sky began to darken and it looked like we might get wet before we reached our B&B. The road into Inverness was quite flat so Matthew upped the pace, he had no intention of getting soaked after such a nice day. The B&B (Glencairn Guest House) was just off the road into the Town Centre and easy to find, I knocked on the door and the owner Mr. Rowan asked us to take the bikes round the back and lock them under the car port, but before we had chance to move them, I was approached by a passerby who was very interested in our journey (it's those flags again), he was also a cyclist and donated £10 to our Charity ride. Once our bikes were secured, we were shown to our rooms and we enquired if there was a launderette nearby, so that we could catch up with our washing. Mr. Rowan told us that there was one only five minutes walk away, so we collected all our dirty washing together and headed for the launderette, the kind lady there supplied us with soap powder and kept an eye on our washing machine, while we crossed the road to "Tesco's" to stock up with food and drink for tomorrow. We had been told that there was a "Weatherspoons" in Inverness and when we asked in the launderette for directions, the lady told us it was just off the main street. But while we were sat watching our washing spin round and discussing what we were going to order for our evening meal, there was a loud clap of thunder and the heavens suddenly opened. Within a few minutes the road outside was flooded and people were running past, just in "T" shirts and wet through, it would have been funny if we had our waterproofs with us, but we hadn't. While we waited for our washing to dry and hoping that the rain might stop, other customers were leaving the launderette wearing bin bags, we decided that if we ran back to the B&B fast enough we wouldn't get wet, but our plans of eating in "Weatherspoons" would have to change, so while I ordered a takeaway Pizza from the shop next door, Matthew called in the chipshop at the end of the street, fortunately the rain had now started to ease off and we managed to get back to our room without getting to wet. It wasn't quite as good as being sat in the pub, but at least we were dry and up to date with our washing.

Total Distance 62 miles - Average speed 11.8 mph - Weather, today had been the hottest day so far, with a thunder storm in the evening.

Wednesday August 7th 2002

(Inverness - Helmsdale)

Looked out of the window this morning and it was raining, maybe it might stop before we set off. After breakfast I asked Mr. Rowan the B&B owner whether the Nigg Ferry at Chromarty would be running (to avoid the A9), he replied that it had recently been under repair but he thought it was now running okay, the problem was that if we cycled the 10 miles to Chromarty and it wasn't running for any reason, we would then have to cycle back 10 miles to rejoin the A9. He suggested that after we had crossed the Kessock bridge on the way out of Inverness, we stop at the Tourist Information Office and ask. Once the bikes were unlocked and loaded up, we put on our waterproofs (still raining) and headed out of Inverness, we were soon at the Tourist Information Office, but it was closed and didn't open until 10.00 am and it was now only 9.15. Fortunately the toilets were open and the lady charging 20p admission confirmed that there had been problems with the Ferry, but that she was sure the Ferry would now be running again, we decided not to spend 20p and also not to risk catching the Ferry, so it was going to be the A9 all the way to Helmsdale, initially the road was quite busy, but after the junction with the A835 the traffic seemed to be lighter. After crossing over the Chromarty Firth, through the mist and rain we could see the oil rigs in the distance, very shortly we turned off the A9 onto the B817 and stopped in Alness at a Bakery/Cafe for refreshments. When we came out of the Cafe the rain had stopped allowing us to pack our waterproof jackets away, we now rejoined the A9 and it didn't seem to take to long before we turned off and cycled into Tain, straight away we noticed another branch of the Bakery/Cafe that we had stopped at earlier in Alness, it was a bit early for lunch but not being to sure where our next stop would be, we decided to dine here.

After our meal it was back onto the A9, there wasn't much traffic but we now had a tailwind, in the distance we spotted two cyclists and it wasn't long before we caught them up, they were both heavily laden with panniers at the front and back and after a few words with them, we soon left them behind. By now the wind seemed to be even stronger and we were flying along, as we passed through Brora, Matthew noticed a cafe on the main street, a quick look at the watch showed that we had plenty of time, so we stopped for a drink and a toasted tea cake. It was then onto our B&B (Kerloch) at Helmsdale, after putting our bikes in a workshop at the rear, we were shown our room and then had tea and biscuits and a pleasant conversation with Shelagh Smith the owner, who was very interested in the details of our ride. She said that she regularly had end to enders stopping there, when I asked her if there would be many hills tomorrow on our last day, she said that there was a climb out of Helmsdale but there was an even worse climb a few miles further on at Berriadale Brae, "most cyclists end up walking" she said. Knowing that tomorrow we had to cycle 52 miles to John O'Groats and then cycle 17 miles back to Wick to catch the 4.15 pm train back to Inverness for the night, we asked Shelagh if it would be possible for us to have breakfast at 7.00 am so that we could have an early start, "no problem", she said, "in the past I have had people wanting to leave a lot earlier than that". On her recomendation we then walked the short distance to a Fish & Chip Restaurant on the main street, where we had a very enjoyable meal. Following on from the meal, both of us walked down to the harbour, but within a few minutes we were being eaten alive by the midges and had to return to the B&B. As tomorrow was to be our last day of cycling we decided to check over the bikes, the tyres were pumped up nice and hard and the chains oiled. Then it was back inside the B&B to watch television before having an early night.

Total Distance 70 miles - Average Speed 13.4 mph - Weather, raining at first, but dry and brighter in the afternoon with a tailwind.

Thursday August 8th 2002

(Helmsdale - John O'Groats)

It was breakfast at 7.00 am and on the road for 7.45, this morning we had been served with the biggest breakfast so far, but climbing out of Helmsdale we began to regret that we had eaten so much and then just as our breakfast was beginning to settle back down again, we had the climb of Berriadale Brae in front of us. After what the B&B owner had said the previous night there was no way that we would be getting off and walking, fortunately either the hill wasn't to bad or perhaps after two weeks we were getting fitter, but we had no problem with the climb. When we set off after breakfast the weather was misty and drizzling, but by now it was raining harder with a strong headwind. Over to our right was the sea, but we never saw it all morning and it was now just a matter of keeping the pedals turning into the wind. All morning we had seen very few cars and very little of anything else when suddenly a young rabbit ran out of the grass at the side off the road and into my front wheel. Somehow it got jammed between my wheel and mudguard and I came to a dead stop, I wasn't travelling very fast at the time, but I couldn't get my shoes out of the clipless pedals quick enough and the bike and I fell over into the road. I quickly released my feet and jumped up only to see the rabbit running of into a field, on closer inspection I realised that my front mudguard was now beyond repair but luckily the front wheel was undamaged. I then had to remove the front mudguard before we could carry on another 5 miles to Wick for our first scheduled stop of the day.

In Wick Matthew spotted a cafe next to the traffic lights which gave us the opportunity to sit down and remove our wet jackets, but knowing that we still had 17 miles into a headwind to cycle, we decided not to linger to long and we were soon back outside and on the bikes. The remaining ride to John O'Groats was unremarkable, the road seemed to go on forever with no respite from the wind and rain, suddenly out of the mist we came upon our destination, what an anti-climax. After two weeks of cycling I was expecting a large crowd of well wishers all aplauding us on our achievement, we had battled it out with the traffic, climbed every hill that had been put in our way and fought through the wind and rain. But it now seemed that the few people who where here, were all shltering from the rain, anyway we were on a tight schedule and hadn't time to wait for the congratulations, so we quickly had our photograph taken at the official sign post and then went into the Hotel to sign the End to End members book on the bar. With no reason to hang around we purchased a few postcards and then set off back to Wick. Just as we were leaving John O'Groats we noticed a solo cyclist coming towards us, he was on a racing bike with "tri-bars", no mudguards and carrying only a very small rucksac on his back, I said to Matthew that he must have a following car, but we never saw one. On the way back to Wick we realised just how strong the wind was, has we cycled the 17 miles back to the town in 50 minutes. Knowing that we would have a four hour train journey to Inverness, we decided to have a quick look around Wick and buy sandwiches and drinks to have on the train. Once we reached the station, both of us changed out of our wet cycling clothes in the toilets and unloaded the bikes to make them easier to get on the train, I had booked both bikes on the train when I purchased our tickets 8 weeks before and knowing that ScotsRail say that they can only carry two bikes per train, I was suprised to now see another four bikes on the platform. But just then the Station Master came out of his office and told us all to take our bikes outside to the car park, where he had a van waiting to take them to Inverness. Once the bikes were loaded in the van, we climbed aboard the train and made ourselves comfortable, with a 4 hour train journey in front of us, their would be plenty of time to write postcards and enjoy the view from the window and later in the journey the train passed through many of the towns and villages that we had cycled through a few days before.

On leaving the train at Inverness we found the van in the car park along with our bikes, we quickly loaded the bikes up, but just before we set off the driver of the van mentioned that we might have problems tomorrow as the train line between Inverness and Edinburgh had been washed away, he adviced us to be at the Station early in the morning for further instructions, with this news to think about we made our way back to Glencairn Guest House, the B&B that we had previously stopped in only two nights before. Once the bikes had been locked up and the luggage left in our room, we decided to find "Weatherspoons" for our evening meal, even though it was dry, we decided not to chance the weather this time and took our waterproofs with us. It was only a couple of minutes walk and soon we were sat down having a look at the menu, it was a special "curry night" and neither of us had eaten one for two weeks, so we both ordered the curry. Even though it was very busy, it wasn't long before we were served and after a very enjoyable meal we left the pub, crossed over the road to McDonald's and purchased a McFlurry to eat on the walk back to the B&B.

Total Distance 52 miles - Average Speed 12.2 mph - Weather, wet and very windy

Friday August 9th 2002

Our train was due to leave for Edinburgh at 10.40 am so we arrived at the Train Station about one hour early to be told that the train line had been washed away at Pitlochry and to catch the train as normal, we would then need to transfer to a coach, which would take us to Perth, where we should then change back onto a train to Edinburgh. When I mentioned that on our original train we had about one hour to spare between trains at Edinburgh, I was told that the coach transfer only lost about 25 minutes, so we should have no problem making our connection at Edinburgh.

Our train was already waiting at the platform but passengers were not allowed on due to it being cleaned, while waiting I noticed two more cyclists further back in the queue (only two allowed on a train) but no need to worry as our bikes are already booked on. When we are finally allowed on the train, we secured the bikes in postion and the other two cyclists place their bikes on top of ours, nobody asks if any of us have booked the bikes on, so I presume the two bike rule must be ignored by the staff. Once the train leaves there is an anouncement to remind everbody to change at Pitlochry to the coaches that will be parked in the Station car park. On arrival at Pitlochry Station we take our bikes off the train and walk to the car park, where there are already long queues for each coach, we join the back of one queue and when we finally reach the front we are told by the coach driver that he has no room for our bikes and that we had better try another coach. Eventually the fourth coach we try has room for our bikes, but only if we take out the wheels and jam the bikes and wheels in with all the other luggage under the coach. Finally we load the bikes on, but by now there is no room left on the coach for us, after a brief discussion with the coach driver we are told to leave the bikes where they are and catch the last empty coach in the car park. So both of us jump on and have a "52 seat coach" all to ourselves to Stirling. On arrival at Stirling all the other coaches have unloaded and there is just one coach left in the car park, with the driver attempting to fit the wheels back on our bikes. We quickly fit the wheels and make our way onto the Station platform to catch the train to Edinburgh, once on the train we find that there are now four bikes already in the space for two bikes, plus a trailer, but with a bit of manoevering we manage to squash our bikes in and find a seat close by.

When the ticket collector comes round I ask him if we are likely to make our connection at Edinburgh (we are already over 1 hour late) he says that the train is now held up behind a slow moving train and that there is no way we will make our connection. He also says that once we get off at Edinburgh, we need to go and see the Station Manager for more information. On arrival at Edinburgh we hurry to get the bikes and luggage off the train, but when we find the Station Managers office we are to late and there are already about 15 other passengers queuing. Finally after about an hour I get our tickets changed to a later train but with no guarantee of a seat or anywhere to put the bikes, I am also given two vouchers for us both to have a free meal at "Burger King", so with only about 30 minutes to spare before our next train arrives, we dash down the Platform to collect our free meal. Then while waiting for the train we notice that there are now two other bikes on the platform (Virgin trains only have room for four bikes) and the platform is solid with people waiting for the train to arrive.

As nobody ever knows which carriage stores th

Diary