Saturday 30th July 2022, 80.74km, 837m

The day started with Martin and Ryan leading Jasmine out to try to get a new best time on the hill below the hotel with the rest of the group cheering them on.

Once we got rolling we immediately sped down a hill, inevitably the road then went skywards again as we started the first of four climbs, all in the first part of the ride. I was feeling strong and was happy to push on.

There was a strong tailwind that made things interesting when the road turned it into a cross wind but we were flying along again.

Somehow I managed to set a new best time for 40km without really thinking about it. No traffic lights, roundabouts or junctions definitely helped, as did the tailwind.

The arrival at John O’Groats is rather anticlimactic as the road just feeds into a large cark park; there is none of the sense of arrival as I felt when we got to Land’s End.

LEJOG DONE. Medals were given out, congratulations given and received, photos taken and then let it sink in. We have just ridden from the southwest corner of England to the northeast corner of Scotland. It’s taken 14 days that started in the middle of a heat wave and ended with some of the nicest weather Scotland could possibly offer.

Riding the length of the country is quite an achievement; one I wasn’t sure I was capable of doing until I actually did it. It helped that I rode with a great group of people. We dragged each other through the tough days and shared the great days.

I kept the pedals turning through all of it, saw some beautiful parts of the country and can now say I rode from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

Friday 29th July 2022, 126.22km, 973m

A day of (mostly) gentle climbs and spectacular vistas as we headed north from Invergordon. Almost every mile brought a new “wow” moment as the landscape became more moorland.

The Falls of Shin was a slight disappointment as we didn’t see any leaping salmon, well I didn’t anyway, but the water cascading over the falls was rather hypnotic.

Lunch at The Crask Inn was taken in a very sunny garden and the rest of the day was some of the best cycling I have ever had. The scenery was stunning, the roads flowed beautifully and the group rode really well together.

The toughest climb of the day was the one to the hotel; Martin and Jasmine flew at it with Stef having a good go at it too. I think I was enjoying the view too much to put that amount of effort in.

The view out over the North Atlantic was another ”wow” moment; we have been very lucky with the weather in Scotland. It was warm enough to sit outside in shorts and a t-shirt while drinking a cold pint.

We have now ridden from the south coast of England to the north coast of Scotland; we just have the 50 miles along the coast to John O’Groats to do.

Thursday 28th July 2022, 101.20km, 1,045m

The day started with one of the longest climbs of the trip. 7.6km long climbing 404m with a max gradient of 12%; it was hard but not that hard. My fear of climbs is possibly behind me.

The group slowly came back together at the top of the climb, each person being cheered in by the rest. We hung around at the top for a while and when Mike rolled in he had a flat tyre. I had bottles of sealant in my day bag so could help sort it out but it meant the group had left by the time I got riding again. I figured this was a good chance to have some fun and try to chase back on.

Riding close to flat out through the twisting country lanes was exhilarating. Corners swept by and I started to pick off some of the other riders but never saw the lead group until I came across them stopped at a viewing point.

The afternoon brought a diversion to get over the Kessock Bridge and a small incident when one of the other riders rode into me and we both crashed. No real damage done to either me or the bike. Phew!

After the afternoon brew stop I decided to stretch my legs again and pushed hard for a few kms; I needed to clear the adrenaline after the crash and get in front of other riders for a while. I was a bit surprised to see that Stefan, Martin, Jasmine & Vicky had all gone with me!

Martin was soon back on the front though as we made our way to Invergordon.

It feels like we’re closing in on the finish now. Pretty much everyone had a drink and sat outside in the late afternoon sunshine.

Wednesday 27th July 2022, 130.53km, 962m

The morning started bright but cold. Cold enough for leg warmers for the first time on the trip.

We were climbing from the off but the views were stunning so it didn’t seem to matter as much.

As we rolled through stunning landscape after stunning landscape we began the climb up towards Glen Coe.

After the morning brew stop the descent of Glen Coe began. It was busy with traffic but we still a fast descent and I was flying along.

As a group we were going so quickly that we arrived at the hotel lunch stop too early!

A slightly surreal moment was when I stopped to check where the lunch stop was and I had a string of drivers waving and giving me thumbs up. It took me a while to realise that they were thanking me for letting them through!

The afternoon started with us riding along the A82 to Fort William before turning off onto quieter roads and onto the Commando Memorial just outside Spean Bridge.

From here it was back on the A82 to Fort Augustus (rather than taking the canal path as we’d been warned that it was a recipe for multiple punctures) and our different B&B accommodations.

Staff shortages meant that the restaurant that was booked for dinner was closed but we had great fish and chips sitting alongside the Caledonia Canal to round off a really great day’s cycling.

The owner of the fish and chips shop was very trusting. As they were 8 of us ordering he told us to go ahead and eat them while they were hot and then go back to pay him. I can’t see that ever happening in Surrey!

Tuesday 26th July 2022, 127.46km, 733m

I was apprehensive about today as it meant riding through Glasgow. I shouldn’t have been worried, the cycle path alongside the Clyde is amazing. It took us through the city without ever being on a main road and onwards to Loch Lomond.

An unfortunate puncture meant Ryan wasn’t miles ahead of everyone and we all made it to the brew stop at about the same time. Time for the only photo of the group with Ryan at a brew stop.

The Loch Lomond cycle path is at best a path and at worst a bone jarring network of tree roots. One of those sections you’re just glad to be off. We had occasional views of the Loch but not quite as nice as expected.

After the afternoon brew stop we had 2 climbs before arriving in Tyndrum. Neither was that bad and the last was a big ring effort all the way.

The hotel in Tyndrum is straight out of the 1970s! There is a kids pool table (none of the cues had tips) and a table tennis table. The bar doesn’t open until 5pm and the choice of drinks is limited. Martin compared it to the hotel in The Shining. They could make a fortune running themed weekends!

Monday 25th July 2022, 123.91km, 1,117m

The morning started well with me heading off the front to stretch my legs out. Because of a problem with someone else’s bike the team were trying to sort that out which meant we missed out on a morning brew stop. I was really getting used to a cuppa too.

The road surfaces were rubbish with a lot of potholes and just a crap surface to ride a bike on.

A long climb after lunch strung the group out and then we descended towards the M74. This bit wasn’t much fun, the constant noise from the motorway combined with the poor road surface wasn’t making the day too enjoyable. And then the rain hit.

I could see it coming and when it hit I was instantly soaked. Vicky had gone for it and I had my head down and eventually caught her up; we rode together bemoaning the weather and the road surface. The rain was torrential, the worst we’ve had all trip but we rode really well together, taking turns on the front, just pushing through hoping for some respite.

A bright note was the cycle track as we got closer to Larkhall; it was a much nicer surface than the road. As the track ran out there was a sharp turn and Vicky touched the grass with her back wheel and her bike slid out from under her. Thankfully no real damage done.

We pushed on, were ahead of the van so missed the afternoon brew stop too and just headed for the hotel. Once there I ordered the strangest set of drinks…a latte in the largest cup you have and a Bunnahabhain whisky with a little ice.

A day to just get through rather than enjoy. It would have been pretty crappy without the rain; the soaking just completed the set of shitiness.

Sunday 24th July 2022, 140.18km, 1,708m

This was a big day, 142km and over 1600m of climbing as we traversed the Lake District to Scotland. It would have been a bad day to have a bad day and I started feeling like that was the case. I’d woken up feeling tired and yawning and the day’s cycling seemed daunting.

Some road closures meant we spent more time on some of the busier A roads than anyone would have liked but we also got to ride on some amazing back roads and lanes.

Before lunch we stopped at Castlerigg Stone Circle to admire the views and look at the stones.

After lunch the climbing started in earnest. The climb out of Uldale was incredible. It was unrelenting for kilometre after kilometre. It was a case of gritting my teeth and somehow keeping the pedals moving, even if it meant my cadence was in the 50s.

The descent towards Carlisle was fantastic although the cross tail wind did make it a bit hair-raising at times. Getting through Carlisle was a case of head down and pushing as much power as I could sustain and then we were back on the country lanes heading for Gretna.

It was a little surreal riding on the road alongside the M6 as we approached Scotland. Then we saw the sign we’d all been looking for. We were finally in Scotland, we’d ridden the length of England in 8 days.

This was a hard day, not as hard as the day on Dartmoor but hard with 7 days of riding in the legs (and backside). It felt great to see the Scotland sign, and in 6 days time we’ll arrive in John O’Groats.

Dinner was in a room laid out for a wedding reception, complete with chairs labelled Bride & Groom. Carmen and Mike played along.

Saturday 23rd July 2022, 108.06km, 1,643m

It was nice to start a day’s riding and not go immediately uphill. It didn’t take long until we did but at least it wasn’t from the get go.

After some pleasant country lane riding we dropped into Blackburn and its traffic. We obviously got the timing wrong as we seemed to hit every traffic light on red. Soon we were climbing out of the town and back into the countryside. One of the great things about this trip has been how little traffic we’ve seen overall, and some of the lanes have been stunning to ride on.

The climbing began straight after lunch and as we descended one hill we could see the daunting climb of The Cross of Greet laid out before us. On a clear day it would have looked majestic, clad in the mist it looked like a trial.

This was a beast of a climb with a gradient that never seemed to stay the same for very long. I huffed and puffed to the top and then enjoyed the descent before we got into more rolling hills.

Finally we rolled into Carnforth; the beer we had felt well deserved even if I got the location wrong and wondered why I was the only one in the hotel bar. Turned out everyone else was in the bar next door linked to the hotel.

Friday 22nd July 2022, 128.59km, 679m

It’s not all sunshine and country lanes riding LEJOG. Some days it rains all day, the country lanes are lined with gravel, the drivers are more aggressive and you’re glad to get to the hotel. Today was that day.

It wasn’t all bad news though, the rain was persistent but never torrential, we had a tail wind of sorts and our time on main roads was limited.

Despite being the flattest day of the ride I felt that my legs were heavy but that could also be because I was one of the last to start and then paced Olivia and John to Martin, Jasmine and Vicky who were some way up the road from us.

Surreal moment of the day was Olivia photographing my beans on toast lunch as she’d never seen it before.

It wasn’t much of a day for taking pictures and although we rode through Delamere Forest I was just counting down the kilometres until we’d get to the hotel.

The hotel were very accommodating, even going so far as to set up a hose for us to clean our bikes. My Wilier has never been that filthy and I’m massively grateful to have a clean bike to start tomorrow with.

The hotel is at Leigh Sports Village and tonight is the quarter final of the Women’s Euros between Sweden and Belgium. There are a lot of Swedish fans around and the location for dinner, the local pub, was packed when we arrived and pretty much empty at 8pm when the match kicked off.

Thursday 21st July 2022, 111.32km, 1,106m

Today I had Hywel join for the day. He’d driven to Hereford the previous evening and was going to head back on the train from Shrewsbury. We met for breakfast and he’d already met quite a lot of the riders and all the guys from Pedal Britain.

Getting out of Hereford was the usual mix of traffic, traffic lights and longing for the country lanes that would come.

The morning brew stop was at a very picturesque spot in Pembridge. I am finding a nice cup of tea is a perfect drink after a couple of hours on the bike.

Leaving the brew stop I ran over a pigeon! This was a surreal moment, I expected it to move and it didn’t.

Today was a much cooler day, almost perfect cycling conditions and we made Hywel work for his day out; he sat on the front for long parts of it.

Despite being an ”easier” day we still covered 111km and over 1000m of climbing. Easy is a very relative term when riding LEJOG.

As we got closer to Shrewsbury the group split as most were heading to the local bike shop to get various squeaks fixed or worn out parts replaced. Hywel and I headed to the hotel where Darren was still trying to check us all in despite already having been there for an hour and a half.

A cancelled later train meant Hywel had to dash to get the train but it had been great to see him and have him along for the day.

The route took us over a small bridge that reminded me very much of the one in Pitlochry. It certainly bounced around as much as that one.

Today was the last day that Darren would be with us. He’d stayed while the weather was hot to add an extra pair of hands, and an extra vehicle, making sure we had enough water and could stay hydrated. We said our goodbyes after dinner. It’s the Les and Brian show from now on.

Dinner was at a lovely pizza restaurant called Dough & Oil. Today was the first day without a pre-booked table so the group were free to do their own thing. Myself, James, Ian, Imogen, Vicky & Ryan all chose the pizza place; it was a good choice.