Day 3 – Arville to Richelieu

Starting off on a gravel path from Arville to Angers it wasn’t long before we crossed the Loire river but not before Murray showed an amazing trick of having every light turn to amber as he approached it meaning only him, me and Vicky ever got through.

We had a bigger group today and we stopped to look at chateaux, churches and what might have once been a windmill.

The morning brew stop was right on the banks of the Loire and, as usual, there was a good range of snacks to keep a bunch of hungry cyclists going.

From the brew stop we set off at a good lick and soon had our fastest 5 mile section of the trip so far. This wasn’t to last long though as it was broken in the afternoon once Martin got going on the front.

The climb to the chateau at Saumur was a proper climb. First time using the 36 cog on the cassette (which Martin made use everyone in a 100m radius knew about).

Once past Saumur we were back to rolling road past vineyards and isolated farm houses. The last 20km to Richelieu were along a gravel bike path with occasional barriers on either the left or the right or sometimes both, like a chicane.

The day finished with beers in the local square before dinner.

Day 2 – Chateaubourg to Arville

A dry start to the day was a much better way to start riding compared to yesterday. My legs felt a bit tired, a similar feeling to after a cafe stop but they soon warmed up and get used to the idea that I was riding my bike for the 2nd day running. The 4 of us were keeping up a nice pace, not too fast but not idling either. The brew stop soon came around and I ditched the arm warmers for sunscreen; if this wasn’t going to bring on the rain then nothing would.

The whole day was one of rolling hills and long straight roads with the 4 of us cruising along chatting. The picnic lunch felt like more of a picnic, it was in a park and the sun was shining.

The hotel appeared sooner than we thought and we rolled in after a very pleasant day on the bike. The weather had been a lot nicer and this definitely made the day seem like less of an effort.

Day 1 – St Malo to Chateaubourg

After yesterday’s lovely weather today started wet and windy and would stay wet and windy for the whole day. The traditional photo in our jerseys was hilarious as Rad gave us a countdown for us to unzip our rain jackets, he took the photo and we all zipped them up again.

We’d barely got going and my saddle height felt wrong. After stopping to reset it I found it quite a chase to get back to the group. I thought the group was a bit too big so pushed on and then found myself out the front on my own as none of Martin, Jasmine or Vicky had gone with me. Best laid plans etc…

The brew stop should have given us a good view of Mont St Michel but it was a vague shape in the dank grey sky.

After the respite of the brew stop it was back into the rain and wind to the picnic lunch. I am sure this would have been lovely on a nice day but in persistent rain it was more of a fueling stop than a picnic. My bike was filthy which is never good in my eyes.

Finally we arrived at the hotel. A hose was supplied to wash our bikes and I settled into the ritual of kit washing, showing and finding out where the bar is.

The weather was awful but it was a good day as I was finally starting the trip to Nice, I was riding my bike with friends I’ve not seen for ages and that made up for the rain and wind.

Day 0 – Portsmouth to St Malo

The overnight ferry from Portsmouth was the travel choice and I met Martin and Jasmine at the check-in/departure lounge. After a quick bite to eat we settled in the bar and let the others in the group know where we are. This resulted in meeting Colin and David as we left Portsmouth and headed out into the English Channel.

Although the cabins on the ferry were pretty comfortable I didn’t sleep particularly well whereas everyone else seemed to have slept like the proverbial log.

The crossing was smooth and then we had a day to kill in St Malo. Breakfast was followed by a gentle wander around until we could finally check in at 3pm.

Channel to Med (C2M)

Here I go again. Two years after LEJOG it’s time to cycle from one end of a country to another, this time it’s France. The route is from the Channel (St. Malo) to the Med (Nice) and will take 14 days, the same as LEJOG. I’m cycling with the same company as before (Pedal Britain) and will also be meeting up with some of the people from LEJOG as Martin, Jasmine and Vicky are all taking it on too.

The Day After

A mid morning flight back to London rather than a mid morning brew stop felt very strange. It was fantastic to see Diana at Heathrow and to get back home.

Reflections:

99.9% of the people you meet on the trip are lovely; they are kind and encouraging and funny (I’ve reserved the 0.1% for Range Rover drivers in Scotland – they are prats)
The bike stood up brilliantly; I had no issues at all during the 14 days. I re-lubed the chain once after the day with torrential rain and pumped the tyres up a couple of times.
Pacing, especially during the first few days is massively important. We are told all the time that LEJOG is a marathon, not a sprint. Riding within myself on a lot of days meant I ended the ride feeling strong and able to ride harder.
There is no such thing as too much chamois cream.
The UK is a beautiful country.
If you had a fear of riding up hills you will lose it; you just have to keep turning the pedals. That’s all there is to it.
LEJOG is hard but doable.

Day 14, Bettyhill to John O’Groats

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.

Day 13, Invergordon to Bettyhill

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.

Day 12, Fort Augustus to Invergordon

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.

Day 11, Tyndrum to Fort Augustus

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!