Story
Day 1: Set off at 7am in the fog and drizzle (VERY pleasant way to start!). First 90 miles up the A30 through Cornwall (which by the way resembles an enormous roller-coaster... not as flat as it looks on the map!) Once in Devon, treated ourselves to a Little Chef lunch. Continued through Devon (also very hilly) and refuelled on a HUGE box of Clotted Cream fudge before crossing into Somerset. Once in Somerset we made a beeline up the A38 for Taunton where the Travelodge is home for the night... we're really living it up! Now (7.15pm) showered and changed and lying on the bed with cramps shooting up my legs... 8.5 hours in the saddle... 165 miles down, only 745 to go...
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Day 2: I thought today was going to be tough... and I was right. Left Taunton and headed north towards the Severn bridge, then crossed over into Wales and along the Wye Valley to Monmouth. (Past my old boarding school!) Headed out of Monmouth along a VERY hilly road to Hereford. The next 50 miles are a bit of a blur, but I finally made it. 8.5 hours in the saddle again, but now 1/3rd of the way to John O'Groats! Something of a deja vu this evening - we're staying in the Travelodge in Shrewsbury, and the room is IDENTICAL to last night! (For one nasty moment I thought I'd come full circle...)
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Day 3: Headed north out of Shrewsbury - judging by today's conditions, there won't be a hose pipe ban this summer! Got absolutely soaked to the skin,and had to change my gloves 3 times! Met a couple of fellow end-to-enders on route - they had had a 4 day headstart on me... sponsored them a tenner as I zoomed past! :-) Arrived in Lancaster after 7 hours and 105 miles, though frankly it's a miracle I made it, given that Julius, having finished his Mum's supplies of flapjacks, has now started tucking into my energy bars! Checked into Travelodge no. 3... once again, the room is exactly the same... I'm beginning to feel quite at home!
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Day 4: Headed north out of Lancaster - first town we went through was Kendal, so treated myself to 6 chocolate-coated mint cakes! Was glad of them when I saw the size of the hill out of town! Went on to Carlisle, threw a left, and crossed into Scotland at Gretna... saw the wedding rooms, but rejected Julius's offer of marriage... he's really let himself go since we've been on the road! :-) Headed along the flat to Dumfries, and then up into the hills of Ayrshire... after 122 miles Julius informed me that we were on the wrong road, and that it would add another 5 miles to the journey... easy for him to say, sat in the car! Now in a hotel in Dalmellington, a small town which seems to be home to more cows than people! 9.5 hours, 163 miles... a long day!
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Day 5: Very, very, VERY tough day! Spent all day riding up hills into a headwind! Left Dalmellington and headed for Glasgow, where I got very lost looking for the Erskine Bridge. Spotted a pedestrian to ask for directions, but as I got a little closer and could actually make out the fact that in-between the facial scars he was basically one big tattoo, decided that he actually looked like a less than desirable character, so rode on by rather than risk a head-butting! Finally found the bridge (though not without a substantial detour) and headed out of town into the Loch region. Found out where the Scottish highlands are... ouch! Continued through the Loch region and into Fort William - very picturesque (felt like riding through a film set... half expected to see Christopher Lambert coming over the glen wielding his Salamanca!) and finally another rain-free day! 10 hours in the saddle, 160 miles. ___________________________________________________ Day 6: Finished! A whole day early! :-) Left Fort William this morning with Ben Nevis to the east. Didn't have the right footwear on me to climb it, so rode straight past and headed for Loch Ness instead. No sign of the monster, which was deeply disappointing! Headed onwards to Inverness, and on the way passed another end-to-ender... this guy had had a 14 day headstart on me!! When I told him I was planning to do the remaining 120 odd miles today he nearly fell off his bike! Carried on up the east coast to Berriedale, but instead of stopping there as planned, decided John O'Groats was so tantalisingly close that I would carry on! 11 hours and 186 miles today... looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight! Heading home tomorrow under a rather different kind of pedal power.... my right foot on the accelerator! Thanks to everyone who supported me, and in particular to all those who sponsored me! ___________________________________________________ An avid cyclist who is always up for a challenge, Stuart Heade has decided to embark on a cycle ride from Lands End to John O'Groats. The total distance is just over 900 miles and the plan is to complete it in 7 days. "I have been intending to ride the end-to-end for some time, so I guess there is no time like the present. The reason I have chosen to raise money for Leukaemia Research is that I lost 2 of my Grandparents to the disease so I see this as a very worthy cause." Stuart will be riding the whole distance solo, but a special mention should be given to Julius Themistocleous who will be driving the entire distance in support. The route will take them up the West side of the country, and will be split into 7 stages as follows: Sat 2nd July +++ Lands End-Taunton +++ 165 miles Sun 3rd July +++ Taunton-Shrewsbury +++ 150 miles Mon 4th July +++ Shrewsbury-Lancaster +++ 108 miles Tue 5th July +++ Lancaster-Dalmellington +++ 158 miles Wed 6th July +++ Dalmellington-Fort William +++ 146 miles Thur 7th July +++ Fort William-Berriedale +++ 140 miles Fri 8th July +++ Berriedale-John O'Groats +++ 43 miles Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor: Leukaemia Research Fund will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Thank you for your donation.
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Day 2: I thought today was going to be tough... and I was right. Left Taunton and headed north towards the Severn bridge, then crossed over into Wales and along the Wye Valley to Monmouth. (Past my old boarding school!) Headed out of Monmouth along a VERY hilly road to Hereford. The next 50 miles are a bit of a blur, but I finally made it. 8.5 hours in the saddle again, but now 1/3rd of the way to John O'Groats! Something of a deja vu this evening - we're staying in the Travelodge in Shrewsbury, and the room is IDENTICAL to last night! (For one nasty moment I thought I'd come full circle...)
___________________________________________________
Day 3: Headed north out of Shrewsbury - judging by today's conditions, there won't be a hose pipe ban this summer! Got absolutely soaked to the skin,and had to change my gloves 3 times! Met a couple of fellow end-to-enders on route - they had had a 4 day headstart on me... sponsored them a tenner as I zoomed past! :-) Arrived in Lancaster after 7 hours and 105 miles, though frankly it's a miracle I made it, given that Julius, having finished his Mum's supplies of flapjacks, has now started tucking into my energy bars! Checked into Travelodge no. 3... once again, the room is exactly the same... I'm beginning to feel quite at home!
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Day 4: Headed north out of Lancaster - first town we went through was Kendal, so treated myself to 6 chocolate-coated mint cakes! Was glad of them when I saw the size of the hill out of town! Went on to Carlisle, threw a left, and crossed into Scotland at Gretna... saw the wedding rooms, but rejected Julius's offer of marriage... he's really let himself go since we've been on the road! :-) Headed along the flat to Dumfries, and then up into the hills of Ayrshire... after 122 miles Julius informed me that we were on the wrong road, and that it would add another 5 miles to the journey... easy for him to say, sat in the car! Now in a hotel in Dalmellington, a small town which seems to be home to more cows than people! 9.5 hours, 163 miles... a long day!
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Day 5: Very, very, VERY tough day! Spent all day riding up hills into a headwind! Left Dalmellington and headed for Glasgow, where I got very lost looking for the Erskine Bridge. Spotted a pedestrian to ask for directions, but as I got a little closer and could actually make out the fact that in-between the facial scars he was basically one big tattoo, decided that he actually looked like a less than desirable character, so rode on by rather than risk a head-butting! Finally found the bridge (though not without a substantial detour) and headed out of town into the Loch region. Found out where the Scottish highlands are... ouch! Continued through the Loch region and into Fort William - very picturesque (felt like riding through a film set... half expected to see Christopher Lambert coming over the glen wielding his Salamanca!) and finally another rain-free day! 10 hours in the saddle, 160 miles. ___________________________________________________ Day 6: Finished! A whole day early! :-) Left Fort William this morning with Ben Nevis to the east. Didn't have the right footwear on me to climb it, so rode straight past and headed for Loch Ness instead. No sign of the monster, which was deeply disappointing! Headed onwards to Inverness, and on the way passed another end-to-ender... this guy had had a 14 day headstart on me!! When I told him I was planning to do the remaining 120 odd miles today he nearly fell off his bike! Carried on up the east coast to Berriedale, but instead of stopping there as planned, decided John O'Groats was so tantalisingly close that I would carry on! 11 hours and 186 miles today... looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight! Heading home tomorrow under a rather different kind of pedal power.... my right foot on the accelerator! Thanks to everyone who supported me, and in particular to all those who sponsored me! ___________________________________________________ An avid cyclist who is always up for a challenge, Stuart Heade has decided to embark on a cycle ride from Lands End to John O'Groats. The total distance is just over 900 miles and the plan is to complete it in 7 days. "I have been intending to ride the end-to-end for some time, so I guess there is no time like the present. The reason I have chosen to raise money for Leukaemia Research is that I lost 2 of my Grandparents to the disease so I see this as a very worthy cause." Stuart will be riding the whole distance solo, but a special mention should be given to Julius Themistocleous who will be driving the entire distance in support. The route will take them up the West side of the country, and will be split into 7 stages as follows: Sat 2nd July +++ Lands End-Taunton +++ 165 miles Sun 3rd July +++ Taunton-Shrewsbury +++ 150 miles Mon 4th July +++ Shrewsbury-Lancaster +++ 108 miles Tue 5th July +++ Lancaster-Dalmellington +++ 158 miles Wed 6th July +++ Dalmellington-Fort William +++ 146 miles Thur 7th July +++ Fort William-Berriedale +++ 140 miles Fri 8th July +++ Berriedale-John O'Groats +++ 43 miles Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor: Leukaemia Research Fund will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. Thank you for your donation.