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Hello all just a bit of background about the ride. I am fast approaching 50 and thought its either now or never to set out on this challenge and also raise some money for a deserving charity. Pendleside Hospice.This is a 1000 mile give or take a few miles either way unsupported bike ride from Lands End in Cornwall to John O'Groats at the very tip of Scotland This means I have no vehicle support and have to carry everything I will need on the bike. I am hopeing to complete the ride in 10 to 12 days or about 100 miles per day. Start date 29/04/2010 I have chosen  Pendleside Hospice after giving it a lot of thought as this is a local one which I feel you will agree do marvellous work throughout the local community helping many people in many different ways, lets try to put something good back into our community. Many thanks lets dig deep and donate now.

                                                        Thanks-------------Gary

Progress report 21/02/2010 ---65 days to go ( Better get a wiggle on with my training)

All train tickets now booked to Lands End first nights accomodation booked ay YHA Sennen just a few miles from the start point at Lands End. First days route finalised 111 miles to Moretonhampstead where I will be staying in an Eco Hostel, solar heated showers and an organicallly grown vegetable/food parcel on arrival. I will try to update the site daily with progress reports if I can get hold of a computer and internet connection. A big thankyou To Peter And Rita for there extremely kind and generous offer of a lift all the way back from John O'Groats. Much appreciated. And to everyone else for there help advice and support. I guess all I have to do now is ride the 1000 miles

Progress report  15/03/2010

Getting the miles in now just completed a busy week which included 3 longish rides back to back  on a fully laden bike  60 miles 73 miles and 74 miles and 3 shorter rides on race bike altogether approx 290 miles. To be honest it was a shock as to how hard a laden bike is to ride up hills this was due to the fact that I was trying to ride as I would on the race bike and attack the hills but after the first 30 miles I found myself blown to bits and soon learned the Zen (To quote Sensei Derrick) of loaded cycle touring. Use the low gears and plod up the hills. Conclusion I feel tired but am confident with a couple of days recovery should be able to go longer and faster. Lost weight already 2kgs If I continue to loose it at that rate I will be about 3 stone wet through by the time I get back.  :]

 

Progress report 25/042010

Only 5 days now until the start. Plenty of miles training put in. I am having a few rest days now and hopefully will be chomping at the bit to get started. As I said earlier I will update with progress of the ride whenever possible. Thanks again to everyone for their help and donations.

 

Day 1. Lands End to Liskeard. 87miles

Of to a flying start 8 miles from the hostel to the start point at Lands End feeling really strong. Soon discovered why I had a tail wind. Set of from Lands End into a 25 mph headwind even had to peddle on the downhills to maintain speed. Heavy going but the miles soon racked up 71miles by 1.00 pm leisurley lunch fully confident I could do my 100 miles target for the day then the inevitable a combination of headwind and serious hills which go on for miles I blew up by 4pm I could hardly turn the peddles into the wind and checked in at an excellent B&B Beechwood Cottage http://www.beechwoodcottageholidays.co.uk/ on the road into liskeard. Highly recommended run by Richard & June Tremblett superb breakfast spotlessly clean accomodation and the nicest couple you could hope to meet. Rolled into bed exhausted. " I hope the wind relents tomrrow " was playing through my head as it hit the pillow and slipped into instant unconsiousness.

Day 2. Liskeard to Wiveliscobe 91miles

Woke up early feeling good excellent breakfast. Cereals and an enormous fry up ideal cycling food washed down with a gallon of tea.Loaded bike up pulled out onto road straight into the same headwind as yesterday only stronger occasionally relenting to a side wind which blew me several times out into the middle of the road. Constant long climbs followed by short decents. How I hate decents because at the bottom the next climb appears. Perhaps it was a bad idea to stay of the A roads and use minor roads probably a bit easier going on the A roads but the downside  a lot less scenic. The first bad weather of the trip arrived whilst going over Dartmoor windy with a bit of heavy rain just for fun. I was imformed by one local that Dartmoor involves 7 miles of climb to get over it and it certainly felt like it, arrived at The Bear Inn at Wiveliscomb wet tired and cold good nights sleep and plenty of good food in the pub.

Day 3. Wiveliscombe to Dursley 90miles

Up early again good breakfast and feeling strong I think I am riding myself into a bit of fitness. A better day but still plauged by strong headwinds which slow progress. fantastic scenery to start the day and fairly flat terrain down The Vale of Taunton Deane up through Bridgewater and onto Bristol. A place to avoid on a bike, it has to be the most bike unfreindly city in the country. I can only describe it as Death Race 2000. You will understand if you have seen the movie. The rest of the ride To Dursley was very pleasant all on minor roads very little traffic. Arrived at the Bell Hotel said music untill 2 am( it being the bank holiday weekend )so with some trepidation I checked out where my room would be as the music was already quite loud. It was on the 4th floor at the back of the hotel and seemed quiet, I checked in showered and had a good meal and a couple of pints in the bar and went to bed at 9.45pm Ahhhhh heaven. At 10pm the music started and did not stop until 2am as advertised. The music I heard earlier was only the Juke box and the D.J must of arrived with a truck load of speakers at 10pm. Only3 hours sleep.

Day 4.Dursley to Ironbridge 82miles

Up early again big breakfast loaded bike up and away for 8.45am. Still windy but started the day with some long fast descents into the Frome Valley and into Stroud. Cheltenham soon arrived then Worcester, Stourport,Bewdley,Bridgenorth and onto Ironbridge for my overnight stay.A fairly  easy day compared to  the last 3. Went up the hill to the Y.H.A and tried for 30mins to get in but it seemed deserted so i rolled back down into town and checked into a B&B and went out to a Thai resteraunt right opposite the famous bridge and attempted single handedly to eat everything in there. A good nights sleep very comfortable room.

Day 5. Ironbridge to Nelson 125 miles(A Night At Home In My Own Comfy Bed)

Good breakfast  but didn't get away until 9.30am a bad plan as this was a long day in the saddle. Set of from the B&B straight into a very steep climb dropped gear down to 30/28 and found i still had to stand to keep moveing and felt my achilles tendon on my left leg twang, agony like having a red hot knife stabbing repeatedly at it. I stopped for a while and waited for it to calm down and remounted gingerly and it seemed ok just a bit sore, On to Whitchurch and Tarporley Where I stopped at Flavours Cafe Beeston just outside the village. Best food of the trip so far massive chicken curry with rice and chips. Freindly staff and cheap as chips so to speak. On the way out I grabbed some supplies several bottles of Lucozade sport and a piece of cake which the owner said was free of charge and her way of contributing to the charity ride. Onward ankle still sore through northwich and Warrington Wigan Blackburn Accrington and arrived home at 8.30pm knackered. A very long day through busy traffic. Enjoyed the luxuries of home very much. meeting Derrick  One of my club mates In the morning who will be joining me for the rest of the trip. I will be glad of the company and it helps the miles go by a bit easier.

Day 6. Nelson to Dufton 80 miles

Met Derrick at Walton Lane the usual club run meeting place at 9.30 a lie in for me. And of on familiar roads up to Ingleton. Kirkby Lonsdale.Sedburgh. Appleby In Westmorland and Dufton. A steady day good company and good weather that wind has dropped a little. Arrived at Dufton Y.H.A after a few short sharp steep little climbs still feeling strong. Met up with a supported ride being done by 6 policemen that had set of from Lands End The same time as me

They had suffered 1 casualty a torn calf muscle ,he had to be carted of to hospital. Another of the guys had tendonitus the same as me and sought advice, the only advice I could give was Ibuprofen and grin and bear it.They all agreed that the headwinds had made the journey very difficult so far. A couple of beers and to bed ready for the next day.

Day 7. Dufton to Sanquher 104miles

Woke up to rain this morning we had heard it dripping from a leaking gutter all night but not to worry after breakfast the bikes where loaded and of we went into a dry sunny but breezy day. Up to Brampton then Gretna,Annan and along theSolway Firth to Dumfries then up past Drumlanrig Castle and along the Nith Valley to our overnight stop at Sanquhar. Derrick had scoped this one out and very good it turned out to be, we had a large static caravan with all mod cons to ourselves good evening meal of sandwiches pasta and sauce, and watched a bit of T.V .Breakfast was top notch the first porridge of the trip followed by a large fried scottish breakfast. MMMMmmmmmmm.

Day 8. Sanquher to Crainlarich 113miles

Another fairly steady day great weather again bright and breezy on up to Kilmarnock and Dumbarton where we eventually after some searching managed to pick up the Loch Lomond Cycle route over the Erskine bride and almost all the way up the loch side very pleasant. Then a few miles on a very badly surfaced road section through Ardlui and onto Crainlarich which involved going up a fairly long steady climb by this time I was operating on 1 leg due to my tendon strain so Derrick romped on ahead and was at the Hostel when I arrived.  We had arrived to late for an evening meal and was imformed the only store in the place was closed for the evening, also there where no chip shops or take aways of any sort. so with bellies rumbling I raided my emergency supply of pot noodles for our starter and we purchased a giant pizza and tins of rice pudding from the hostel store for our main course and pudding. A group in the hostel far better organized than us had fresh fillets of fish roast potatoes and vegetables washed down with copious amounts of wine.We where waiting for any leftovers that may of gone in the bin. Not the best nights sleep synchronised snoring and a drunk fantasist walker who had done it all trying to climb into the top bunk.

Day 9. Crainlarich to Invergary 74miles

We ate breakfast at the hostel then set out into a frosty morning but the sun was shining and it soon warmed up. This proved to be the best days cycling I have ever done . out onto Rannoch Moor  halfway up the climb is a layby where a piper was playing his bagpipes whilst we sailed effortlessly up the climb passing several other cyclists like they where standing still. To Glencoe through the Great Glen and a fantastic descent for several miles. Demon descender Derrick was of in front in a serious tuck position 40mph easy. I saw a camper van indicating out from a layby Derrick went wide anticipating it pulling out on him, good move, I was behind 3 motorbikes by this time the van waited for the motorbikes to pass but seemed oblivious to my prescence and pulled out on me, oncoming traffic stopped me from overtaking it the only option left was to lock both wheels up in a desperate attempt to shave speed fortunatly this was succesful and I managed to stay on the bike. Scary with a full load of luggage on the back. The rest of the ride was spectacular the mountain scenery mindblowing. we decided to cut the day short at 74 miles after spotting a Youth Hostel. All the B7Bs we had seen all day had said no vacencies and we did not want to sleep rough so we booked into what was a fantastic hostel. We had bought plenty of supplies for our evening meals as we did not want to be caught out like yesterday. Got chatting to old Scottish boys on a cycling holiday plenty of tall tales of how things used to be. Very entertaining.

Day 10. Invergary to Pittentrail 100miles (99 really but 100 sounds better)

Not the best of breakfasts to start the day a bowl of Frosties followed by savoury rice done in the microwave which I thought would be a good supplement plenty of carbs. Warning Do not eat this stuff it is horrible and I am being polite LOL. Nice weather again sunny but still breezy of up the shore of Loch Ness  crossing over The caledonian Canal and onto part of the trip I had been dreading since my tendon problem. Drumnadrochit. A climb of about 1.5 miles 20% and more in some parts. I feared this could end my trip causing permanent damage to my tendon. As it happens it was not so bad and we got over it no problem. The rest of the day was easy cycling just a few long draggy sections. We stayed at Sleeperzzz  at Rogarth Pittentrail converted old first class railway carriages very alternative accomadation well worth a stay if you are around there cheap and fairly comfortable and well euipped for self catering http://www.sleeperzzz.com/

Day 11. Pittentrail to John O Groats 79 miles

Another chilly start but fueled with a great breakfast. Many thanks Derrick spectacular and just as unusual as the accomadation and one to put down as a once in a lifetime experience. Of on the last stage of the journey which I thought would be an easy day just 80 miles or so and no rush to get there. Wrong right from the start headwind and lumpy terrain all the way occasionally broken up with longer climbs hailstones propelled at high speed enough to fell like skin being ripped of your face and my tendon had finally said thats enough pal I am sick of this so I was riding with one leg which caused me to rock in the saddle causing a boil to form on my backside to add to the discomfort. After considering a roadside amputation of my foot to ease the pain at 30 miles from the finish I was spurred on by Derrick to the finish not he most enjoyable day of my life but it still felt good to arrive at John O Groats. After the obligatory photos at the singpost which they take away as it is now privately owned by a photograper who was not there in his booth no doubt due to the snow and hail coming down .We decided not to ride the few miles to the hostel but to book into The Seaview Hotel. Once settled I phoned Peter and his wife Rita who had very kindly offered us a lift home, they where on holiday in the area and had agreed to meet us at our last stop but they did not know which day or where. "Hiya Pete wher are you ?"  " I am at The Seaview Hotel in room 1, Where are you?" I dont beleive this Pete I am in room 3 why am I phoneing you see you in the bar " What are the chances of that happening. Anyway a couple of pints of guiness and a good chin wag about our respective trips a bit of telly and sleep. It felt good knowing that tomorrow would not involve cycling, just a 10 hour drive home. Many thanks Peter and Rita for the lift home enjoyed the journey and the company very much.

Many thank's to:- Tony Dewhurst at http://www.bksplastics.co.uk/  for the very generous use of the Land Rover Discovery for our journey home and to the customers and staff of  Headstart Hair Design in Colne for there generous contributions . Much appreciated.

Conclusion.

Would I do it again? Yes for sure but I would take 3 weeks minimum so I could stop more and enjoy the scenery and have a look round the places I stayed. Overall a fantastic experience reccomended a must do for any keen cyclist. Thanks again to everyone involved for your help advice and donations. It has restored my faith in human nature there are lots of nice generous and kind people out there. Apologies for spelling and typing errors not really my thing.