Day 16

 

We made it! After a brisk 17 miles through the rolling and unspoilt, beautiful Caithness landscape we arrived at the signpost to John o' Groats and took photos to mark this milestone in our travels.  A sudden Atlantic squal forced us to don our waterproofs for the last half mile to the official John o' Groats fingerpost.... just to demonstrate how cold and wet it really can be at this end of the country.  To add to the occassion we were greeted by our friends, Sheila and Roy, who had made the trip (by motorised transport) especially to celebrate the emotional completion of the LEJOG with us.... tears all round.



A big thank you to all of you who have given so generously to the BCH Charities and spurred us on with your encouraging comments! Well done!



Thanks to the manager at Cameo, in Wick, for the generous £20 donation.



A big, big  thank you to Elspeth, here at The Clachan, for providing such wonderful accommodation and being so helpful... and scheming with Sheila and Roy to add a wonderful surprise to our journeys end!



And last but not least a very special thank you to daughter, Anna, who has kept this page updated for us, as we have pedalled our way up country..... and who has also travelled the length of the British mainland twice to take us to the start, 2 weeks ago; and who is now here to drive us home!... You're  a star!

 

Day 15

(Saturday 23rd)

 

Today's blogger: Kevin (and his reinforced foot).  We departed the superb B&B accommodation at Brora in unusual overcast and showery conditions.  Although the weather still allowed us to enjoy the stunning coastal landscape.  The terrain was hilly... to say the least, as we headed north towards our penultimate stop at Wick.  The traffic on the infamous A9 was much lighter now with very few lorries whipping past.  The steep descent at Berriedale saw another PB for "Erika" (the tandem) accelerating to 50.2 mph !!!  The mileage for the day was 46.62 miles and we arrived at Wick at 3pm and received a warm welcome from Elspeth at The Clachan B&B.  We can't believe that tomorrow will be our final day!

 

Day 14

 

 Cor-vin left Inverness this morning after a quick visit to Lidl to stock up on chocolate! They have used the A9 a bit as well as the A1 cycle route and the B817 as they head north. After crossing Moray Firth and Cromafty Firth they passed through Invergordon where Oil Rigs are constructed. Apparenntly this was very spectacular as theyconstruct them with the deck at ground level and then float them out to sea.

 

 At lunch time they stopped at Barbaraville before continuing North to Dornoch Firth . Once again they have been lucky enough to be followed by blue sky and sunshine all day although along the coast it has been quite windy. Kevin's foot is doing much better now with the brace and they are considering contacting the Patents office when they get back! Tonight they are staying at no. 11 Academy Street in Brora.

 

Just a quick thank you from yesterday, to the owner at Newton Moor Guest House who gave them £10!

 

Day 13

 

Our fearless adventurers left the comfort of Newton Moor behind them at first light and the warm aura of their central heating faded into the cold Scottish morning. However, staring down the barrel of 60 something miles of pure pain and misery, 2 rays of light broke through their rather gloomy outlook, Mark and Sue... Not only were our tandemi-gods’ spirits raised but their fundraising wallets were also fattened with an undisclosed donation. When they arrived in Inverness Mark and Sue passed them in their car and waved, like guardian angels watching over our intrepid twosome, on their perilous quest.

 

The scenery today was spectacular. But as beautiful as it is, it is also known to be the most treacherous terrain in the world. This is because of the unparalleled levels of drink driving on Scottish roads (citation needed). With this information in mind they decided to break off the beaten track and wind their way along a stretch of picturesque cycle route. Words cannot describe the wonders that they beheld, which included “trees”, and, “other things that they liked”. They could see the mountains looming in the distance; their snow covered peaks taunting their weary legs.

 

Kevin’s bionic foot is doing much better after he took it to a local mechanic who upgraded it so that now it peddles on it’s own. They went out for dinner this evening and Kevin had chicken stuffed with haggis prepared the traditional way, as part of their tastes of Britain. Only 120 miles to go! They can almost taste victory!

 

(The record of today’s events may have been somewhat dramatized)

 

Day 12

 

This morning Kevin’s ankle was very painful however Sandy (the farmer where they were staying) gave Kevin some 4mm steel wire and he used this to create a brace to hold his foot in the right place. This meant that Cor-vin were able to continue despite the injury and cycled 64miles to Newton Moor. Apparently it doesn’t hurt to walk, only cycle!

 

The scenery was once again beautiful and fortunately the old A9, which runs along side the new A9, has been turned into a cycle route, so Cor-vin were able to avoid cycling with lots of big lorries passing them. They also passed through some towns with traditional Scottish names such as Pitlockry and Killiecrankie!

 

Cor-vin have a couple of thank yous today, firstly to Mairi in Bankfoot who gave them her parking 50ps and also to a group of ice cream lovers from Kent who gave them £5. This evening they stayed at Glenavon House which was beautiful and they also had a balcony!

 

Day 11

 

Last night Cor-vin stayed at Rathan House in Dalkeith and this morning they cycled into Edinburgh. They had to follow quite a complicated cycle route to get out of Edinburgh but then the cycle path crossed the Forth Bridge which they really enjoyed! Apparently the scenery was lovely and they reached Perth in the afternoon where they got a new bike chain.

 

In the evening they stayed at New Mill Farm which is 4 miles north of Perth. They also cycled into Stanley for dinner and unfortunately this was when Kevin badly hurt his Achilles tendon. Cor-vin were thinking that this injury might prevent them from continuing with the cycle because strapping it up wasn’t enough...

 

Day 10

 

Today has been a pretty important day for Cor-vin as they have crossed the border from England into Scotland. They crossed at Carter Bar and apparently there was someone there playing the bagpipes! I think he must have known they were coming! The riding was easier and a little flatter after they crossed the border however both of Kevin’s ankles are now sore so they’re having to be careful. 

  

They have also enjoyed today because the scenery has again been spectacular and they have seen lots of wildlife including two snakes and some Curlews (birds). This evening they are staying at Dalkeith on the edge of Edinburgh and the place they are staying has ten, 4 week old flat coat retriever puppies which are apparently very cute. Cor-vin have considered replacing Snoopy, the team mascot, with a puppy.... 

  

Day 9 

  

Cor-vin have cycled 67miles but have had a very difficult day today. Although the weather and scenery have been amazing the route has been incredibly hilly. This obviously means they’ve had some very fast downhills but also some testing uphills. Apparently they often got to the top of a hill and could see how hilly the road was going to be stretching out ahead of them!

 

This morning Derrick, the manager at Premier Inn in Darlington treated them both to breakfast so Cor-vin are going to donate the money they would have spent on the breakfast! This evening they are staying at the Butter-churn Guest House (which does actually have a butter-churn) in Otterburn, Northumberland National Park. Tomorrow should be an exciting day for Cor-vin as they will cross the border into Scotland.

 

Day 8

 

Today Cor-vin have been cycling through Yorkshire and have had a lovely day. The weather has been quite warm and sunny and the roads have been surprisingly flat! Generally the A roads have been a bit busier so they’ve used smaller roads.

 

As part of their trip Cor-vin have been trying to sample local dishes and last night had Beef in Guinness Gravy and Yorkshire Pudding in Yorkshire! Today they continued their Yorkshire experience by visiting York (see pictures) and also had their tyres pumped up at Selby bike centre!

 

Kevin’s heel has been a bit better today and they have cycled 74miles again. Apparently AA route planner is pretty unreliable at measuring distances! They have also passed the halfway point today bringing their total distance so far to 513miles. Tonight they are staying at the Premier Inn in Darlington, where the bike is staying in the laundry, and tomorrow they will continue north and cross Hadrian’s Wall.

 

Day 7

 

This morning Cor-vin had some trouble leaving Nottingham and in an effort to avoid the ring road managed to cycle 13miles before they even left Nottingham! This meant their total distance today was 74.97miles, so actually today was the biggest day! Kevin has had some trouble with his Achilles tendon but he’s strapped it up and it seems a bit better.

 

Cor-vin would like to say thank you today to a little boy at Limes Cafe on the A614. Apparently he was there lorry spotting with his dad and was very excited to see them on their tandem and donated £2!

 

This evening they are in Yorkshire at Berewick House in Barlow and they have a beautiful view from their window. Unfortunately they did get rained on a bit today but as soon as they got their waterproofs on it stopped! They have now finished all of their chocolate supplies so the 1^st priority tomorrow will be buying more chocolate!

 

Day 6

 

After a lovely evening with Jenny (Kevin’s sister) & Vic last night Cor-vin left Stratford this morning and headed to Nottingham. On the way they passed through Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire! They are settling into the cycling and didn’t find it too difficult, despite covering 74miles. This is the biggest distance they will cover in a day during the trip, bringing their total distance so far to 364miles.

 

They have used Fosse Way, an old roman road which is now a B road, quite a lot today because it’s straight, flat and not too busy! Cor-vin also passed through Hinkley today where people were amazed they had come all the way from Land’s End on their Tandem! Just imagine what people in Scotland will think!

 

Tonight they are staying with Sheila (Kevin’s other sister) & Jim. Unfortunately their saddle bag has split so they’ve had to borrow one from Sheila. I think this might be because Corinne has been trying to fit too much chocolate in it!

 

Day 5

 

Last night Cor-vin stayed at a lovely farmhouse in Chippenham and had a very nice breakfast this morning to prepare for their day of cycling. It must have been just what they needed because they managed to beat their maximum speed with a new top speed of 47mph!

 

In total they cycled 67.25miles to Stratford upon Avon to stay with Kevin’s sister tonight. Along the way they stopped in Cirencester and Bourton on the Water, both of which were beautiful Cotswold towns. It was a little bit hilly and Corinne’s knees are a bit sore, but hopefully a bath this evening will make them feel better!

 

Day 4

 

Cor-vin left Taunton today and cycled 63.9miles to Chippenham. Apparently they’ve had a lovely day; it’s been very sunny and also very scenic. They were able to visit Wells Cathedral as well (see pictures) although leaving Wells there was a very large hill! At one stage they had a diversion from their planned route but this was also very scenic so they enjoyed it.

 

They have also felt a bit like local celebrities with lots of cars passing them and beeping, waving or giving them thumbs up! At Wells Cathedral lots of people came over to talk to them about the bike and what they were doing. It seems Wells is full of cycling enthusiasts!

 

Day 3

 

This evening the team arrived in Taunton after cycling 56.8miles from Okehampton. Apparently the weather was very good and they're both feeling good even though the route was quite hilly.

 

As part of their journey Cor-vin was hoping to sample the local dish in each county but fell at the first hurdle today when then tried to have a Devon cream tea... The place they stopped at didn’t have any cream! They are hoping to have cider in somerset this evening though.

 

Tonight they are staying at the travelodge in Taunton but there's no bike storage so the tandem has had to go in the room with them!

 

Day Two

Today Cor-vin cycled from Redruth to Okehampton, crossing the border between Cornwall and Devon. After about 18miles they were met in a layby by the owner of the B&B where they stayed last night because they had forgotten to return their room key! I think they were too distracted by preparing their energy drinks.

In total they cycled 74miles and reached their fastest ever speed of 45.2mph. I think this was because the roads were quite hilly although this also meant they found it quite heavy going. They are having some problems with the bike chain as well so they'll have to get a spare before they leave tomorrow

 

Day One.

Very early start today. We left Wolverhampton with the tandem strapped to the roof of the car and headed for Land's End. After a couple of stops we got to Land's End at about 10.30am and started to get the bike ready. Although it was really sunny it was also really windy so a bit chilly.

When the bike was finally ready we went to the Land's End sign for a pre cycle photo shoot. Cor-vin (or Kev-rinne??) decided they didnt want to pay to get their town name on the sign but fortunately there was another group there from Wolverhampton so we got a pic with the distance to Wolvo anyway! At about 12 they finally set off and rode off into the distance.

Generally I think the day went well and they managed the 27miles to Redruth easily. We passed them again at about 1.30pm having their lunch in a bus shelter! Classy! Off to Okehampton tomorrow....

 

Thank you for visiting our Just Giving page and helping us to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charities.  We have chosen to give all donations received to the Haematology/Oncology Department.

 

For two riders who are old enough to know better, at Easter Kevin and Corinne will be cycling from Lands End to John o’ Groats ….on a tandem!

 

Back in November, after learning to ride tandem, attempting the ‘LEJOG’ challenge seemed like a good idea!  Throughout the winter we have braved wind, rain, snow and frost as we have prepared for this test of our endurance, which will involve cycling, with our kit on the bike and covering around 65 miles a day to complete the 960 mile marathon in 2 weeks - arriving in John O’Groats on Easter Sunday.

 

As we look forward to the adventures ahead, and whilst anticipating that our route through England and Scotland will surely all be uphill, we hope that you will dig deep and give generously in support of this worthwhile cause!

 

We’d like to thank everyone for supporting us in this tandem-challenge, with a special thank you for your gift to those who need it. 

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to our chosen charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – we’ll raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

 

So please give generously and make a donation now.