Updated on May 3rd 2011 at 9:51 AM from the JustGiving API

Day 11: After being woken by a downpour sometime in the small hours I could tell the weather would be rubbish today! I was right! Rain and wind in abundance! Luckily the wind in my favour again! Today just consisted of rainy hill after hill after rainy hill not fun!!! and then I saw a car accident on the otherside of the road as I was comming through a small town- I stopped briefly to check all were ok and that my lights were still bright then soldiered on! Shortly after reaching St Austell my chain de decided to finally give up!! After a chain link replacement all was well again and I hit the A30 for the final leg if my day! Finally feeling like I was clicking up some decent milage and speed and seeing the first sign for lands end at 16 miles to go! I don't remember much of the last few miles just that I was getting closer and cycling faster and faster!! I finished the last day of 127 miles at 6pm on May 1st!! Closing out a trip of 1025 miles in 11 days and Kim waiting with a bottle of bubbly!!!

Updated on Apr 30th 2011 at 10:23 PM from the JustGiving API

Day 10: what a day!! Got stared late from Chris and Caths this morning, but not a problem, 5 mins down the road and I find a mobile phone on the ground, still working, with a text on it saying phone a number if you find it, I phoned the number and eventually arrange to meet the phones owner an hour later outside a pub! great, good deed done for the day! 3 mins later my first puncture of the trip, caused by a bloody pot hole!! Fixed the puncture and delivered the phone, all as planned, and the owner was kind enough to give me £10 towards my trip for McMillan!! Which was nice! An hour later I'm zipping along enjoying the flat road an I notice this guy directly behind me, drafting me! It must be like following a truck the amount of wake my panniers cause, but I don't think much of it thinking he will overtake on the next hill. About 20 mins passes and he is still there getting a free ride off me, so I start talking to him. He's on his way to work in the local cattle auction round the corner so I stopped off there for a spot of lunch from the farmers market. After lunch, it starts raining and I get wet feet!!! Annoying! First time since starting out! Then I get to Exeter and head the last 15 miles to the hotel on Dartmoor! I had not banked on 13 of the last 15 miles being up some pretty sever hills! Even worst than Scotland! Totally whacked now so off to bed! Going to get up early and try and make a bolt for the end tomorrow. First thoughts of work entered my head today, and now have to start the decent back to normal working days again :-(

Updated on Apr 29th 2011 at 10:22 PM from the JustGiving API

Day 8: and Day 9: both pretty easy days, 73 on 8th day and 83 today! Left Chester and rode through Shrewsbury and Iron bridge on my way down to Kidderminster. Stayed with some family friends on thursday, and was accompanied by one of them to Worcester where I watched the royal wedding with my aunt and my mum! Just had a great BBQ with some of my uni friends near Bristol tonight. All going well with the bike, but both knees and ankles are taking a beating recently! Got about 95 miles to Dartmoor tomorrow. Basically all on the A38 which is not very hilly, but I've heard Cornwall is possibly the worst part of the trip hill wise!!!

Updated on Apr 27th 2011 at 7:05 PM from the JustGiving API

Day 7: pretty easy day today, 75 miles from Blackpool to Chester and all in glorious sun shine so topped up the tour tan on the top of my legs! Sharing a hostel with some Aussies and a couple of Canadians tonight, pretty basic affair but they have wifi so Ivan try and load some pics up! Kidderminster tomorrow...

Updated on Apr 27th 2011 at 12:57 PM from the JustGiving API

Day 6: the weather looked great this morning when setting out from the RSPB site I had been staying at last night, but it quickly turned fowl (excuse the pun) when my left knee and right Achilles tendon started to give me some grief! Coupled with a strong head wind a navigational error adding 3 miles and the hills of the lake district in sight, this morning felt like a real slog!! Once I hit Windermere and after lunch and some pain killers I found a group of cyclists out for the day with their club, so I threw caution to the wind and decided to try and keep up with them, overtaking about 6 of them eventually spurred me on for the rest of the day, eventually finishing the day on 112 miles (iron man territory!) the longest day yet in a very friendly b and b in Blackpool and a cracking italian for dinner! Chester tomorrow!

Updated on Apr 27th 2011 at 12:48 PM from the JustGiving API

Day 5: Well after absolutely blasting 110.6 miles from Ayr to just past Carlisle it felt like i was flying with the wind in my favour and most of the hills being down I finally crossed the border to England at gretna and met two other insane people also on bikes cycling end to end, one going north the other going my way. I spent the night in a bunk barn for 10 quid near Hadrian's wall. I think the rest'ish day on day four helped!

Updated on Apr 27th 2011 at 12:47 PM from the JustGiving API

Day 4: made it to Ayr! Well only just, had to battle my way through the clyde tunnel, in the part the cars are supposed to go through, as the cycle lane is pretty badly sign posted from the north! Luckily it was downhill most if the way and I put on a burst of speed, coupled with my epilepsy inducing 120 lumen rear light I felt safe enough! But the light would not protect me from the thousands of Celtic and Rangers fans shouting at each other outside ibrox! 60 miles today so total standing at 345. Carlisle tomorrow!

After having planned a trip to Russia with a friend and then being let down at the last minuite i decided to turn my attention to attempting to complete John O'Groates to Lands End Solo....on my trusty Felt Bicycle

I'm catching a train on the 20th April at 6am and will be starting the ride early on Thursday 21st April.

I will be covering just over 1000 miles, staying at hostels, and freinds houses to keep costs down and i intend to complete the trip by the 2nd May.....thats 11 and a bit days of solid cycling!!!!

I'm not doing this for Charity Specifically, however if you would like to show your support finacially i'm sure the good people at Macmillan will apreciate anything you can spare.

Happy Easter To All!!

Jack

 

 

 

 

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