Day 16 - Thurso to John o'Groats & back

Yee haw! We did it!

Route and map here - not that there was really much choice up there!

Actual Day 16

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We were able to leave our panniers in the hotel in Thurso as we had to come back to catch the train. The bikes felt a little strange without the weight on the back but we soon got used to it.

It was only 20 miles/32km to John o’Groats and it was relatively flat so we were able to make good progress. As might be expected there were quite a few people there including three other cyclists who had actually finished the night before but who had returned to buy postcards, etc. They pointed us in the direction of the Finish line which was by the derelict John o‘Groats Hotel.







Having written a couple of postcards ourselves and after celebratory ice creams we set off back towards Thurso. The wind had, by now, started blowing and, for once, it was a headwind. This appealed to two accountants’ sense of symmetry - we had a headwind getting to the start and another after the finish while in between it was almost always a tailwind! We are certainly most grateful that it wasn’t the other way round!!

When we turned up at Thurso station we discovered that there had been an accident and the train was running late. As a result it was not going to make its 20 minute trip up a branch line to Thurso and back. Instead, we were bundled into a taxi and two minibuses (one of which was for the two of us and our bikes) and driven at high speed to the junction where the train was waiting for us.

The train line wanders around the north of Scotland, taking almost 4 hours to get to Inverness but giving great views of the country. At Inverness we encountered more issues with trains. Firstly, we couldn’t get the bikes in the guard’s van because of crates of frozen shellfish and suitcases. This was eventually sorted out by three members of the station staff. Then we found that the lounge car on the sleeper was not going to be manned because of “staff shortages” and so there was no food or drink on board. Luckily, we had bought a few snacks and drinks at Tesco in Thurso before going to the station and so we managed to keep body and soul together all the way to London where we cycled the short distance from Euston to St Pancras. There we had a celebratory Champagne Breakfast looking at the refurbished station and watching the Eurostar trains leaving for Paris and Brussels.

Day 15 - Crask Inn to Thurso

Very definitely a day of two halves!

Here's today's route and map.

Actual Day 15

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The morning was as perfect a ride as you could wish for! A gentle downhill over 30 miles in beautiful scenery and glorious sunshine with a cooling breeze (yet again a tailwind! We’ve been so lucky in that respect.) is right up there with the best rides we have ever done - along the Iceland Parkway in the Canadian Rockies, the 30+ km downhill of the Grand Ballon in Alsace, the first day of the Tour de France in Britain with 5,000 other cyclists, across the Rhone Delta in the Camargue and others. The scenery is simply stunning - it is impossible to believe that this area does not have National Park status to protect it for the future.



We turned off the bustling(joke!) A 836 onto the B873 (almost impossible to believe, but this was narrower than the A road} and, in a stretch of 12 miles/19km, we saw 12 cars, 1 motorbike, 6 cyclists going faster than us (doing LEJOG in 13 days - but “cheating” because they had two cars carrying luggage and taking them between the route and their accommodation! Sounds like a plan to us!!)

There was also a family with a mother, 4 children under the age of 12 plus either a father or a teenage son (neither of us were particularly observant or certain of what we saw!) on 4 bikes + 3 trailers of luggage/little ones and they were doing John o’Groats to Land’s End - a seriously impressive feat with a girl of no more than 11 with a trailer and a boy of about 8 with panniers! We would have stopped to speak with them but they were just getting under way after a stop and we know that one does not welcome the interruption once you‘ve made the decision to “set sail”!!

And so to the second half, Brian! Almost as soon as we hit the coast road we encountered an uphill, swiftly followed by an downhill, followed by ….! You guessed it! In common with many coastal roads it was serious of steep ascents immediately followed by serious descents. This was accompanied by a fairly long shower. So much for our hopes of two successive dry days!




And so it went on - until, passing the Dounreay experimental nuclear site that is in the process of being decommissioned, we passed a tourist information thingy that said this ridge marked the boundary where the gentle fertile slopes of Caithness gave way to the rolling hills of Sutherland - except that we were going the other way! It proved to be correct - although there were still hills to climb, they were less steep and not so high and so we were able to move at a faster pace.

Eventually we rolled into Thurso after 102 km/64 miles feeling more tired than we have done for a while. We were grateful that the hotel was easy to find and ready to serve orange juice, beer and food! Just a short ride tomorrow to go!

Day 14 - Inverness to Crask Inn

We’re feeling pretty chuffed with ourselves as we’ve just completed our longest day - 120 km/75 miles - and we are in the middle of nowhere, just a day and a half from the finish. The Crask Inn is about 10 miles from the nearest village and on an A road that is single track with passing places.

After a leisurely breakfast - not through choice, the service being very slow - we set off out of Inverness alongside the A9 (again) looking nervously at the amount of traffic on the road and the speed at which it was going because we knew we had to actually ride along it later in the day. We had expected the road to become less busy after Inverness - after all, with all due respect to Wick and Thurso, there’s not much beyond Inverness is there?

Crossing the Kennock Bridge (our third big suspension bridge after the Severn and the Forth Road Bridges), we enjoyed a lovely view of Inverness which was clearly looking its best. we’re certain that, on a bleak, wet January afternoon it looks far less appealing.


We then turned off onto minor roads and immediately started climbing steeply up to the top of the Black Isle. Once up there, it was wonderful cycling with long, straight, relatively flat, minor roads with little traffic other than a discourteous, single finger-waving, red van driver going far too fast who took exception to Stephen stopping, uttering an expletive and glaring at him as he roared past.

We made our way across the Black Isle to Cromarty (as in the shipping forecast “Cromarty, Forth, Tyne,….” for the Radio 4 listeners amongst you) where we caught a small ferry to Nigg with only space for two cars and two bikes (well, they probably could have fitted more bikes on, actually). Rather than drive on drive off, the ferries was drive on reverse off, which certainly seemed to cause panic and consternation to 1 of the drivers as he tried to reverse down off the moving ferry and up the slipway. It was much easier with bikes! We’ve just had a horrid thought - using public transport doesn’t “invalidate” our achievement does it??!!

Shortly after this we finally got to cycle on the A9 instead of beside it. Thankfully, it was less busy than it had been when we last saw it just north of Inverness, but it was still a bit of a racetrack. However, it wasn’t a long stretch and, as the A9 turned north over a newish bridge, we carried on westwards on another A road towards Bonar Bridge. This road was much, much quieter and had spectacular views over the Dornoch Firth.



From Bonar Bridge there were one or two steeper climbs and descents to Lairg before we really emerged in the wilderness of the Flow Country. It was just a gentle climb which, with the strong tailwind at our backs, was easy, allowing us to take in the surrounding loveliness.


It was a beautiful summer’s evening, with just the occasional car driver practising his rallying technique to spoil the perfect peace of the evening. Christine enjoyed it so much that she sauntered slowly along, stopping frequently to look at the view and listen to the silence. It was as lovely an hour’s cycling as you could wish for.

The only blot on the landscape was that there is much forestation of the otherwise boggy peat covered landscape. The trees look okay whilst growing, but when cut the area looks completely devastated, with stumps and branches just left getting bleached. The scenes looks like war pictures.

The evening cycle ended with our arrival at The Crask Inn, comprising an Inn built around 1815 and a single cottage. It was lovely and atmospheric. There was a fairly small dark bar, and a much brighter dining-room where we had a delicious meal of home-cooked food whilst looking at an amazing view. The inn was the only place in the 21 miles between Lairg and Altnaharra.

Here’s the route and the map.

Actual Day 14

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Day 13 - Dalwhinnie to Inverness

Wow! We’ve made it to Inverness. If you look at the map of the full route so far below it looks an awfully long way up - which of course it is! We only have 2½ days to go - the last one being a quick blast without panniers from Thurso to John o’Groats and back.

We have had a “debate” about whether today was our second dry day or not - Christine maintains that it was definitely raining when we left Dalwhinnie while Stephen insists that, as he didn’t put his rain jacket on, it cannot have been even if there was a little dampness in the air! Anyway, whether it was “rain” or “dampness” it soon went and, although the clouds hung about on the hilltops, it turned into quite a pleasant day and the evening in Inverness was lovely.

The route is here and below.

Actual Day 13

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Here's the (approximate) route so far.

The Route So Far

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Leaving Dalwhinnie, we enjoyed some of the best cycling possible - 25 km of gentle downhill on quiet roads with beautiful scenery to look at - magic!






Our route ran next to the A9 pretty much all day - generally on the old road but sometimes on a cycle track next to the rushing traffic. The railway line also follows the same overall direction so we are looking forward to seeing the sights again in a few days time - but this time without having to push those pedals round.

We passed through Aviemore which, like Pitlochrie yesterday, was bustling. It feels strange after so many hours with just your own thoughts or a few words exchanged between us to be amongst so many people.

Shortly after we went through Carrbridge which has a - you guessed it! - bridge but not one that is suitable for cars!


After such a long descent followed by a flat stretch it was a nasty shock to discover that we had to climb back to 1,300 feet to get over Slochd Pass (not sure how you pronounce that name but it probably involves lots of spittle flying everywhere if done correctly!) This was quite a bit steeper than yesterday’s ascent of Drumochter but, thankfully, that meant it was shorter.

Once over the top it was time for more fast downhill stretches and then the Moray Firth and Inverness suddenly appeared in view.




We arrived just before 5 o’clock - thanks to all that downhill - so Christine decided a siesta was called for before dinner, while Stephen finished off the previous day’s blog posting and carried on with his book (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” if you are interested - an excellent crime thriller translated from Swedish - highly recommended).

We were the only ones eating in the hotel restaurant so dinner was quickly done. With Christine having had a nap, she did not rush off to bed as has happened every other night and so we took a leisurely stroll along the River Ness in the evening sunshine and ate Orkney ice cream.

Day 12 - Perth to Dalwhinnie

Today was the high point of the journey - going over the Drumochter Pass at 1,516 ft/
462m above sea level. The pictures show that the early morning promise of good weather was not fulfilled!




Route available here and below.

Actual Day 12

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After a few wrong turns we managed to find our way out of Perth and followed a minor road that ran approximately parallel to the A9. It turned out to be Sustrans route 77 as well with signposts to Pitlochry - the last town of significance on the road to Drumochter Pass - so we had signposts to guide us as well as the map.

Our planned route did not take us into Dunkeld. Instead, it joined the A9 just outside the town for a couple of miles before getting onto a B road. However, Stephen was off in front blithely following the cycle route signs and took us into the town. At least it presented an opportunity to buy lunch!

Seeing another cycle route sign pointing towards Pitlochry we decided to ditch Plan A and trust in Sustrans. The route took us up the long drive of a hotel with a view of Dunkeld cathedral before veering off onto a track alongside the River Tay. It was extremely pretty and much more enjoyable than the A9.


All too soon the route headed away from the river and onto a footpath beside the main road for a brief spell before turning onto the B road that was in Plan A. A few miles along this road we joined another Sustrans route (number 7) which Stephen had ridden with Alaric 8 years ago from Inverness to Glasgow. He immediately claimed that he recognised it but Christine quickly began to have her doubts as he stood puzzled at a junction. His excuse was that it all looked different because we were going the other way!

Pitlochrie was a bustling little place but we rode straight through as we had a lot of climbing to do. The route followed the old road and so was much quieter although there were several coaches as the area is quite touristy. There were a few short, sharp climbs including one signed at 14% (or 1 in 7) which was not as steep as some of those that we had come over in a short stretch before Pitlochrie which went from the Tay valley to the Tummel valley. These climbs were often followed by descents which made out hearts sink as we knew we would have to regain the altitude soon.

After a while, all motor vehicles had to join the main road leaving the old road as a cycle track which, of course, deteriorated in quality somewhat but was perfectly rideable. The climbing became much more steady but was quite a gentle slope and, with the tailwind, was easily manageable. All the time the views were spectacular but your correspondents are not competent enough photographers to do the scenery justice with their digital Box Brownie!

All the time the weather was closing in, with some of the hilltops in cloud and a few spots of rain in the air. As we got nearer the top it got worse and the warnings on signs about weather conditions rang true.



Once over the top it was only a couple of miles of gentle downhill to the hotel in Dalwhinnie (a name that may be familiar to the whisky drinkers amongst you as there is a distillery there producing what Stephen considers to be a very nice malt). On the way down we saw four cyclists battling their way into the wind and rain the other way - but on the main road. Now, we would defend their right to use the road, and also acknowledge that the road is quicker and more comfortable because the surface is better - BUT the traffic was pretty intimidating especially in that weather. It just escapes us why they would choose the road over the cyle track.

Walking into the hotel we were struck by the warmth - they had the central heating on - on the 3rd August! This chimed with something that we observed a couple of days ago but forgot to put in this blog - that was riding past houses with log fires going on 1st August. Ah, the delights of a British summer!!

The hotel was a little “odd” - very relaxed - the sort of thing that would appeal to, say, the surfing crowd - but also very good food - the beef came from a local herd of 500 Highland cattle (the really shaggy cows) and it was cooked beautifully! The room was not particularly brilliant but, if you are in The Cairngorms, it is worth the trip for the food.

Day 11 - Penicuik to Perth

Wonders will never cease! A day without rain!

Route available here and below.

Actual Day 11

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After a bad night’s sleep due to the wedding reception immediately below our room we made our displeasure known to the hotel management and got on our way later than normal at 9.45.

We headed towards Edinburgh intending to go into the centre and then pick up a cycle route out to the Forth Road Bridge but, just after we hit the outskirts, we saw “RR” signs for a cyclists’ ring road so followed them. Bikes are not allowed on the cars’ ring road but this was infinitely more pleasurable as it followed a quiet B road for most of the way.

Just before the end we must have missed a sign (or some smart alec had made it disappear) because we ended up at the junction of the by-pass (the one that cyclists are not allowed to use) and the A8, where there were roadworks for the Ednburgh tram system. After just a couple of hundred yards of cycling on the A8 (the 4th single digit A road of the trip with the A9 to come!) the footpath reappeared and we able to “escape” the traffic.

We soon made our way to the cycle route that was part of the original plan and followed that to Queensferry, the southern end of the bridge. After a loo stop we got onto the bridge and were surprised by the number of cyclists and pedestrians using it. There was a good view of the rail bridge.


The weather in the picture looks fantastic, but it didn’t feel like it. It was pretty chilly and there was a very, very strong wind coming from the West, and for the first time we had quite a bit of cycling west around Edinburgh and slightly west afterwards, which made the whole day quite a struggle when it should have been relatively easy.

On the other side of the bridge the road climbed steadily away from the river through Cowdenbeath (which we had heard of in the football scores on the radio and TV but absolutely no idea where it was) and Kinross. It would appear that Jim Baxter came from Cowdenbeath as there was a statue of him beside the road.


We saw signs to St Andrews, which certainly made Christine think she would like to come back some time to watch the golf, while Stephen goes biking perhaps! From Kinross we took the little back roads with some climbing, as ever. Along the way we helped 3 lost Scots find their way to a reservoir for some fishing. They were young, mid-twenties and mighty impressed with us cycling from Land’s End.

Finally into Perth, in the Tay valley, and a hunt for the hotel, as the map Christine had downloaded had the hotel marked in the wrong position, but when we got there it was well worth the hunt. Another one to recommend, The Parklands. Not like last night’s, The Craigbieldtie House in Pencuik, definitely one to avoid. Bottom marks so far of all the places we have stayed. The only one so far with nowhere secure for our bikes. Anyway onwards and upwards-to The Highlands tomorrow!

Day 10 - Canonbie to Penicuik (just south of Edinburgh in case you are wondering!)

Ever northwards, all the while enjoying this great British summer!

The route is available here and the map is below

Actual Day 10

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Christine was optimistic about the weather having seen the 8 o’clock forecast which predicted that the rain that was falling then would be gone by 12. Come 11 o’clock, with it still raining on and off and with no sign of a let up of the black clouds, her faith in the Met Office was shaken. However, soon after it brightened and the roads started to dry in the strong wind. Faith restored! But, come mid afternoon, the skies darkened again and it kept trying to rain (but, thankfully, not succeeding in any meaningful fashion). Faith squashed!!

After an excellent breakfast at the Crosskeys Hotel (another recommendation if you are in that neck of the woods), the day began with a short, tough climb out of Canonbie to the by-pass which is the A7. Early on a Saturday morning there was not much traffic but progress was slow on what cyclists call a “heavy road”. The combination of wet, a deceptive uphill and the “wrong sort” of tarmac meant the bikes did not roll as they should have.

In Langholm (scene of some sort of horse race that closed the A7 on the previous evening, apparently - very popular as we were unable to get a hotel there when we tried booking) we turned off the main road and started climbing up the Esk valley. Our view was somewhat restricted by the rain and the clouds but what we could see of it was very pretty.

As we climbed we saw the occasional sign to a “Tibetan Centre”. Eventually, near the top, wecame across it. We were sort of expecting a country house with Flower People lounging about and saying "Peace, maaaaan!" Instead there was a Buddha in the middle of a pond, some flags and a building that might have been a temple and nobody about other than a bemused looking German motorcyclist!


Once over the top we had a long freewheel down the other side - lovely! But inevitably, there were more hills to come. Round here they do not seem to be as steep as the Devon and Cornwall hills but they go on for much longer.

We had lunch at an inn in the middle of nowhere - apparently halfway between Edinburgh and Carlisle and also between Glasgow and Newcastle. The barman was a chatty sort and said that they had a lot of End To End cyclists passing throiugh and staying with them. Most people seemed to be aiming for 10-16 days but the quickest were two young lads who were trying to do it in 5 days and spent their third night there. Imagine that! Three days from Land’s End to a place about 30 miles south of Edinburgh! We left feeling slightly inadequate having taken 9½ days to do the same!

This is an unusual kirk that we passed in Traquair close to Scotland‘s oldest inhabited house - apparently visited by 27 kings but not by us as we pressed on.



Out of Peebles, we faced one last climb - thankfully much more gradual than the previous ones and, sooner than we expected, we were swooping down into Penicuik to find the hotel.

Day 9 - Tebay to Canonbie (No, we hadn't heard of either place before either!)

We’ve made it to Scotland! Cue the picture!


It may be a while before you get to read this as, now that we are in the far flung frozen wastelands of the north, mobile coverage seems patchy. Earlier, Stephen was able to speak with his mother and sister, but now, after dinner, there is no network available. Maybe the phone people have gone home for their tea!

Update on Christine’s health. She felt better today after 12 hours sleep but still not 100%. The conclusion we have reached is that, even though she has been getting her normal 8 or 9 hours sleep, with this amount of physical effort day after day she needs more - at least 10 hours - and yesterday her body said “enough is enough”. Let’s hope another 12 hours of quality shuteye tonight gets her back to normal.

Omission from yesterday’s post (due to Stephen almost dropping off while writing it in the pub! Stop sniggering kids! It doesn‘t happen THAT often!). We went through 500 miles/800 km right at the end of the day which means we are (just) over halfway in 8 days out of 16 - so right on schedule.

Turning to today it was another 100km/62 miles. Here’s the route - by clicking here and also below.

Actual Day 9

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Initially from Tebay it was downhill but that soon changed as we started the first and longest climb of the day. The following picture is looking back towards Tebay from near the top but unfortunately seems to emphasise the downhill and underplay the uphill - completely the opposite of both what our legs felt and what the elevation profile of the route shows!! Still, it shows what a beautiful part of the country we are in.


After the uphill there was a more gentle downhill followed by an undulating road with the occasional short sharp climbs and descents (10 to 13%, or 1 in 10 to 1 in 8 in “old money”). All the time, the Pennines were close by on our right hand side and the Lake District more distant on the other side.


The following sign amused Stephen! For all of those of you with pampered pooches in need of a bit of a workout - please give Ingrid a call. It does strike us that we are members of a privileged generation to even contemplate such a thing. Sorry for the pontification!! (And apologies to Ingrid if we, in any way, damage her business - that is not our intention.)


Gradually the route flattened out as we got closer to the border (much to our surprise, we must say). We ended the day heading up the A7 - nowhere near as bad as it sounds. That makes 3 “single digit” A roads we’ve cycled along and survived - the A4 around Bristol (albeit only briefly), the A6 between Preston and Lancaster and now the A7 - and still one more to go in the A9 once we are past Edinburgh. On none of them, so far, have we felt particularly threatened - just like other roads, there are drivers who get impatient or come too close (see previous rants!) and there are others who can spare the few seconds that are sometimes necessary to pass cyclists safely (out heartfelt thanks to them!).

On the other hand, the weather gods decided that, in giving us yet another tailwind, they had done their bit and they could not let us have a first day without any rain. They therefore sent us a brief shower in the last 10 miles just to make sure that Stephen got out his rain jacket and Christine her overshoes (dry, toasty tootsies = a happy Christine!)

Almost as soon as we crossed the border (passports at the ready), we were grateful to see the sign to our destination in Canonbie and were checked in well before 6 o’clock giving us time to see the news (including the cricket score (go England!) and the weather forecast (things are looking up for the weekend after a ropey start to Saturday) before going down to dinner.

Day 8 - Leyland to Tebay

It’s difficult to believe that a week ago today we were just getting off the train in Penzance about to start and now we are in the last county before Scotland. Time and distance has gone quickly!

However, today was a pretty grim one as Christine was feeling decidedly under the weather. She says that it is nothing that 12 hours of solid sleep will not sort out but Stephen was seriously worried that she was pushing herself too hard. Being the trooper that she is, she soldiered on despite the offer of a hotel room in Lancaster for the afternoon and night followed by a train journey to “catch up” the lost time.

Our journey (available here and also below) took us through Preston - a city that looked to be doing pretty well for itself - and then up the A6 (not as horrendous as you might imagine) to Lancaster.

Actual Day 8

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Straight through Lancaster, we then set off north-west across country, heading towards our evening stop in Tebay - a small village in the gap between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. It’s the same gap that the M6 goes through and also the West Coast main line. That does not, however, make it flat!

Of course, the hills make it very pretty - even more so than we expected (neither of us know this part of the country at all). But there was a lot of up and down! And it all came in the second half of the day.

Day 7 - Winsford to Leyland (or Weyland!)

Based on the weather forecast, today promised to be a “W Day” - wet and windy. It was certainly the latter as our friend, the south westerly, continued to push us along except when the route zigzagged to the west. However, the dire forecast of torrential rain proved to be far from accurate.

The “W” proved to be true though as, starting from Winsford, we passed through Warrington, Wigan and Wrightington, saw signs to Widnes and ended up in Weyland (as Stephen insists on calling it - everyone else sticks with the traditional name of Leyland!!) (It’s near Preston for those of you who are interested.) See our route by clicking here or looking at the map below.

Actual Day 7

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We set off early (8.15) in an attempt to get a couple of hours under our wheels before the storm hit and felt that we had made good progress when we felt the first spots at about 11 o‘clock.. But by the time we had pulled the wet weather gear on it had just about stopped. Shrugging our shoulders we continued, expecting the heavens to open at any stage.

Other than a few further, half-hearted attempts at showers, the rain stayed away until, nearing our hotel, Stephen spotted the name “Paul Hewitt” and insisted in stopping at a bike frame builder’s shop that he had heard of. While Stephen was drooling, it started coming down.

Christine eventually dragged him away but luckily the hotel was only half a mile up the road so we didn’t get soaked! We had made it by 1.30. Granted, it was a shorter day than usual (44 miles/ 71 km) but we were still mighty impressed with ourselves!

What to do on a wet Wednesday in Lancashire? Go and see the new Harry Potter film, of course! So, whistling up a taxi (who needs bikes?), that is what we did and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

By the by, another hotel recommendation - the Farington Lodge in Weyland (or Leyland if you are not Stephen) is well worth a visit.

Day 6 - Ludlow to Winsford

We set out with a long day ahead of us. Ludlow had been lovely, well worth a return visit some day. Full of lots of pretty buildings, but when Christine wandered around the evening before it seemed one of the quietest places she had been, as there was no-one about.

Today was a bit of a respite from the hill-climbing of the previous days. We rolled along the gently undulating roads and covered 32km in the first 2 hours. Usually we reckon on doing something in the region of 10km per hour when you take into account stops for water and examining maps etc. Today's route is here and below.

Actual Day 6

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The main downside was that it was along the A49 so there were plenty of lorries and cars going too fast. Why haven’t they got the patience to wait for just a few seconds?? Oh no. It’s a blind corner/brow of a hill, but if I slow down behind the cyclist I might take an extra 15 seconds to reach my destination so I’ll overtake anyway, and risk colliding with an oncoming vehicle. We did encounter a couple of steep hills near the end. Revenge for Stephen declaring it was really flat and that you couldn’t see any hills, so a 10% incline appeared out of nowhere. Christine was pushing her bike up, the road was narrow and the lorry driver sounded his horn. What was she supposed to do - leap into the hawthorn hedge?

After 28 miles we rolled down into Shrewsbury. Stephen had a flat tyre. The second and eventually he managed to find a tiny piece of glass embedded in the rubber. We found a lovely Tudor building which gave him cover as he replaced the inner tube. Shropshire was very pretty. We even cycled past a timbered church with a thatched roof.



Fortunately after Shrewsbury it was on to quieter roads through Wem and around Whitchurch and then Nantwich where we had hoped to stay, but everything had been booked. Christine thought they said it was the cheese show, but signs just said it was the Nantwich show tomorrow. At least we avoided all the traffic for that! Unfortunately that meant we had to cycle on a further 10 miles to Winsford, which turned out to be nowhere near as pretty as Ludlow. As we reached the end of the over 70 mile day it started to rain a bit, and is now raining hard. We were lucky to just get caught in one sharp shower today. Let’s hope tomorrow’s forecast of heavy rain all day is wrong!!

Day 5 - Chepstow to Ludlow

Poor mobile phone coverage in Ludlow has made updating the blog difficult so it is straight into the long version of Day 5. A map of today’s route will be available here when we can connect to the outside world for those of you who want more details than the embedded version below - assuming we can connect to the world outside Ludlow sometime tomorrow! Here's the map.

Actual Day 5

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After last night’s meet up with Lynn, we were delighted to see Sally and Marwood (“old” friends from days in Southampton) who drove up from Newbury to Chepstow to join us for the first part of today’s ride. Ignoring the occasional showers, we made our way to Monmouth through the edge of the Forest of Dean (more hills for those of you who do not know the area!) where we found a lovely café for Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cakes for the non-German speakers amongst you).

Marwood and Sally continued with us towards Hereford before turning off to take a different route back to their car in Chepstow. It was a real pleasure to have their company.


Through Hereford we were careful not to upset any military looking types (the town being the UK base of the SAS) and then it was “heads down” as we carried on up the busy A49, before turning off onto the old road through Leominster and on to our base for the night in Ludlow.


We had high expectations of the night as we were booked into The Feathers, a hotel that we had both heard of in connection with its food rather than its accommodation. As it transpired, it didn’t disappoint in either respect. Our room is simply enormous with two queen-sized beds and a correspondingly large bathroom with Jacuzzi and very fancy shower.

The menu was frustrating - we both would have been very happy to have almost anything on offer. What to have? Out came the metaphorical pins and we were both more than satisfied our choices.

Christine did, however, have to wrestle with her conscience when it came to the homemade truffles served with the coffee. Stephen, not having a sweet tooth, gallantly forewent his two sweets and Christine, feeling rather full and showing admirable restraint, asked for a paper napkin to save them for tomorrow. The dilemma kicked in when the waiter asked her if she would like some more. She is still not sure that she made the right call to decline the offer!!

This is a second hotel to thoroughly recommend to those looking for a treat! Comparisons with the Headland in Newquay are difficult. The meal in the Headland cheaper while that in The Feathers was (probably) slightly better. Which was better Value For Money? Impossible to say - both were great and we were more than happy to pay the prices asked. The room in The Feathers was better but the setting of the Headland was superior. Which to choose? Well, at the risk of stating the obvious, we would suggest the Headland if you are in Newquay and The Feathers if you are in Ludlow! We’re sure you won’t be disappointed.

Day 4 - Bridgwater to Chepstow - the longer version

Sorry for the delay in posting - we hadn't finished writing this when we left Chepstow (too much of a good evening with Lynn) and then the hotel in Ludlow (Monday evening) didn't have wireless and mobile phone reception was poor! But now we are back in civilisation.

As the short version says we were promised heavy rain for much of the day by the forecast but, other than a few brief light showers, it stayed away until about 3 o’clock. Even then it wasn’t really heavy - until we entered Welsh Wales! Luckily there was only a couple of miles to go into Chepstow at that point so, although we got wet, we were not out in it for long enough to get too cold and miserable thankfully.

Bridgwater looked as uninspiring as Christine remembered it but without the smell of the now closed British Cellophane factory that she recalled from her childhood. But we soon left the town behind us and, after one short sharp climb swiftly followed by a fast descent we were on the Somerset Levels and bowling along with a mostly tailwind. A passing cyclist called Dave stopped for a chat and then he turned round to join us for a spell which was very pleasant as he told us of his plans to do Lejog next year averaging 90-100 miles a day but supported by his wife in the car carrying his luggage and sorting out accommodation.

Waving goodbye to Dave, we made our way to Cheddar where we climbed into the Mendips - not via the Gorge with its 16% gradient but our route was quite steep enough thank you very much! Christine walked most of the way but Stephen toughed it out doing the first kilometre in about 9 minutes and the second in 7 before the downhill started.

This road took us onto the A38 which we followed all the way to Bristol - not a pleasant stretch with its heavy traffic and undulating profile, but certainly quicker than the back roads through the Mendips.

On reaching the outskirts of Bristol we turned off alongside the A4 through the Avonmouth Gorge having passed Ashton Gate, the home to the mighty Bristol City Football Club. Stephen was mightily impressed by his first visit to the Gorge although the roar of the traffic does take the edge off the enjoyment.


Avonmouth is not the prettiest place on God’s earth being a port but if you are going to cycle through it, then Sunday afternoon is a great time to do so. The roads are straight and, with a tailwind, you can get up a fair turn of speed, even if you are called Christine!

We soon reached the original Severn bridge which has a cycle and pedestrian path on each side of the motorway and, passports at the ready, we were off to foreign parts! The stiff breeze blowing up the river made an eerie sound as it whistled through the stays holding the bridge up and, as Dave had suggested earlier, if you get off the bike in the middle you can feel the bridge bounce up and down as the lorries cross. All in all quite an unnerving experience.



With the heavens opening as a greeting to Wales we were glad to make it to the hotel by 4.30, where, after a leisurely clean up and drying out, the highlight of the day was being joined by Lynn (Christine’s sister who lives between Bath and Bristol) for a very pleasant evening of catching up.

Day 4 - Bridgwater to Chepstow - the short version

The weather was not as bad as we were led to believe by the forecast this morning with the rain only really setting in about 3 o'clock and we finished our 55 miles before 4.30. Map to be found by clicking here or see below.

Actual Day 4

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Day 3 - Okehampton to Bridgwater - the long version

As expected the day started with a climb out of Okehampton but thankfully nothing too steep. Soon we were making good time on a rolling B road towards Crediton. We passed over the Dartmoor Railway and also saw a rather stunning house made from the local stone surrounded by an immaculate garden.




Eventually we came to the point where the road to Crediton joined the main route between Exeter and the noth Devon coast. Deciding that it looked rather busy {a fact no doubt made worse by the fact that it was the first weekend after most schools broke up for the summer} we decided to cut the corner, missing out Crediton, and headed towards Tiverton on a network of small roads.

Big mistake. BIG MISTAKE. It started with a manageable climb and then a short spell on an undulating road. It turned out that the “hills gods” were just lulling us into a false sense of security! We were quickly forced to revise the view, expressed yesterday, that Cornish hills are steeper than their Devon counterparts as Devon responded to the slight in spades!

Christine seemed to spend at least half her time walking and the remainder clutching on the brakes for dear life. Stephen initially refused to be beaten and ground his way him - even resorting to his “granny gear” in which you cyle little faster than you can walk. In the end, however, even he succumbed and started pushing.

After an hour and a half of leg-breakingly slow progress, we decided that we had seen enough of this part of Devon and headed down to the main road (by now a different one from that thronged with escaping schoolchildren and their families) in the valley. A fat, 1½ mile downhill ensued and we were back in the land of the speeding car upset at being held up for a few seconds by two impertinent cyclists having the temerity to use the road, for goodness sake!

Thankfully, we made our way into Tiverton safely and enjoyed a late lunch picnicking in the Tesco car park. {We know how to live!}

Back on the road again, we unknowingly crossed into Somerset, Christine being piqued that the county of her birth did not see fit to put up a sign for her to photograph! We had hoped to meet up for a quick coffee with Betty and Peter (Christine’s parents) as we passed through Taunton but the slow progress in the morning meant that it nearly 6 o‘clock by the time we got to the town and we still had a way to go.

At least it was flat as we joined the towpath beside the Taunton (home of the mighty Somerset County Cricket Club) to Bridgwater (as appealing as Slough or Basingstoke) Canal but there was to be another twist of fate. A puncture! The first of the trip and hopefully the last. With a new tube fitted we were back on our way and were thankful to reach the hotel just before 7.30. The Boat and Anchor is an old canal pub right on the towpath and within earshot of the M5.

Day 3 - Okehampton to Bridgwater

An even tougher day - mainly thanks to a diversion "off piste" into "them thar hills" in an attempt to cut the corner and avoid some A roads. BIG MISTAKE!! We encountered some steep hills - steeper than those we went up in Cornwall but we're not trying to encourage competition between the two counties - they are more than good enough at doing hills as it is. Anyway, another 65 miles under our wheels. Here's the route.

Day 3 - Okehampton to Bridgwater

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Just discovered how to post maps direct into the blog!

Actual Day 2

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Day 2 - Newquay to Okehampton

That was a tough day! The map says 63 miles - you can see it by clicking here. If you do look at the map, also take a look at the Elevation Profile (click on the word "Show" in the top left of the Bikely.com map) - you will see that we did over 4,100 feet of climbing and it feels like it!!

We were later getting started than we intended as a result of Stephen fiddling around while mistakenly under the impression that breakfast was at 8 o’clock rather than 7.30. As it transpired this was a blessing in disguise. While eating breakfast overlooking the sea we could see storm clouds all round and it soon started to rain heavily. Fortunately by the time we had finished packing and retrieved the bikes it had just about finished. If we had left half an hour earlier we would have been soaked!

Although we encountered a couple more showers later in the morning they were brief and nowhere near as heavy as the earlier one. And our friend, the South-westerly wind continued to blow helping us up the hills to come!

We climbed steadily out of Newquay passing Spitfire Corner near the RAF station at St Megwan.



Not long after, we reluctantly joined the A39 as it was the only obvious way of avoiding crossing Bodmin Moor. Most of the time this busy road was tolerable but every now and then a car or a lorry would hurtle past far too close for comfort. (A message to all you drivers out there. Please, please, please, if the road is narrow and there is traffic coming the other way, then just wait a few seconds until you can see that it is safe to pass while giving cyclists enough room. After all, you will only be a few seconds later joining the next queue behind a lorry or tractor or stopping at the next red light!)

After Wadebridge the climbing started in earnest as we skirted around the western and northen edges of the moor. Every so often there was a downhill but that only caused our hearts to drop even further because we knew that we would be going up the other side on our way to almost 1,000 feet above sea level.

After passing the summit of the day’s climbing we turned off the A roads (thankfully) onto much more enjoyable minor country roads all the way to Launceston. Just the other side of the town in the words of a dimly remembered song from Stephen’s childhood we “crossed the Tamar land to land” and entered Devon after 100 miles in Cornwall. Cue the first picture of county signs - Christine’s aim is to get a photo each time we cross a border.




The Devon hills (at least so far) aren’t quite as steep as the Cornish ones but they keep coming! But there were a lot of them and as we tired they got harder than they looked. Thankfully, the last two miles into Okehampton were all downhill - although that does not bode well for tomorrow morning of course!

Day 1 - Penzance to Newquay via Land's End

Day 1 and 56 miles behind us! You can see our route by clicking here.

We travelled down to Cornwall on the overnight sleeper from London Paddington - a remarkably civilised and surprisingly reasonable way to travel. Arriving at Penzance at 8 o’clock we hitched up the panniers and set off on the 10 miles along the A30 to the real start point of our journey.

The weather was perfect - just a few puffy white clouds and a strong wind keeping things cool. Well, not quite perfect for the first stretch as the wind was coming from the South West so it was a headwind until we got to Land’s End and, as the cyclists amongst you will know, the wind is probably worse than the hills when you are on a bike. Of course, all that changed when we turned round to come back to Penzance. For the rest of the day we had a tailwind pushing us along which was much appreciated!

We didn’t spend long at Land’s End - just enough to take the obligatory photographs including Christine on the Start/Finish line.


Passing by Penzance station, we joked about having had a good ride and jumping back on the train but then decided that, as we had come this far, we might as well see a bit more of the place! A cycle path along the sea wall gave fabulous views across Penzance Bay to St Michael’s Mount, but it was soon back on the road and climbing towards Redruth.

The real highlight of the day for Stephen was, while waiting for Christine at a crossroads, the Google Streetview camera van went past. He is now expecting to be immortalised with proof that “he was there” in the depths of rural Cornwall!

We decided we did not like Redruth as it is hilly, full of traffic and, just beyond the town, the heavens opened! The clouds had been rolling in for some time and getting darker but we could see blue sky on either side. Maybe the weather gods were exacting some revenge for the tailwind! Out came the wet weather gear and we took shelter from the worst downpour but, as it didn’t last long, we were soon back on the road replete in bright yellow raincoats and cycling bootees. Yes, they look silly but they are totally wonderful for keeping your feet warm, and dry!

After that it was a long haul along an A road into Newquay with traffic rushing past as we toiled up the hills and sailed down the other side. The Headland Hotel was a welcome sight as we rolled down the drive. Inside it was just as impressive and, if you want to indulge yourself, it comes thoroughly recommended by these two weary cyclists!

Here are the promised pictures of the bikes

Our Bikes

Confession time! We have indulged ourselves!! We will be riding custom made bikes from Roberts Cycles.
If you are "into" bikes there is no better way to while away a couple of hours than going to Chas Robert's shop in Croydon to drool over the machines on display and to talk to Chas or Brian about what they and the "boys out the back" can do to fulfil your dreams. If you are in the market for a bespoke piece of engineering excellence that is easy on the eye, then we urge you to support London's last remaining bike framemaker - even though "you could buy a car for that much" is the inevitable response, rest assured it is money well spent.

Stephen's bike was a reward to himself for losing a significant amount of weight, Christine's a Silver Wedding present. We suspect that each gender will have a different perspective on the relative sacrifices involved!!

Pictures of the bikes to follow at which point you will be able to see the extent to which Chas and his team can customise the same basic design (in both cases a "Roughstuff Lite") to suit the buyer's individual requirements.