Arran

What a good decision it was to come via Arran. OK it was a little hilly but the scenery is fantastic. We got a further £24 in donations today.

The short ferry crossing to Arran took us to a different world - so quiet.

Met up with Ali and Scott and had a rather bizarre chinese meal in what must be the worst and most chaotic restaurant we have eaten in. The staff gave half our meal to the wrong table and then blamed this on the fact that they were so busy (only 3 tables occupied). When we told someone in another bar about this we were cheerily told that her friend got food poisoning there last week.

Bought a packet of Imodium on the way back!

We have now done 350 miles and are South of Glasgow. Back to the mainland in the morning then head for Dumfries. Only 2 more days in Scotland.

Peter

Old Friends

Jane's Blog - Yesterday we bowled into Lochgilphead to be met by my old school friend Anne Wells (Shepherd) and her husband Peter. They were good enough to give us a hug even though we smelled of an alluring mixture of sweat ,midge repellent and GT85. They waited patiently while we changed out of the double cycling pants combo, the sartorial equivalent of Huggies, never a good look, then plied us with Champagne and treated us to supper at the Argyll Inn. We dined on Loch Fyne mussels, swapped travellers tales and made a drunken vow to cycle Big Sur!

Thanks Anne and Peter you are stars. (Loved the car by the way, very Thelma and Louise.)

Jane

Reunion on the Mull of Kintyre

Oban is a nice port on the West coast and gave us an amazing sunset last night.

We set off shortly after 9am but got no further than the drive of our B&B before my chain broke again! Luckily I had bought a spare chain yesterday but it took a little time to fix as it needed to be shortened.

The coast road South of Oban is beautiful with a couple of serious hill climbs.

One thing that has touched us during this trip is the generosity of people we have met along the way. We have had generous donations for our charity from landladies as well as random passers-by that we have met.

When we arrived in Lochgilpead we were met by a schoolfriend of Jane, Anne and her husband Peter who welcomed us with waving flags and champagne. We had a lovely meal and gossip in a local pub.

We have now completed almost 1/3 of our journey. Tomorrow we get to Arran.

Peter

On the road in Scotland

Jane here - Most of the roads haven't been resurfaced since Macadam was a lad.
Those which have were constructed using the latest surface which comes pre primed with baby potholes,ready to expand into whoppers at the first sign of rain or frost, and were completed by the work experience boy on an off day.

There are some funny old vehicles around too. We both thought we were being followed by a huge lorry yesterday, when it eventually rumbled past in a cloud of noise and fumes it turned out to be an ancient Citroen Dyan. Haven't they heard of the scrappage scheme up here? Just off for a curry see you soon. J.

A case of the Measles

It was a nice easy day today. 43 miles along the coast to Oban with spectacular scenery and a lovely flat road. There were some very smooth tarmac cycle paths which were a welcome relief from the poor road surface. Traffic much better than yesterday especially after Ballachulish.

As soon as we left Fort William I noticed an intermittent clicking noise coming from my rear cassette. This got steadily worse but as we were expecting to be in Oban by 3pm that left plenty of time to get it looked at by a bike shop on arrival.

15 miles from Oban my chain broke on a rather dangerous hill. I have never fixed a broken chain before 'in anger' so it was a big learning experience. After some struggling with a rather inadequate chain link tool we eventually got it fixed - but not before we had been eaten alive by the dreaded Scottish midges that surrounded us in swarms.

By the time we arrived in Oban (an hour late) we looked like we had Measles.

Staying in a very nice B&B in Oban. This is an important landmark as we have now done over 250 miles and are over 1/4 of the way.

Peter

Scotch Myths

Jane blatherin' on. I am beginning to suspect this whole Nessie thing may be nobbut a myth. We cycled the length of Loch Ness today. Nothing doing. We lurked behind a gorse bush,for at least 5 minutes, cameras at the ready. Dead quiet and everything. No sign.
Otters and Eagles
No sign of them either. Pete did think he saw an eagle on day 2 but as he once thought a Pine Marten was a type of bird, he may not be an entirely reliable witness
Darkness
We haven't seen that either. We're usually crashed out by 10.30 and up about 7 and it's always light.
Scotch
It's a myth that Scotch is good for you. It isn't. Jane. Bye for now.

(Not so) Great Glen

I was looking forward to the ride down the Great Glen from Loch Ness to Fort William but the reality did not really come up to expectation. The scenery is fantastic but the traffic was awful. The A82 is full of buses, lorries and idiot drivers. We tried the cycle route but it really was not nice on touring bikes as the surface was really rough. So we used the A82 the rest of the way which added on 5 miles. A bonus was that we passed the Commando memorial which has fantastic views of Ben Nevis.

We are now in Fort William with over 200 miles under our belts and everything is going well.

Peter

D'Israeli Gears

Jane chatting. I have a problem with my rear gear. No not my trousers, that cog thing at the back of the bike. When I change gear it takes so long to whir and clunk into place that I've forgotten about it and my foot slips off the pedal and causes me great consternation. Must get it fixed.

Sometimes when we're bowling along,Pete will shout 'Big chain ring! '. Having established that this is not some imminent anatomical catastrophe, I've realised he wants me to change to top gear so I can continue pedalling downhill. Why on earth would I want to pedal downhill? Isn't that what gravity is for? I guess I haven't got the cycling gene.

Mind you only a few months ago I used to derail my chain every time I went out on the bike so I have improved a bit since then. More soon. Jane

No sign of Nessie (yet!)

I have realised that I didn't say where we were last night. We stayed in Bonar Bridge and had an excellent meal at a Bistro called Crannag. The food was first class and the family who run it were very friendly.

I had a slight disaster yesterday as I discovered that an entire can of GT85 cycle lubricant had discharged itself in my pannier and all my spare cycle clothing was soaked and very strange-smelling.

Today's weather was not as bad as expected but we got caught in a couple of hailstorms. The chilly north wind is helping us. We had 2 big hills to get over but as we move South we are finding the traffic heavier and are seeing 'real' shops again.

We are now in Drumnadrochit on Loch Ness but no sign of monsters yet (apart from the one in the picture). We have covered 150 miles so far with 850 to go. Tomorrow we ride down the length of Loch Ness and the Great Glen to Fort William. I will have my camera at the ready in case we spot Nessie.

Peter

T

Up and down

Hooray we are finally heading South. Only trouble is The Highlands that stand between us and our goal.

We left Bettyhill with a following wind and rode up the beautiful Strathnaver valley. It didn't look so beautiful in 1820 as this was the site of the notorious Highland clearances. Some walls from the original settlements are still visible by the road.

The road gradually climbs up to 900ft. This the first time I have ridden steadily uphill for 30 miles but thankfully it is a gentle gradient. We stopped for a picnic lunch (taking no risks today) and got caught in a hailstorm. After a reviving coffee at the Altnahara hotel we continue to the col and were rewarded by a 20 mile descent.

Sadly we arrived at the Shin Falls just as the tearoom was shutting but were able to look at the falls (see picture)

Unfortunately the weather forecast for tomorrow is for rain, hail, snow (!) And thunder.

Peter

Doom Rays

Jane blogging.

Once upon a time on a wild uninhabited and ruggedly beautiful stretch of the Caithness coast, someone thought 'What can we do to improve this place? I know, let's build a nuclear power station.' Thus Dounreay came into being. Anyway they are now decommissioning it, and you can buy a commemorative mug in Thurso to mark the occasion. Yes really.

Apparently there is a doping scandal in cycling. I want to know what they are taking and how to get hold of it. Sadly with nothing stronger than battered deep fried haggis, weapons grade coffee and whatever is in the air from Dounreay we inched our way across the map to Bettyhill where there is a gobsmackingly beautiful beach and not much else.

Off to the bar now for a wee dram. One should always seek out locally sourced products. Jane

One small step

Someone once said 'A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step' and so we find ourselves here in Bettyhill 50 miles from John O' Groats with only 950 left to do.

It has been a really good day with mainly sunshine and only 1 brief shower. The cold wind persists and has been in our face all day.

Unfortunately no eating establishments seem to know about Monday or Tuesday up here so we never found anywhere for lunch. Although closed, the Strathy Inn took pity on us and made us coffee which, together with a bag of peanuts was our lunch.

We were passed by a group of soldiers doing JOGLE in just over a week. They were collecting for 'Help for heroes'. Despite the fact that they were on lightweight carbon fibre racers, were half our age and had 2 support vehicles carrying all their luggage we caught up with them again later but they soon sped off again.

Bettyhill has one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever seen (see picture) and an interesting museum about the Highland Clearances in 1820.

So far, our journey has taken us due west but tomorrow we start heading south at last. (Memo to self - take sandwiches!)

Peter

Incarceration

Hello, this is the Jane half of the team. Well we've finally started. Buffy has been packed off to the cattery where she will probably spend the next three weeks pacing up and down with her baseball and glove whistling that irritating tune and trying to figure out how to get under the wire and onto the motorbike.

We headed off on a tar meltingly hot day to Euston for the sleeper. We had a couple of beers and sat in the shade in Euston square gardens, in Pete's case under the flight path of an incontinent crow.

The sleeper bunk was a bit like sleeping in an M R I scanner, claustrophobic noisy. but without the soothing radio2 on the headphones.

John O' Groats,ancient Norse for Arse end O' Nowhere, was full of interesting characters arriving and departing on various heroic missions. Took the obligatory photos and at last done the first day. Just off to seek out the nightlife of Thurso.

Jane

We're off

We finally arrived at JOG at midday in the rain. The journey up here went without a hitch. The Caledonian Sleeper to Inverness was comfortable. The only concern was when the train was split at Edinburgh and we hoped we were going to the same place as our bikes! Luckily both bikes and riders arrived on time at Inverness where we were met by van driver Kyle for onward transfer to JOG.

At JOG we had lunch with a guy who was 2700 miles through his coastal circumnavigation of UK and another who had cycled from London and was now setting off back home - to Australia!! And we thought our challenge was impressive.

One thing the journey up here has taught us is how far we have to cycle back.

Anyway, after the obligatory photos we set off for Thurso - a fairly modest 20 miles. There was a freezing headwind but the sun came out and we had an enjoyable ride down quiet and scenic back lanes.

We had some difficulty locating our B&B and got caught in a shower.

Tomorrow we have a rather hilly 30 miles to Bettyhill.

Peter

Apologies to Jane Austen

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a man in possession of a pension must be in need of a wife to accompany him on some madcap escapade. So it was that I found myself agreeing to cycle from JOG to LE. A thousand miles, give or take. It was either that or go along in a support vehicle. Been there, done that and, between you and me, it can get a bit tedious. And unhealthy. All the cakes and none of the achievement.

So, with a few days to go and 8 months of preparation behind us, where have we got to?

Those of a nervous disposition (and/or men) look away now.

Knickers. After much research I have realised that the only way to go is with two pairs of padded pants, a thinner one to wash out easily and a thicker one with industrial strength padding. So if my bum looks big in this, it’s all padding, honest. Also I have acquired a sheepskin saddle cover to hoots of derision, no doubt, from ‘serious cyclists'. It does look faintly hilarious, like a misshapen B.B.C. microphone cover. Wish I’d bought it months ago.

Pete has been very busy with his new toy, a video camera. stand by for lots of footage of my bum receding into the distance with cheesy soundtrack. We are thinking of remaking ‘Touching the Void’ involving bicycles and potholes. Are you listening Gloucestershire County Council?

Have got to pack tomorrow. It’s more a case of what to leave out. Can I manage without mascara? Yes yes,I know, a hairdryer, but most B&Bs provide one, and those who don’t will be publicly named and shamed in these pages.  Will wind up now. Stand by for more meanderings soon. (Memo to my husband: Large charcoal grey lumps of cumulus with vertical stripes coming out of them are NOT fine weather clouds.)

Goodnight.Jane

Final preparations

Only 1 week to go!  We went on our final long training ride today.  52 miles to Edgehill carrying full panniers.   this was quite a hard day’s riding with some serious climbs but it went well.  Lunch at the National Herb Centre was excellent.  Weather was fantastic once again although we worry that it can’t last.  The Daily Mail today is forecasting a further 4 weeks of fine weather – we shall see!  Unfortunately for us the prevailing wind has moved from the North to the South West.  although this makes it warmer,  we will not be wind-assisted coming South :-(

Tomorrow we will take the bikes to be serviced and possibly do a short ride on Wednesday to check they are OK.  the remainder of the week will be spent resting and getting packed ready to leave on Sunday. 

Sponsorship has started to pick up and we are only £100 short of our target. 

Peter

3 weeks to go

It seems amazing that it's only 3 weeks till we start the MacJOGLE ride.  Thats the same length of time since we did the Devon C2C.  The Devon ride was a very useful training and reality check and reassured us that we are pretty much ready both in fitness and preparation.

We went to see Mark Beaumont last week in Malvern.  He gave an excellent talk on his record-breaking round the world trip and also on his cycle trip from Alaska to the southern tip of South America that was recently shown on TV.  He is a very approachable chap and Jane managed to speak to him in the interval and give him one of our MacJOGLE cards

            Jane speaking to Mark Beaumont

The weather has been lovely.  The only problem is that we feel we need some bad weather training.  We must be the only people who are looking forward to some rain to go cycling in!  Yesterday was forecast to be wet but by the time we got ready the sun had come out.  It was extremely windy however and quite cold.

We have ramped up the publicity and sponsorship drive.  There are going to be pieces in the Redditch Advertiser and Stratford Herald.   We are also sending out a lot of begging letters!!  We are now up to £1200 and are optimistic that we will exceed our £2000 target.

Peter