Day 13

Today was the big day. Our only rest day in the entire 16 days of cycling. We woke up nice and late (8am) and enjoyed a continental breakfast. I depleted the store of cornflakes, and remained in the dining room for a good hour regaining carbs.

We then decided to go down to the village, which was about 2 miles away. We had to cycle, but we didn't have to lug around panniers so it was really easy going. Luck was with us and we enjoyed amazing warm, sunny weather (so hot I had to remove my raincoat).

From LEJOG Day 13

The village was really nice, and we spent a lot of time in a cafe, which sold tourist bits and pieces. Lunch there was delicious, and we all had chocolate milkshakes and cake. Outside we chilled by the loch, and just wandered around, doing what teenagers do.

At about 3 we met up with a bike repair man who worked in his shed, who agreed to look over all our bikes. Sam's was worst off, in the end requiring a whole new back wheel. The rest of us just got a clean down and new brake pads, to ensure we'd get to John o' Groats problem free. The price was very reasonable, and we all felt better knowing our bikes should be ok.

After we'd seen all there was to see, we bought tea at the local shop and headed back. It was strange to return to the same hostel twice, but we enjoyed a game of scrabble and a weird game called Absolute Balderdash, which proved to be a lot of fun.

Today our total distance was about 4 miles... much more sensible.

Day 12

The prospect of a rest day was enough to get us out of bed nice and early, and on the road away from civilisation. We realised we'd been cycling every day for 12 days, and couldn't wait to have a lie in and a day lazing about.

The scenery went from great to stunning. We were following allongside rivers and lochs, loch Lubnaig gave us some really picturesque views, the kind you'd see in a magazine or something. We were just east of Loch Lomond, but we sang the song anyway, because it's a fairly Scottish sounding tune.

From LEJOG Day 12

The weather was good, and the roads flat, so we went really fast and at the same time enjoyed the scenery. Navigation was no problem as we followed "main" roads, and only went through a few different places. Even so, there were still opportunities to buy lunch and snacks, which we enjoyed by the side of the road somewhere.

The day was going brilliantly, so something bad had to happen. At about halfway I discovered Sam's wheel was wobbling. I told him, and he found 3 spokes had come off, meaning others were disintegrating and the wheel was buckling. Mountain bike rims are fairly strong, so we hoped we could get to Glencoe at least, where Nick's parents had found details of a repair man.

Our speed had been so good that we were still making good time. Just before Glencoe the clouds become really dark and menacing, but Sam's wheel was still rolling. As we climbed up to the pass of Glencoe, we faced very heavy, icy rain. As we went into the pass, for some reason the rain stopped, and we experienced the best road in the entire trip. The scenery can't be described in words, and it was good downhill which we could freewheel at 30mph. It went on for miles and miles.

From LEJOG Day 12

We arrived at the youth hostel soaked but happy, and we went to a pub practically next to the hostel to have a great dinner. That evening we had some interesting characters in our dormitory, but nothing could stop us getting a good night's sleep.

We cycled at total of 81.4 miles. Here is our route.

Day 11

After a few longer days, we were really looking forward to this day. Of the entire CTC route, this was the shortest planned day. However, the weather was still miserable and looked like it would stay that way for some time.

We enjoyed the nicest breakfast of the entire journey, and got on our way. Despite being a shorter day, we were using fairly hilly roads. Also, there was a constant 20mph side wind, making it really hard to stay in a straight line. At some points, when we were unsheltered by trees, we couldn't stop laughing because the wind was so ridiculous. Lunch was interesting, but we managed to find shelter under a hill in a golf club.

Side wind was barely manageable, but when it was head wind, it got really annoying. Downhill should never require effort, but we really had to pedal to keep moving. Fortunately, as the day progressed, and after we had covered about 30 miles, the wind died down.

This was the point where we encountered another of the major climbs. Tak-ma-doon road was steep and endless, and took us up ridiculously high (263m). When we reached the top, there was a viewpoint where we could see Edinburgh and the sea, which at least gave us a bit of satisfaction. Also, the downhill was plentiful and great fun, our only complaint was a ford running across the road at one point.

Stirling was a nice city, fairly small and not too busy. There was a man playing the bagpipes, making us feel like we were truly in Scotland. The Stirling youth hostel was the first Scottish youth hostel we'd stayed in, and it seemed better than most of the English ones we'd stayed in - better equipped and in a more interesting building. That evening we trialled cooking pizzas, and it was definitely a success.

From LEJOG Day 11

We had covered 47.8 miles, which should have been easy, but thanks to the wind it took us ages and a large amount of effort. Our route is here.

Day 10

The day we had been waiting for was now upon us - the day we'd cross into Scotland. We knew this would be a landmark moment in the trip, and we'd cross the border in Gretna, in about 10 miles.

From LEJOG Day 10

After a nice bit of cereal and toast, we got on our way. As expected, it wasn't long before we'd reached the sign, taking lots of pictures and feeling excited about how far we'd come. Today the navigation was as simple as it comes - just one road for the entire day. This road had a cycle path as well, which was unusual on such a deserted road, but still appreciated.

The weather was miserable all day, and we got really wet. The clouds were very low for the first bit of the day, so the visibility was really poor and we couldn't see any views. In fact, we couldn't even tell if we were cycling up a hill or not.

Scotland, we thank you for building your roads correctly. Cornwall, Devon, listen up. Build your roads between the hills, not over them.

Towards the end Sam got the only puncture of the entire trip. However, we're pro at replacing inner tubes after the stupid amount of punctures on our practise rides, and it didn't slow us down considerably. In fact, because the roads were so flat, we were going at a really nice speed.

Never trust Scottish cows. There was one standing in the road, about 10 miles from Lanark. It led us down the wrong path for a few miles, and up a hill. The cow then left us on our own and we realised we were lost.

Lanark was a nice town, but was at the top of a giant hill. We knew we deserved one after being spared for so long. We were staying in a B&B (last of the trip), which turned out to be really nice and looked after by a friendly woman. Charles rejoined the group and his dad took us for a curry.

The total distance was 83.3 miles. Our route is here.

Day 9

It was great starting the day knowing we had eliminated 30 miles, transforming the spare rest day into 2 nice shorter days.

From LEJOG Day 9

Getting out of Sedburgh was hilly on windy country roads (again). We realised how difficult this day would have been in one go - as it was we could enjoy the hills and the views. The navigation remained easy, although we managed to get lost when instructions were a bit vague (CTC -1 point). However, no real damage was done and we soon approached our next stop - Carlisle.

Carlisle is about as far north as you can go in England, the last major town before Scotland. The weather was pretty grim, and we enjoyed riding in the busy city center. Somehow through random guesses we navigated almost right up to the hostel (without realising). A helpful man showed me to tourist information, who told me that we were practically there (just had to go across a bridge).

The youth hostel was actually university accommodation, but in the summer it was opened up to the hostelers. This meant we all had our own rooms, which was strange and maybe not so useful for the sleepy among us (we could all hear Sam's alarm, he didn't). We enjoyed a night out, and actually went to the cinema and watched "Take Him to the Greek". It won't win any oscars, but it was light entertainment.

We covered 52.8 miles, and the route for Day 8 and Day 9 can be found here.

Day 8

Here was the first major change in our route plan. Initially, we planned to have a rest day in Slaidburn on day 8, so we were ready for another long day. However, we realised if we just stopped, we might get out of the routine, and our muscles might become very tight and sore. Also, Slaidburn was a village with nothing of any interest, apart from a small pub (that gave us a delicious breakfast).

So, instead we booked into a B&B in Sedburgh, about halfway between Slaidburn and Carlisle. This cut down our day significantly, and was definitely the right decision. The navigation was nice and simple, but there was an enourmous climb up to about 400m, which was the highest point of the whole trip. Strangely, because we were so relaxed and knew we had all the time in the world, we really enjoyed it. The top offered us some great views, and obviously the downhill was brilliant. Sheep on the road did however slow us down on a few occassions.

From LEJOG Day 8

The rest of the day was good, with generally nice weather and a straightforward route. We stopped by a bridge and ate our first and only 99 with flake of the journey. Sedburgh was a fair sized town, and the hotel was one of the nicest we stayed at. We are eternally grateful to Sean (I think) who washed and dried some of our clothes for us. The resteraunt down the road was doing a Thai evening so we all enjoyed curry / noodles, and Mock the Week made us happy before we went to sleep.

The distance was a very reasonable 32.9 miles. The route we followed will be combined with Day 9, so check above for it.

Day 7

After more encouragement from the manager of the hotel, and a breakfast that wasn't porridge (ceral and toast), we made our way out of Chester. Although the roads were pretty major, there was no traffic because we'd set off before the rush hour.

This was the day we'd been dreading from the start, because it was the longest and was fairly hilly as well. It was good to realise that if we got going quickly, miles could be covered and it wasn't going to be as bad as we thought.

The first 30 miles went well, we managed to cover them quickly as the hills were limited. However, we got tangled up in the industrial north around Manchester, which was one of the worst moments of the trip. The roads were now busy and the views uninspiring, and we still had a long way to go.

From LEJOG Day 7

Leigh was a nasty city, probably the most miserable place we went through. We had lunch near the centre. It was now properly raining, and shortly after setting off again we got fairly lost. The misery of the city made getting lost much, much worse. However, the city was partially redeemed by a white van man who magically guessed we were end to enders, and actually pointed us in the right direction, saying he'd done the same route a few years ago. It's a small world I guess.

We then covered 20 miles or so before we got lost, although this time in the middle of nowhere. However, again, we recieved some help from a passing cyclist and we were on our way again. Towards the last 10 miles we were fairly tired (apart from Sam who seemed to have endless energy), and we were faced with a huge climb. Halfway through the climb we met a group of slightly less helpful cyclists, who said we "definitely" had a few hours left of cycling. Thanks but no thanks, our cycling computers say otherwise.

The climb was hard, but we finished the day on a downhill, reaching almost 40mph on a steep bit of hill. Slaidburn was in the middle of nowhere, and the youth hostel was volunteer run, so they were really friendly. One thing we will never forget is the meal we ate that evening. I wouldn't be surprised if on dark gloomy nights, when the moon is full, the people at Slaidburn YH talk in hushed voices about it (see picture).

From LEJOG Day 7

Day 7 was the longest day, standing at 90.1 miles. Take a look if you dare at our route.