Friday, 22 August 2008
Thursday, 21 August 2008
The Night Before
The end of day 11 was to be spent in Helmsdale. On route we stopped in Tain for lunch and paused outside Dunrobin castle for Sian to pose for this picture. Once in Helmsdale we were treated to a fish and chips supper at La Mirage, where we got the largest portions of fish and chips we had ever seen. We stopped in the local Spar to pick up supplies for the final day's breakfast and lunch.
Still Loch Ness
It seemed liked forever that we had Loch Ness on our right as we headed for Inverness. We eventually reached the end at the aptly named Loch End. We then enjoyed a nice long downhill swoop into Inverness. We arrived at the hostel had been invaded by 3 coach loads of kids. We ordered a take away and then struggled to locate some dishes and eating irons to enjoy our spoils.
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Day 10
Today saw us heading north east to Inverness taking in Ben Nevis and Loch Ness. With a shorter day than the two previous ones we were hoping for some good weather to allow up to stop and take in the views. Initial signs were positive but things gradually turned cold and grey with a horrid northerly wind, which at times required up to pedal just to keep moving downhill!
Day 9
Another long day law ahead of us today. First we had to make sure we caught the 8:15 ferry across to the mainland. Upon landing we came across a field of hairy cattle. We then had a trek of 96 miles to reach our next destination. The weather was not so nice today, and could easily be described as Scottish (wet and windy)!
The Scottish Weather Shines
The weather was a big factor in us making the time we did. It was especially good considering the forecast was for rain. We made it to Aaran and the good weather continued to shine in this beautiful area of Scotland. From our landing point we had to trek 16 miles north to reach our end point for the day, with a 2 mile climb over the hills in the middle.
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Day 8
Today sees the group set with two challenges. Challenge 1 is our longest day with around 100 miles of cycling. Challenge 2 was one of time, with the group having to make it to Ardrossen in time to catch the last ferry at 6pm. This called for an early start and for the group to raise their pace. Somehow we made the earlier sailing at 4:15 and the group boarded the ferry to Aaran.
Sunday, 17 August 2008
Saturday, 16 August 2008
Consigned to room 101
We made good time and arrived in Ambleside on the shore of Windemere just after 6pm. Checking into the YHA we were assigned room 101. After we had done some bike maintenance and got cleaned up, we headed out for some food. We ended up eating in a nice restaurant which turned out to be a vegetarian restaurant.
Friday, 15 August 2008
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Day 5 and more rain?
Day 5 saw up wake to more rain. After breakfast we headed out into the drizzle and began climbing out of the valley where the hostel was located. We altered the original route to stick to more major routes to remove some troublesome navigation and increase the pace. This saw us heading towards Shrewsbury. Reaching the top of the hill we stopped to remove our extra layers as the sun had come out. On the road down into Shrewsbury Owen set the group's top speed of 49.3 mph.
More potty humour
We continued to wind our way back and forth across the border between Wales and England making our way north. The weather was changeable between rain and sun. On the road to Abbey Dore potty humour took over again on spotting a sign to Dicks Pitch. After picking ourselves up off the floor we continued on our way.
The only way is up
Heading out of Bristol we picked up a cycle track and headed for the Severn Bridge. Crossing the bridge we were met by mum and David waving the Welsh flag. On the way to let our stop for the night we passed through Chepstow and after less than 3 miles we were back in England. The YHA in St Briavels is in the castle and this castle was on the top of a hill 7 miles away!
Monday, 11 August 2008
Day two complete
After leaving Sara the weather continued to be unsure if it wanted to rain or shine (or possibly both at the same time). Navigation became more tricky as we ventured into areas with little or no sign posts. The last 6 miles ended up taking 90 minutes with map reading and grinding climbs. We were however rewarded with a 20% downward gradient hill just before we finished. Another 82 miles under our belts. Plenty of people came to visit this evening. Thank you Kate for the homemade flap jacks. Thank you Dave for playing chauffeur and taking us into Taunton in search of food. And finally to Sarah and family for dropping off our supplies package. Today saw us cross from Cornwall to Devon to Somerset. Tomorrow we change countries (well for about 3 miles).
Guest riders!
Progress was slower today due to taking the less direct route in order to avoid the traffic. On reaching Okehampton we met up with our first guest rider Lewis (Sian's friend Sara's dad). Using Lewis' local knowledge we fine tuned our route to avoid some of the worse hills in from our original route. After bidding farewell to Lewis 10 miles or so from Crediton we contined on to Creedy Bridge where we met up with Sara who cycled with us until just before Bradninch.
Sunday, 10 August 2008
It was all going so well and then disaster strikes
Having left Lands End later than planned, we were off to a flying start averaging 17 mph through the ups and downs of Cornwall. We had done over 40 miles and looking for somewhere to stop for lunch when disaster struck. Sian sort of just stopped and dragged her bike to the side of the road. Investigation revealed a broken rear mech hanger and a bent rear mech. Not something that can be resolved at the roadside even with Owen's experience! After locating an open bike shop 15 miles away Huw and Owen head off towards the shop while Sian waited for rescue by Sarah and Dave.
Saturday, 9 August 2008
The night before.....
The trio finally make it to the start (almost) after their individual trips to Lands End. Meeting at Penzance train station and sheltering from a torrential down pour before heading off to the Youth Hostel. Settling in for a cosy nights rest after treking across fields for a fish and chip supper in the pouring rain. It all begins for real in the morning!
Monday, 21 July 2008
The final training session
This weekend saw the three of us head up to Birmingham for our final training session. This time we were doing it under as realistic conditions as could be reproduced, so we were carrying our intended loads for the trip. We headed out on Saturday and Sunday, notching up 70 miles each day. The end of Sunday saw us pass through this National Trust property on our way home.
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Mountain biking
After a morning throwing ourselves around the track in the rain, the boys come back a little muddy and wet!!
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