Geoff Thompson
We left Somerset at midnight friday in a Espace with two support crew ( nephews wife and his friend ) and got to John oGroats about 2 pm.we must have got lost on the way because in my half awake state I remember passing the same football stadium ( Ibrox ? ) three times.We set off from the peninsula at 3.30 and I never felt happier to be cycling away from a place, it's aÊwind blown, rain sodden, wasteland of a place. I can't imagine wanting toÊcycling to the place.Point to watch out for, we had been cramped up in the vehicle for fourteen hours with only 3 or 4 stops, it was also cold and wet even though it was july so we should have started slowly... we didn't and as a result nephew pulled a muscle in his leg and had to ride for two days heavily strapped up.
We rode to Helmsdale the first day into the teeth of the wind, during which as I slowly topped a steep rise slowly and was blown off my bike by a gust of wind asÊI passed a gateway. The crew found a youth hostel at Helmsdale and we spent a night there ( ors was to be a mixture of campsites and hostels ).
2Ê Sunday
Set off towards Inverness. It was during this ride that I learnt my technique
for riding with these guys. They had carbon frame bikes whereas I had a
Thorn Audax steel frame and I carried a rack bag plus I was about a stone
heavier and of course twice as old. I found no problem holding my own on
the flat but as you would expect I was considerably slower uphill though
faster dowhill So I developed the practice of hanging back a few hundred
yards when approaching hills then " taking a run" at it so the momentum
did a lot of the work for me. I found I was a lot nearer to the others at
the top than if I'd just tagged on behind.
We rode over the Black Isle and got to Inverness at lunchtime and, making good time, ate on the wing to sustain the impetus ( stopping for more than 15 minutes for a food stop really saps the momentum ). All down loch NessÊ is a wonderfull ride, bascally flat with gentle rises that can easily be powered up.Eventually we stopped at Fort Augustus between Ness and Lochy for a pint and a sandwich and then set off on the last leg for Fort William. This turned out to be our longest day at 137 miles.We camped at Glen Nevis campsite, pleasant but we got bitten to bits in the morning by midges. They don't hurt but boy do they ever make you itch.
3 Monday
We continued on the A82 which we'd picked up at Inverness and cycled over
the foothills of Glencoe ( a bit of a slog in the wind for the first half
but a glorious downhill flight once over Rannoch Moor. We had a tea stop
and a beer stop before we cycled down the side of Loch Lomond to Balloch
where the crew had booked us intoÊLoch LomondÊYouth Hostel. The name belies
it's true nature, It's actually aÊfortified country houseÊwith turrets wood
panelling, stags head etc..and on looking it up on the net I found it's
also supposed to be haunted.An inspired stop.
This was the worst day ( but thankfully the last ) for post ride leg ache and we were on the 4th floor of the hostel which required a lot of side ways crab walking. Strangely enough no one ever compained of leg ache in the morning.
4 Tuesday
Through the outskirts of Glasgow and we picked up the A77 to Kilmarnock
then the A76 to Dumfries and A75Êto Annan. Many people dislike A roads but
they have the advantage of speed and unlike minor roads you're not hemmed
in with hedges so you get to see most of the countryside. By this time the
weather had perked up with accasional sun filtering through ( it got progressively
bettr as we rode south ). We booked into Hoddom castle campsite, a top award
winning site set inÊa great location with a restaurant in the castle. Good
stopover.
5 Wednesday
We cycled 10
miles to Gretna then back into England an the A74. At carlisle we picked
up the A6 to Penrith and over Shap to Kendal. During this stretch my chain
snapped and buggered up the front changer leaving the big ring inoperable
until we could fix it that evening, still there was quite a lot of hillwork
so the loss wasn't noticed too much. we pushed on to Chorley. The only other
mishap was that nephew got the bonk and said he felt like someone had pulled
the plug out, he looked like it too.We camped just outside Chorley.
6 Thursday
A mixture of A & B roads see us throughÊNewton le willows to Warrington
where we pick up the A49ÊÊto Whitchurch then the A442 to Telford and the
B4378/B4368/B4365ÊÊto Ludlow and on to leominster only to find the crew
had booked us intoÊfarm campsite back at Ludlow ! Still it means we get
an 18 mile ride in the car back down to leominster in the morning. And we
compensated with a fine curry inÊa Thai restaurant in Ludlow.
7ÊFriday
A good day of
fairly flat riding on the A49 takes us to Hereford and then the A466 to
Monmouth from where we have one of the best stages down through the Wye
Valley to Chepstow with lunch at Tintern Abbey looking like the ruined set
of a Dracula movie.Although there was a steepish climb out of Tintern Êthe
Severn bridge appeared pleasingly suddenly afterwardsÊand so using the A403
and A4 we skirted Bristol and tookÊthe A38 past the airport ( those planes
aren't half low ) to Burnham and Highbridge where we stayed just outside
the town in a campsite next to a pub.
The next day was predetermined as a half day asÊwe had to get back to my home in nearby Yeovil for my daughters engagement party. The plan had ben to get as close to Yeovil as possible then cut off at around midday, drive back to Yeovil for the party and restart the next day at midday from the stop point.
8 Saturday.
We took the A38/A361 to Tiverton where due to road mending we had to take
the back roads to Crediton. It was here that I suffered the bonk, badly.IT
happened because I'd only had a snack meal theÊnight before. Evening meals
are a great time to pile it in as you have the whole night for the body
to turn it into energy...it's an easy mistake to make.
Great party even if it was reasonably sober for me.
9 Sunday
Starting at 1.30 from Crediton we took the A3072/A386 to Okehampton then
the A30 to Bodmin. Yeah I know all those horror stories about the A30 and
OK so it was busy but it's a great road for piling on the miles.Anyway I
had my own personal horror story on this stretch. Coming over the top of
bodmin moor there is a huge steep sweep down and I watched my computer as
it crept into the 40sÊ( my record had been 41) and finally peaked at 51
mph.it was at that point the bike developed front wheel shimmy. As the artics
thundered past I was wrestling white faced with the bike to avoid decorating
the A30. After what seemed like minutes of dabbing the brakes and gripping
the frame with my knees the speed came down low enough for the wobble to
subside.
We stayed at a guest house near Tywardreath and shoved off into Fowey for the evening.
10 Monday
A30 to Lands End. It was fairly chocka with traffic but if you keep your
wits about you you can power alongside it even when it's at a standstill.
Testing little hill out of Penzance and on to the final group of villages
uphill and down dale to LE. This is Cornwall showing Scotland what an end
of the country experience should be like. We crossed the finish line at
2.27 and had a short celebratory lunch and champagne and got back home in
the espace by early evening.
11 Post
ride.
I found it quite hard getting back to every day life and of course no one
wants to hear you banging on about your wonderful holiday so Self Discipline
in the keyword.... and maybe just one re-union later on when the whole thing
has developed its rosy glow.
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Riding
time: 57hrs 6min
Route: A99 & A9 to Inverness...A82 to Glasgow...A77 & A76 to Dumfries...A75,
A74 & A6 to Preston...A49 to Wigan, Warrington,Whitchurch...A442 to Telford...
A4169/B4378/B4368/B4365A49 to Hereford...A466 to Chepstow...Severn bridge...A403/A4/A38
to Culmstock...A361 to Tiverton...A395 and minor roads to Crediton...A377/A3072/B3215
to Okehampton...A30 to Lands End.
I had 3 bottles; 2 filled with Go Electrolite and one with water. I carried a couple of small freezer bags with pre measured electrolite powder in for emergencies & a Go gel for real emergencies (never had any so I tasted it to see what it was like... orange wallpaper paste). I made a small wire framed net bag to sit between the tri bars out of one of those net washing macine bags you put detergent blocks in, only mine held half a dozen fig biscuits and a bag of jelly babies. I refilled it every day. We all tried drinking SIS's Rego Nocte last thing at night to aid muscle regeneration but found a litre of this last thing was a bit hard to swallow.