So the day of reckoning has arrived. We picked up the AVIS Renault Trafic in the morning, packed the van with the three bikes and all our gear then set off for sunny Dorset. Despite the gloomy weather and the usual holdups on the M6, we made good time (3.5 hours) to Andy's house in Poole. Andy's wife Debbie had kindly prepared a delicious carb-fuelled pasta dish to build up the fuel store for tomorrow and had also baked a cream-filled Birthday Cake for Lawrence (with only three candles -43?). With the rest of the gear packed in the van, a final photo shoot, we set off for Betty Cottles Inn in Okehampton.

Jamie has earned his cub scout organisation badge by arranging a slap-up breakfast at Jonathan and Sally Scott's house in Land's End for 8:15. That means leaving the B&B at 6:00am, not too many bottles of wine tonight and early to bed!

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Left Okehampton at 6:15am heading for breakfast at Jonathan and Salllys for breakfast, around 4 miles from Land's end, excellent breakfast (porridge and fry up). Jonathon and Sally accompanied us to Land's End (Toy town architecture completely out of place) signed the book and got our cards stamped and hit the road at 10:10am. Made good time averaging 16mph for the first 50 miles, no rain and a following wind, good considering it was pretty grim when we drove down. Jamie provided lunch at Wadebridge (pasties and soup). Lunch delayed as Loz won the spot prize for first puncture. After lunch we headed for Okehampton; the next 50 miles from Wadebridge are a never ending series of climbs and descents none too harsh but there comes a point when enough is enough. The last climb up to the Okehampton turn-off on the A30 particularly unwelcome.

Beer and food in Betty Cottles good, but conversation ebbed as eyes became hooded and aching thumbs, knees and nether regions began to become more of a distraction for us all.

The A30 is reported to be one of the hardest stretches of the ride but climbs aside the cycle lane (such as it is) is pretty good we were warned off alternate routes by other blogs recalling circular wrong turnings ending in tears at midnight.

Key facts for the day:
Mileage 95 (ish)
Time 6h20
Average speed 15mph
Punctures 1
Near misses 1 - (some berk who decided to leave the A30 a little late thereby cutting up Loz and Mark)
Number of times Andy Clarke (in luminous jacket) clambered into the woods for a pee: 6 (we can see you, every bugger in Cornwall can see you!)

Big thanks:
Jonathan and Sally for the breakfast (hogs pudding??)
The boy at Lands End who donated £1.50
The man in the pub who donated £10. He'd done the trip in '82 (9 days) his brother in Law holds the record for a 47 hour trip on a tricycle
Jamie for getting the pies in.

Plan for tomorrow - Head for Chepstow c.110 miles injuries and weather permitting (via Auntie Maude's for tiffin)

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Day two saw the lads leaving Okehampton at 09.00 after a hearty breakfast (full English of course). Good time was made through the Devon hills, passing through Crediton using the A3072 (and a bit of the A377) but this was not the Somerset flats yet! Temperatures through the morning were about 9C in overcast conditions. The cloud thinned as the day continued. Still in the hills when we had a coffee stop at 11.15 just before Tiverton (Ed - Our support forgets to mention the EVIL hill just before Tiverton) and it was downhill and then along the flat to Tiverton. Jamie managed to get the email updated in Tiverton. Thanks for all the support (and your e-mail Hamish!).

Friday afternoon even at this time of year sees mid Devon very busy. The traffic through Taunton and Bridgewater was dreadful - made very slow time through town. On the whole the trucks are pretty considerate.

12.30 Met the support van just before the Somerset border and the flats. Met a very nice gas fitter who is doing the ride in the summer with some old folks (late 40s, poor buggers).

Really flying along now, and met Jamie for a spaghetti lunch at 2.30 just short of Bridgewater. Got rolling again at about 3.05 and headed on up the A38 over the M5. The weather now warm at 16C with thin cloud.

At a busy roundabout, Mark slowed down but failed to disengage from his pedals and fell over, landing on the road and leaning into a queueing car. Our first, minor, casualty! A grazed knee bled profusely, but pride was the greater injury.

Came across a road closure due to an accident near Highbridge. Fortunately, the police let the cyclists through, but Jamie was forced to take a 10 mile diversion. Then went over the Mendips (more hills) and then down past the Cheddar Gorge towards Nailsea by 5.40 and a quick cuppa plus cakes and rolls with Auntie Maude (Lawrence's). Nice chat to Maude, Pam, Alex, Alexis, Peter and Paula before setting off towards Bristol on the A370.

Picked up the A4 over the bridge in Bristol and under the Clifton Suspension Bridge (some wanted to go over it) and onwards to the Severn Bridge (the old one) and to our evening destination, the 1st Hurdle in Chepstow, Wales!. The ride across the Severn at that time of night was beautiful and somewhat surreal - a great end to the cycle ride. Arrived in the dark at 9:00pm after 120 miles. We were welcomed by Lawrence's sister & brother-in-law Alanna & Peter plus niece Ellen who had driven across from Cirencester especially to see us - what a lovely surprise.After a quick shower in the dark (fuse problem), we nipped across to the curry house to meet Alanna, Peter & Ellen again for a meal (we shall see in the morning if we regret that).

As we came out of the curry house there was a mass Welsh brawl (sorry Richard) centering on a couple who were supposed to be getting married tomorrow. The police arrived and we decided to extract the bikes from the van to the safety of the B&B. Hope we feel OK in the morning.

Special thanks to Aunty Maude & family for the lovely tea and to Alanna & Peter for travelling to meet us. Also to the kind lady at the B&B that we cancelled who donated £3 to the charity

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The first Hurdle was that! No lights, limited hot water and not quite the best breakfast so far, but it was served soon after 7.30. We started back down at the Severn Bridge junction for Chepstow and had a gruelling first hour or so ride up to Monmouth using the B4233. It was misty and quite cold with the temperature between 6 and 8C. Nice to be off the trunk roads, and Jamie broke out his bike for the first time to join us for a few yards. Fantastic hill down into Monmouth with some record speeds. Passed some strange dead trees that had been painted!

Jamie had trouble with the van so had to stop at the Renault garage south of Hereford. An oil top up was required and some fiddling with the electrics.

Onwards to Hereford on the A466, and after climbing out of a gorge we arrived on some straight undulating roads Just before 11.00 we stopped for a quick coffee. The sun came out and the temperature rose to a comfortable 14C. Then on the A49 into Hereford and out the other side on the A110 through some very pretty countryside. Making good time we got to lunch at 2.30 which was all set up for us by the river at Lientwardine. The Tortellini and meat sauce were most welcome as we sat in the sunshine, with temperatures now reaching 16C. It was a very pretty spot, quite the best so far.

Set off after lunch a little after 3.15 for Shrewsbury . More undulating country, very pretty. Took a detour through Church Stretton before reaching Shrewsbury. Quite a chore getting though the Town which is not very well laid out or signposted. Almost had our first argument, disagreeing over directions and map reading. Mark fell over, again, but this time no injury. (Indeed he nearly fell again later, but a lamp post got in the way and Andy came to the rescue, holding him up whilst he disengaged his pedals). Just North of Shrewsbury and another short stop with the support van, and it is now a little cloudy again. Good cycling country.

Pressing onto Whitchurch, aiming to get home for the night. Passing through Wem we see the first of the "red" brick houses of the area. We are obviously getting further north. The cloudy weather clears and the sun comes out. Temperatures still 15C but starting to fall now. Arrived outside the Little Chef at 6.30. Jamie and the van were a welcome sight. Legs by this time were very tired!

Stats
Mileage: 110 miles
Max speed: 43.9 mph
Avg speed: 13.8
Hours in the saddle: 7h 57min

Special thanks to:
Renault, Hereford
Young ladies in Hereford (Jamie's observation)
Driver of the pigeon lorry, for nearly decapitating Andy with some dangerous driving
Your God, for keeping us dry and providing us with such beautiful countryside

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The day started with the drive from Wilmslow to yesterday's finish point in Whitchurch. We were met there by Geoff Morgan who took a few photos of our early route. Shortly afterwards, Des Ronan joined us about 5 miles miles south of Warrington and accompanied us towardsWarrington. We enjoyed the fine Cheshire scenery and made use of the Tarporley by-pass which, unlike the flat road through Tarporley, involved a long steep climb. Our route for the day was to be the A49, direct but rather busy.

At Warrington we had to endure traffic congestion and Warrington Wolves rugby league supporters heading for their home match with Bradford Bulls (WW won). We were spurred on by some Motorhead music blaring out from a soft top BMW.

We lunched in the sunshine in the grounds of a former hospital, now a new housing estate, at Winwick, just north of Warrington.

At this point a decision was taken to switch from the A49 onto the scenic route, in order to avoid the Sunday shopping traffic in Wigan. Unfortunately, the scenic route was not only difficult to find, but also proved to be considerably more hilly. We cycled through places previously only ever heard of and never visited: Billinge, Upholland, Appley Bridge and the incorrectly named Devil's Corner (!).

We enjoyed some spectacular views eastwards (Winter Hill, where a moor fire created a huge plume of smoke) and westwards (Liverpool's two cathedrals).

We had hoped to get at least to Leyland and perhaps even to north of Preston, but the combined effects of sun, hills, tired legs and the lure of home comforts meant that we finished our day just outside Leyland, at Don's house.

We drove home stopping off near Bolton to let Malcolm cycle home, and in Cheadle Heath at Thales, for a photo shoot. The mooning pose was prevented by the inhibited Mark and Phil, to Andy's disgust (Ed - now there's a surprise!).

Special thanks to:
Geoff Morgan(work colleague of Lawrence) for his support (motorised bike - very much easier to use, so made us envious)
Des Ronan(work colleague of Lawrence) for cycling with us into Warrington
Malcolm Brown (Lawrence's brother) for cycling with us from Billinge to Leyland, setting a gruelling pace
Don (Andy's father-in-law) for providing tea and biscuits in Leyland and for giving Andy a wife who lets him do these trips every year or so
The BMW X5 driver who showed that a BMW X5 can squeeze through a gap narrower than its width
The big red lorry driver for driving so close to Phil that he couldn't use his arm to point out a pothole in the road
Suzanne (Mark's secretary) for buying him a book on apostrophes so that he can edit everyone else's log entries

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Good journey up the motorway from Wilmslow to Leyland. Another cup of tea from Don and on the road for 9:45.
Made good progress from the start. We were making reasonably good progress traversing the Preston lights when Mark stopped in a panic having 'lost' his phone. Phoned Don cos Mark reckoned he left it in the loo (second call of the day). Don couldn't find phone so phoned Jamie cos Mark was sure he'd left it in the van. Jamie couldn't hear the phone ringing, so we carried on.

A couple of water (waste) stops later, Andy officially handed over the "King Of The Fountains" yellow jersey to Mark who was surreptitiously lagging behind for extra unsanctioned p-stops.

Rolled through Lancaster and stopped for a couple of photos for Andy to reminisce.

Cycling for the morning was mostly flat, averaging 15.5 mph, we stopped at Tescos in Carnforth. Whilst the others went for another p, Lawrence befriended a hippy from Salisbury with all his belongings strapped to a £10 bike including the tent and tarpaulin which he used to sleep in the woods. He was also on a long cycle trip, planning to take 4 months to cycle from Salisbury to Scotland for a friend's party!

Shortly afterwards, saw two more birds fighting, this time they weren't Welsh and were flying at 100 feet!
After yet another stop, Mark finds his phone in the bag which he had thoroughly searched 3 times already. Oh and the phone was on silent. Mark was relieved - both because he'd found the phone and because we only called him a dipstick!

Cycled through Kendal and stopped just North for another sumptuous lunch next to the support wagon on Jamie's table and chairs. As we rested, we all contemplated the "14 mile" climb up Shap Fell which we had all read about. In the event, it proved not so arduous, only 8 miles up hill, followed by a fantastic 6 mile downhill with a max speed recorded of 47mph. Passing Shap quickly (no reason to linger!) we headed on for Penrith. Once again making good progress. As we passed through Penrith we spotted the "Coast To Coast" route which we completed a couple of years ago.

The last few miles into Carlisle were again relatively downhill and we coasted home to find the B&B in the middle of Carlisle.
All agreed that today was the best day's ride so far. The weather was fantastic, the scenery superb and even Shap Fell was an exciting challenge. After a £8.50 Chinese buffet in town (Andy got Twenty quids-worth), we sat in the B&B lounge planning tomorrow's route - well actually Mark kept his counsel (snoring loudly).

Many thanks to Steve at Cornerways B&B for giving us access to his wireless network.
Thanks to everyone for sending the e-mail messages and texts - it does give us all a boost.

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For those of you wanting us to suffer more than we appear to have done, today has been a painful and c**p day.

We woke to rain, though it had stopped by the time we set off from our Carlisle B&B. We headed for Gretna on the A74.

Would-be LE JOGers - DO NOT USE THE A74 TO GRETNA. The traffic, particularly the lorries thundering past, is horrible. Add to that a westerly cross`wind and only a narrow strip suitable for a cyclist, and you have a set of conditions that make for unpleasant and dangerous cycling. Take the longer route, via Longtown.

Once we were onto a cycle friendly road we began to motor (!). Then came our first puncture, on Lawrence's rear wheel, due to a shredded tyre. Tube and tyre were replaced. We went on. Then Mark suffered a flatty. Tube replaced.

Next setback was a broken spoke on Lawrence's rear wheel. He swopped onto the spare (Jamie's) whilst Jamie organised a repair, at a shop in Larkhall in southern Glasgow. Although a reasonable bike, it was not the same quality, so our average speed dropped. We met up with Jamie and the repaired bike at Abington services where we paused for a late lunch.

The next problem befell Mark. His rear chain set stopped freewheeling. A phone call to Rick Green Cycles in Wilmslow was made but the recommended repair did not work. The chainset locked, the derailleur caught in the wheel, the bike came to a sudden halt and Mark tumbled to the ground. The derailleur was broken and the bike useless. Mark took on Jamie's bike, Jamie took Mark's bike onto the van, but it was too late in the day to repair it. The boys soldiered on, eventually reaching the outskirts of Glasgow. The day's third flat tyre befell .... Lawrence!

In the suburb of Blantyre, at 7.30pm and 90 miles from Carlisle, we gave up for the day. We trudged into our B&B in Larkhall, slightly dispirited but also pleased to have managed to get as far as we did in the end.

Other notable events:
Andy regained the King of the Fountains jersey.
We had to cycle across a bridge exposed to a cross wind so strong that we had to incline the bikes into it.
Near the top of a very long hill, we found the road closed for bridge repairs. Fortunately, the works supervisor allowed us through.
A lot of cycling into a headwind.

Special thanks to:
Jamie, for doing a huge amount of driving and sorting out Lawrence's bike repair.
The lady in the red Ford Focus who stopped us to donate £5.
The people of Glasgow who have been so very friendly.
The bike repairer in Larkhall for being so efficient and obliging.
Arsenal, whom we saw hold Villareal to a draw and reach the Champions' League final and raise our spirits (as did a couple of beers and a good steak!)

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Pain Factor (just for Phil) 8/10
Enjoyment Factor 10/10 (we like pain)

We started in Blantyre, Glasgow, Mark still on Jamie's bike. Jamie's chief task for the day was to get Mark's bike repaired. This Jamie achieved with his usual efficiency and good charm.

Phil had left his backpack in our B&B so after leaving the bike at the repair shop, Jamie returned to pick it up. Meanwhile the boys weaved their way through Glasgow city centre, mostly making use of the Clyde Walkway. This afforded a good view of the waterfront and contrasting architecture, old and new.
By an amazing coincidence, as we passed the armadillo-like Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, we came across Nick Curzen, friend of Mark, Andy and Phil, now a cardiologist in Southampton who, but for a conference in Glasgow that he had to attend, would have joined us on our epic trip.
We made our way out of Glasgow towards Loch Lomond, almost entirely on cycle paths - progress was slow through uneven paths and a disproportionate number of gates. The 'king of the fountains' shirt was passed back to Andy who single handedly raised the level of The Clyde. The weather was beautiful with numerous fishermen on the river banks just before Balloch. Following a spell on the busy A82, we met up with Jamie just after Luss, the location of 'Take the highroad' on banks of Loch Lomond. Jamie had prepared a scrumptious tagallatelli and furnished Mark with his repaired bike - although new gears it did not have a new seat and Mark rested carefully back on to his old, hard saddle.
Progress was important after lunch with Glen Coe still (50) miles away. Temperature regulation was a challenge, one minute boiling hot, the next brass monkeys with snow capped mountains. Conversation was minimal as altitude was gained - Phil began talking in words of one syllable (not repeatable). The scenery was breath taking, we saw hundreds of roaming deer that Jamie was able to capture on film.
Mark saw a sheep running along the road (there were thousands of them),but it disappeared from view towards a recessed stream and Mark became concerned. So we stopped whilst Mark went to investigate, but as expected, as soon as the sheep saw Mark, it ran off - obviously worried what he was up to. Thereafter, we were all on the lookout for any sheep in apparent distress which Mark might be able to assist.
Another puncture and on to Glen coe - the ski lifts could be seen traversing the slopes still snow covered even at this time of year. The head wind was hard going, no free wheeling on what few down hill sections we encountered. At the conclusion of the Glen Coe pass we had had enough and it was rapidly becoming dark anyway. We threw the bikes into the van and drove to a cosy B&B at Fort William that Jamie had sorted for a real bargain.After a quick shower we polished off burgers and chips all round at the local pub. No problems sleeping tonight I guess and tomorrow.......Inverness (or there abouts) hopefully...!

Special thanks to:
Phil for joining the puncture club
Paul at 'Dooleys bike shop' for rebuilding Marks bike

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For those of you waiting for pain to come to us, today was to be the day. We would have the mother of all hills plus a long long ride and cold harsh rain.

We began with a quick drive down from Fort William to Glen Coe for a start at 09.00. The plan was to cover about 120 miles to Tain. The A82 was going to be our route for today. The morning was cold with temperatures at 7C and the famous Scottish mist turning to drizzle. By the time the riders got to Fort William the rain was coming down in stair rods. This became quite painful, especially on those of us who had chosen to wear shorts, exposing our 40+ year old knees and even worse for those of us with shaved legs (a school boy story that Mark can explain later!). After 1 hour and 15 miles, we were amused to pass the B&B we had just left with windows wide open, to rid our rooms of our various unpleasant smells. We passed the lower slopes of Ben Nevis, the summit covered in snow and shrouded in cloud. We were kept well entertained in the morning by the many Tornado jets buzzing along the valleys below cloud level (very low).

Onwards to Loch Ness with the rain pelting down. However the going was swift, legs pedalling fast. We had our first puncture in the cold overlooking Loch Lochy. It was a struggle to repair with gloves on, and impossible with gloves off. The route took us back and forth over the Caledonian canal 'till we hit Loch Ness. The scenery was very attractive, but no sign of the monster. Lunch was after Fort Augustus, opposite Foyels, early today at 1.50, with 65 miles on the clock. Gary joined us and more pasta was again the order of the day to keep the team going. At last the rain stopped and there was some sporadic sunshine, so for the 8th day on the trot, we were able to lunch Al Fresco.

After lunch we passed Urquhrat Castle and on through Drumnadrochit, up the very steep hill that was the "ball buster" of the trip. Andy reached the top, but Mark, Phil and Lawrence all had to walk part of the way. This was the hardest hill of the entire trip (though, Mark would claim, is not as bad as Mow Cop, just south of Congleton). There followed a fast 9 mile descent to Beauly, a pretty stretch, and flat across to the Cromarty bridge.

There was still snow on the mountains in the distance, and one minute warm, the next minute cold.

Tain was then in sight only 25 miles up the coast road along the very busy A9. In fact this was a very unpleasant part of the trip, with the rush hour traffic shooting past us very close and a great speed.

We arrived in Tain at 7.00, just before Jamie who was dozing in the layby waiting for us to appear. Much to his surprise, we phoned him to let him know we were in Tain before him. However, he still beat us to the B&B (well he didn't tell us were it was until he'd got there first) and unloaded the van for our arrival.

The end is now in sight. All being well, tomorrow will be our last in the saddle. Looking forward to finishing.

Special thanks to:
Gary (Andy's friend) for joining us for lunch and evening meal
Little Chef for the wireless connection at Spean Bridge.

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WE DID IT !! At 16:50 the boys rolled in to John O'Groats.

We had it in our minds this morning that the hard work had been done the day before and that today would be a breeze. We were in for a shock. After leaving the B+B at 9am the first hour we enjoyed impressive scenery, sorely tempted to call in at the various whiskey distilleries we passed. Glenmorangie was only a mile down the road but no chance to make a purchase.. The strong head wind soon stopped idle chit chat and slip streaming really helped. Then came Helmsdale and then Berriedale...what hills! and with 800 miles under the belt it was hard. There was no rest in the downhill sections either as we faced strong head winds. Mark and Loz set the pace refusing to allow prolonged pee stops and drove us on when we could have easily stopped. Phil kept up the humour. Andy seemed happy in the 'mountains and fountains' department. The long list of names on the many war memorials in even the remotest of villages we cycled through reminded us of the carnage of the Great War and we quietly paid our respects to these true heroes of 90 years ago.

Mark was happy to allow Andy to retain the King of the Fountains shirt (which he did) but was desperate to regain the King of the Mountains shirt. However Andy's supreme physique and tree trunk legs (unshaven) took him rapidly to the top of every hill well before everyone else.

Lunch appeared problematic, Jamie informing us that the cooker couldn't fire up in the teeth of a force 10 gale, ho-hum, crisps and a mars bar would have to suffice. We ploughed on stoically looking at a 15 mile hop to Wick before we could sit down to something hot and interesting. As we staggered into Bruan (sp?) we saw Jamie camped outside the Scottish Presbyterian chapel with Ravioli ready to go. Bliss. As we approached the van, Mark carefully changed gear, slowed down and disengaged ... the wrong pedal. He fell over, landing heavily on his left leg. His fourth fall, which makes 4-0-0-0.

After lunch, we were faced with a leisurely final 25 mile plus hop into JoG. Leisurely, my .... The books have got it wrong. This final stage is a killer. We set off, teeth chattering, goose pimpled thighs primed and ready to roll. However the last 25 miles were pretty tough, the wind blowing in all directions (mainly from the Clarke derrière), roads climbing and falling like a climbing and falling thing. Phil's guide book can go in the bin: it suggested a leisurely stroll into JoG with the promise of a final 2.5 mile downhill finale. Total twaddle. Apart from the terrain (too many uphills) there's the psychology, the expectation that just around the next corner or over the next hill the finish line will be in sight. Nonsense. Just before the final downhill was yet another killer uphill.

After much huff and puff we duly arrived four abreast across the finish line at the famous John O'Groats entertainment complex comprising the Groats (Scrotes?) hotel and a fully fitted Gent's urinal (closed). The ubiquitous Japanese tourists took our picture. We sipped champagne, nibbled on some of Andy's mum's flapjack and got our certificates validated in the hotel.

We met a fellow end-to-ender at JoG, Chris Fenn, a nutrition writer for Cycling Plus who had managed a solo trip starting on the 5th April. We opened the fizzy white and shared it with Chris. A great moment. We shared a lift to Wick. A hearty meat feast at the local pub filled the gap and replenished the protein stores ready for a 11 hour car trip home tomorrow. The big question looms....where do we go from here? First we will have to meet our family obligations, but .... Mark says let's cross Asia or America (coast to coast eg Calais to Shangai?), or maybe a European country crossing?

Special thanks to:
The man at J O'G who donated £10
The Japanese tourists who took our photos and (rightly) thought how amazing we are
The people in the hired van travelling north who audibly applauded our effort
The man in the antivivisection truck who gave us the thumbs up
Chris Fenn for our Easter Egg, consumed the moment she departed our dinner table.

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