September trip volunteers

A quick thank you to Rob and Gavin for volunteering to cycle with me from Moffat to Edinburgh as I attempt to complete my end to end in September. There's a slim possibility that Paul may join us from Moffat to Edinburgh?!? We'll see. I'll sponsor him if he does!

My knee problem has flared up again since diving at the weekend but I now have a clear indication of that the problem is :-) and can therefore tackle it. It's basically an over use injury related to too much of one activity - cycling. Essentially the cycling muscles are much better developed than some of the other leg muscles which is putting the knee slightly out of alignment and causing the pain behind the knee cap. So lots of stretching for me to loosen the offending cycling muscle and exercises to strengthen the inside of leg. Hopefully everything will be in order for September.

Above is a picture of St Michael's mount in Cornwall which we passed on our first day of the trip. It didn't make it on to the blog that day but view was lovely and it's worth posting now that I have rediscovered it.

Any more volunteers for Penrith or Moffat to Edinburgh on 13th September? :-) There's an opportunity to stay in the world's narrowest hotel for the evening! Drop me a line!

Simon

End 2 End Part 2 . . . . coming soon!

Simon’s provisional trip itinerary as follows.

Starting 13th September @ Penrith. (with daily blog updates)

Day 1: Penrith to Moffat: (57.9 Miles)
Day 2: Moffat to Edinburgh (Down Tweed Valley) 49.8 Miles
Day 3: Edinburgh to Blairgowie (52 Miles)
Day 4 : Blairgowie to Ballater (45 very hilly miles! 2200ft climb to Devil’s Elbow)
Day 5: Ballater to Inverness (62 miles)
Day 6 Inverness to Helmsdale (70 Miles)
Day 7 Helmsdale to John O Groats (50 miles)

The first two days fall across a weekend so please do come and join me if you can! A train home from Edinburgh makes return easy. The trip along the Tweed valley is excellent and Moffat is a pretty little town. The days are shorter to allow for a few visits (i.e. a cuppa with Liz in Balmoral)

I’d of course be very grateful for any moral support and/or accommodation offers along the way.

:- )

Simon

BTW: I'm not collecting my off-line sponsorship until I complete the trip!

My journey home

The head wind riding the last 15 miles to Kirkwall airport was far worse than anything we had experienced up to now in the whole trip. It made me realise just how lucky we had been and how sensible it was to make the trip "upwards" with the prevailing wind to help. I even wonder if we would have made it at all with the wind in our faces.
My plan was to collect my bike bag from the post office "Post Restante" when it opened at 9am, leaving time to cycle to the airport, take the bike to bits, pack it, change and check in for my 11am flight. EXCEPT that Kirkwall PO opens at 9.30am on a Tuesday! So then I had 30 mins to see the beautiful ancient sandstone cathedral of St Magnus, followed by a mad dash. I just about had time to change into my "evening wear" before we were called to board. My bike and I made it safely to Manchester via Aberdeen and Heathrow T5 and Simon kindly met me and drove me home to Hathersage. His knee is improving and plans are taking shape for the rest of his ride.
I was home by 8pm just as Jenni and the kids returned from Beavers and Brownies. It's good to be home; but that also means work and all the other responsibilities you leave behind when all you have to do is cycle every day. Part of me will miss that life a lot.... but probably not my tender underneath part.
Mark.

Day 13 - Saying goodbye

All things must come to an end and this morning the remaining 3 cyclists had to split up for the first time since Lands End. We rode 5 final miles together from Stromness to the haunting standing stones of Stenness, and at 8am in a fierce wind under leaden skies, we shared out the last of the rubbish American chocolate I had been carrying the whole way and said our goodbyes. Riding away from Alexis and Rich to get my earlier flight from Kirkwall felt lonely and sad. I left them to explore Orkney for a few hours and put my mind to the battle ahead with a wind that was doing all it could to keep me there, too!
Mark.

Orkney!

We made it! The ride back to Thurso seemed very quick and we met Carol for a farewell bowl of soup at a cool surfer cafe by the waterfront. We were escorted there by a group of kids on bikes and skateboards who were very polite, helpful and impressed by our endeavours. We told them about the people currently en route to Lands End who had signed the book at JOG: one doing it on a skateboard and another hitting a golf ball all the way! The ferry Hamnavoe from Scrabster to Stromness was easily the nicest car ferry I ever saw. It was modern, quiet, spotless and the staff were friendly. We ate on board: Rich and I enjoyed Orkney lamb shanks for less than seven quid! The crossing took us right past the amazing Old Man of Hoy - a spectacular stack standing just off the high sandstone cliffs of the west coast of the island of Hoy, the most southerly and mountainous of the Orkney islands. We found our hostel and then hit the Stromness Hotel; first the Flattie bar downstairs for beers and then upstairs to the whisky bar for a couple of generous measures of local single malts to toast a successful trip, and all those who came along with us in person or in spirit.
Mark.
Mark.

Well Done!

Well, done to Mark, Lex and Rich for achieving their goal and reaching John O'Groats yesterday. I wish I could have been there too!

With a few last minute off-line contributions then I do believe that we will have hit our £5000 target for Cancer Research UK. Well done and thank you to everybody that has given so generously.

I'd like to thank all that have assisted us in the endeavour; Dave at Carradice - the luggage performed perfectly, Mark at MP cycles for assistance with my bike, everybody that was kind enough to offer accommodation and put up with four stinky and dirty cyclists arriving late, eating everything in their path, going to bed early and attempting to leave early.

I'm sure the team will wish to add a few personal thanks themselves.

The trip's not over yet . . . hopefully there will be pictures today of the Old Man of Hoy and stories of the Stromness Whisky Bar. And I still have to complete my trip and plan to do this commencing September 13th from where I was forced to retire injured in Penrith. There will be a different and interesting route to follow taking in Peebles, Edinburgh, Glen Shea and the East Coast of Scotland. Apparently there's a special message in the John O Groat's visitor book for me :-) I look forward to reading it!

Simon