Day7 - Rouen to Evreux - 87 kms

Well today we thought we would have a short ride to Evreux and planned to do some shopping at the bike shops in Rouen .... 

so after a great breakfast provided by our hosts it was off to the shops and a coffee and croissant 

We managed the shopping trip well and arrived back at our hosts having left our baggage there whilst we shopped. To our surprise we were offered lunch which was delicious 

Leaving our hosts was rather sad as they were truly delightful and could not have made us more welcome in their home.... 

We thought that leaving at about 1.00pm would make the 42 km trip to Evreux an easy 2-3 hour ride.... well getting out of Rouen was more complex and it took Almost hour to navigate our way through the industrial sector of the town. 

After we found our way the kms seemed to go by quite quickly. After 34 kms we stopped for an ice cream in a lovely pub and thought longingly of the remaining 12 kms ahead....then checking Garmins we realised the tip was more like another 40 kms to Evreux!!!! SHOCK HORROR it looked like the relaxing ride was put aside for a bigger push

Luckily the roads/ bike paths were very flat which made for fast travel

Arriving at the outskirts of Evreux it became apparent that there were some hills to negotiate to get to our Formula 1 hotel. All in the day of a traveling cyclist!

The hotel is very basic but serves the purpose 

Dinner was available in a hotel next door which was quite pleasant and our spaghetti was good

The weather today was slightly warmer in the mid 20s and more humid 

A good days riding despite the longer than expected travels

Saying goodbye to our delightful hosts 

Chris cut his leg on blackberry bushes on a rather “hairy” stretch of road/path in the industrial district 

A nice house in Normandy 

Where we had ice cream and discovered we had the wrong trip distance!!!

Home for the night in the Formula 1 hotel 

Day 5- Rest day in Amiens- 5kms travelled

After the big ride yesterday we both felt we needed a day of rest!!!

I woke at about 7.00 am and made a call back home to wish my grand daughter Sienna a happy birthday... sorry not to be home at her party

Chris and I came down for breakfast to be greeted by a feast of bread and croissants in true French style.... our hosts are truly magnificent 

After chatting over breakfast Chris and I decided to travel in to town to look at the world heritage cathedral and have a coffee/ tea and a cake....well we needed to put some weight on after the riding!!

Travelling back to our accommodation we agreed it was best not to ride out to the war cemeteries at Villers Bretonneux. Rather we would take up the invitation from our hosts to travel with them in their van

All morning Jean was working on renovations to his home which will be something quite special when completed 

Before traveling we were again delighted with a lunch of French fare and some lovely French red

We then traveled out to Villers Bretonneux to look st the new Sir John Monash Centre which is very impressive 

After returning home we spent time on Warm Showers website looking for accommodation for the next 2 nights ahead of dinner in town

All in all a good day of rest with our delightful hosts

Australian War Cemetery at VB

Amiens cathedral 


Chris with our hosts Marine and Jean- lovely people!!

(Backup) Day 4 - Boulogne to Amiens- 151 kms

The day started early with 6 am wake up and it was on to packing and to breakfast so we could be away by 7.00am

We had a big day of riding ahead!!!!

The trip started with a few mistakes in getting out of town as the roads are quite confusing but after we got out of town the bike paths were very good

The first stop was a First World War cemetery in Etaples where about 11000 soldiers are buried. The city hosted a hospital for wounded soldiers 

After this it was on Saint Valery Sur Somme for lunch. This was a very pretty village at the Somme estuary whet the canal up the river commences. The lunch of a pizza was eaten whilst we watched the second half of the France Australia World Cup soccer match...unfortunately Australia lost 2-1 much to the pleasure of the locals 

After lunch it was on to the bike path beside the canal. With the wind behind us it made for easy and fast riding.

The scenery was great and it made the 60 or so kms ride to the outskirts of Amiens very enjoyable 

The last 15 or so kms were on main roads which meant we needed to be careful of cars...

We arrived in our Warm Showers hosts home at about 6.00 pm after a big day

Our hosts showed us around their house which was delightful and it is on a very large block with a huge back yard. Both Marine and Jean are in the proces of big renovations which should be terrific when complete 

The shower and recovery was well deserved as well as dinner in the central area of Amiens. Our big mistake was ordering Steak Tartare which we both forgot was raw mince meat with an uncooked egg on top

I managed to eat most of mine but Chris struggled!

After dinner we walked back to our home to look forward to a long sleep and rest

FYI... I had a real SNAFU with the bottle of chain oil springing a leak in my cross bar bag. A big clean will be required.... seems the lid worked its way loose on the rougher roads 

All in all a pleasing but tough day of riding... tomorrow is scheduled as our rest day 

War cemetery at Estaples

Our lunch venue- good pizza but sorry about the soccer score

Inside the lunch venue 

At the mouth of the Somme 

100 kms up!!!!

Pretty square at Abbeville

Looking over the Somme valley after a big climb out of Abbeville

Boating along the Somme canal

Some pretty scenery along the canal 

... more scenery. This Chateau caught our eye 



Home for the night in Amiens!!!

(Backup) Day 3 - Calais to Boulogne- 52 kms

We started early from Dover as we were both awake at about 6.00am with a fire alarm.Chris and I made our way out of the building but others seemed oblivious to the alarm...

Our room by the way was made for Quasimodo as we both had to crouch to get around.

As we had no access to our bikes we undertook a walk around Dover to find a coffee shop.... nothing doing in Dover apart from coffee at the BP servo opposite our hostel

Dover as a city seems rather run down we both felt with vacant shops and vagrants sleeping on the Main Street

After coffee in our room we packed and made our way down to pick up our bikes for the quick ride to the ferry. Lucky we had done our homework on this the previous evening as the route was rather confusing and there were a lot or trucks and buses making the trip to Calais.

Once on the ferry we had breakfast and coffee and settled in for the chanel crossing of about an hour 

Arriving at Calais we had to wait for about 40 or so trucks to embark before we could ride off finally!!

Lucky for us we received an escort by one of the ferry employees in a van which made things easy...

After finding our way to Calais town we took out cash from the bank had lunch....bread rolls and juice and set our selves for the ride to Boulogne....easier said than done as the roads were confusing and getting used to the guidance with the Garmin took some time

Finally we were on our way initially along some canals with bike paths then along roads which were not busy at all

The country was basically cropping farms with wheat, corn,potatoes as well as dairy. The roads were undulating with a few biggish climbs where the gradient was over 5 pc.

We had good weather with sun temps about 25 degrees and a slight headwind.

Finally we reached Boulogne at about 3.15 but finding the youth hostel was a real challenge 

We took a break in the centre of the town to figure our our final route 

It took nearly an hour to navigate the final 5 kms of the trip!!!!

The youth hostel is very good and the staff are terrific 

The city of Boulogne is famous for being a staging point for the assembly of Napoleons grand armee as he tried to invade England and there is a monument which overlooks the English Channel atop a hill where you can see the English coast in the distance....

All very interesting really 

Tonight we will go to the city for dinner and have an early night ahead of our 150 km ride to Amiens!!!

An early start will be required 

Chris on the ferry 

Yours truly on the ferry!!!

The white cliffs of Dover!!!

Lunch in Calais outside the concert hall

Some of the country as we rode through Normandy

Chris having a drink...we both needed a break!

Napoleon monument outside Boulogne 

Home for the night at the youth hostel... for the young at heart!!!!

Day 2- 14 th June - London to Dover

After a 12 hour sleep I awoke refreshed to start the day

Breakfast was prepared by Ian and consisted of muesli, smashed avocados, toast and jam and bread and cheese... what a feast so expertly prepared.

After breakfast Chris and I went in to Richmond to meet Steve Bawtree and his wife Sarah for coffee. Steve was another of the guys we met on the LEJOG ride last year and it was great to catch up with both he and his wife.

After wishing us goodbye Chris and I walked back to pack our bags and ride to Victoria station.

Packing on the bikes was interesting and I made a real mess of mine with the back seat bag ending up rubbing on the rear wheel... Chris was helpful in a repack...thank god!!!We had a ceremonial goodbye to lan and Lorna who were great hosts to us both during our stay in London.

The ride of about 20kms was through a maze of streets based on the Strava navigation. We managed to get to Victoria just in time for the 3.10 train to Dover. The train trip was interesting in travelling through farming country with a lot of green pasture and crops 

We arrived in Dover and made our way to Hostel Alma where we are staying for the night. The hostel is very basic and smells very musty and damp. The bikes are locked in the breakfast room and there will need to be a real juggle to get our bikes out in the morning in time to get to out 7.40 ferry to Calais.

After unpacking and showering we walked to the town for dinner then made a reconnaissance to Dover port to ensure we knew the bike routes. As we walked back to the hostel we both remarked that it was wise to know the routine for the morning 

A good and busy day with some well invested time in sorting out our packing ahead of the bigger rides in France.

Yours truly saying goodbye to Ian and Lorna 

Chris and I saying goodbye by Ian and Lorna 
Dover castle

Wednesday 13 June

After the long flight from Melbourne it was good to land at Heathrow at about 1.00pm and collect my bike box and head to Ian and Lorna’s home in Richmond.... not far from the airport.

Had a mild panic as the bike box had a few tears from the peddles and I thought I might have lost a few things on transit to the UK...as it turned out I only lost a wheel nut which was replaced in a visit to Ian’s bike shop

It was great to catch up with Chris again and see his new bike.

Ian and Lorna have got a magnificent place with a very pretty garden. Ian tells me that it Lorna who has the “green fingers”.

After putting the bike together it was off for a short shake down ride through Richmond park. Quite lovely really with plenty of wild deer and wonderful meadows.

Tonight we are having dinner at home with Ian and Lorna and I am looking forward to a good night of sleep ahead of tomorrow’s venture on the train to Dover

Chris’s new bike

Ian and Lorna’s back garden


A deer in Richmond park



More deer in the park 

Leaving Day

Today I leave on my trip to France to ride with Chris from NZ. I met Chris last year on the LEJOG ride and we booked a ride with Bike Adventures in France which was canceled due to lack of numbers. Hearing this we both thought why don’t we do the ride unsupported.....well why not!!!

Anyway here we are setting out on the ride. 

I am looking forward to it but wondering what I have forgotten.

On Sunday had a good ride with the Wheeliebinners to Werribee and an opportunity to thank Phil Eager for his help in sorting my gear out!

Catch you all next in London before Chris and I catch the train to Dover and ferry to Calais

Bike loaded up!!!

The Wheeliebinners at Werribee for coffee and a chat

Plenty of advice for my trip 

Day 4 - Heathcote to Seymour -55kms

Last evening we had a great "final dinner" at David's house. The BBQ was expertly prepared by Ellio and the salads by Jeff. Sitting out on the verandah was a very pleasant experience enjoying great food, company and some good red wines ( some from the Heathcote region courtesy of Dave). Although there was a bit of lightening and thunder, the rain stayed away so we could talk about the issues of the day!!!!

After a good night of sleep it was up early (courtesy of the galahs swarking !) and in to breakfast consisting of bacon and eggs on toast expertly cooked by Dave ...what a way to start the day. After cleaning up we were on our way at about 8.30am to Seymour...

Our first stop was at an old gold mining site just out of Heathcote to see what the miners did to the land when they used "water blasting" to separate gold bearing rock from the soil....It has left the area much like a "mars landscape" and the land is unable to be used...

Leaving Heathcote it was up the Mc Ivor Highway north to Tooborac for morning tea. Along the way we decided to ride as a group with rotating leaders which we have tried unsuccessfully on other rides...So it was with some trepidation that Phil organized this part of the ride ( approx. 20kms)....well surprise, surprise ....it actually worked and in to a rather strong southerly breeze it made for good riding....Well done Phil!

After some good coffee at Tooborac it was on to Seymour with the wind coming over our right shoulder. It made for very fast riding often hitting speeds of over 40 km/h. Along the road we passed the Puckapunyal Army Camp which brought back memories to me of my Army Cadet days at school.

Arriving in Seymour at about midday we found an excellent café opposite the rail station for lunch.

Those who were heading back to Melbourne by train sorted out the timetable and Jeff, Anthony, Ray and I packed the ute and headed home by car. We had a slight deviation back to Seymour as I lost my "pouch" with my money clip and credit cards...bugger really but all my fault!

As this is the last pot for this trip it is important to thank Gary Giles for his excellent organization on what was a great 4 days and to thank Dave for his hospitality in Heathcote.

The memories of the trip will stay with those who participated forever.

According to my Garmin we travelled about 265kms over very pretty country with good weather and great company....congrats to all wheeliebinners who came on the journey

Ellio "cooking up a storm" on the BBQ

Jeff preparing the salads...tasted great!!

Enjoying a great final dinner

Yes this is Dave's heaven!!...note the lovely gum tree!

Some the kangaroos who were interested in looking at us!

Looking at the mine site in Heathcote where they water blasted the soil!!!

Along the road from Tooborac to Seymour ...outside Puckapunyal

Day 3 - Castlemaine to Heathcote - 61 kms

Today the weather was a little wet with thunder storms looming for most of the ride. The temp was in the high 20's for the ride and the wind was light , the road surfaces were good and we had a mixture of flatish terrain with some rolling hills....all of this made for good riding with good speed on the roads.

We started at about 8.00m with a ride around Castlemaine looking for a coffee shop to get an early morning "hit" ahead of the ride....well Castlemaine is very "sleepy" with virtually no shops open for business so we settled on the coffee shop at the railway station....quite good coffee in a different location! ( see photo later)

After coffee it was on with the ride through some lovely country...mainly sheep country as opposed to the past few days which was very much cropping country ( wheat and canola). This area also has a rich history in gold mining which saw it as a key area of mining in the gold rush of the 1850's. During the ride we had a few drops of rain which required us to put on wet weather gear at different times. We made it to our lunch stop at Redesdale by 11.00am which was very early and we decided to have a coffee break....very lucky as the weather closed in with a heavy thunderstorm...lighting and thunder and a lot of rain. Lucky for us we settled in at the coffee shop enjoying good coffee and cakes sheltered from the storm. 

After waiting about an hour and a half we "braved" the elements to resume the remaining 25kms to Heathcote. This ride was over some 'rolling hills" with some steeper parts ( 12-14%) and some good downhill runs...all made for great times!

We arrived at Heathcote at about 1.30pm. we are staying at Dave Little's holiday home which is terrific and "very comfortable". Dave's daughter has the house next door which means we can spread out a little in to good rooms which means we can isolate the heavy snorers such as Ellio and myself!

Seems there might be a good night of sleep for some who are looking a bit weary after a night or 2 of interrupted sleep.

Dave has a great set up with a house which makes the best of the views and has good outdoor eating and entertainment areas.

Tonight we will enjoy the great cooking that is anticipated with Ellio's reputation as a great cook. Good food, great location and fabulous company....what more can you want!

Enjoy the photo's....

Coffee at Castlemaine railway station...

A monument recording the start of the Gold Rush...note the guy walked to Chewton from Williamstown ( near Melbourne)

The ute in the rain at Redesdale...what a thunderstorm!!

...but under shelter having a coffee and good home made cakes!!!

Day 2- Daylesford to Castlemaine- 86Kms

Today was a reasonably hot day with the temps in the high 20's to start with and then in the middle of the day it was in the mid 30's with reasonably high humidity...tough in the middle of the day....

We started from Daylesford at about 8.30 after a good breakfast. There was a bit of a shower for the 2 km ride in to the town then after that it was reasonably clear. The trip through to Hepburn Springs was largely downhill then it was open flatish farmland along the Lodden valley through to the Cairn Curran Reservoir. The wind was from the north so we had a little of a headwind. We stopped at Newstead for coffee in a delightful café. This was well served by some very friendly staff with good coffee and muffins....you will see a photo later.

The trip through to Maldon for lunch was through good farming country with many of the farmers out on their tractors doing the harvest.....

The ride in to Maldon was hot and Maldon sits on the top of the hill which caused us to slowly make our way....Gary was struggling with cramps so I made a run in to town to get the ute to collect Gary so he could recover in the A/C car and over lunch .....He made a good recovery.

Lunch was in a delightful park near the Maldon museum and we had the opportunity to visit the history of the area courtesy of the women who ran the venue. Bill Woodfull came from Maldon (Middle name is Maldon after the town where his father was the local minister). Rather topical given Bill's cricket past and the Ashes Test being played in Brisbane.

After a rest and lunch it was off for the final 15 kms to Castlemaine with a largely downhillroad and the wind behind our backs....made for good riding.

we arrived at about 3.30pm and settled in tour cabins with a couple of beers...very pleasant!!

A good day of riding but tough in the middle of the day due to the heat!

Morning Tea at Newstead...Lovely café

Some of the faming country....

After ride beer with the group!

Pictures from today's ride

Gary our leader

 Lavender farm at Restaurant

 Home for the night with the Lyrebirds

Day 1- 24 November- Ballan to Daylesford

An early start ) 6.30am) to pack the "ute" and collect the "boys" that were accompanying me to the Ballan rail station. Those accompanying me were Anthony, Ray and Jeff. we made good time to Ballan and were in time to have a coffee and pick up rolls and bread for lunch. The others (Gary, Phil. Chris, Frank, Dave and Ellio) made their way successfully by train to Ballan and we were on our way by about 11.00am.

I took 'first turn" at driving the ute as we make regular changes so everyone has a turn off then bike.

The weather was in the high 20's and was quite humid so riding was quite hot.....

The roads were very good and quiet so the riding was good...not many hills, just rolling country.

After meeting the guys at Gordon it was "on the bike" for my ride.... quite pleasant really

We had lunch at the Korweinguboora oval which quite nice although the grass needed a good mow.

After lunch it was on the Daylesford where we are staying the night. We are staying a little out of town at Jubilee Lake and are in camp cottages which are quite comfortable.There is some local wild life ( Lyrebirds) which are quite pretty.

A good first day

I am afraid that the WIFI is poor and downloading pictures is impossible.

4 Day Ride Coming Up
I have a 4 day ride through central Victoria coming up next week from Friday 24 November to Monday 27 November.
10 of us from the "wheeliebinners" riding group in Melbourne are doing a supported ride through some interesting country with distances of about 65kms each day.
Hope you enjoy the blogs each day....

Peter Harrison

Better Copy Of Stats

Better Copy Of Stats

I am afraid the totals were a bit unclear so here are the stats again....

Lands End to John O'Groats Trip July 2017
Stage	Distance Kms	Calories	Max Speed	Elev Gain
Tongue to John O'Groats	114.56	10,052	49.5	1,294
Bonar Bridge to Tongue	79.23	6,533	50.2	610
Drumnadrochit to Bonar Bridge	80.75	7,223	59.5	888
Fort Willian to Drumnadrochit	85.12	6,648	48.5	462
Bridge of Awe to Fort William	89.47	6,693	47.6	530
Arrochar to Bridge of Awe	73.51	6,127	52.6	852
Strathaven to Arrochar	98.77	6,331	45.1	431
Moffat to Strathaven	92.53	7,879	52.9	1,045
Armathwaite to Moffat	95.38	7,595	49.6	757
Dent to Armathwaite	88.72	8,038	56.6	1,268
Hurst Green to Dent	63.52	6,485	44.8	1,499
Acton Bridge to Hurst Green	97.15	7,873	50.2	1,222
Harmer Hill to Acton Bridge	80.23	5,863	46.4	682
Weobley to Harmer Hill ( Shrewsbury)	91.28	7,220	41.6	973
Chepstow to Weobley	87.16	7,094	46.5	1,059
Cheddar to Chepstow	73.74	5,918	43.6	949
Sampford Peverell to Cheddar	75.22	5,913	40.9	884
Tavistock to Sampford Peverell	91.5	7,816	51.9	1,387
Perranporth to Tavistok	92.29	8,839	44.5	1,951
Lands End to Perranporth	69.16	6,125	52.9	969
Totals	1719.29	142,265		19,712
Average	85.96	7113.25

Back Home - 4th August 2017

Back Home - 4th August 2017

I am now back home in "cold and wet" Melbourne after the ride. The temperature yesterday was 9 degrees and it was a far cry from the ride conditions we had in the UK.

The trip back from John O'Groats was fairly uneventful with the bus trip back with most of the fellow riders to Inverness a celebration of a few glasses of champagne completing the ride, the handing out of certificates to record our achievements by Mike.

After a brief chat with a few in the bar at our hotel it was off to bed to get ready for the long train trip to London next morning.

At breakfast a few of us said our goodbyes to Rob and Mike ( our incredible leaders) and Steve ( from Tassie), Jane and Dave made our way to Inverness station for the trip home.....I might say Helen joined us as the "waving goodbye" party...thanks Helen for joining us ahead of your trip home...

The long trip home have me an opportunity to down load my Garmin on to a spreadsheet which summarized the statistics for my trip....see later

On arrival in London some 6 hours later it was back to the Caledonian Club where I was staying for a good night of sleep ahead on my last day in London.

Awaking early I arranged to get my bike packed for the plane flight back home and then did some shopping in Oxford st.....I hate shopping at the best of times and the crowds...YUCK!!!

After finishing shopping I did some packing then travelled by train to meet a long standing friend at his home in South Bromley. Ian and Liz Dalton gave me a wonderful meal and together with his brother ( Tim) and daughter and Tim's daughter we had a delightful night of catching up...I got back to London at about midnight...

The next morning it was an early start ( 5.30 am pickup to the airport) for the flight back home.

It was great to get home....apart from the cold.....and see the family.

Great to see my wife Robyn after a month away.

Here are the statistics of my ride....

The only other statistic is that I had one puncture and my bike performed excellently despite the old fella who peddled on it!!! 

Lands End to John O'Groats Trip July 2017
Stage	Distance Kms	Calories	Max Speed	Elev Gain
Tongue to John O'Groats	114.56	10,052	49.5	1,294
Bonar Bridge to Tongue	79.23	6,533	50.2	610
Drumnadrochit to Bonar Bridge	80.75	7,223	59.5	888
Fort William to Drumnadrochit	85.12	6,648	48.5	462
Bridge of Awe to Fort William	89.47	6,693	47.6	530
Arrochar to Bridge of Awe	73.51	6,127	52.6	852
Strathaven to Arrochar	98.77	6,331	45.1	431
Moffat to Strathaven	92.53	7,879	52.9	1,045
Armathwaite to Moffat	95.38	7,595	49.6	757
Dent to Armathwaite	88.72	8,038	56.6	1,268
Hurst Green to Dent	63.52	6,485	44.8	1,499
Acton Bridge to Hurst Green	97.15	7,873	50.2	1,222
Harmer Hill to Acton Bridge	80.23	5,863	46.4	682
Weobley to Harmer Hill ( Shrewsbury)	91.28	7,220	41.6	973
Chepstow to Weobley	87.16	7,094	46.5	1,059
Cheddar to Chepstow	73.74	5,918	43.6	949
Sampford Peverell to Cheddar	75.22	5,913	40.9	884
Tavistock to Sampford Peverell	91.5	7,816	51.9	1,387
Perranporth to Tavistok	92.29	8,839	44.5	1,951
Lands End to Perranporth	69.16	6,125	52.9	969
Totals	1719.29	142,265		19,712
Average	85.96	7113.25

July 29- Tongue to John O'Groats- 114.6kms

July 29- Tongue to John O'Groats- 114.6kms

There was a real expectation in the air this morning at breakfast as we prepared ourselves for the final day "on the road" to John O'Groats (JOG).

The day was one of the longer rides for the trip so we made sure we were on the road by about 8.00am.

The weather was coolish ( 14) with cloud cover and some wind...later in the day we had some rain showers...not significant fortunately

The first few kms were fairly difficult with some steeper road as we got our climbing legs in to gear. After Bettyhill the road had several very steep bits for about 20kms as we negotiated some hilly country.

I started out with Steve and Jane but they soon left me and for about 45kms I was riding on my own...probably the 3rd ride on the road for our group. I was happy with this as it gave me some real time to reflect on the trip and to consider how luck I have been to be able to enjoy it both in terms of seeing country I have never seen before and meeting such a wonderful and friendly group.

After Melvich (42kms) I was feeling quite hungry and was looking for somewhere to eat but in this remote part of the world there was nothing really open...I spoke to the owner of the art galley in Melvich and she said I would have to wait another 30kms to get to a shop.....luckily I was given a banana at breakfast so I was able to get some sustenance!

I slowed down a bit at this time to allow Chris to join me on the ride and we continued together right through the JOG. It was a far more pleasant ride also as the road flattened out considerably and for much of it we had a wind on our backs.

Chris and I agreed that we would take a longer route to see Dunnet Head which is the most northerly part of the UK mainland....nothing much to see really except for a lighthouse which was constructed by a relative ( grandfather I think) of Robert Louis Stevenson the author.

After that it was on for the final run in to JOG and we arrived at about 2.15 and were presented with our medals and had our photos taken at the JOG sign....

The tour company ( Bike Adventures) had arranged for us all to have showers in a local pub which was great ahead of the bus trip back to Inverness.

We also had some food and drink to get some energy back after a "hardish" ride

JOG is really somewhat of a biking mecca and there were many riders staring and finishing LEJOG trips. So it was quite exciting to hear the tales from others who had done the journey. I spoke to one group who had done the trip in 9 days riding over 100 miles (160kms) each day...what an effort!

Unfortunately Chris and Steve were not travelling with us back to Inverness by bus so we had to say our goodbyes. Steve met his wife (Sarah) and they were going to the Orkney Islands for a break...Chris also was continuing his unsupported riding sojourn through the UK. He will be going to the Orkney Islands as well as visiting the Western Islands of Scotland ( Skye, Mull etc) and then travelling back to London via the East coast....Hope he has safe travels!

When the bus arrived at about 6.45pm....we loaded our bags on and proceeded on the 2 hr trip to Inverness. Mike from Bike Adventures presented us all with our certificates of achievement and we all had a celebratory champagne as we motored back.

Today we climbed 1294 metres which was mostly in the first half of the ride.

I will record the final statistics for the ride in a later blog post

Now for the photos....

Today's route...

Some of the coastline....
Note the sandy beaches and sand dunes....

Looking towards the North Sea...

Part of a long descent.....woooowwwww!!!
My descending has improved on this trip...

Looking towards the Orkney Islands...

...and again....

The boat harbour at Castletown....

The most northern part of mainland UK....
The sign to prove it!!!!

...and the lighthouse....
Not much else!

Yes here I am at JOG!!!!

With the trusty bike which did not let me down....only one puncture
Could not be happier!!!!

 

Photos from today- 28th July

Photos from today- 28th July

There is a manor house in there which was owned by the Duke of Westminster

It was the subject of his divorce settlement ...his former wife now owns it

The Falls of Shin....quite pretty....no salmon jumping up stream unfortunately!!!

An upstream view of the Falls...

Our group's bikes at the top of the staircase to the falls....

A view of the Scottish Highlands....

A view up timber logging track
There is a lot of lumbering going on here!!!

A nice road ahead despite a small gradient uphill???
......and no cars!!!

The Crask Inn...good tea and scones
Great hospitality

A long down hill with a view to die for!!!

Another Loch....there is a lot of water on "them there hills"

....and another loch.....

...and another hill....at least we did not climb this one!!!!!

.......and another loch!!
Even more important a long downhill on a good road with no cars....Yeeeeeeee!!

Home for the night and a big celebration on the night before the last ride to J O'G.....

A good pub for dinner

July 28- Bonar Bridge to Tongue- 79.2 kms

July 28- Bonar Bridge to Tongue- 79.2 kms

It is hard to believe that today is the second last day of the ride.....gee time goes fast when you are having this much fun and meeting so many wonderful people with so many great stories to tell of what they have done and will do in the future....

I have described this journey as something like "Canterbury Tales" where there is a journey to a destination but the conversations with those on the journey are almost as interesting as the journey itself.

Today, Steve and I had a 6km ride to catch the rest of the group who were staying at a hotel at Invershin rather than at Bonar Bridge. We made really good time but missed the briefing from Rob.... No real problem as Steve from Tassie gave us the information we needed for the ride and it was only a "one pager" of instructions.

The first stop was at the Falls of Shin which were quite pretty and we were supposed to see the salmon making their way upstream for spawning....I did not see anything but the story seemed a good one!

Amazing when you think of it really that adult Salmon make their way back to their original place of birth to spawn after travelling in the ocean for years...nature has these wonderful mysteries really.

After this it was off to the next stop at the Crask Inn for tea ( about  40kms in to the ride) and scones which had been organized for us all by Bike Adventures....This place is virtually out in the middle of nowhere in the "moor country" but the hospitality of the family who own the pub/B&B was most friendly and the scones were YUM!!!

After "refuelling" it was on the bikes with a lovely ride through the Scottish highlands. I hope the picture I took give you some idea of the remoteness of this part of Scotland where there is basically moor type country with occasional softwood forests which are logged for building timber. The timber industry in the northern part of Scotland is very big and it seems that there are timber jinkers everywhere.
The other think about Scotland is that there are Lochs everywhere and being a person that come from a dry country it is a great contrast....all very scenic
The remaining 40kms was over excellent roads with fairly undulating country with the occasional steeper part ( 5%) with equally good downhills which made for fast riding.
We were at Tongue before 1,30pm which was some sort of record for our journey so far.
Arriving early it was good to clean the bike ahead of the final day tomorrow and get my clothes sorted out.
The dinner tonight at the Ben Loyal Hotel is going to be our final dinner together as many from the group will be travelling further in Scotland instead of taking the bus back to Inverness.... so it will be a rather happy but sad dinner....I have been told that Scot ( one of the folk from the US) might be playing the guitar for us tonight.
I have not spoken about today's weather so.....it was cloudy with temps in the mid teens and we had a gentle breeze in our backs all day...made for great riding.

The ride group for me today was the "3 Amigos"of Steve Chris and myself...all good fun!

Photos will have to be posted later as the WIFI at Tongue is slow....


Todays Route....

27 July- Drumnadchrochit to Bonar Bridge- 80.8kms

27 July- Drumnadchrochit to Bonar Bridge- 80.8kms

Well another contrast again.....seems that Scotland has this ability to surprise us all!

Compared to yesterday with wet weather....today was virtually without rain and we even had some sunny patches....

I think I might have mentioned that after the ride yesterday I was so wet and muddy that I hopped in to the shower fully clothed with my helmet and bike shoes on to warm up and wash everything!!!

Well today it was simply gorgeous with some wonderful scenery as we made our way north along a lot of the East coast looking at the Firth estuary from "on high" in the moor country.

The start of the ride included a 2.6km climb where some of the gradient was at 15% which was rather challenging but once up in the high country what view we had!!

The descent from the climb was quite thrilling with me topping out at speeds of nearly 60kph and at one stage covering 8kms in 13 minutes.....Fast for me!!!

We passed through some lovely town of Beauly and Muir of Ord , Cannon Bridge ( where we had a coffee after 31kms) and Dingwall where after a short climb we had some wonderful views of the Firth Estuary....

Shortly after this we arrived in Evanton which could be described as a town somewhat "past its prime". After discussing the situation with Rob from the tour group he said it would be best to have lunch at Evanton rather than push on to Bonar Bridge where we had been allocated some "dodgy' accommodation.

We took Rob's advice and had a "sandwich lunch" ( 46 kms in to ride). Steve, Chris and I were joined by Helen , Ian and Lorna for lunch and we had a great conversation together...solving the problems of the world!!!!

After lunch it was on to Bonar Bridge...but we had another climb of about 10kms (initially steep then more gentle) through open moorland and fairly rugged country...but the views were stunning of the coastline and estuaries. The final descent in to Bonar Bridge was good. 

As I noted earlier, we were advised our hotel was going to be "average at best"...so when we arrived at about 3.30pm we found the hotel was locked up....Steve and I had been allocated rooms here and we took advantage of alternative accommodation at the Kyle House B&B for 50 pounds......

The lady running the B&B ( Sheila....must have come from Aussie!!) was simply charming and took us in hand for the night.

After sorting out our luggage we made our way to the only "eating house" in the town called the Crannag Bistro and the food was quite outstanding. After finishing a meal of beef followed by strawberries and sorbe, both Steve and I had a "wee dram" to make sure we had a good night of sleep.

We had dinner with Dave and Nigel who had both been allocated to the other hotel in town and I think we all agreed that Steve and I had made the right decision to stay at Kyle House.

In summary today was another great day of riding with some hard climbs but some thrilling descents and scenery.

All in all another wonderful day on the trip.

Now for the photos.....

 Today's Route

The river near Beauly...

The view over the Firth Estuary...

 Another view looking inland over the Firth estuary

Looking over the moors near the top of the second climb....
The North Sea in the distance.

  A bad shot of some Heather!!!

Another view of the coastline....
Looking towards the North Sea.
We saw some oil rigs coming in for repairs as we climbed up the hill...

Steve at the top of the second climb....

A view towards Bonar Bridge from the top of the second climb

Steve taking a photo of Jane ( in pink) and Helen at the top of the second climb

Home for the night at Kyle House
Very comfortable!!!!
Steve at the door....