Whimsicality

Nottingham to Monaco

2011-05-06T22:11:00.006+01:00

Route
Nottm-Stamford 46
Stamford-Tilbury 120
Gravesend-Dover 57
Calais-Amiens 95
Amiens_Souilly 77
Souilly-Bonny 109
Bonny-Diou 100
Diou-StEtienne 102
StEtienne-Vaison 121
Vaison-Artuby 136
Artuby-Monaco 74

Waiting for the Tilbury Ferry, Day 2

Lincolnshire Ridge

2010-11-07T21:48:00.001Z

For some time this escarpment in Lincolnshire has fascinated me. In a
flat landscape, despite its diminutive proportions, this ridge has
huge topographic importance as it strides for 60 odd miles from our
Vale of Belvoir through Grantham, Lincoln and ending just short of the
Humber at Scunthorpe. I've put together this 155 mile route for a
ride sometime.

View Larger Map

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Knee Diagnosis

2010-09-16T18:55:00.001+01:00

Just back from MRI knee scan feedback appointment. There is no trace
of any injury to soft tissue of muscle/ligament across any section.
These structures have a 100% clean bill of health. There is an area
of doubt in the medial meniscus shown by the MRI scan. Neither
conclusively damaged nor healthy. A further physical exam seemed to
back up that the pain mistaken for tendonitis could well be referred
pain from the joint itself. However aggressive manipulation of the
knee joint elicited no pain whatsoever and side by side comparison
yielded no discernible difference. So good that it is not tendonitis,
since pain here is a major warning sign to ease up and hence severely
hampering training this year. However concerning that it is more
untreatable, unresponsive cartilage. I'm going to view the outcome
positively. I'm 41 and done a ton of climbing & running, if I've got a
minor joint issue that doesn't stop me being active then I've done
well. All good that my new love is low impact cycling. I'm pretty
sure that I did have tendonitis over the previous 18 months, but being
proactive in sorting that out, it has done and before the MRI. I will
try and run over the winter and see how it goes, any pain is unlikely
to mean further joint damage, so it will just serve as self limiting
when running volume is too great. I've the option to revisit this
with a knee surgeon at a later date after feedback from recommencing
running. However, knee surgery is a very unlikely option due to the
high probability of making it worse. So bring on 2011.

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Electrolyte

2010-09-05T21:42:00.001+01:00

To make the (nearly) perfect electrolyte just buy sea salt and low sodium salt from supermarket and mix together.
The 4 essential elements lost in sweat are lost in a certain ratio, the ideal electrolyte replaces these elements in this ratio.
By combining sea salt and low sodium salt in the ratio 100:20 a close approximation can be made. A lifetimes electrolyte for about £1-50 !!
The image shows all the data and assumes low sodium salt to be 66% potassium chloride 33% sodium chloride, which it always seems to be.
One problem that should be considered is the separation of the salts due to granule size.
One easy solution is to dissolve the right amount of each and and use for example a dropper bottle.

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Mad River

2010-08-03T22:16:00.001+01:00

The River Derwent, this one's in Yorkshire, has it's source 1km from the coast at Filey. The river then continues west and then south for 60 miles before entering the Humber estuary via the River Ouse between Goole and Selby. Mad River!!

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Move to Heage?

2010-05-03T21:44:00.003+01:00

Went to see this house in Heage. Nice spot, just a row of a few houses between Heage and Belper. I've photoshopped the rear to a cream render :-) Much better.

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I love bank holidays me!

2010-05-03T21:44:00.001+01:00

So the cooker packs up, great. Control went all stiff, then the oven fan mysteriously comes on this evening, seemingly for no reason. Damned thing was overheating. Control says off, oven thinks otherwise. What a palaver, getting to the routing of the thermostat. £45 part, I suppose it's worth the hassle. It is old but generally very reliable. Freebie from the folks from when it has kept going, with just 2 minor faults, since about 1983.

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On tenterhooks

2010-04-18T13:38:00.001+01:00

Lily is potty training. I took her, in the trailer, to highfields playground
with Charlie running behind. She had a great morning and even managed the
'big kids swing'. A flock of Geese flew over and she nonchalently states
'Geese' as she continued filling the tube with sand. Every other kid was
clamouring for ice-cream from the van, Lily doesn't know what ice cream is
:-) 3 Visits to the toilet and no accidents, best morning for her in a week
I think.
Tender or Tenterhooks? I thought tender hooks were what you hang meat on,
as in tenderising. Tenterhooks are what you stretch a canvas on and I
believe this is the correct phrase to describe psychological tension, makes
sense. Though as a child I always knew it as tender hooks.

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Lovely Peak

2010-04-10T21:44:00.001+01:00

Time in the Peak recently. Lots of anticlockwise circuits usually featuring
Crich, Beeley Moor and Winster. But today taking in the Monyash Cafe for the
first time this year. 90 miles and 9000ft of glorious sunshine, heather and
gritstone. Next to no wind and that sublime hum of an inch of rubber on
tarmac.
Took the family around potential new places to live between Ilkeston and
Belper. Gateway to the Peak! And we dropped in on the Windmill at Heage.
Not a fan of Kilburn, but Horsley, Denby, Smalley, Stanley, Brackley Gate
and Heage all get the thumbs up. Just a case of finding the right house now
over the next couple of years.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Long live the new life

2010-04-07T13:40:00.001+01:00

I'm feeling like I've really landed on my feet in the new position. A city centre workplace is a very strange concept for me, but so far I can only see perks. Yesterday I snapped up a bargain in TK Max and today I went for a 4 mile run down the canal. The offices have a great shower and my 1 hour lunch break has left me time to write this. It is early days as far, as the work itself goes, this being day 5, but early signs look very promising, and we're just in a bug fixing phase at the moment! Dual monitors, big desk, cool office space, great colleagues (so far!). There is even one nutter like me, who's into endurance stuff; he swam the Channel a couple of years ago. Happy days...

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Bike Fit

2010-03-22T21:51:00.001Z

I drove down to Leamington Spa this morning for a pro bike fit. I finally
decided to consult some professional wisdom for peace of mind. I also
wanted to verify my research, physio sessions and extend my knowledge in
both bike fit and the particulars of my own biomechanics. I'm getting
closer to a full understanding of what's going on and how to improve the
situation. The main outcome today centred around the lateral tracking of my
knees. Hopefully in the next few hundred miles I will notice a difference
and this will prove to be another piece of the jigsaw complete.

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First Peak ride of the year

2010-03-21T20:14:00.001Z

77 miles - Heage, Crich, Matlock Moor, Beeley, Winster, Longcliffe,
Ashbourne, A52, Borrowash. Fantastic sunny day, best day cycling since the
Autumn Epic in October. Really reaffirmed what a great sport it is. A sign
just north of Ashbourne said the road was closed, but it didn't say 'and
that includes you on your pushbike' so I took a chance. If you want to get
down the B5056 in order to get to Ashbourne, well you can't, even on a
pushbike. I sort of did some squeezing around diggers and through barriers,
and then a good 20 minutes desludging my cleats. Really, it isn't a good
idea.

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New Shoes!

2010-03-13T17:21:00.001Z

But there seems to be an error, I ordered the legs as well, but just got the
shoes. Mmmm... not much good without legs. These I'm hoping are an ideal
compromise shoe. Hoping they will handle light fell use, but with the
comfort of a road shoe. There certainly doesn't look like there will be any
issues with the sole.

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Spring is in the Air

2010-03-04T17:28:00.004Z

A lovely ride round the park. Part hammy physio, part walking the dog, part
entertaining the kids. I did get a few funny looks. Thanks again Paul for a
fabulous contraption!

Harsh winter depletes log supply

2010-03-02T16:52:00.001Z

Wood store is now in a sorry state after this tough winter, this is all
that's left! Enough for a cold couple of weeks, then it's back to boring
gas. Oh well, nice to know next years supply is all cut, split and
seasoning, just got to pick it up when I can get the car into the presently
soggy wood.

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Chopping Logs

2010-01-31T18:16:00.001Z

An afternoon chopping logs at my dad's wood. This pile will do me for about
half of next winter. Charlie found a fox to chase and something to roll in.
'Dad, are you a forester, woodsman or an arborealist?' Apparently he's a
forester. And I think it's arborist rather than arborealist. Guy in the
field next door shoots the pheasants, my dad feeds them to keep them off the
land and save them from being shot. Quite partial to pheasant though myself.

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Rehab starts

2010-01-29T11:12:00.002Z

I've been to the physio and we're thinking a proper rehab is in order, sorting out all the underlying issues, then I can be back in even better form! I think there are core issues at the erm... core, especially hip mobility. Not sure my hip is flexible enough and so hamstrings overcompensate. Two weeks of nerve training and range of motion to begin with. And I am imposing my own 'sort my posture out' regime' (he says quickly sitting correctly! Very hard!). At the end of the day fitness comes back quite quickly, problems take longer. Reassess progress in two weeks, but this going to be a long haul I think.

Sport Injury Depression

2010-01-21T21:36:00.001Z

I went out on the clubs chain gang tonight. 30 miles with a good few hills. I was thinking I'll be doing well to hang on all the way round after the short lay-off, whilst everyone else seemed to be turbo training. I nearly did as well, and it wasn't fitness that let me down. Half way round the hills done and dusted and after a pacey section led out by Dan, the hamstring was really protesting. Worse then than at any time in the last 12 months. I did the sensible thing, I sat up and cruised round the remaining.

Now I'm faced with the horrible but sensible decision to have a complete lay-off. I'm booked in at the physio on Tuesday, so I'll reassess then, but things are not looking good. My long list of stuff I wanted to do this year lies in tatters. First to go will be the racing, then Nottingham to Monaco looks seriously in jeopardy, and the times I'll get for the time trials will be just too depressing. Perhaps the best I can hope for are some late season sportives. My return to fell running this year is also out the window, so much for Tigger's Tor in a week and I'd had some fantastic runs in the snow over new year.

Perhaps I'll start going down the climbing wall again...

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Pes Anserine Bursitis

2010-01-20T10:46:00.001Z

So a 2nd opinion via the web and it looks like the doc was right. All the
indicators are correct, a more rapid increase in mileage than was sensible,
hill work and tight hamstrings. I've spent over a year working on improving
the length of my hamstrings and I'm hugely disappointed with progress. It
was just a case of pulled hamstrings but now it seems to be tending towards
hamstring tendonitis and affecting other areas. What a great start to 2010.

http://www.eorthopod.com/content/pes-anserine-bursitis-knee

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Eight Counties Ride - 130 miles

2010-01-20T10:01:00.001Z

Propose to do this ride soon, well as soon as I feel fit enough after the imposed lay-off.
View Larger Map

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UK's most featureless square kilometre

2010-01-16T19:53:00.001Z

Reading Map Addict by Mike Parker, kindly loaned by Mat. This bit took my
fancy; the most featurless square kilometre in the UK is this, just south of
the Humber at Ousefleet. It contains just a single electricity pylon, pan
flat and doesn't even have a dyke, tricky in this part of the world.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/1600225.stm

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Washing Up

2010-01-15T19:46:00.001Z

Washing up is a pain in the butt with kids. Obviously there is twice as much of it but most of it seems to be plastic. The plastic stuff floats on the top and makes a bid for freedom, out of the bowl and into the sink, at every opportunity. The plastic stuff loves to be greasy even when its clean it feels greasy thus wasting more time working out if the damned thing is clean or not. The plastic stuff gets stained and microwave etched thus making it even more difficult to work out if it is clean or not. Before kids the bit of the bowl, plate, spoon etc that really needed cleaning was the concaved bit, you know the bit where an adult would put the food. Kids put the food everywhere so now washing up is like, well you might as well chuck it all on the drive and get the pressure washer out. I hate plastic. Just give them regular crockery and cutlery, if it breaks then they learnt something.

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Run in the Snow

2010-01-08T19:58:00.002Z

Managed to get in a 6½ mile run before dark. Running in all this snow is just the best! Running shoes stay dry (and clean!). Defying the bone chilling cold, though a balmy -1°C this afternoon. And it makes the hills even more interesting, though the times less than impressive. You feel like you've stolen a precious moment...
I don't usually listen to anything when I run, I generally prefer all senses plugged in to the outdoors. Though lately I've been out with the iPod. Today's random selection:

Kasabian - Stuntman
The The - Sweet Bird of Truth
Underworld - Tongue
Radiohead - Faust Arp
Arctic Monkeys - Still Take You Home
Shriekback - Big Hush
David Guetta - Always
Arctic Monkeys - Red Light...
Yello - She's Got a Gun
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Cue
Aleski Virta - Cosmos Bossa
Killers - Glamorous...

Abney circuit in the snow

2010-01-02T19:48:00.004Z

Lovely 15 mile walk along Froggatt, Padley, Millstone, Hathersage, Offerton Moor, Abney, Eyam Moor & Stoney Middleton. Lots of snow that just materialised in the space of a few hours. Whippet Charlie was struggling!

Plantation above Beech Hurst, Eyam

Revolting & miserable ride to Stone

2009-12-30T19:25:00.002Z

Very cold ride with almost continuous rain. Lots of standing water meant that with nearly 8hrs in the saddle, everything was wet and at 2C with an 18mph headwind for the return leg, progress was slow and miserable.

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Ride to Thorne Cafe around Doncaster

2009-12-12T20:08:00.004Z

A 125 mile northwards loop with a hilly out leg through the Notts mining villages and a sling-shot around Doncaster to Thorne Cafe - the very cheap and cheerful cyclist haven of Humberside. The return leg takes a very flat route south to Bawtry, Retford, Ollerton and Papplewick.

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LeJog - 920 miles via Nottingham

2009-10-08T03:45:00.005+01:00

In June 2009 Phil & Myself cycled from Lands End to John O'Groats in 8 days. We took a 920 mile east of the Pennines route via our home town of Nottingham. We traveled very light and found B&B and Inn accommodation speculatively...

0 – Lands End

We'd pre-booked at a B&B in Sennen and in the early evening, were greeted by warm sunny weather. We dropped off our bar-bags and headed down to Lands End, a couple of miles down the road. The obligatory photos were taken and it was really relaxed with a holiday atmosphere. Conscious of calorie intake we headed back past the pub and slap up duck & lamb meals. We were off to a great start.

1 – Hard Drizzle Dawn to Dusk

In the morning with forecast correct, drizzle greeted us. The E2E procession had already started and our 8 day intentions were quickly put into perspective, as a hand cyclist churned up the hill outside.

Two chaps sharing the B&B, mentioned they were going lightweight, they fetched their bikes from the garage and a most unlikely pair of machines were produced. A sensible Dawes tourer and a week old Boardman carbon race bike, a huge luggage plinth sprouted from the carbon seat tube from which was hung 2 huge panniers. Then we wheeled ours out with their skimpy bar-bags... No mate, this is lightweight. I wonder if they made it, fell out, or if matey's seatpost survived?

We set off and the constant undulation of Cornwall is soon apparent. With Penzance, skirted we headed toward the North coast and the trawl through the less than salubrious Camborne and Redruth. The puncture fairy was soon busy and the wet flinty roads took their toll on my race tyres. 3 punctures created a depressing projection for the days to come. Phil didn't get one with his slightly more robust tyres. We swung north to make the most of the slightly less hilly terrain thereabouts. Heading towards Newquay, then the A39 skirting Wadebridge where the North Cornwall Show was being hosted. A long drag up from the river Camel, a badly coned section we were riding in, to avoid the show traffic, turned out to be for oncoming traffic! Fortunately no motorist realised. On to Camelford, it appeared to be closed, but there was a café open for lunch, baked potatoes I recall, oh and cake.

We had in mind for the 1st night, the Travelodge just short of Okehampton at 95 miles. We sealed the deal shortly after leaving Camelford, phoning ahead to Travelodge central. It would make a low mileage day, but despite being fresh we didn't want to jeopardise the following days, if we couldn't make it in eight days then so be it, but if we pushed too hard the first day, we might not make it at all!

Continuing, we soon left the A39 and were on quiet lanes to Launceston, through there and on lovely stretches of the old A30 towards Okehampton and dinner! Though where and what that was we were eager to discover. We were directed towards the Prewley Moor Arms. A very hospitable landlord did us proud, with everything dried out by a log fire - yes that's right in June!! All checked in at the Travelodge, Phil mended the three tubes whilst I was busy Twittering and looking up forecasts.

2 - The Mechanicals Day.

With anticipation, we awoke to blue skies, but it was cold. Back at the Prewley Moor Arms, we got them out of bed to make our breakfast, since they didn't seem to have any guests.

The first 15 miles drops drastically from Dartmoor into Exeter. During the descent I shifted with the current rear shifter for the last time. My first thought as it went slack was a broken cable, and then the whole lever was in my hand. "Erm Phil, we have a problem". Despite our ludicrously lightweight approach, a spare shifter is not something anyone would consider packing. Phil phoned around some work colleagues to do the donkey work and a shifter was located in Exeter, on a Sunday!

A few miles later Phil's bar-bag broke, left as it was it was in danger of bouncing out of the bracket, the thought of what would then ensue at speed wasn't to be contemplated, fortunately he managed to lash it together with the choice application of an array of cable-ties I'd brought for just such an occasion.

After a compromised 2 gear 10 mile ride to Exeter, an early cafe stop and a large bank debit, I sported a brand new lever. The going quickly got a lot flatter as we headed north towards Taunton. The weather was kind and we had a sunny day, but the arm and leg warmers only came off for about an hour. An exorbitant second cafe stop in Taunton was easily the worst of the whole trip, a poor cheese omelette, chips and tea for £7.50, outrageous.

After Bridgewater I made the worst navigational error of the trip, and added an extra couple of miles by going too far east down the A39 towards Glastonbury. The wind was light and variable and despite the hold ups with mechanicals and navigation, we made good time. We scythed through the Mendips at Axbridge and shot north over the pan flat Severn flood plains towards Bristol, dodging showers and taking food at a Co-op in Winscombe. The Clifton suspension bridge was a psychological high and we stopped quickly for photos, before heading out of Bristol, mindful of tomorrow night's target of Nottingham we settled eventually on Almondsbury. There was a little confusion over which pub to harass, for rooms and food, at either end of the village on a steep hill. We turned down the buzzing pub, in favour of the one willing to whip up some food. We were supplied with adhoc pizza, beans on toast and a newly decorated twin room.

3 - The 140 miles to Nottingham

Today was another mainly flat day that took us along the country lanes of the Vale of Berkeley before, just after Slimbridge, heading along the A38 towards Gloucester and the Avon valley. 13 miles of exposed A38 followed, into a strong headwind to Gloucester. Gloucester is rubbish. With Cheltenham and Bishop's Cleeve passed we neatly avoided the Cotswolds.

Exiting Evesham I took the wrong turn and we were whistling north down a hill on the A46. The only bit of off-road we indulged in, it cut the corner off (and the hill!) and we were back on route, just south of the Avon. Cleeve Hill is a tiny but a very abrupt interruption in the mainly flat terrain. Cycling long the Avon Valley towards Stratford was very pleasant, but with a moderate headwind for the rest of the day.

It was Phil's turn with the punctures, suffering two, and thoughts of swapping the race tyres in Nottingham slipped further to the back of my mind. We benefitted having recced the route from Warwick, several weeks previously, and very little GPS consultation was necessary, thus making the rest of the days ride more enjoyable.

I'd had too much sugary stuff too early in the day, but despite the bad guts for the last third of the ride, I was riding well and the 140 miles were easily manageable. Well, we had trained for this.

Through Leamington and tucking around the south-east of Coventry to Hinckley, we then slipped west a little and took advantage of the flat and beautiful area around the Ashby-de-la-Zouch canal. The familiar lanes around Griffydam passed and soon Castle Donnington came and went. I left Phil in Long Eaton; well it's where he lives! And I headed on for the 6 miles to Beeston and my own bed.

4 – Nottingham to Thirsk

I wondered what it would be like leaving Nottingham, whether I'd wake up in the morning and just want to roll over and go back to sleep. But it was quite easy, we were mid-job, it wasn't done. Phil turned up at eight and we were off, suffering the appalling Nottingham ring road in the rush hour, and soon battling the now familiar headwind as we toiled north along the A60 towards Ollerton.

With what would appear to be a detour via Retford we realigned ourselves to avoid the A1 and stuffed our faces in the now ritualistic manner at Gregg's bakery. Armed with a caffeine kick and topped up tank, we carried on. From Retford it rapidly becomes pan flat and continues like that all the way to Darlington.

The bad roads of Bawtry came and went and eventually the much anticipated cheapest Cafe we knew of. The Bridge Cafe in Thorne: beans on 4 toast plus tea - £5 for the both of us. We learned that a Sheffield club also visited the cafe, perhaps they come from Hull and Leeds too.

Next on to Selby, I've always wanted to go to Selby, my mum's maiden name! Nice big church, but didn't take time to appreciate the place as we whizzed around the centre, and out onto the final stretch to York along the River Ouse. This section seemed to take a long time, and I knew we had to be well north of York that evening, so I felt quite low for the few miles into York.

York lifted the spirits and a Lidl was soon found with a food boost and the usual Muller Rice. Despite the now persistent rain, I was buoyed by York, and the deliberate routing past the Minster also helped. The heavens truly opened at that point, and the rush hour traffic exiting York made for an exciting exit along the A19. The shower gave way to sunshine and the remainder of the day stayed dry but the headwind of course, remained. Soon we turned off the A19 following the Vale of York as the River Ouse gave way to the Ure and then Swaledale.

We stopped at a Hotel at Asenby, as usual Phil steamed in, headlight blazing, amusing high society. Unsurprisingly it was a little out of our budget with £150 rooms. As we rode off a chef careered out of the hotel, gesticulating accommodation further on. The next pub in Topcliffe had a lousy attitude and they were unresponsive to Phil's haggling tactics. But at Busby Stoop, sufficiently lowly accommodation was forthcoming, and a slap up lamb shank was eagerly devoured. It was an odd place, just a single pub at a crossroads that used to be a roundabout with a May Pole in the centre.

5 – The Tough Day

I still wasn't walking. I was going to say "...with style", but no-one could describe it as walking in any style. Fortunately I could still ride, and whilst the flat Vale of York continued, I rode rather well. Fuelled on the, now wearing, Full English, we made a brisk pace through what remained of York's vale. Ever so gently the vale gave way to undulation and much more rapidly, my pace slowed, Phil was going well, but up the hills if one could call them that, I was rapidly slowed to a single figure MPH. I'm going to blame the Full English, but I don't learn, "I've paid for it, I'm damned well gonna eat it!" In retrospect, I wouldn't do that again, I'd pre-order beans on 8 toasts or something. Body needs carbs, a more immediate source of energy. That amount of fat might do well for a more sedate endurance activity, but cycling it would seem, is just never going to be that. Pocket ruling head as usual.

A caffeine kick at some poncy organic village store near Northallerton with the blue rinse brigade and then we were on towards Scotch Corner. The Roman road of Dere Street led towards West Auckland. And as Scotch Corner separated the Vale of York from undulating Teesdale, West Auckland heralds the start of the Northumberland fells. West Auckland is an odd place, about 2 shops and the hugest sort of village green space you've ever seen, you'd definitely need a binoculars to join the curtain twitching club here.

I hadn't recovered and the bigger hills that hit us now, were taking their toll. The headwind was strong as we continued northwest towards the border. The A62 remained for the rest of the day, rolling up and down endlessly over Northumberland. The first day through Cornwall and Devon is supposed to be the most demanding day, but I think after 4 days, this easily beats it. My local hills are the Peak District, but nowhere there, is like the endless rolling hills of Northumberland. The A62 never seems to find a moor to ride atop of, no sooner is it up, it is down.

Despite, this being my lowest day, it was majestic, and of all the land we covered, to my eye, this was the most impressive. Corbridge is a lovely little village and I'd recommend anyone stop off here when an opportunity arises. Martha's Tea Room served us the usual beans on toast, and sunshine allowed us alfresco dining, soaking up of much needed sun and a relaxing escape from the headwind. The bakery next door provided a big wodge of cake! On Dere Street once more we were led to Redesdale which continued the rolling theme. The mighty Cheviots waited for the final huge climb to the border at Carter Bar.

We were in Scotland, though familiar with crossing numerous counties in a day, this was a first! Right on cue, the heavens opened, though they waited for photos first, which was nice. Time was pressing, it was already late, and now it was darker as torrential rain lashed down during a frankly ludicrous and dangerous 10 mile descent to Jedburgh. Drenched we probed for B&Bs. A little man in the main street terrace obliged and the B&B's top floor was accommodating. Fish & Chip supper sufficed at this late hour, clothing was processed. And then I slept...

6 - A slow day through Edinburgh and a late day past Perth.

The range still had its final hand to play as we rose through Lauder and on to the final spectacular climb of Dun Law, in a lay-by on the summit a huge wind farm transporter was parked up, it was hauling turbine blades, my god they are big when they're on the ground! Then it was downhill, pretty much all the way to Edinburgh.

The town planners had been busy and the map was enough out of date to lead us down the hill to the ring road where we were greeted by a no cycling sign. I knew this was the case during planning, but we were upon it before I realised. There was nothing for it. We were NOT going back up the hill. And GPS said only 1km to more cycle friendly roads. So I deduced the direction and we braved the stretch to the island, rozzers do your worst! Now off course slightly and having to dive through the entire stretch of Edinburgh from East to West. And so the traffic lights began...

We gratefully accepted the first cafe we came to and yes beans on toast plus more toast. An extra cake take-out and we carried on into the centre and the roadworks that needed bypassing. In hind sight trying to cycle through the Prince's Street Gardens was a bad idea since we had to negotiate a fair few flights of steps. Not so soon, we were heading out and on to Craigiehall.

A devious planned route took us around and then attempted to go through what turned out to be an army base. Thanks EdinburghFixed forum contributor for that one!! Sidling around it wasn't too much bother and soon we were at the Forth road & rail bridges where we sat a while to enjoy the Forth. These days there is a separate lane for walkers & cyclists and the headwind today was less, quite a spectacular crossing.

The trawl through Kelty and Kinross was a little tedious, not the most beautiful places in the world. By now we were at the craving sandwiches and energy drink part of the day. But here it seems you could only get chocolate and crisps. Sugar and fat only, carbs were not on the menu. Spirits lifted briefly through Glen Farg, but the headwind really got up through the Earn Valley.

Perth was cold, ideally we would have reached where we wanted at this time, but we hadn't. After Edinburgh's delays it was going to be a very late one. Pitlochry was the aim, just pushing as far as was reasonably possible. So we had our dinner, Pie and chips. The GPS was dead, so I fired up the back-up battery for the first time and we headed out of Perth. With time pressing we abandoned the old A9 route and trudged north on the new A9 with attendant high traffic content.

The next 27 miles were interminable. A terrible headwind. Tired and bedraggled E2Eers, toiled in the gutter mile upon mile, with not even an evening meal to look forward to. More struggle along the Tay and eventually the Pitlochry slip road happened. The first B&B was taken, Phil bullied the lady and we had a breakfast and went to bed.

7 - Cairngorms

A sunny cold morning and not a Full English! Salmon, scrambled egg and plenty of toast made a much better start. We forgot to take the obligatory night stop photo, so did so on the outskirts of Pitlochry. Pass of Killiekrankie. It took me a fair few miles to get up to speed. A gentle long climb was mainly on the old road through Killiecrankie and Blair Athol.

A longish stretch where we had to resort to the A9, Phil got into a real stroppy panic as he realised he'd dropped his jacket off of his bike. I should have noticed it, since I was sucking his wheel most the morning. I calmed him down a bit, and then he bullied some nearby teenagers in a lay-by to drive him up the road to look for it. He soon found it in another lay-by and with a much relieved Phil, all was well again.

Headwinds continued but the scenery was fantastic, okay this isn't the west of Scotland but all the same, Cairngorm National Park, I wasn't complaining. Dalwhinnie proved an expensive stop at a small filling station, but the sun was warm and we soaked it up.

Twin places of Newtonmore & Kinross, a Coffee and Muffin stop outside in the lovely village, sunny and I was actually hot, I think for the first time. I roasted there blissfully, stuffing carbs, pepping up on the coffee and Twittering away.

Aviemore was the next goal, a nice big dinner in Aviemore... I don't remember the next bit that well, though I was riding better. West Auckland to Pitlochry was hard, those demons were expunged.

Sunny Aviemore, blustery a headwind of course, and a long wait for food at a pub. An old lonely Yorkshireman regaled us of tails of his cycling days whilst we waited. An E2E couple that we'd seen near Dunfermline came past. We didn't see them again. Fed, we climbed back on for the final series of climbs before the final long descent to Inverness.

Inverness isn't a wonderful place, the arm warmers and leg warmers had been off since about Aviemore. Now they were back on, and on to stay for the duration. Eight days in June, and only 4 hours with arms and legs out, what a disgrace! Over the little suspension bridge we rode and on to the flatter lands of the Black Isle and Cromarty. I had designs on North Kessock for supplies, but as we were high up at the end of the bridge I balked at descending to the village. So I made the executive decision to risk happening on something, though I was far from sure, it looked a little erm... placeless for a long way. A petrol station saved us, but Phil was running a little too low, sorry Phil. A long descent, to the stilted bridge, I wasn't planning on pedalling down that hill, but hey ho. Halfway across the Cromorty Firth I retraced to find Phil who was depleted, a sorrowful fallen heap. We weren't going to make Tain, another five miles further. No matter, we settled on Alness. Again the first B&B turned out fine, and flip-flopping into the town, my attire especially, caused much amusement. We settled on the curry house, well it made a change. Small town mentality of Alness failed to get us lynched on the return to the B&B.

8 - Wet & Cold.

Tootling back through Alness in the drizzle and out on to the A9, it soon dried up, but not for long. Spirits were high, we had all but done it. With just 120 miles to go, we passed yesterday's original evening destination, with a little ribbing. Quite flat initially, but we knew there were some coastal monsters to come. Some initial climbs masquerading as the real deal presented themselves as the rain started; light at first, but it was so cold. I didn't record actual temperatures throughout, but I did have a thermometer on my computer. All morning it hovered around 10C. Stopping at Helmsdale for lunch in a nice little cafe, more beans on toast with more toast and a warning from a local about Berriedale Brae ahead. We were now at the foot of the Berriedale Brae, an infamous long climb and mad descent, split into two big climbs. The clag was down, so was the temperature eight point something for the rest of the trip. The descent at Berriedale was indeed quite mad, a switchback in the rain with very little visibility. Another long climb up the other side, and some weird butchers Phil had hunted down. He had another puncture, but carried on oblivious. Stopping eventually on the exposed road, we were COLD. With 50 miles to go, these were not pretty. Eventually hauling in to Wick, a Lidl opportunity presented itself, we rode on in. Muller Riced up, we found the cafe and ate. So now it was just the 15 miles to John o'Groats and back then. No problem, a simple 30 miles. Headwind as usual, the miles crawled by and oh so cold. We took the road out to Duncansby Head first, and celebrated with a photo. The campervans from Denmark were not about to give us a lift back to Wick, I know, Phil tried. So we rode back, took in the end of the road at John o'Groats and had another quick photo in the rain by the un-limbed sign, then headed back to Wick. Hang on... We'd done it! But it was as anticlimactic as that.

The hotel in John o'Groats is bad, but we tried to get in anyway. It was full. Now I was very cold. Fortunately the headwind couldn't last, going back we had a tailwind and a taste, despite our less than fresh state, of what it could have been like had the wind behaved. So the 15 miles back went more easily and for once in Scotland I towed Phil home. We booked in to a B&B and headed back to the Wick cafe. If the weather had been kinder, we'd have lolled around at John o'Groats, reclined on the pier in the sun, and indulged in many a hearty slap of the back.

Fin - 920 miles in 8 days in June.

Lots of rain hit the UK during the week, but we very luckily, escaped the worst of it. But we had moderate headwinds on most days. And it was cold. 8 degrees C, rain, clag right down and a headwind, made the weather on the last day the worst.

We went light, very light, with a minimal set of tools and 4 tubes between us. I had my phone for GPS and charger. Clothes consisted of bib shorts and short sleeved cycling top, Helly, arm & leg warmers, thin balaclava, thin gloves & mitts, plus a decent waterproof jacket. I also took a pair of flip-flops for evening and a light pair of knee length shorts for the evening. I left the shorts in Nottingham. The rest was a decent supply of ibuprofen, isotonic tablets, and the obligatory bum butter. For the most part the bar-bag was half empty.

We hired a one way van to Penzance and reserved bike space on trains from Wick to Derby. We gave ourselves 9 days in-between, but expected to take 8. We pre-booked B&Bs at either end, all others were happened upon. Deliberately timing the trip outside of school holidays we had little trouble with accommodation. Cost all inclusive of travel, all food and accommodation, exclusive of broken equipment - £650 each. Ouch!

What's next? Well we liked it so much and don't think we change much, so we are going to apply the same system to France. Next year it's Fin 2 Fin...

Horse encountered on a ride

2009-08-02T14:03:00.000+01:00

When we got on to Paudy Lane heading to 6 hills, we came across a horse and rider coming towards us, as we got to about 100m from them the horse bolted, did a U turn (badly) and careered into the hedge with rider, horse and rider deposited in hedge and ditch, both in most ungainly fashion. Thought the rider would be seriously hurt. Horse jumped up and took off back down the lane to 6 hills. Shouted into hedge to enquire as to the well being of rider. Rider emerges head to toe in an inch of mud and vegetation. Seems okay, bloody nose, but walking, obviously more concerned about horse. “Could you just ride up there and send him back down here to me?”. Errrm yeah right 3 ton of edgy horse with an aversion to cyclists, no problem mate! So we rode off I had no intention of tangling with said horse. Caught horse up further down lane. Motorists were stopping, eventually one brave guy grabbed hold of it and it seemed a little calmer. We kept our distance, what with its aversion to cyclists (and my aversion to horses). Another motorist went off and fetched soiled rider. 5 mins later car returns, hatchback aloft with muddy rider perched on boot lip. Now all is well, nobody is hurt and we all have a good hearty laugh before returning home for lashings of ginger beer.

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