This is my blog for my Land’s End to John O’Groats fundraiser challenge (LEJOG). Daily updates should appear on this page.
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The final day of my epic trip and after 23 days of cycling, my saddle is ready for a rest! 🚳
I cycle about 40 miles to Inverness and that’s it. Onto the overnight sleeper train to London, and home.
Sunshine and showers today so maybe some stopportunities for photos.
A sight for sore saddles!
Milestone
I’m home!
Thank you for following along with me. It definitely felt less lonely being able to share the trip like this and I really appreciate all the comments.
Bless you!
My last long day of cycling, from Dunbeath to Tain, with some nice hills.
Very foggy start to the day so no views.
Milestone
1000 miles cycled since leaving home.
End of day 22. It remained foggy all the way so unfortunately no nice pictures.
Tomorrow is the final day as I finish up in Inverness
The end is in sight (almost literally).
Today I cycle the final 12 miles to John O’Groats, have a little cry, take a photograph and start my 3 day journey back to Inverness to take the overnight train back to London.
This day is for Samuel, who turns 22 today. Happy Birthday Samuel 🎂🎂🎂
A mountain of potatoes.
It’s official!
956 miles and 2 sets of brake pads since leaving home.
I’m saving my remaining 1 mm of brake pads for these hills tomorrow.
This man has just walked from Land’s End! He started on 8th May.
Nice to be cycling with the wind 💨for a change.
I thought I would see more Highland cows, but these are the first ones I’ve seen.
I’m not sure if the person who wrote this was completely sober.
End of day 21. I’m staying in a place with a wonderful view over the ocean.
The last full day before reaching John O’Groats. I end the day at Dunnet, about 12 miles away from the official end of LEJOG.
This day is designated as “expert” because of the hills and distance. I’m looking forward to it! Those Cornish hills are a distant memory now.
The North Atlantic!
I think the dog bit off part of this sign.
The local cafe.
Naslie pointed out to me that it’s fitting that where I stay tonight is called Dunnet.
Tomorrow I make the final push northwards to a town called Tongue. I’m running out of dry land!
I have no idea how salmon get up here but they do.
Loch Shin
It’s so remote here.
Made it to Tongue.
Today’s ride was an unforgettable journey through a beautifully wild and windswept wilderness.
Tomorrow I cycle about 50 miles in an easterly direction along the coast until Dunnet. It will be my last full day’s cycle before reaching John O’ Groats.
From Inverness the path leads northwards into increasingly remote areas. It’s a bit of a snaky route around the firths so not too much northwards progress but a fair distance overall.
Tonight I stay near Bonar Bridge.
Leaving Inverness this morning was interesting. The way north out of Inverness is over the Kessock Bridge and when I arrived there I was informed by way of a locked construction gate that the cycle path over the bridge was closed. The “diversion” offered was a 25 mile detour around the Beauly Firth. I didn’t take up that offer and took my chances instead on the road. Occupying the slow lane on a busy A road with no shoulder (no chance of stopping for a picture) in high winds and driving rain was fun.
I was glad to get over the bridge unscathed and even gladder when the rain eased fairly soon after.
This is the first thing of beauty I encountered after the bridge:
Cromarty Bridge in the distance crossing Cromarty Firth.
Very sad. Looks like mum and baby Badger hit by a car.
The beautiful remote Highlands.
There are miles and miles of conifer plantations as far as the eye can see in all directions. In the distance you can see a patch that’s been harvested.
It’s nice to see the odd patch where more natural growth is coming through.
Overlooking Dornoch Firth.
That’s day 18. Tomorrow I reach the North Atlantic Ocean!
A pair of red kites.
The view from outside my room this evening is very special.
My noisy neighbours.
Onwards to Inverness as I leave the Cairngorms behind.
Milestone
Just seen my first ever red squirrel 🐿️
Scotland is sooo beautiful.
A Scots Pine at home.
The beautiful Loch an Eilein
The local sport is interesting.
Birch does really well here. You can tell this tree is old by the knarliness (not a real word) of the bark.
Inverness in the distance.
I have reached Inverness at the end of day 17. Tomorrow I head north west to a small town called Bonar Bridge about 50 miles away.
Today’s cycle takes me around the Cairngorms in a clockwise direction and ends up 15 miles outside of Aviemore.
Another gem I’ve come across, completely unplanned, Bruar Falls.
A petrol station frozen in time.
The Cairngorms have a rugged beauty.
Along the cycleway, I met a local man who turns 34 today so decided to cycle 17 miles and then turn back home, to make 34.
We cycled together until about the 18 mile mark, where he turned back. I wished him a happy 36 th.
My first highland cow.
That’s it for day 16. A lovely cycle with the Cairngorms as a constant backdrop. Tomorrow I cycle through Aviemore and onwards to Inverness.
Today I reach the spectacular Cairngorms.
This is big tree country.
Scotland’s forests are so spectacular. I’m so glad I’m on a bicycle because I can just stop anywhere I like to enjoy the scenery (and I’m doing a lot of stopping!)
This is a fish ladder at Pitlochry dam to allow salmon to bypass the dam as they swim upstream. Such a good idea.
I had to stop here for a wee dram.
That’s the end of day 15. A brilliant day, even though it was very wet.
On the road again!
My bike has been “rebooted”. No actual fault found. I have a few polite questions to ask Specialized, the first of which is why the diagnostics software is not available to consumers, but I’ll leave that until I return.
I’m doing some cycling today to make up for lost mileage but will need to take the train part way to Perth.
Tomorrow I resume my planned route.
Just cycled over the Forth road bridge. The railway bridge is one of my favourite man made structures. It’s so impressive up close.
Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes 🙏
It’s great to be out in the countryside again.
A conifer plantation (possibly Sitka spruce). They are so tightly packed that nothing else grows underneath. They almost look dead but the crowns are very healthy. They are grown for timber. From above the forest it almost looks like grass because they are so uniform.
That’s the end of day 14. Looking forward to resuming my planned route tomorrow.
An unplanned “rest day” in Edinburgh while I wait to get my bike looked at in the morning.
Some time to do a bit of bike maintenance, like cleaning and lubricating the chain ⛓️🧑🔧.
As someone wisely pointed out to me: the challenge I am facing brings an extra awareness of the challenges that the people we seek to serve at Tearfund encounter on a daily basis.
This challenge is so small compared to the problems they face. I have choices; I can catch a train, I can pay for an extra couple of nights stay, pay for my bike repair etc. Most of the people we serve have none of these choices. They certainly can’t pay their way out of their situation.
Cycling these long distances each day has also brought to mind the distances that some people have to travel each day, like Orbisa from Ethiopia who in the dry season has to walk up to 10 hours each day just to collect water for her family!
Not the day I had planned.
Today I will be cycling 20 miles to Carlisle with my faulty bike and then catching a train to Edinburgh, which is the nearest place north of here that has a bike shop that can diagnose the problem on the bike.
The earliest they can do so is Friday (after much arm twisting – originally it was a 2 week waiting period).
I will keep you posted on what happens next but as it stands the two options are:
I have completed 590 miles since Land’s End and have about 430 miles to John O’Groats, so well over half way. It will be such a shame if I’m not able to complete it.
I’ve arrived in Edinburgh. For those of a rugby persuasion, I’m staying across the road from here:
CPU cooling with Irn-Bru.
Today I cycle through the beautiful Lake District, starting from Kirkby Lonsdale, passing through Kendal, Windermere, Ambleside and then northwards along the length of Thirlmere reservoir, before heading east to the town of Greystoke.
The first “lake” this morning.
It’s a bit too early to start eating grass.
Random observation.
This is based on quality data gathered from my trip so far. Ladies (driving any vehicle) are by far the most courteous on the road. Men driving Land Rovers (especially those with tinted windows), are the least courteous.
Kent not so close.
Lake Windermere in the distance.
Problem.
One of my best days has turned into a bit of a nightmare. Just at the end of my ride my bike electrics started playing up. The bike has gone into some weird restricted mode. I’ve tried all the usual tricks but nothing works.
Tomorrow I’m going to cycle 20 miles to Carlisle with the bike limping along, and then take the train to Edinburgh where the bike is booked in for Friday. It’s the earliest they could do so I’m losing 2 days cycle.
Whether they can fix the bike or not will determine if I can carry on with the trip.
I will keep you posted.
Anyway, the lake District is heartakingly beautiful.
This is an exciting day ahead particularly because I meet up with Duncan for breakfast this morning. Duncan’s parents live nearby and I believe he’s visiting.
There is also a town nearby called Bacup which is a very appropriate place to meet a DBA.
Most of the day will be cycling through the Forest of Boland National Landscape which looks beautiful. I’m hoping the rain will only be light so that I can stop and enjoy the views.
I end the day in Kirkby Lonsdale.
It’s the actual sun!
The proof is in the pudding.
Duncan is a legend! Not only did he drive an hour to treat me for breakfast, but he also brought along a bicycle pump to top up my tires because my pump is about as effective as a wet paper straw. And he also put in a good word for me for the weather which has been perfect and not the day long rain predicted. Get a local to put a good word in for you! Bless you, Duncan.
What an amazing place.
Mascepone (sorry couldn’t resist it)
There’s something biblical about this scene.
I love the mossy stone walls.
Home in a hedgerow.
Made it to Cumbria.
Random thoughts:
When you’re gasping for air at the top of a hill with your mouth open, it’s the most likely time that a fly will smack you in the back of the throat.
One of these chain links probably weighs a fair bit.
That’s day 10 completed. It was a perfect day for cycling. Not a drop of rain and stunning scenery.
It looks like I’m nearly level with the Isle of Man.
The next leg of the journey takes me around the outskirts of Manchester and ending up in Blackburn, so a bit of an urban feel to this day. I’m sure there will be some highlights in-between the showers!
Leftwich is my least favourite ‘wich’ so far, though it does have a nice viaduct.
Not exactly a highlight, but it shows progress.
Milestone: I’ve just passed 500 miles since leaving home.
Day 9 completed.
The second half was a lot wetter than the first so not many stop opportunities. It seems as if I’m not seeing much because of the rain, but I’m enjoying it nonetheless and I’m becoming better at managing being drenched. It definitely helps having a warm shower at the end.
Both Bolton and Blackburn look like nice towns and especially the ride over the hill between the two was very picturesque albeit drenching.
I can’t believe I’m further north than Manchester!
Long day today but I’m up for it!
I end up in a place called Leftwich close to the river Weaver. Looking at the river on the map you can see how it got its name. Parts of it were apparently straightened in the 1700s to make it more navigable for canal boats.
I feel like this should be twinned with Newport in Wales. No data centre in site though.
Rainy days still providing picturesque scenes.
That was a tough day. Long and wet. Not many stopping opportunities as a result but the blue dot creeps northwards.
A relatively easy day coming up. Hilly but a shorter distance, ending up in Ironbridge. I’m looking forward to seeing the bridge which opened in 1781.
The route roughly follows the River Severn from Worcester to Ironbridge.
Random thoughts:
I’ve not thought much about work (sorry Sarah!), but I have thought a lot about my work colleagues and I know the fantastic Supporter & Digital Systems team are taking care of things in their usual professional manner.🏋️🏋️♀️🏋️♂️🏋️♀️🏋️♂️
An e-crop
I’m not catching the train, honest.
The compulsory shire picture.
These are either lovers locks or a lot of bikes have been stolen from here.
It could be Africa. All that’s missing is a Fish Eagle perched on the dead tree.
Interesting that this tobacco pipe museum has a cemetery.
You do need legs for this one!
Milestone
More than a third of the way
Made it to Ironbridge. Amazing place.
This day ends in Worcester. I’m expecting a fairly difficult day with lots of hills, plus rain to contend with.
The sound I woke up to this morning.
In the evening when I arrived I heard a Song Thrush for the first time. I didn’t record it but if you get a chance, listen to their song.
Random thoughts:
I have not seen or heard the news since I started this journey ⛓️💥 Yesterday I met two elderly men cycling near Bridgwater. They live locally and it was interesting to hear a bit about the local news rather the news that Google’s algorithms think I should be interested in.
Just experienced my first bit of road rage from a trucker. It’s interesting how many abusive phrases end with the word “mate”, which seems a bit oxymoronic to me.
It’s been raining all morning but this farmer is taking the thorough approach.
Suspension bridge over the river Wye (movie title?).
I’m running out of superlatives for the landscape.
So this is where water is made.
Another day another Shire.
Cheeky!
I think Vernon must feel left out.
Day 6 completed.
A few more highlights from Worcester.
Finally making good progress northwards.
But who planned the end of this day?!
A beautiful day for cycling. I’ve just reached the Mendip Hills.
They’re not kidding about the rock fall!
Why cycle over a hill when you can..
What is the clue that this is definitely in England?
Interesting bark pattern:
And the culprit:
One of these lines must be the Newport to Teddington connection:
The Severn bridge is finally in site:
How do you get two whales on an e-bike?
Day 5 completed and I’m finally north of London.
Some highlights:
I don’t like race courses but this one is very picturesque.
Prince Of Wales Bridge in the distance.
That’s more like it!
There’s some weather thrown into the mix today to keep things interesting 🌧️💨
I’ve just been asked by an independent coffee shop in Tiverton if I would like a loyalty card.😕🤔
Seems to be a running theme around here:
I’ve just passed this incredible hollow:
Impressive veteran Plane:
The theme for this morning so far seems to have been pothole avoidance and hedgerow nettle stings, the one usually following the other.
Oh, and a “to the socks” soaking torrential downpour.
Apparently I’m already in Somerset:
Day 4 completed. After four days of cycling I’m still further south than London. How does that work?
Some highlights of the day. The Taunton and Bridgwater Canal tow path (although after 10 miles I appreciated a change of scenery and surface!)
This cost me an extra 3 miles:
This looks like a war time bunker. There were quite a few of them along the canal.
And the beautiful vistas.
Which way?
Should be a slightly easier day than yesterday. 6 miles shorter with fewer challenging hills. Looking forward to the Dartmoor section.
I also cross from Cornwall into Devon this morning. I’m pretty sure I won’t notice but at least it’s another milestone.
It’s official:
It’s not everyday you see one of these:
Scrap yard very much out of keeping in this setting.
Beautiful vistas.
A common theme over the last 3 days:
The dark centre of the photo is Lydford Gorge. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but if you zoom in you can see it:
Sometimes you have to duck:
Finally arrived at my home for the night:
Heading off on day 2, from Truro to Launceston.
This is the route. I’ve marked up the Camel Trail on the elevation profile, or as I like to call it the “Camel’s Neck” trail because of what comes next.🐪 (see the resemblance)
It looks like I’m not allowed to go down this road!
That’s day two completed. That was a tough day! Just over 60 miles took me about 8 hours (about 5 hours of actual riding time).
Some highlights of the day:
The Camel Trail is stunning. The section I rode was about 7 miles along the Camel River. It’s a valley with pristine ancient woodland with the river running through it. Highly recommended for anyone who’s in the area.
Interesting place names. Hopefully not named after cyclists who came to unfortunate ends!
Some of these hills are extreme. On the first day I reached over 40 miles per hour going down one of them.
The blue dot has finally arrived at the beginning!
Just about to set off on the first leg (the strongest 🦵). Actually the passenger is doing quite well today. Praise God.
After every exhilarating descent into a verdant woodland valley comes? (The best answer gets a Cornish pasty)
Day 1 completed. About 46 miles. 4.5 hours saddle time. The leg feels remarkably good, almost as if all this exercise has helped to speed up the healing.
Some highlights from the day:
The tree is sadly no longer there. It also looked so much better in 1913 before cars and camper vans.
Day zero has finally arrived!
Nice and early 4:00 a.m. start after playing catch the mouse with Bella the cat.
I’ve made it to Paddington station. My injured leg is very much the passenger at the moment. The left leg is doing all the hard work. I’m sure over time they will sort out a good working relationship.
Thanks to Naslie, as ever for reminding me of all the important stuff I would have left behind (soap and snacks)!
Penzance 5.5 hours later.
.. and 10 minutes later my first puncture. I hope this won’t be the pattern!
Cycled onwards through the picturesque village of Mousehole before arriving at my home for the night about 3 miles outside of Lands end.
Yesterday I had an X-ray on my injured shin and there is no fracture. Thank God! It looks like it is soft tissue damage that should heal with time. I have a strong dose of anti-inflammatory tabs and the doctor said I should be good to go if I take it easy on the first few days.
I never told her the second day is the longest!
I was at the woodland chopping logs. One of the split logs flew up and hit me in the shin with such force that I’m convinced there is a hairline fracture. I hope it will heal in time for the trip!!!
The day started at 5:30 a.m. with the sad death of our beloved Tickle, a. 15 year old King Charles Spaniel. She died peacefully at home while I was with her.
At 11:00 I left for Horsham fully loaded with all the kit I planned to take on the trip.
The bike performed really well, even through very flooded tracks and boggy woodlands.
I met up with Allison and Liu for a coffee and catch-up in central Horsham.
Followed in the evening with a meal with Gary and Cathy at Bills.
It was great to catch up with fellow long serving colleagues who have become really good friends.
Thank you Allison, Liu, Cathy and Gary for an excellent time in Horsham.
Dreaming of the trip ahead in 58 days!
Fluctuating between being very excited for the adventure ahead and being mildly terrified: thoughts of what on earth possessed me to even consider this. I’m staring down the barrel of 60, my hips are really playing up and I won’t even mention my knees.
Other days I feel very positive, and think I will get fitter and stronger as the days roll on.
LEJOG 2025 