We did it!

We've cycled 1072.4 miles in sixteen days. Top speed of 35.5 mph (lowest speed of walking). We have been rained and hailed on, had scary downhill moments, long, long uphill moments, and been shot at. We've eaten lots of cake, tea on cold days, ice cream on hot days (+ gallons of water), seen amazing views, lots of birds & a variety of plant life, some of which bit back. We both have a list of places to go back and visit again with more time, and we're both looking forward to scrubbing away the sweat & WD40, eating an enormous meal and going to bed with our lovely shiny medals.
We've met an amazing variety of people, and have been helped and heartened by support from all around us.
There wasn't a proper signpost thing, but this one pointing back to John O'Groats.

Par

It's 17.14, and we've just done 1000 miles! Yay us!

Candlelit dinner with Tessa & Barry

So we're belatedly coming back to write this, to try to keep things a bit in order. So after we'd climbed the steep hill out of Uplyme, we had a good fast run into Exeter, straight along the A road, but which wasn't too busy. Inevitably, we got a little mislaid in the outskirts of Exeter, but soon sorted ourselves out, getting to Starcross for the Slowest Lunch Ever. Seriously, it was a nice sandwich, but it took ten minutes to eat after fifty minutes of waiting. So then we were behind again. Jude's cold was developing apace, and the next part to Totnes was a bit of a struggle. Eventually though, we hit the wonderful A road past Ugborough (smooth surfaced and downhill) to a wonderful restful evening with Tessa & Barry, who fed us enormous food and fixed our bikes, and Beth got a cat for the night.
The next day we had a good run to Plymouth, had a little difficulty finding the Tamar ferry and then were in Cornwall with a fair run to Boswinger ( although it was on the way there that some lads shot us with a bb gun).

The ducks welcome us to Cornwall!

Photo Tash

In Bristol, sad or hungry?

Good breakfast

Early start, seems to have worked well. A3052 was good from Uplyme to Newton Poppleford (35.5mph with a hearse behind us) then got a little too busy for comfort. Took an unintented detour to Topsham, but then quite a good cycle path towards Dawlish instead of the anticipated A379.

Falling on your feet

Today was a slightly unplanned day, we hadn't booked anywhere to stay. This can be a good thing, like today, when we decided that Honiton was Just Too Far Away, so stopped in Axminster instead. It can also be a bad thing, as today, when there was nowhere to stay in Axminster.

Eventually, we called at what seemed to be the town's only B&B, (no vacancies) who suggested we tried Lyme Regis (8 in the evening mind).
So we went to Lyme, and onthe way passed the Talbot Arms in Up Lyme.
They are marvellous. We have two huge plates of food (outside serving hours) a lovely comfy warm room with plenty of hot water, and the promise of early breakfast tomorrow :) so Steve is on the postcard list.

Day 12 - 4 Counties and 2 Countries in 1 day!

... and we had welsh cakes which are similar to chorley cakes but different. We gobbled 2 ice-creams but sadly no joke on the stick... gone are those days. We had a beautiful shady ride through the Wye Valley where we met Gary and Dave who are on day 4 heading north, and shared with them the tips and tricks we've picked up on the way. And so we arrived into Bristol and have been well fed, watered and bathed

Tintern Abbey

Wye Valley

Monmouthshire

Leaving Herefordshire

Early start

Misses some of the heat. We're in Hereford having second breakfast and map check. Trying to keep off huge scary fast roads whilst not going miles and miles out of the way is sometimes tricky.
Hereford looking North

Food!

It's the end of another beautiful day, and we're at Leominster Y.H. We had Chorley cakes at lunchtime - it suggested they should be buttered, but there was none, and they were very nice without. We've seen some of the loveliest English countryside today, looking like pictures out of a tourist brochure.
Garden at Leominster Y.H.

Day 11 A Famous Five Day

In Aston Munslow eating a very well deserved lunch sitting in a field :) Another cloudless blue sky is taking us through surprisingly hilly Shropshire- sun lotion on.

Photos

From the top of the huge hill below Ayr.

Photo

Oban harbour in the evening. Just posting a few photos in no particular order.

Some other things we shouldn't forget

People are generally very kind and helpful. Yesterday, the people who helped were the man in the bike shack by Windermere station, who helped change a tyre. We also have to mention our girls in Aldcliffe Stores near the canal in Lancaster, who very kindly looked after Beth's panniers so she could carry the bike to the bike shop, and also gave us a fiver for Arthritis Care. Also their people in Leisure Lakes Bikes in Lancaster who helped with the wheel & general tweaking.
This is Jude eating icecream in Hesket Newmarket.

Photo Runcorn bridge

Day 10. Chorley to Whitchurch

Not a bad day all in all, especially considering the lack of a Plan for the day. It did take quite a while to get through St Helens - not a city designed for people or bikes as far as we could see, mostly cars. Best piece of advice today - " Frodsham? Well you want to get onto the M56 for Frodsham." So we thanked him nicely and went the other way.
Drivers in Cheshire seem to be totally focussed on getting where they want to go, overtaking on blind bends, hills, in the teeth of oncoming traffic....
Shropshire started with a hill, but Whitchurch is pretty, and we've found somewhere to stay, so that's nice.

Lie-in day

Today is another beautiful day in Chorley, and we're due to continue South towards Whitchurch. This is our least planned day so far, we'll probably look at a map soon, whenever we decide to get up :)
It's lovely to read all your comments so keep them coming, it reminds us there's life beyond two wheels and the road. Carrie & Ian, so glad you got there and thanks for your encouragement, lovely to hear from you! Never fear, we're walking up lots of hills with no shame at all!

Fan club in Ardrossan

Day 9 Windermere to Chorley

Disaster day today. Two new inner tubes, two new tyres, one smart new wheel. Fortunately the weather has been beautiful, and dusk was long which was good, since it gave us enough light to find the accomodation by. Now into the rolling plains of Lancashire. 73.9 miles today, 600.9 miles in total, today's top speed 29.2mph.

Day?

We've lost count! Yesterday was a very tough 78.8 miles through the Lake District. Hilly that was. On the other hand, Wimdermere Y.H. is very nice, with lovely views and lovely breakfast, which we ate ok the terrace in the sun.

Crossing the border

Swans

Day 7

Max speed about 30.4mph. Distance about 78 miles (!). Jam rolls two. Unusual cafes full of jigsaws one. Sun lots. Red squills one. Shut cycle shops one. Cygnets in Gatehouse of Fleet seven (see photos). Irate parent swans two.

Some places worth a mention

The sugar cube cafe in Ayr served a very nice bowl of soup & piece of cake for a very reasonable price. The Stables in Lochgilphead had very friendly & cheerful staff for a busy day ( food was alright, but not to write home about). Just now we're in Designs cafe in Castle Douglas, which had a really nice mushroom & celeriac soup (sandwich ordinary sadly). Also we should mention the very lovely Quaich cafe in um Kilmasomething. Will look at map later. It's a lovely cafe, good coffee and lovely homemade cake. We weretoo early for scones.

Day 6. The Maybole Conspiracy

They say all roads lead to Rome. We can now reveal that this is not true. The truth is that all roads lead to Maybole, and all signposts point there. After a long and weary day (78.8 miles!) we did eventually escape the Maybole forcefield and get to Minnigaff.

Photo Balintraid

Day two leaving Helmsdale

Photos

Experimenting with posting some photos. Please bear in mind that these are the ones taken with a phone, so won't be of the highest standard but just to give an idea. (time setting also fixed)

Photo J'OG

Day 5 Oban to Brodick

What a gorgeous day! The sun shone (most of the time) the scenery was lovely, the road surfaces were good, we made good time and caught the 17.50 ferry from Claonaig to Lochranza. We'd been warned about the big hill out of Lochranza, and it's true, it is a big hill. So we walked up that. Coming down the other side though - amAYzing! Has made the whole trip worth it. Jude clocked 34.4mph on her odometer. Was so-much-fun :)
Also we did 76.9 miles yesterday. We're really grateful for all your support too :)

Do not want.

The mutiny has started. Do not want to get back on the bike & cycle to Arran. Still, we have lovely clean dry things to wear, which is nice.

rain, rain, go away...

Come again another day when we're not on the road, thanks. The lovely, if perplexed people at Balachulish hotel have let us splosh about, stuff our shoes, & change our clthes all before lunch :) it may be wet, but it's still better than yesterday's wind.

Windy hills

Sorry for not posting yesterday, if that worried anyone, we were Just Too Tired.
Yesterday was a longish day mileswise at about 63miles, and very long in terms of hours (about 8am to 7pm on the road, with breaks). According to Mapmyride, we reached an elevation of 1300 feet (Ben Nevis is 4409ft I think), and the wind was un-re-lenting. Seriously, it didn't stop all day, and was so strong sometimes you hardly had to brake going downhill, because the wind did it for you.
Good things - occasional tree shelter, mini mars bars, picnic lunch was surprisingly nice, given that we had wanted to be inside, three guys on motorbikes who cheered us up at the top of the biggest hill (Jude enquired their opinion on windspeed & one chap held up a licked finger and agreed it was there), gorse smell in the sun (day two it smelled of honey, yesterday it smelled of coconut).
Really, really hoping it's not windy today.

Chickens

So, we've arrived at Balintraid safe and sound. We made good time, many of the roads seem to have been recently surfaced and are lovely and smooth (it's interesting what you find yourself being grateful for). Weather today has been kind :) Altogether much more cheering. The hostel here is a lovely house, with great facilities. But they've put us in a dorm room with another group which is a) noisy, and b) mixed. There are boys! We wouldn't mind so much, except we weren't asked if we minded. Hmm. Perhaps we're being too British and uptight about it. It is a lovely place, though the people we met at Helmsdale were nicer :) the tip Beth was given to help stabilise the bike at speed (knee on the crossbar, if anyone's interested) seems to be helping a bit, though leads to slightly odd riding position.
[ETA: the house here has chickens including a beautiful little bantam chick. That's why the title.]

Better days today

So we're just having lunch in Tain (cheese toastie, tea, ham roll, hot chocolate in case anyone's interested, from Harry Gow's). we've also got oatcakes for later, and Beth's very excited since we've also, finally, got butteries.
Today's been a good run so far, though the wind over Dornoch Bridge was a pain.

First day thinkings

Last night's post was short & sweet-after we fell asleep for the third time it seemed better to just finish the sentence & go to bed properly. Now is the morning of the second day, weather's looking pretty good so far, although at 6.15, there's plenty of time for that to change.
Yesterday, all our troubles seemed- well, right with us actually. It was a day for sorting out boundaries - we had one small crash ( Beth's fault), we've decided we need to stop more frequently for drinks and raisin breaks-just short ones and especially in the first couple of hours. When you're full of enthusiasm, you don't feel you need them, but by the time you do, it's too late. We're also learning more about each other's cycling styles, for example Jude is faster uphill, but prefers a rest on the way down, Beth is pretty much the opposite ( though not so fast down the hills now, as her bike's not handling well above about 30mph). So we overtake each other as necessary, and we get there eventually. By common unspoken consent, we walked up Berriesford Blaes -that hill's nearly vertical! But as Jude said "Even Chris Hoy would have to walk up here!"

John O'Groats -> Helmsdale

Rain, rain, hail and wind today. Oh and did we mention the hills? Many hills, all very steep. However, we battled on through, made it to the hostel at Helmsdale, showered and fed, and things look better for tomorrow :)

That's my Mum!

So, we've successfully caught a seven a.m train, changed at Inverness and caught the bus, complete with lovely driver at Wick.
And we were getting off the bus at the John O'Groats hostel, when Jude exclaimed "That's my Mum!" and sure enough, much to our surprise, Jude's Mum had come up to wave us off, and took us for a wee drive round the area. We've already met some lovely people, including the couple on their way to Orkney from Bristol who sponsored us on the spot :)

Time marches on...

We leave next week! Still missing a map for the West Country, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. If we can find it of course.

Tech check

So, trying out a post from the phone to see how practical. Very as it turns out :)

New tech excitement

Hurrah. Beth has an iphone in order to keep the blog updated on the road, and also because it's shiny. So the next couple of posts may be practising/testing ones.
On the other, less good hand, she's also been sold a jacket claiming to have waterproof pockets. Turns out they fibbed about that. Cycling equipment so far is not only ugly (ugleee=misereee)but also doesn't seem to work very well.
www.strindbergandhelium.com

Food Glorious Food

We keep having to remind ourselves that we will still be in the UK, and within hailing distance of civilisation ~ we aren't going to starve! However, we are devoting considerable thought to the question of what to carry in the way of food. It needs to be sustaining, not too heavy, not leak, break, or absorb water... So far apples, carrots (see Mum, we're eating our veggies) and chocolate are looking good.
We're also looking forward to the food along the way, butteries and Chorley cakes here we come!

We're going to be on the telly!

Okay, only the internal hospital ones, and it's just a publicity poster really, but still...
Thanks to Laura in the Postgrad Centre for sorting that out for us. Chocolate to follow.
We've been advised to keep this frequently updated to keep people interested, so we'll work on that. The next post will be about knickers....

http://www.ctc.org.uk/ - third party insurance, cyclist's defence team, what more could you want?

Further planning and preparation

One puncture and 33 miles later, we're wondering if this is such a good idea, and have determined that we'll be carrying spare inner tubes. No fiddling about with patches for us! Thanks to Davie in Polmont for fixing Jude's bike :)
Us and our vital statistics.
Jude is 29, Beth is (ahem) a bit older than that. We're both staff nurses in Glasgow. We're raising money for Arthritis Care, as Beth works in rheumatology, and Jude's uncle suffered with arthritis. Almost everyone knows someone with arthritis, as it's one of the most common causes of disability in the UK. So it seemed like a good idea.
Jude rides a Giant hybrid bike, Beth rides an ancient Raleigh roadbike. If you see us - wave.
www.badscience.net

Yet more planning

So we spent several hours today, realising how far behind we are. Beth's going away for a bit, so she spent some time getting Jude to do all the work while she's away. Lol.
However - we have posters, and we have a Plan. For now.
http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/ (Just in case anyone out there doesn't know about it yet.)

Starting out.

Text message from Jude to Beth 23/07/08:
Hi! How are you getting on? Was wondering...giving you lots of time for thought, but maybe next summer would you like to cycle from John O'Groats to Lands End? Think it would take a week. Anyway, just a thought....

So...
We thought about it for a bit, and leave for Wick on the 21st of May, which isn't very far away now.
We have a justgiving site at
http://www.justgiving.com/judeandbethcycle , so you can give us menny, menny monies for Arthritis Care ( http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/ ).
Our next post will be introducing us more, and routes and planning and stuff and things. (Probably)
We will also hope to update the blog on the road as well, and have photies and whatnot.
today we like http://garfieldminusgarfield.net