Day 10 Moffat to Glasgow 64 (very wet) miles....

Hey, did anyone happen to see the weather forecast for today over NW Scotland? Did you notice that hugmungous rain cloud? Yes? Well, welcome to our wet world today!!!! We started early - for some reason I can't fathom....but anyway we did. 8am on the road and a steady 3mile climb out of Moffat. (Which, by the way is a very nice town, worth a visit) Me- my usual slow-to-get-going self but hey, got going eventually. It was wet but not lashing at this stage. But we were hampered by the horrible road surface. Bone rattling stuff that has my miracle saddle (in so far as its a miracle the damn thing is still on the bike) loose and rattly. We made it 17miles to Abington to meet John at the services. Soaked to the skin but pleased to be stopping. I needed to refuel as I had thrown up my breakfast. I know...too much information. But you need to know the trials of life on the road! We then set off again heading in the general direction of Glasgow. I must say, if Cornwall can do hills then Scotland is all about the rain. And we got it in bucketloads today. We stopped at a McD's in Hamilton and the staff took such pity on us poor charity cyclists that we got free desserts! yay! Makes up a bit for all the thickshakes we had at the McD's at Buck Barn during our training! Then it was on to tackle Glasgow. My saddle exploded AGAIN. But luckily John had equipped us with the spare bolt and it got bolted in rapid quick time and we were on our way. Rubbish, rubbish road surface all through the city. Interesting architecture though. Anyway, to cut a long, wet and tiring story short we crossed through and out of the city accompanied by calls from John explaining the route. And still we overshot our turnoff. We ended up huddled in a bus shelter awaiting rescue. John duly turned up with his own tale of woe. The camper van had a puncture which was ok because we carry a spare. But not ok because the supplied jack was not enough to jack such a huge vehicle! Lots of wet too-ing and fro-ing for JP and eventually it was sorted. So we all arrived at our hotel for the night a bit jaded but in fine good spirits because....that is another 64 miles we don't have to do again! Well not the same 64 anyway.
Just want to say a big thank you to all who are commenting and sending lovely texts to encourage us on our way. It is a huge thing for us and it's good to know other people are interested in this madcap journey. Thanks so much. Hugs to all xxx

Day 9 Penrith to Moffat (?) 60miles

As you can see from the photos we arrived in Scotland today. Un-be-lievable!!! We had a very flat ride but against a really strong north westerly wind which made the going seem very slow. Did a lot of 'drafting' to make this easier with David upfront. Thanks Trusty! We met John for coffee the other side of Carlisle and he pointed out the road we needed to take to get to Gretna. Just as well as it was difficult to find! Then we legged it to Gretna and stopped for the photo ops and found the leprachaun awaiting us!  John then headed off to Moffat and we cycled slowly on to Lockerbie where we stopped for a lovely lunch in the town centre. When we finished John was waiting for us on his bike! God, that man gets around! He then proceeded to up the ante and put us through our paces for the remaining 15miles which we did in about an hour and twelve minutes!!! We formed what we have fondly named a 'pelotonini' ie, a small peloton! I can only say that I am rather glad that John isn't setting the pace for the whole ride. Alex didn't even get a chance for a pee stop!! However it did get us to the hotel by 4.30pm. An early finish for once. So I am showered and ready for some serious chillin'. Covered 60miles today in five and a half hours.

Day 8 Preson to Penrith 64miles

Really really heavy rain overnight and this morning. So after the best porridge I've ever had (did I mention this hotel is lovely?) we had the usual dithering with what to wear. We have wet weather gear but any slight incline and its just too hot to bear it. The boys go for the bare wet leg look but Beth and I donned the waterproof trews. We got a bit wet alright but were going so well on the non-hilly terrain that it didn't seem to matter. John headed off to do the laundry....what a great guy he is. True support spending time at the launderette for us all. We met up with him at lunchtime in Kendal so we could all re-fuel for the long hike up to Shap. This is a bit of upflat that climbs to about 1400feet I think. So off came the wet weather gear. All unnecessary kit left in the van and off we went. But we hadn't even negotiated Kendal town before Alex got a puncture on one of his indestructible 'armadillo' tyres. David suggested that Beth and I carry on up to Shap and we'd wait for them there. It was about a 15mile trip to get up there. Not all uphill but a long slow slow slow drag for most of it. Made up for by the amazing views. So we wended our way. It wasn't as steep as we'd feared. But then anything after Day 2 is never as steep as we fear! David caught up with me just before we got to John waiting at the top. Beth pipped us to the summit and many a congratulatory photo was taken! Then it was a great downhill trip and onwards to Penrith. We are at a nice B n B. Have just had an Italian meal in a very lively restaurant and now all of us have retired early to our rooms. The weather was great today with fantastic cloud formations over the Cumbrian hills. Hard to believe we are over halfway through our marathon trek.

Day 7 Whitchurch to Preston 70miles

Writing this on day 8 as too exhausted to make use of the wi-fi at the hotel last night. The Raven Arms at Whitchurch is definitely a place to be avoided if you want a relaxing, clean overnight stop! Our room was fine and quiet as it was away from the main hotel. We went to eat at a nearby Indian restaurant. and were joined by Beths friends Caroline and Amy. A pleasant evening and the usual early night. At about midnight we had a text from Beth to say the party from hell was going on in the room next to hers and she didn't feel safe. So she hotfooted it out of there and slept in the camper van for the night. Where she was very cosy indeed. And John made sure the hotel did not charge her for the room. We couldn't bring ourselves to wait for breakfast there. Not that it was dirty but John was worried that when Caroline brought Jade her dog in to the bar that the dog would be velcroed to the carpet! Anyway after a nice breakfast at the truckers cafe next door (!) us cyclists headed off north. We had a lovely flat days riding ahead of us and all was going swimmingly. Until I got held up at some traffic lights. The guys waited up the road and as I started pedalling they also set off. Suddenly my saddle exploded! Well, the whole kitkaboodle just leapt off the bike! Beth just happened to see it happen and came back to help and pick up the pieces. It seems that a bolt had just sheared off causing the seeming exploding saddle! It was fortunate it happened when I was not riding at speed, I reakon. So there was no fixing it at roadside, though David tried hard. We had to call John back - unfortunately he was the other side of Wigan at this stage. But come back he did and put a new post on. It made my miracle saddle tilt somewhat but was fine as a stopgap. So this made us a bit behind schedule so we didn't stop for a long lunch. We pushed on around Warrington and Wigan. Very urban compared to a few days ago and quiet mentally exhausting. Still is was flat terrain which is a bonus! We had a stop at a lovely deli outside Preston somewhere and then tackled Preston itself. Eventually after 70 miles we ended up at a fabbo hotel outside Preston called Barton Hall. If ever you feel the need to go to Preston, stay there! Fantastic value. Fab food, great staff, excellent rooms. All in all, a right nice way to spend our 27th wedding anniversay!

Day 5 Bristol to Leominster 72miles (yes, thats right -72)

Well, it's pretty late for me tonight, it must be past 10pm! It's been a very long day in the saddle for us. We had a fab evening at Colliters last night. Simon produced a fantastic bbq and it was lovely to catch up with family and friends. Tho we cyclists were all tucked up early for today's adventure. And what an adventure it was.
We left Colliters at about 9ish and wended our way to the Severn Bridge. This was a good trip through the docks and industrial areas. Very flat and we paced ourselves. We took a coffee break with John just before the bridge then took ages to get across it because of all the photo opportunities. It is beautiful and the weather was fine. Unlike some parts of the country we hear! We cycled through the Wye Valley. Wow! How incredibly beautiful. And Tintern Abbey is stunning. We had lunch in Monmouth which is a very pretty town. John caught up with us at one point and gave us his usual 'good news'. Most of which I forget now but involved lots of talk of downhills. Am learning to take no notice of him in this regard! We then spent a couple of hours getting here to the lovely Inn we are staying in. It was further than even John thought and we were all just exhausted on arrival. Though feeling pretty blessed that the weather had been great and the scenery so incredible. So apart from being saddle sore and weary of limb, sure, what have we to complain about? As David said, beats doing the payroll at work!
I had a bit of a prob with my small cog which seems to be ok for now but will need some attention in the longer term. Alex had 9 pee stops. I know this is probably of limited interest to anyone but Beth and I are counting! Trusty ate too much last night and suffered a bit today but seemed better this evening. We have some great photos. Some of which I will try and download now so watch this space. Anyone want to leave us a comment? Go on. Angie seems able to work out how! Go to comments and click. Write your message. Tick 'anonymous' in the box marked 'post as' and send post. That should work. It' d be great to hear from you!
So we were riding for 7 hours today. Phew.

Day4 Taunton to Bristol

Here we are, a quarter of the way through! We had such a lovely meal and relax last night in a lovely Inn near Taunton. Today the weather was much better (thanks Angie!) and we set off at a right old pace with only the Somerset levels to contend with. A short day scheduled which was still 40miles but felt almost like a day off. We were welcomed on the roadside at a pub (where else?) by Simon, John, Chris and Roxanne. Felt like celebrities we did. Then after a lunch we headed the 400yrds to our accommodation at Colliters Brook Farm (see last weeks entry). Where we have been joined by Annie and Mudger. They are all outside watching Simon put the bbq on. We are all in various states of relaxation, laundering, showering and hanging on to this internet connection! Can't write much more as its definitely frustrating!. So I will wish you all well and head back to the bbq. #
I have lots of photos to upload and post but the connection is too poor for that. Just know that 90% of them seem to involve Alex answering the call of nature in front of some spectacular views!!

Day 2 St Austell to Moretonhampstead and Day 3 Moretonhampstead to Taunton

Golly, I barely know where to start, what tone to adopt or what details to include! I will start with the bald statement that I have decided I cannot forgive Cornwall its hills. Cornwall is a b*****!
We set off from our hotel yesterday and almost immediately faced a 10% climb. I am not sure what the 10% stands for but it was flippin steep. Well pleased with ourselves we were and met by John at the top for a high five all round. If I had realised then that we would be earning high fives all day long without respite I may have just gone back down the hill and rested up another day or two! But luckily John decided to keep ahead of us with pasties and pointers to lunch. There isn't really much to say about the rest of the morning other than its a bit like childbirth......painful and you'd rather forget the details as soon as possible! And it got more so as the day wore on and we climbed up onto Dartmoor. Which is incredibly beautiful with pretty sheep, churlish ponies, cute foals and remarkable rock formations. All of which I would love to go back and re visit when I have the use of a car.
Trusty was an absolute star today. He kept us all motivated and moving.....mostly. I must confess to getting off just before one particular summit and pushing my bike up the last 150yrds or so. It was no easier but I was using a different set of muscles! And my team mates didn't hold it against me. By gum the moors go on a bit.
John drove ahead and rode back to join us about 10miles from where we were finishing. It was getting quite late by this stage and we were all pretty exhausted, tired and emotional. John took the decision to go and fetch the van and meet us in Moretonhampstead to ferry us up to the b n b (it involved a 2 mile climb). So he was a hero too. Cycling all those hills just to face a very grumpy me (and tired co-cyclists), then hurtling back to the b n b and meeting us in the town. It was gone 8pm by this time and a Sunday evening in a sleepy Devon town. Worried that we might not be fed we were rescued by none other than the local White Horse! So the bikes were secured in and on the van and we repaired to the pub for pizza and chat. But not for long as we were dead on our feet. We did a pretty illegal trip with five of us in the van up to the bnb. And were greeted by owls hooting madly which was lovely. Quick shower, no signal or energy to blog and sleep! We cycled 55miles today in 6hours 53minutes. What a day! Average speed 7.9mph. Did I mention that it was hilly?

This morning we had to go back to Moretonhampstead and face the climb back up to the bnb to say we had covered every mile by cycle. Trouble was it was pouring rain so we faffed about for a while or two. Finally we had to face the fact that it was set in for the day and so off we went. The climb wasn't too bad actually (even on sore quads) and the downhills quite treacherous due to the rain. But we made it. We had another climb or two before we made it to Exeter absolutely soaked through. The thing is, once you're wet, you're....well....wet! There is no getting wetter! So we amused a few locals in a pub and had a coffee outside in their shelter then made our way through the city. From here on in the journey was reasonable regarding hills but the rain didn't really let up at all. We met John again at a services for coffee and pastries then we hotfooted (wetfooted more like) the next 16miles to our bnb. We are in the middle of the Somerset countryside in a local hostelry for the night. Showered, warm at last and looking forward to a relaxing meal and an early night. Today we cycled for 4 and a half hours and covered 45.7 miles. Average speed about 10 or 11 I think.
If anyone hasn't checked out Beths blog, do! It'll give a different account of the same trip so you will get an all round picture of the days events. She is at http://www.le2jog.wordpress.com/