August 2009
41 posts
Day 14. Altnahara to John O'Groats. 80 miles....
Made it!
A hot bowl of porridge put me in mood to go the slightly longer scenic route up to the ruged north coast.
It was reasuring to see some signs of civilisation and 2 lane roads!
I arrived on time at the finish line where the we did the customary photo call. The next call was the John O’Groats bar for a well deserved pint!
A family reunion and a bottle of bubbly completed the...
Day 13. Inverness to Altnahara. 77 miles
To the middle of nowhere!
Moving north from Inverness the freezing cold rain was constant throughout the day. A few F1 style fuel stops along the way, a diet of Lucozade tablets and Irn Bru, along with some heavy Drum & Bass on the iPod kept me going through the driving rain.
The main A road narrowed in to a single track road for the last 20 miles, as I ventured in to the least populated...
Day 12. Clencoe to Inverness. 85 miles
Lots of Lochs, but no Monster!
A long but enjoyable day took me from the West side of Scotland up the Great Glen to Inverness in the east.
The fast road led me around Ben Nevis and past five Lochs, including the famous Loch Ness
We had lunch at the side of Loch Ness keeping our eyes peeled but the most exciting wildlife I saw was a hedgehod crossing the road.
Our tent is pitched 5 meters...
Day 11. Strathyre to Glencoe. 58 miles
Welcome to The Highlands!
The route directions for the day were: turn left out of the campsite. Turn right after 26 miles. Arive at campsite after a further 30 miles.
Thankfully there is only one road leading up to this part of the world so I couldn’t get lost!
The first leg of the journey took me through valleys, forrests and past Lochs. After the ‘turn right’ the landscape...
Day 10. Lanark to Straythe. 72 miles
In to the Trosachs!
Set of from Lanark on a cold Scotish summer day to venture around some minor roads to avoid going through Glasgow.
We had lunch in a small town north of the city before climbing over the ruged mountains of Campsie Fell. The journey took me past some spectacular scenery to Callander and up in to the Trosachs national park.
Day 9. Carlise to Lanark. 86 miles
Over the border.
After a short ride to the border, the Scotland sign provided the ideal opertunity for a photo. From Gretna Green I ventured in to the remote Scotish countryside with superb views.
I had to take a diversion to stop at a charming small town called Moffat for lunch. This is because it was the only source of civilsation along the 80 mile ride!
After a long day in the saddle it...
Day 8. Lancaster to Carlisle. 78 miles
Round the Lake Districk!
As my knee still isn’t 100% I desided to change my original route that took me through the middle of Lake Districk on the Kirkstone Pass. Instead, I went round the edge of the Districk over the famous Shap Fell.
This was the less mountainous of the two options, but the climb was still epic, as were the views. It was pretty much down hill from there with the wind...
Day 7. Liverpool to Lancaster. 54 miles
Slow and steady…
A short ride up from Liverpool enabled me to take my time and rest my knee. The less than inspireing journey on mainly busy A roads was broken up with a lunch stop in wonderful Preston!
It was worth the trip however as I was rewarded with a warm bed and a hearty meal for the night.
Day 6. Shrewsbury to Liverpool. 73 miles
On to the flats.
Set off from Shrewsbury at a gental pace as I concerned about my knee. I stopped after 20 miles at Witchurch and bought an elasticated bandage which really helped.
Thankfully the route today was fairly flat and straighforwards as dad and I went are seperate ways. Dad has gone off to an old car rally for 2 nights as I stay at freinds houses in Liverpool and Lancaster to meet up...
Day 5. Ross to Shrewsbury. 83 miles
Wye is my knee hurting so much??!
I set off up the Wye valley to Ludlow via Hereford and Leominster where I met dad for lunch. Best sanwich of the trip award goes to Ludlow!
To avoid the busy A49 I took the back roads over the Long Mynd and eventually came down from the hills in to Shrewsburry.
The demanding hills took their toll on my left knee making the last strech uncomfortable. With a...
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Day 4. Cheddar to Ross on Wye. 76 miles (was meant...
Sun, Severn and Seventy three miles!
As todays route was only 52 miles it seemed like a good idea to take my time and explore Bristol (not worth it) on my way through.
Unfortunately, the campsite we wanted to stay at near Monmouth was full so we had to go up the road to Ross. That, and the fact I can’t read a map to save my life meant adding a futher 25 miles on to the journey!
On the...
Day 3. Okehampton to Cheddar. 88 miles
More rain, more hills and deep heat!
A long and hard day today, not helped by the constant rain.
I am very quickly developing a hatered for those ‘hole in wall’ hand washing machines in public toilets that squirt out hot water. Not helpful when you’re dehydrated!!
Dad was very tempted to whimp out of camping and find a b&b today. However, he braved the rain and the tent...
Day 2. Padstow to Okehampton. 61 miles
Rain, Hills and a Ferry ride.
To start the day I had to take short ferry ride over a river (I know it’s cheating but I didn’t want to get my bike too wet).
On the ferry I met 4 more cyclists heading up to john o’groats and a little old lady who gave me £10!
Constant wind driven rain and some very minor roads made the ride frustatingly slow. After re-fueling while sheltering...
Day 1. Lands End to Padstow. 75 miles
The day started with the customery photo down at Lands End before setting off though Penanze and up to Newquay.
I really enjoyed the coastal ride from Newquay up to the B&B in Padstow and amazingly it didn’t rain!
We got Rick Stein’s fish n’ chip take away and ate them while listening to a brass band at the harbour.
Day 0. Penarth to Lands End
The journey down here consisted of heavy rain and heavy traffic but was greated by sunshine as we entered Cornwall.
We are staying in a very nice, but windy campsite overlooking Lands End.
Can’t belive we’re finaly here after all the planning but tomorrow is the big day!
July 2009
7 posts
Three Days to Go!
Three days to go before the start of the ride. Most things are in place and ready to get packed for the drive down to Lands End on Saturday. Yesterday I watched the news in despair as it was announced the summer is officially canceled and it’s actually going to rain all August. Great.
Sponsorship has again beaten my more ambitious target of £1,000 which is amazing. Thank you so much all...
One week to go!
Only one week to go now. Sponsorship has gone way over the initial target of £400 which is amazing! so i’ve now upped the target to £1,000. Please ask your friends and family to donate as well so we can smash this new target!
https://www.teenagecancertrust.org/sponsor/JamesBourne-LEJOG
Track me! →
See where I am along the route. I’ll update my location a few times a day.
Donation Site: →
Please go to this site to donate on line, or contact me directly if you want to give cash or cheque.
The Route:
This is the route I will be taking on way up the country.
August 1st: Travel down from Cardiff to Land’s end
2nd: Land’s End to Padstow (Cornwall) 3rd: Padtow to Okehampton (Devon) 4th: Okehampton to Cheddar (Somerset) 5th: Cheddar to Ross on Wye (Herefordshire) 6th: Ross on Wye to Shrewsbury (Shropshire) 7th: Shrewsbury to Liverpool 8th: Liverpool to Lancaster (Lancashire) 9th:...