Day 15 - Okehampton to Newquay

Scorchio! The first whole day without rain and the sun here in Newquay is very hot. After the sleepy little villages I've been staying in on this trip, Newquay is quite a shock. It is a full on party town. Though I'll be in bed by 10pm.
Cycling today was hilly this morning in Devon and was much flatter this afternoon in Cornwall. I've been wondering what the significance of 'Tre' at the begining of the place names. Maybe Iain my Cornish friend could enlighten us.
A lot of you have been leaving encouraging comments. It is hard for me to respond to each one, but I do appreciate them. Thank you.
Tomorrow is the last day. I cant believe it. It doesn't seem that long ago that I started planning this adventure, but the last 2 weeks have certainly seemed like a long time.

Okehampton to Newquay
Distance: 64miles
Rolling time: 6hr 25min
Max: 36mph
Av speed: 9.9mph

JOGLE Miles: 984

Day 14 - Stogumber to Okehampton

Today was quite short, so it was supposed to be like a day off. I took things quite slowly to begin with but was soon introduced to the Devon hills. In Scotland the road builders built the roads around the hills, but down here they have built them straight over the top of every hill sadistically.
Passed lots of cyclists around Crediton who were in a cycle race and lots of them have cheery waves. Also saw my first jogler.
Only 2 more days to go.

Stogumber to Okehampton
Distance: 56miles
Rolling time: 5hr 49min
Max: 34mph
Av speed: 9.6mph

JOGLE Miles: 920

Day 13 - Stroud to Stogumber

A big thank you to Anne and Robin for putting me up and feeding me a great risotto last night especially since they have just moved in and with our virtual Skype connection it felt like Ems was there too. Raced down to Bristol on the A38 in record time despite the strong headwind. Bristol was recently named as Englands first cycling city with new funding. Bristol is certainly not the worst city I've cycled through but with the new funding I hope they sort out the huge number of cars that park in the existing cycle lanes.
Today was supposed to be my longest day so I pushed on down the A38. I made good time and at Bridgewater I had finished the backbone of England and started the last part of my journey on the foot. Took the rest of the day slowly as I knew I was nearly there and had a big climb over the Quantock hills (the first place in England to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Stayed and ate at another great pub called the White Horse in Stogumber.

Stroud to Stogumber
Distance: 85miles
Rolling time: 8hr 37min
Max: 36.5mph
Av speed: 9.8mph

JOGLE Miles: 864

Day 12 - Bucknell to Stroud

A great day through rolling countryside and made good time for a change as there was no headwind and the rain was quite light.
Got to Anne and Robins early and had to help put up a wardrobe and my bed as they have just moved in. I helped them install Skype and we had a long video call with Ems - she even got to have a virtual tour of the new house. It was quite bizzare.

Bucknell to Stroud
Distance: 69miles
Rolling time: 6hr 20min
Max: 32mph
Av speed: 10.9mph

JOGLE Miles: 779

Day 11 - Drookit at Bucknell

A shortish day overall, which was a welcome change. Set off towards Whitchurch as fast as I could, just incase Nick and the guys (http://www.jogle.eu/) had slept in or had a bacon stop. Their day yesterday was a lot worse than mine, since they didnt finish untill 10:30 last night. Unfortunetly I didnt catch them.
Chose the A49 again today instead of the lanes. Still didnt see much as the countryside is quite flat and the rain came down in buckets for most of the day, hence drookit in the title. Saw a sign for a village fayre advertising the Wurzels. Are they still going?
Got to Bucknell early and ate at the Baron of Beef, a great country pub. Obviously I had cow.

Hamton Heath to Bucknell
Distance: 58miles
Rolling time: 6hr 5min
Max: 25mph
Av speed: 9.6mph

JOGLE Miles: 710

Day 10 - Garstang to Hamton Heath

Had a quick chat to a couple of Lejogers who were also staying at the B&B before we headed off. Cycling was fairly good, but ignored the route plan as I was spending far too much time getting lost and having to check the GPS. In the end I pretty much followed the A49 down from Warrington. I'm glad I did as I think my planned route was going to a lot longer than I had estimated.
Tried to meet up with Nick and the guys of Jogle for Alzheimers but our timings were off.

Garstang to Hamton Heath
Distance: 77miles
Rolling time: 7hr 52min
Max: 31mph
Av speed: 9.7mph

JOGLE Miles: 652

Day 9 - Hesket Newmarket to Garstang

Nothing much to report on route today as most of the time I was cycling between hedgerows. I had expected a fairly easy 2nd half to the day, but the route from Map My Ride was under by 10 miles and the terrain was definitely not flat.
Bust a spoke today I think near Lancaster and will have to call ahead to some bike shops to see if they can fix it.
Also passed my Jogle half way point somewhere south of Kendal.

Hesket Newmarket to Garstang
Distance: 83miles
Rolling time: 8hr 31min
Max: 35mph
Av speed: 9.7mph

JOGLE Miles: 575

Day 8 - Glenlair to Hesket Newmarket

I really appreciated my day off yesterday, but I was a bit apprehensive setting off this morning as I had damaged my achilles on Saturday. I did some research and found that it was probably my foot position or seat height that caused the problem. Today I moved my seat down half an inch and removed my toe clips. That and riding on my arches has helped a lot. It was my own fault for fitting my smaller toe clips before I left on this trip.
The cycling was great today with nice sunshine. It was fairly flat all the way to Carlise and a bit of a steep climb towards the end. I deviated from my route slightly today after Longtown through the country lanes as the A7 was a bit busy.
Tonight I am staying near Hesket Newmarket and an now off to the Old Crown for some food and some of their own brewed beer.
At some point tomorrow I will pass my half way point.

Glenlair to Hesket Newmarket
Distance: 74miles
Rolling time: 6hr 30min
Max: 35mph
Av speed: 11.4mph

JOGLE Miles: 492

Day 6 - Hamilton to Glenlair

Last night I stayed at Glenlair, Emily's parents house and today I'm having a day off because Emily has come down to visit. Yesterday was pretty tough. Initially there was a 40 mile climb all the way from Hamilton to the top of the Dalveen Pass. Then there was a fantastic 5 mile downhill on the otherside of the pass. After that the rain came down and by the time I climbed onto the moor above Dunscore the rain was coming down in sheets and I swear it was bordering on sleet. Anyway I'm glad to be having a day off as the rain is still coming down. Thank you to Henrietta and Duncan for kindly drying me out and feeding me up for the weekend.


A bit about Glenlair. Glenlair is famous as the home of James Clerk Maxwell, one of the greatest scientists who has ever lived and yet he is still relatively unknown. His greatest achievement was his theory of electromagnetism which today forms the foundation of electricity, electronics, television, radar and communications, for which he is rightly acclaimed as the father of modern physics. Einstein said "The special theory of relativity owes its origins to Maxwell's equations of the electromagnetic field." He also made fundamental contributions to mathematics, astronomy, engineering and took the worlds first colour photograph.

Maxwell's home was largely destroyed by fire in 1929, but today "The Maxwell at Glenlair Trust" is in the process of stabilising and preserving as much of the remaining structure to guarantee far as possible its continued existence and by so doing establish a permanent monument to the life of James Clerk Maxwell.

Hamilton to Glenlair
Distance: 74miles
Rolling time: 7hr 36min
Max: 32mph
Av speed: 9.7mph

JOGLE Miles: 418

Day 5 - Lost in the Trossachs and then Hamilton

What a day! I was tanking along in the sunshine passing Crainlarich and missed the turning to Loch Lomond. It was 15 miles before I noticed. I made the decision to find another route, rather than re-trace my steps. I wished I hadn't. Instead of the nice easy flat route, I ended up with a huge climb over the Campsie Fells and a tricky route through Glasgow.
Because of the route change I wasn't able to meet up with Geoff Preston who is doing a Lejog. The hardest part of today wasnt physical, but mental. This is what most people say about this type of trip.
Today I heard that a fellow Jogler, Regie has had to pull out because of back problems. I hope your back gets better soon, so you can have another go sometime.
Today was also day one for Nick and the guys of Jogle for Alzheimers. Good luck and hope you have better weather than I've had.

Bridge of Orchy to Hamilton
Distance: 90miles
Rolling time: 8hr 19min
Max: 36mph
Av speed: 10.8mph

JOGLE Miles: 344

Day 4 - Drookit at Bridge of Orchy

A day of hills and at least 5 types of rain. Set off from Foyers in the rain up a steep hill, followed by another steep hill and then a 5 mile hill. After the initial slow start I managed to make up time all the way down to Oinch, which was my half way point through Scotland.

While cycling up Glen Coe, I could feel I hadn't eaten enough and had a banana, 3 slices of Soreen Malt Loaf and 2 cereal bars just to get back on an even keel. The sun and a rainbow came out over Rannoch Moor and everything was great again.

Today wasn't a physical tiring day, but mentally I felt drained. With the hills, rain and the constant concentration of the A92 I feel shot. After a quick shower I went to the bar and ordered two pints of "Bitter and Twisted". The first one didn't even touch the sides. Spookily I am in the same room and the same bunk as I was 3 weeks ago when staying here. Also for the WHW crew it only takes 35mins to cycle from Kingshouse to Bridge of Orchy instead of the 5 hours that we took to walk it. Next time I'm taking the bike.

Foyers to Bridge of Orchy
Distance: 88miles
Rolling time: 8hr 10min
Max: 35mph
Av speed: 10.4mph

JOGLE Miles: 254

Day 3 - Golspie to Foyers

A great days cycling. All the way down to Inverness was easy cycling. Shorts and t-shirt weather and a good drying breeze for my washing. Caught the ferry across to the Black Isle. And before anyone says I was cheating I used my GPS to check how far the distance was (0.85 miles) and added a mile on to the end of the day cycling round Foyers.
Rain came down in buckets at Inverness and it was off and on showers to Foyers.
Coming through Inverness a taxi driver decided to give me 6 inches of space while he passed at speed. When i caught up with him at the lights i reminded him of the Highway Code rule 163 but to no avail. So i called Highland Council taxi licencing department and made a complaint about him. Revenge is sweet. Though he was a complete idiot, I didnt let it spoil the rest of my day as the road to Foyers was another great cycle.
Saw 9 lejogers today. 1 was walking and 2 were on a tandem. Still havent seen any joglers.
I forgot to mention yesterday, that the sponsorship broke the £1000 mark and today it is at £1063 which is spookily the number of miles that I've estimated that the journey will take. Thanks again to everyone who has donated and for all of your encouraging comments.

Note for my fellow joglers. I cant remember if you are coming across the Kessock bridge. If so take the NCN1 (National Cycle Network Route 1) at Tore which will keep you off the dual carriage way and onto the cycle path to cross the bridge)

Golspie to Foyers
Distance: 73miles
Rolling time: 6hr 43min
Max: 32mph
Av speed: 10.6mph

JOGLE Miles: 166

Day 2 - Thurso to Golspie

A short climb out of Thurso in the rain, followed by a nice gentle ride along the coast. I used to live in Caithness about 17 years ago, but cant remember much about the area, but I was reminded of a particular driving practice of the Caithnessers. In front of me a car indicated right and them pulled onto the other side of the road way before his turning to allow a car to pass on the inside. Thank god I wasnt going the other way.
On reaching Melvich a headwind started and stayed with me for the next 37 miles. Was I glad when it stopped. However I did manage to dry my washing on the back of the bike. Not much to report through the flow country.
The sun came out at Helmsdale and i treated myself to an ice cream before the last push to Golspie. I have to say that the Met office forecast was wrong again. They said rain all day. But apart from the 1st hour there was nothing all day.
Saw 5 lelogers today, 4 of them on 1 bike.

Thurso to Golspie
Distance: 73miles
Rolling time: 7hr
Max: 29mph
Av speed: 10mph

JOGLE Miles: 93

Day 1 - Thurso

Arrived in Wick at 3pm after a loooong train journey. Quickly checked the bike and headed off. The cycle to JOG was nice easy going and the weather was far better than expected. So much for the Met office's prediction.
Arriving at JOG I spoke with a Lejoger that just finished in 10 days. He was a seasoned Lejoger and i asked where the start line was. It was around the corner next to the abandoned hotel. A bit of an eyesore. Didn't hang around too long. As soon as i had set off on the Jogle proper, the rain started, but not as bad as the Met Office were predicting. Another easy ride to Thurso.
I have to say that apart from one idiot (no, not a boy racer) all the drivers in Caithness so far have been very courteous.
Off to get some pasta to load up for the ride to Golspie tomorrow.

Wick to JOG
Distance: 17 miles
Rolling time: 1hr 5min
Av speed: 15mph
Max: 36mph

JOG to Thurso
Distance: 20 miles
Rolling time: 1hr 33min
Av speed: 13mph

JOGLE Miles: 20

At the start

The road to JOG was great. All roads lead south now.

At "Inversnecky" station

Caught the correct train in Aberdeen after some initial confusion with platforms and parking. Said goodbye to Ems and I'm off. No going back now.
I think someone has packed a couple of bricks in my bags, cause they weren't this heavy before. Also a couple of bananas exploded in my panniers and have covered some of my cycling gear in banana juice. At least i'll be smelling sweetly to begin with.
Now just waiting for the train to leave Inverness.

Off tomorrow

With less than 24 hours before I begin my journey north and then the downhill bit, a slight amount of nerves are setting in. What am I doing? Tomorrow I catch the train to Inverness and then to Wick were I get in about 3pm. From there I'll cycle to John O'Groats and then on to Thurso (35miles) for the evening before the big cycle south.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast for early next week isn't looking too good and I may have to pack a wetsuit instead of the shorts. Summer must be over and we're back to cauld, dreich wither far ye git fair drookit weet (Translation for those that speak English: Cold miserable weather were you get quite wet). However, in between the rain showers I'll be taking photos and posting them to the blog where they will appear on the Flickr panel on the right hand side and hopefully everyday I'll be posting updates about the JoGLE so far.

A big thank you to everyone who has donated so far. And good luck to Nick & Co of the Jogle for Alzheimers (http://jogleforalzheimers.blogspot.com/) who set off later this week and to Regie (http://2008jogle.blogspot.com/) who sets off today.

Wish me luck and see you soon.