Got back in the early hours of the morning after a 16 hour trip back from Scotland. Very tired but elated. The anti-climax hasn't struck yet. It's just nice to be home!
The first two days through Cornwall and Devon were stunning weather but brutal landscape. We went right across Dartmoor National Park in blazing sunshine. That was hard. After that we had a week of getting soaked at least once a day, none more so that the journey between Lancaster and Kendal where we were cyling through rivers of water. Going under one railway bridge on the A6 the rain water had collected to form a small lake which came upto the hub on my front wheel as I struggled through it.
The roads in Scotland were truly terrible. Don't people pay their taxes up there?! How we didn't suffer broken spokes I'll never know. Once clear of Glasgow however the scenery is amazing. The road along Loch Lomond is great and then we climbed up and up into the Highlands. There really is no more beautiful place to cycle through.
Once through there we had brilliant weather for the final part of the trip. We chose the South side of Loch Ness which climbed steeply for several miles out of Fort Augustus. In the heat that was one of the harder parts of the trip. The final leg was great and once we successfully negotiated the Berriedale Braes it was easy(ish). We got the obligatory grey skies, rain and wind as we rode into JoG.
It was hard. Probably harder than I suspected as day after day of hills, rain and miles took its toll, especially on my knees and my ar*e! Should you do it though? Absolutely!!
The first two days through Cornwall and Devon were stunning weather but brutal landscape. We went right across Dartmoor National Park in blazing sunshine. That was hard. After that we had a week of getting soaked at least once a day, none more so that the journey between Lancaster and Kendal where we were cyling through rivers of water. Going under one railway bridge on the A6 the rain water had collected to form a small lake which came upto the hub on my front wheel as I struggled through it.
The roads in Scotland were truly terrible. Don't people pay their taxes up there?! How we didn't suffer broken spokes I'll never know. Once clear of Glasgow however the scenery is amazing. The road along Loch Lomond is great and then we climbed up and up into the Highlands. There really is no more beautiful place to cycle through.
Once through there we had brilliant weather for the final part of the trip. We chose the South side of Loch Ness which climbed steeply for several miles out of Fort Augustus. In the heat that was one of the harder parts of the trip. The final leg was great and once we successfully negotiated the Berriedale Braes it was easy(ish). We got the obligatory grey skies, rain and wind as we rode into JoG.
It was hard. Probably harder than I suspected as day after day of hills, rain and miles took its toll, especially on my knees and my ar*e! Should you do it though? Absolutely!!