John o' Groats
Written by Anthony & Steve
We did it!
After having spent the previous evening playing darts in a bar full of a somewhat aggresive cast of Sesame Street, we were pleased and excited to head out of Bettyhill for the final leg of the trip (our first pre-8.00am start).
The weather, as you will have already guessed, was wet and windy, but for this last leg we had the wind behind us.
The coastline, which is followed by the only road in this area, is fantastic, but hilly, with long descents and climbs into and out of fishing harbours. It felt like 20 miles of Cornwall revisited.
We completed the first half of the ride to Thurso at a relatively fast pace, despite the best efforts of the local farm life to mount roadblocks.
At Thurso, the weather improved and the rain finally stopped, allowing for some brilliant views across the local countryside.
Having stopped for a quick refuel, we continued with renewed energy to John o' Groats, finally arriving at 12.00pm, after: 1009 miles, 84 hours of cycling, 2 pasties, 6 pies, 28 cooked breakfasts and approximately 102 pints of local ales, plus a small cornershop-worth of chocolate bars.
Feeling knackered, but elated with what we had achieved, we took some photos and settled down to drink a bottle of Cava (kindly transported to Bettyhill from Edinburgh by Tim).
Drinking a bottle of Cava out of dirty plastic cycle bottles, on an empty stomach, in the freezing cold, after four hours of strenuous exercise makes you feel somewhat light-headed.
We were suddenly not looking forward to the remaining 20 miles we needed to cycle to Wick.
Whilst contemplating sobering up over lunch in the Sea View bar, we were joined by Jimmy Cullen, the exuberant support van driver for a tour following several hours behind us.
Understanding our circumstance, he immediately offered to drive us to Wick, an offer which we debated at some length before instantly accepting. Thank you, Jimmy.
Over dinner at Wick's curry house (the first Indian we've dared to have, on account of forthcoming cycling), we relaxed in the knowledge that we could finally give our legs a rest.
It will take a few days for our minds to settle down, but two things we know for sure already: it was definitely worth it, and it was definitely harder in every respect than we thought it would be.
1009 miles, 84 hours of cycling, 2 pasties, 6 pies, 28 cooked breakfasts and approximately 102 pints of local ales later, Ant and Steve arrive at John o' Groats
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
Bettyhill
Statistics
- Miles today:
53 - Average cycling speed:
13.1mph - Total miles: 1009
