Bernies End to End Diary

Well here we go, its taken a few weeks to get round to this but these are the records of our End-2-End ride.  You may have some of your own memories of certain days, feel free to e-mail them to me and I will add them in.

Day 1 - Friday 28th July

Well, Dave arrived at 9.45 am and Damien and I took the seats out.  All the bikes and stuff fitted in just right.  All ready to go but Id lost the top of the water bottle, we left after 15 mins looking with a temporary one.  The vans a good un, even though the A.B.S. light is on before we get to Worting.  The journey is busy but steady.

St. Just Y.H.A. is just the same as I remember it from 1994.  The usual creaky beds etc.  The hosts are not overly friendly but efficient.  We drove into St. Just for evening meal and by sheer coincidence we end up eating at the same venue as Billy the Indians disco from 94.

There are two guys staying the Y.H.A. doing the E-2-E in three weeks.  They are camping and have got all their gear with them, the guy wearing the Marmite vest weighs about 16st and his bike about the same.

Day 2 - Saturday 29th July
Lands End to Tiverton

Rode down to Lands End (extra six miles), posed for photos, left with a tailwind.  Adam and Richard Lewis working well.  It just starts to drizzle but its still warm and the spray off the road is actually warm!  The traffic is not very friendly.

After about 25 miles Simon punctured when he rode over a rabbit, he had a 1 inch piece of bone embedded in his front tyre.  The next 30 miles its pouring with rain and the traffic is very heavy, single file on the main roads, dodging the cats eyes as we make our way into Wadebridge.  The van has been delayed and is not at the stop.

Back onto B roads again and it gets more pleasant until Dave crashes at 30mph down hill.  A Tesco lorry is reversing out onto our lane and its wet and greasy.  Dave hits a pothole and ends up sliding down the road, hes cut his head and has the usual road burn.  Im glad its him as I know he wont give up.  We cleaned him up a bit in the house nearby, once we got the electric gates to open, and off we went again a little subdued after realising weve still got 1,000 miles to go!  At this point we realise how vulnerable we are without the van!

We finally meet the van at 80 miles and have a wet and windy lunch break.

Martin got bitten by some insect he didnt see, but hes not complaining too much so it cant be poisonous!

Next 25 miles pass steadily and we stop at Martins Grandads local pub.  As soon as we stop Adam makes straight for the loo.  He re-appeared 15 mins later looking very relieved.  Its 3.30 pm.  The locals are quite interested in the ride and one geyser gives us £20.  We have coffees all round and more food from the van.

Set off again and the next 10 miles are a bit grim as its colder and absolutely chucking it down - where are all the mudguards!!  The G.P.S. is working great, we have to negotiate a closed road in a valley where its been completely washed away, some steeper climbs now and I see Richard Prebble sitting down pushing Damien up a 1 in 6!!  Damien has actually perked up a bit now after the coffee and is going a lot better.  Weve all diagnosed his position and tell him its rubbish, Id bet that did his confidence the world of good!

The group is moving along nice and steady, great!  Adam is looking particularly lively, Martin has been steady all day and would appear to be very up for it.  Daves just concentrating and feeling very sore.

130 miles and Simon punctures back tyre.  Damien rides on with Richard P., dont see them again until 2 miles from Tiverton.

After the puncture its petty quick, one very long bendy descent nearly sees Adam over the edge.

Arrived in Tiverton at 6.15 pm, 147 miles today.  Guest house is great, very helpful etc.  Dried out kit, found place out back for bikes.  Went for a curry, it took nearly as long to arrive as the ride today!!

Sharing with Damien tonight.  Feel OK.  Not too tired and knees OK!!

Day 3 - Sunday 30th July
Tiverton to St Briavels (Chepstow) - 99 miles

Its 7.30 am and the sun is out, great, everybody looking forward to the ride.

The first part of the ride is all up and down along lots of lanes.  The rough surface is causing a few problems with the G.P.S., but Richard L has the back-up and it doesnt cause too many problems.  Weve all got a few sore bits, Dave especially, his head looks OK, shame hes so ugly!

We rendezvous with bus at 50 miles.  Bit of a problem locating Barry the Bus and it takes a bit of time to find where hes hidden himself.  We met a couple of blokes riding the same way as us, they couldnt believe where wed come from and where we were going, and thought it was amazing we were going to John oGroats in such style!  Ive given Damien a packet of  Proplus caffeine tablets and hes going a lot better, mind you he probably wont sleep for a week!
Left the bus after having a nice sit in the sunshine and made our way towards the Severn Bridge.  The lanes are very quiet and the G.P.S. does a great job, even when we do go wrong it realises almost immediately and we get back on track.  We cross the Avonmouth & Severn Bridge in glorious sunshine, the views are terrific.  Adam upsets a couple of lads on scooters in Bristol and they give us a bit of a buzzing, people get shot in Bristol for less!!

I nearly got a picture of Richard P using his little ring, but he was a bit embarrassed and didnt use it again.

Were secretly moving Damiens saddle down when hes not looking, but we cant get enough time to swap his stem, AW have told him hes sitting too low!!,  rubbish.  Adam is looking very strong and confident. I wonder how long that will last?  I ask him how much hes got left in his bucket and point out that any fool can get to Edinburgh.  Simons feeling very pleased with himself even though his knee is hurting a bit.

The 106 miles went quite quickly today and we got to the Y.H. at about 4.30 pm.  Time to clean the bikes etc.  Had a good laugh this evening at the local pub, even though it was very busy, but once the landlord came in he soon sorted the staff out.  We sat round a big table and had a good laugh, especially some of the old CCB stories about the Wakors etc. 

The Y.H. is an old castle, theres a good drying room and the breakfast is help yourself continental style and man we help ourselves and eat some stuff!!  The beds are still squeaky but the setting makes up for it.

Remember, theres only so much in your bucket!!

Day 4 - Monday 31st July
Chepstow to Middlewich

Another long wet day!  The first part to lunch was showery but still warm and we actually managed to eat out a lunchtime at St Richards Castle!  We went a bit off course today because the group split a bit on a very  long climb and they missed a turn.  We had a detour because of an accident, but we finally met Martine at a pub in Mellow.  We were pleased to get here as it just started to rain very heavily.  We had coffees and sheltered for 20 mins, but it was not stopping, so it was cape and overshoes on and off we go.  From then on it was grim, but we covered the ground really quickly.  Dave was really flying, must have been the thought of meeting Liz and Alexia tonight.  Simon and Adam punctured, my hands and legs are filthy, Riche Lewis is looking strong, Damien is going OK today as its been flatter.  The rooms are a bit small and we had to have an extra room for the Big un.  The Travel Lodge in Middlewich is not the place to stay, theres a Tesco depot just down the road and the noise is terrible.  The meal at the pub over the road was OK and we got a special offer two for one, so drinks included for ten of us was about £110.

Notchhead turned up, it was good to see him, but Ive noticed the evenings are not very long and I didnt get much time with him.  Arrived at 6.30 pm, another 130 odd miles.  The G.P.S. is approx 10% longer than the predicted mileage.

Daves mate, Mark, took over from Barry.  Marks a great bloke, very organised and interested.

Thanks very much Barry, nice one.

Interviewed by Kestrel FM today - Im a star!!

Day 5 - Tuesday 1st August
Middlewich to Penrith.  My 25th Wedding Anniversary. 

Well it started raining just after wed started and it got a lot worse after 15 miles when Simon stopped unable to continue due to his right knee.  We nursed him along for a bit and I called in at a newsagent and bought two boxes of Nurophen, they guy said, You must have a bad headache!  Simon swallowed a large dose and we cycled on.  The bus met us early and I cant believe it, Simons knee is a lot better, hes on the pills all day.  The weather got worse and we got lost at Slaidburn, went a few miles in the wrong direction, Martins now having a big problem with his left knee.  The climb through the Forest of Bowland to High Bentham was 39 x 26 into a raging headwind.  Adam punctured halfway up, we nearly got blown over when we changed it at the top.  The descent was really dangerous, the wind was so strong it was difficult to control the bike, slippery roads and cattle grids made it worse.  We had a second stop in Kirby Lonsdale and spent £35.00 in a café.  Dave ate one of the largest pieces of cake Ive every seen.  Martin is in serious trouble now with his knee and he is also trying painkillers to get through.  The built-up areas around Manchester and Bolton were horrible, at one point it rained so heavily we nearly had to stop.

We got on the wrong road after Kirby Lonsdale and took a detour into Kendal and then up Shap Fell to Penrith.

Disaster, my pedal broke just outside Kendal and we had to call for the bus, at least its stopped raining.  Last 20 miles in the bus for me.

This was the latest finish, 7.35 pm, and probably the hardest day so far.  We did 8,500ft of climbing and another 140 miles.

Just made last orders at the pub, The Anchorage in Penrith, very nice and helpful people at the pub, good meal, I thought.  The bikes are filthy, no time to clean them tonight.

Shared with Adam and Simon.  The night porter washed our gear and Mark managed to get it dried at a launderette.

SCOTLAND TOMORROW.

Day 6 - Wednesday 2nd August
Penrith to Edinburgh

Got my bike fixed first thing.  So much for a good meal last night, Martin and I are ill.  We left at about 9.45 am and got straight onto the A6 as were a bit late.  Dave punctured and Im too busy trying to get myself together to help.  Im downing Nurophen now and Im feeling absolutely wasted, I wouldnt have gone to work if Id been at home!  This is going to be a very long day, Im finding it cold, but its not, oh dear!  Daves going well today, takes the sign for Scotland.

Im too busy following the wheel to see much, we stopped at Langholm, dry for the stop and a pleasant location by the river.  Everyone apart from Richard P is looking a bit tired.

Next stop is at Peebles, after some very spectacular views across Eskdale.  Its raining very hard and its very windy, Im just sitting in and concentrating hard, not done a turn all day.  At Peebles we parked by a swimming pool and walked 100 yds to a pub.  Coffees all round.  The locals didnt bat an eyelid at eight blokes dressed in pink with black lycra tights breezing into their pub a 4.00 pm. A geyser standing by the bar just said,  Are you alright lads?  We had a change of clothes in the gents and then Martin made us wait in the rain while he cleaned his chain again.

The next bit to Edinburgh went pretty quick, but it was a bit of a saga getting to the hotel as we werent allowed on the ring road and instead we had to negotiate several cycle paths, a flight of steps out of Asda car park, a long muddy track and an industrial estate!

Anyway, were here, the Hotel is very nice and the people are really helpful, allowed us to put the bikes in the linen room.  I just had some soup for evening meal and retired early.  That was a hard day for me, but Im here, hopefully Ill be better tomorrow.

Fionas Dad, Chris, met us here to share driving etc in Scotland.  Im sharing with him and Simon.

Day 7 - Thursday 3rd August
Edinburgh to Braemar - 125 miles

Got a good nights sleep and had another light breakfast, looked good but Ive not got much of an appetite!  At least the suns out and everybody is in high spirits.  After a bit of last minute cleaning as usual by Martin, we are just going out of the car park and Adams front wheel explodes, the rim split in two!!  A quick wheel change and were off, lucky it didnt happen yesterday, downhill at 40 mph!  We picked our way through Edinburgh and over the Forth Road Bridge.  The views are great but not got my act together again yet and forgotten the camera.  We nearly crashed into a girl riding around a blind bend, bit of a bonus shes got a really low cut top on and not much else - cant remember the exact comments!!!

Stopped for lunch just outside Gleneagles.  Deckchairs out, very pleasant, Richard L having a few problems with his knee, Damiens getting better and better, Simons still steady, Daves going well on the flat, Adams still looking strong.  Im feeling a bit better today, but Im not too keen on the KEO shoe plates, they dont seem to engage as quickly as the old ones and I nearly knocked half the bunch over in the centre of Edinburgh.

The next stop was in Blairgowrie next to a river, it was a very nice place.  Chris is doing a great job with the boiling of water and making of tea etc.  Nearly ran out of water today its so hot!  Sent a postcard to Jane and the boys this afternoon.  A long climb followed this stop and it draged on for miles, the last two miles is the steepest, its called Glenshee.  Dave punctured at this point so we had to regroup at the top.  Over the top and for some reason we start lining it out!!  Daves loving it, Im thinking how far?  Simon and Damien are out the door and as it gets a bit harder we come to our senses and wait, good job too, it wasnt downhill and was still about ten miles to go!  Steve and Julie Heyes run the guest house, shes a singer in a heavy rock band and hes kitting out a camper van so they can quit the guest house and drop out.

Cleaned the bikes and spent a cheerful evening with Terry at the Braemar Lodge Restaurant.  What an odd place, talk about a warm welcome in the Highlands, he and the waitress with the moustache would best be described as frosty!  Meal was OK but nothing special, a posh potato pie basically.

Sharing with Martin tonight, I offered him the use of my surgical spirit for his chaffing problem, brings tears to your eyes!!

Day 8 - Friday 4th August
Braemar to Bonna Bridge

Another dry day and Im feeling a little better again!  The first ten miles were nice and flat then we turned left and Simon punctured, from then on the road went up all morning.  Passed the Queens residence at Balmoral.  Nice views all around, but were all thinking, this is hilly!  The major climb started at Cock Bridge and we knew it was going to be steep because you could smell the burning brakes of the cars coming down!  The climb went up at 20% to the Mooray Ski Station at 2,200 ft.  This was 39 x 26/28 and probably the longest/steepest climb Ive ridden up.  The first stop was at 60 miles just outside Greytown-on-Spey, Damian punctured and we had to call for the bus, tyre wrecked.  Polly got the kettle out for lunch, great, listened to the test match and then set off with nice tailwind to Inverness.  Crossed the bridge but not very cyclist friendly, the cycle path is about 2ft wide frequented with potholes and parts of the bridge structure.

A few miles on the back roads across the Black Isle where Simon attacks up a climb just to surprise us all, must be the Coppi look a like 1930s jersey hes wearing!!  Then across a long bridge over the Cromaty Firth on the A9, theres an oil rig or two here, in for maintenance I suppose?  We stopped about four miles further on at Evonton, its really hot and Im a bit knackered, only 25 miles to go.  Daves winding everybody up about the John oGroats sign, so much so, were all pumped up for the Bonna Bridge sign.  Almost everybody went for a sign, but all the wrong ones.  Dave finally ended up sprinting for a large KEEP CLEAR sign!!  The sign is actually on the other side of the bridge just before buildings. I will remember that next time!!!!  We all checked in, Im with Richard P tonight, nice big room, place looks OK.

Got back a bit late and got a telling off from the landlady as we forgot the door key!!  The guy who owned the pub where we had dinner looked a bit like Billy Connolly.  Simon cracked a joke about mosquitoes and sniffing about down below and wanting his money back,cant remember all the details but  it was funny at the time.  I needed my mobile phone to see where I was going tonight as I struggled to find the door to our room, it was pitch dark and I needed the toilet.

Day 9 - Saturday 5th August
Bonna Bridge to John oGroats

Baring accidents weve done it - only 110 miles to go!!

Changed my back tyre before we left.  Fine and warm, bit of a tailwind and were swinging along, really motoring.  Stopped to do interview for Kestrel FM.  Were on the A836 but its single tack with passing places, there are virtually no houses.  Its 28C and were going great.  Adam and Richard P are on the front, everyone else is just following the wheels.  Really fast, windy road, up and down around Loch Naver.  Were going so fast that a camper van misjudges our speed and fails to stop, Martin crashes into wing mirror and knocked it off.  It hits Adam on the arm behind.  After an argument in German and a check on injuries were off, luckily not too badly injured.  We stop at Bettyhill, the local are having a fete.  We eat down on the coast, the views are great.  Polly certainly needed his windbreak here, its blowing a gale.

Bit hilly after lunch but still swinging along, we took a detour to Dunnett Head.  Quick stop for tea etc, everybody is looking forward to the end.  Passed Prince Charles at the Highland Games, the Highland Guards are on duty.  The sprint for the sign doesnt go to plan as first my ego gets the better of me and I gamble on the sign just around a corner, its not and the road is dead straight for about ½ mile at least!  The  wind break is a dot in the distance and its all over as Richard P winds it up from 500 yds.  I get a bollocking from Dave, but in reality we needed a twisty road and a corner at 300 yds.

Anyway, we celebrate with champagne and then straight into the pub at the end and a few well earned beers.  Then back to the hotel, a quick shower and what a shower, the best yet, then down to the bar.  The service in the hotel is terrible, but shes young, new and nervous.  We had a few more beers and staggered off to bed at 11.45 pm.  Averaged over 20mph today!!

Day 10 - Sunday 6th August
John oGroats to Home

There are two groups of riders going from John oGroats to Lands End.  First are a group of tri blokes aiming at 160 miles a day through and off!!  The second a group of blokes all in yellow jackets and matching bikes.  Its 8.00 am and the blokes in yellow are riding to the start and one goes over his handlebars!!  How far will the get?  The tri blokes left at 7.00 am.

We get the van packed and all get in.  Pass the guys in yellow jackets, theyre in two groups about ten miles apart.  Further on we pass the tri blokes, theyve dropped two of the team and the others are not exactly in time trial mode.  I think they may have to modify their schedule.

The drive is OK until the road is blocked with an accident and we have to make a detour along with every other lorry, caravan, bus and truck in Scotland.

Back to the main road and over the Forth Road Bridge to the airport.  We drop Richard P off about 4.00 pm.  Stop at Shap Fell Services.  We decide to go to Daves and crash out for a few hours on the floor etc.  Should be there about 10.00 pm, but Oh shit John, weve run out of diesel!  RAC turn up in 35 mins, so after we drop Mark off we got to Daves about 11.00 pm.  Liz has made us a meal, shes great to put up with us lot at short notice.  Up at 6.00 am and back to Basingstoke at about 8.30 am.

Refit the seats and everybody makes their way off very tired.  Simon and Chris wait here for Fiona, they leave about 11.15 am.  Now to fix the washing machine!

My first two days back are OK, but them all of a sudden I feel very tired, have to go to bed by 10.00 pm.  The next ten days I cant stop eating. The best thing is my left knee is a lot better, might be the pedals?  
Thats about it ,just a big thank you to Barry, Chris & Mark for all their efforts, we would nt have made it without you. Also congratulations to us for organizing such a great trip! 

Berni