Made it!

Day 11 - Being chased by a cloud

A fantastic start to today other than the bridge we had to cross to get back on to the main road. This consisted of an iron walk way that you could see all the way through, beside the rail bridge and the same with the stairs that lead down to it. I couldn't manage to get down there without someone in front of me and Stuart very kindly offered to carry my bike but not wanting to appear to be a wuss, I carried it myself. If we hadn't walked across this bridge, the alternative was a 7 mile ride around to the same spot. A very good incentive to overcome vertigo! We had our water stop at the Crask Inn. Siobhan and I had stayed here before when we did a bike trip a few years before. It was good to be back. We had Friendship cake and tea and very welcome it was too. Once we left the Crask, there was a 9 mile downhill (very welcome) to the turn for Bettyhill. We stopped at a particularly beautiful spot for pictures and spotted a herd of deer making their way from one side of the beautiful wilderness to the other. What a majestic sight. Once on the road to Bettyhill, we spotted an ice-cream sign. It was a lovely sunny day but then a nasty black cloud appeared and seemed to be coming our way - we had to finish our ice-creams quite quickly and tried to outrun the inevitable raind by pedalling faster and faster to avoid it but unfortunately it caught us and suddenly we were in the middle of a heavy hail storm! Ouch! Ouch was the cry as the stones pinged off our faces and legs. Luckily, it passed fairly quickly and we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery. A fairly short ride of 53 miles today so we finished early. We are staying in the Bettyhill Hotel overlooking the sea on the North Coast of Scotland and about to go down to the pub for a meal and a small drink. Tomorrow is the last day and it is only 60 miles to our destination!

Day 10 - The poshest youth hostel?

Another great day, even though Siobhan and slept in the lounge as the room we had was very small (to be shared by 6 women) and by the time we decided to go to bed, incredibly hot and very dark. Added to that, one of the others in the room was snoring! We grabbed our bedding and headed for the two very comfy sofas. Not a bad night. Breakfast was self catering style and considering there were 21 of us, really quite well organised. Added to that, Ed, one of our fellow cyclists, has a birthday today so we had a bit of a whip round for him and presented him with a cake and a bottle of whisky just after our warm up.
I'm starting to get into the Scottish way of life. That's my excuse for stopping off for a wee dram after a long 15% hill or maybe it was to warm up. We had only just had lunch but by the time we got down from the big hill and into the nearest town, we were all freezing. The landlady of the pub allowed us to bring our bikes in and as they were having a game of pool (they were arranged quite nicely around the pool table), we were having a wee dram. Well, SOME of us were drinking Baileys by the pint but I shall name no names.
Tonight we are staying at Carbisdale Castle. The castle is 100 years old and has an impressive tower, a statue gallery housing a fine collection of Italian marble statues and is supposed to be haunted. After a very fine dinner, we had curtesy of Ed, another wee dram. Tomorrow is or penultimate day. I can't believe the trip is nearly over! Apparently only a short ride tomorrow to Bettyhill.

Day 9 Inverary to invergary

We cycled 100 miles today although it should only have been 98 but we had a slight detour when we took a wrong turning. Some of the guys did this deliberately just to make it to the 100 miles mark. Again, a great ride today. After yesterday's snow, it was great to see the sun shining this morning. After a brisk warm up, we headed off and straight onto a 13% hill. I have found that these hills are very greedy. All they do is take, take, take - they give nothing back. It's all about me, me, me with them. How rude!!
Staying in a lodge tonight so the accommodation is a bit more basic. We are having a BBQ this evening and taking advantage of the dry weather and nights drawing out. Midges are a bit of a problem though. Had a bit of a sing-song in the lounge tonight. Pete played guitar and we all sang along and drank whisky, kindly provided by Mike and Pete Bradbury.

Day 8 Sun, Snow & Ice Cream!

A glorious day cycling from Kilmarnock to Inverary a distance of 77 miles so not as long as I thought it would be. The day didn't begin so well, as there was a thick frost on the ground and it started snowing lightly, but this quickly stopped and the sun came out and it was as well after all that I had applied my factor 30 sun cream. Then a miracle happened! After 7 days cycling into northerly winds, the wind direction changed and was behind us. What a difference it made. I found that I could free wheel for about the first time ever on this trip. Even down hill was tough at some points. The scenery cycling along the Lochs was breathtaking and so to really appreciate it, we stopped for ice cream by the banks of Loch Fyne. Staying in the Argyll Hotel on the loch tonight. Fantastic views. We went to post a card earlier and it snowed again. Hope the weather is better by morning. Set to be a cold night I think. Off to Invergary tomorrow. Staying in a lodge

Day 7 - Into Scotland!

We made good progress today going from Carlisle to Kilmarnock and completed 96 miles by 6 p.m. despite stopping in Gretna. I am quite impressed that we made it to Scotland in under a week and with 600 miles done so far we are nearly 2/3rds of the way there. Siobhan's bike was taken to a bike shop in Kilmarnock earlier today and surprise!! It was fixed by tea-time and ready for her to ride tomorrow. Brilliant achievement, not only by the bike shop but also by the DA crew who pulled out all of the stops to get it there. She was presented with her bent beyond use handle bars at dinner. I think they will take pride of place over her mantlepiece as a little reminder of the trip!

According to my Garmin I used up 3800 calories today so should be able to eat dinner with impunity! Onto Inverary tomorrow. Another longish day to look forward to.

Day 6 A Better Day despite the lack of sleep!

A wedding party were staying in our hotel last night along with all the Spurs fans and they came crashing in around 2 o'clock. They carried on partying for another couple of hours, banging doors, shouting and what-not. I even went out to the hallway to try to get them to be quiet but they didn't even see me as they were so drunk. We thought about retaliating when we got up at 6, by slamming doors and such, but it would not have been fair on the other residents. If there were any!!
We met up with Brian Tigg, who was on the London to Paris ride with us a few years ago . He lives in the Lake District; it was great to see him and catch up a bit although we didn't have that long as of course, we were at the back again. The climb over Shap Fell was amazing. We were a bit worried about the climb ahead of us but again, the weather and views kept us going. 86 miles today so I think I had earned the roast beef, 3 Yorkshire Puds and more potatoes than I could keep count of! Onto Carlisle tomorrow. Only a few miles from the Scottish border!

Day 5 - I hit the wall and Siobhan a pothole!

Today was a bad day. Firstly Siobhan hit a pot hole and her bike was bent beyond use so she is using a spare bike whilst it is repaired, which, hopefully, will be on Monday. Then, I hit a wall. Mentally, not physically and didn't think I could go on. I thought we were going to arrive really late, hours after everyone else as we waited with Siobhan for her to be picked up by the support van. Steve, our Guardian Angel, stayed with me all of the way - singing little songs of encouragement, even though he had fallen too (right on top of Siobhan) and managed to twist his handle bars and hurt his ribs. After a pep talk from Andy, one of the leaders, I decided it didn't matter what time we made it as long as we did. Without both of these guys today, my trip could have been over. We got to lunch about 2 hours after everyone else had gone but gutsy Siobhan decided to ride a bike she was not used to after a fall that would make anyone nervous. Bravo. She, Peter, me and Steve rode for the rest of the day together.

We got to the hotel in Preston (deep joy) about 7:30 only to find that we did not have a room. Not what you want after a 95 miles ride, a fall and a bad day. The hotel had a group of Spurs fans staying and they became confused and gave our room away! The ride organisers gave us their room whilst it was sorted out so it looks like we won't be sleeping on the street tonight!

Let's hope tomorrow is better.

Day 4 - London to Paris and Beyond

We left Tintern early and enjoyed the beautiful scenery along the Wye Valley. The weather was better and the roads quieter so all in all, it was a good albeit long day and we didn't arrive in Shrewsbury until 7:00. At lunch I realised that we had covered 275 miles already which was the distance on the London to Paris ride so everything from now onwards is extra.

Day 3 - Singing in the Rain and into Wales

This morning started out with very heavy rain so the first 50 miles was spent cycling and singing all the songs we could think of with a reference to rain, cycling, wheels and anything else really. Waiting for lights to change, dripping wet, the people in their cars must have assumed we were completely mad.
We also had to cross the Severn and Avonmouth Bridges which I was not looking forward to but once we were in Wales the weather improved and we reached Tintern Abbey where we are staying tonight. It is really beautiful here and I am feeling good. 92 miles today so we are already a quarter of the way! Tomorrow we go from here to Shrewsbury.

Jammy Dodgers at highest point in England?

After the first day, which took us from Land's End to Liskeard and was a hard ride taking 9 hours (we took an alternative route by mistake!), we had a great ride today over Dartmoor reaching Tiverton at 5:30. The weather was perfect being sunny with no wind. Well, at least not until later in the afternoon. We reached the highest point on Dartmoor, which everyone kept telling us was the highest point in England but I would think that Scafell Pike might have something to say about that! We celebrated by consuming 3 Jammy Dodgers. Not bad considering for breakfast I had fruit, porridge, 4 slices of toast, a croissant and a poached egg! Dinner included roast beef, yorkshire pudding, 6 roast potatoes and 2 boiled ones so I am trying hard to keep my calorie intake up.

145 miles done so far. Only 850 to go!

My Charity

I forgot to say, I have been trying to raise money for The Sick Children's Trust. If you would like to donate a bob or two, visit my just giving page: www.justgiving.com/ellen-connolly

8 MORE SLEEPS TO GO.

8 more sleeps before I set off on my End to End cycling challenge.

I have been reading blogs from other 'End to Enders' from time to time and the common theme is that this challenge is hard. Perhaps this is an understatement. Try extremely hard. I know that I am doing this challenge the 'softies' way - ie, supported and with a group of other cyclists and luggage being carried by my butler but it's still a big challenge.

When time has allowed, I have been 'training'. Getting on my bike and cycling around 50 miles at the weekend and a daily commute (on most days) of 15 miles. That's about it really. Training out on the bike this year has been quite hard due to the weather. Its been cold and icy you know, so not sure if I will be fit enough to cycle an average of 80 miles a day for 12 days. Well, after a day or two in the saddle , I shall find out.

I will try to update my blog en-route with daily reports but it rather depends on internet connections and availability. I don't have one of these super duper phones that you can 'tweet' with (whatever that means) so I will be relying on whatever the hotels have to offer.