Day 22 - We Made It!

We've arrived at John O' Groats!


Fuelled by landlady Maggie's porridge, we made an early start to tackle the Berriedale Braes before the A9 got busy.  The excitement of being "nearly there" made the 747 ft climb seem easy.  The subsequent downhill run was even easier, hitting our Lejog record speed of 34 miles per hour before remembering the brakes! Keen to get there, we had a brief tea stop before leaving the A99 at Lybster and taking a lovely quiet single-track road to Watten.  For the first time in Scotland, the wind was with us and we coasted along at 20mph on the flat, stopping for a quick sandwich before pressing on.


We arrived at John O' Groats to be cheered by a man we'd met on the road a few days ago, and the welcome sight of Martin who had the champagne waiting on ice.

After the necessary photographs we relaxed with the bubbly and watched other Lejoggers arriving before getting our taxi to Inverness where we were staying before our Sunday evening flight home.

A huge thank you to everyone who has helped us along the way, the messages of encouragement, the donations, blog edits, accommodation and meals, luggage transportation and company all made a real difference, and we were very touched by your help and generosity.

Many thanks to all of you,
Amanda, Louise, Fiona and Steve

Planned miles: 53.5
Actual miles: 54.0
Total planned miles: 1061.3
Total miles: 1065.4
Punctures: 0
Total punctures: 0!!!

Wine of the day: Laithwaites Champagne (magnum!)
Steve's Helmet Humidity Index: 28% (The helmet has now been humanely destroyed in the interests of public safety)

Day 21 - A Free Ride ...

After a night in the best B&B of the trip so far (Fiona was ecstatic it was a bungalow), we waved goodbye to Martin - and our bags!

Hitting the very, very flat road we were pleased to discover our average speed was in excess of 18mph. A great start to a day that was going to see us covering over 69 miles. Uncle Phil described the terrain as "invigoratingly comfortable" and it certainly was; we covered over 20 miles before we stopped for our morning coffee and cake in Cromarty. We were particularly excited to see our first John O'Groats road sign since Land's End.


Then disaster struck. The Nigg Ferry wasn't running. To return to the bridge and use the alternative A9 route would add an extra 40 miles to our day.

Louise called the ferry company. We could tell by the reaction on her face that it wasn't good news. The ferry wasn't running as they didn't currently have a boat. Fiona was livid they hadn't updated their website as she'd checked it the previous night. (They've updated it following our complaint!) Needless to say there were a few expletives.

What do we do? Well that's easy; get the girls to smile sweetly at the local fisherman and hitch a ride. They were very obliging but explained they'd only just fixed the engine and it may conk out.


"Not to worry" said Louise and Amanda. "If you have oars we don't mind rowing." Not sure they believed us but they agreed to give us a lift! Only two people (plus their bikes) would fit on the boat. Louise and Amanda went first, then Steve and Fiona.


We tried to give our saviours, Eddie and Colin, a thank you but they refused. So we'll donate the money to Sue Ryder.

One thing we've really noticed here in Scotland is how wonderfully helpful and friendly everyone is. If you ever see someone in need, please give them a helping hand; you'll make their day and they will remember it for a long time.

We were on our way again - Amanda and Steve stopping to watch the seals before we hit the "dreaded" A9.

It was heads down to Helmsdale - arriving at our B&B by 6pm - not bad considering.


On to John O'Groats tomorrow...

Oh and never give a boy an iPhone when your conversation's not scintillating!!


Planned miles: 69.1
Actual miles: 69.5
Total miles: 1011.4 (yay!)
Punctures: 0

Steve's Helmet Humidity Index: 36% (remnants from yesterday, mainly)
Beer of the day: Orkney Ale
Sore Bottoms: Lots!!

Day 20 - Lots of Lochs and Locks

Today we woke up to a picture-perfect Scotland; the sun was shining, the sky was blue and there was only a light wind to keep us cool.

We've been very consistent over the last 3 weeks; breakfast at 8am, then leaving promptly at 9am. We were rather special this morning, however - managing to faff for ages before we finally left Fort William an hour late!

Our route today took us along the famous Great Glen. The cycling proper started on the Caledonian canal uphill alongside "Neptune's Steps".


At the end of the canal we headed up onto a forest track which gave us fantastic views of the top of Ben Nevis near which Martin was mountain biking (still snow-capped in July - clear sightings of which are nearly as rare as those of Brigadoon).


Lunch at Invergarry was excellent; the best food we've had on the entire trip. Special mentions go to the "Haggis with bashit neeps and tatties" and the haddock chowder.


After lunch we sadly had to break away from the scenic stuff and use our "beloved" A82 - with nearly as many trucks and buses as yesterday.

The reward for surviving this road was an intermittent view of Loch Ness. No monster was sighted. However we did spot afternoon tea, coffee and cake at Drumnadrochit. The owner of the Drum Farm Cafe also donated to our charity fund - thanks!

The hill up to Beauly was described by Uncle Phil as "punchy but relatively short". We conclude that punchy is not a good thing, especially when the hill is 3/4 of a mile long. Louise pedalled all the way up but was still beaten to the top by a walking Fiona.

Our bed for the night is in the delightfully-named Muir Of Ord, which we're looking forward to after a lovely dinner.

Planned miles: 66.1
Actual miles: 68.2
Total miles: 941.9
Punctures: 0

Monsters spotted: 0
Steve's Helmet Humidity Index: 94% (punchy hill=excessive heat!)
Beer of the day: Belhaven Best (again, sorry)

Day 19 - We Fort The Elements

We awoke to an early alarm and a packed breakfast, having to catch the first ferry from Tobermory at 7:20am. Luckily the slipway was only 100 feet from our guest house so we couldn't get lost.

Having spent the last few days on the Inner Hebrides (i.e. Mull), our ferry back to the mainland docked at Kilchoan. The girls were delighted to see that there was a proper toilet block at this small port but, then totally distraught to find it was locked; it was a relief when a lady (with toilet roll) turned up to unlock them only 2 minutes later.

The next hour's cycling was a serious challenge as the strong headwind practically blew us backwards if we stopped pedalling for a second. After 20 minutes we had only covered a couple of miles and had begun to despair.

Our first disaster occurred as Louise broke a spoke. But not to worry; this is Scotland and her ageing knight in a shining Land Rover appeared with a pair of wire cutters.

Scots wildlife was in good evidence:
Steve had a near miss with a red deer stag (beautiful antlers, squire). Fiona and Steve saw a Golden Eagle silhouetted against the sky. Amanda saw a Buzzard at the same time (and in the same place). The nice people at the wildlife centre told us it "might have been an eagle...but it was probably a buzzard" which is good enough for us. They also opened their cafe an hour early for us, so big thanks are due! (These were the ladies that passed us earlier when we were having the spoke issues. I think they were expecting us!)

The wind abated awhile and we made good progress to Strontian where our packed lunch was enjoyed on a dry bench under a tree.

Heading on to the second ferry of the day (across Loch Linnhe) the wind and rain both tested us but we prevailed.

The joys of the A82 were more troublesome; logging lorries which gave cyclists little room but smelt pine fresh as they overtook us. (Quite a contrast from the earlier A-roads this morning which were single-track-with-passing-places..!)

The busy road ensured we reached Fort William in good time. Having dumped the bags at the B&B, Louise headed to the bike shop to get her spoke fixed while Fiona, Amanda & Steve headed into town and found a chap who'd been waiting some time for a bus.


We ate at the top of Ben Nevis - the pub, not the mountain - and we're cheered to hear that we now have over £1000 in online donations! Thanks to all who have given so generously.

Planned miles: 51.4
Actual miles: 52
Total miles: 873.7
Punctures: 0

Amount spent in bike shop: £44.63
Steve's Helmet Humidity Index: 42%
Beer of the day: Caledonian Brewery Deuchars (even though you can get it in Reading)

Day 18 - What's the story in Tobermory?

After a rather-too-early-for-a-rest-day breakfast at our guest house, Louise and Martin set off to explore the island, leaving Amanda, Steve and Fiona with the dirty washing. The laundrette was busy because of the sailing club, who seemed unable to get their heads round the fact that you can wash more than two pairs of knickers at a time.

After the washing Amanda, Steve and Fiona went looking for lunch but got caught when a downpour began - they ended up in the pub drinking the BOTD before eating lunch for a nice change. Unfortunately the rain continued to fall for several pints...

When the sun came out again the three of them staggered off on a nice walk doing a multi-part Tobermory geocache.

Steve got a bit romantic (must have been the beer) and bought Amanda a bargain-priced pair of earrings.

Meanwhile, Louise and Martin spent a lovely sunny day cruising between the Isles of Staffa and Iona. The uninhabited Isle of Staffa has immense hexagonal basalt pillars which loom out of the sea to form a series of cathedralesque caverns,one of which, Fingal's Cave they visited via a precarious traverse from the jetty along basalt stepping stones while holding on to a rope handrail just above the waters edge!

On the tiny Isle of Iona where the famous Book of Kells was written, they went for a walk around the coast passing coves of beautiful beaches and turquoise waters, and visiting ancient sites.

The highlights of the return journey back to Mull for Louise and Martin were seeing seal pups and a basking shark that swam within a few feet of the boat.

We're now all enjoying a tasty meal in Cafe Fish - ready for an early night and a very early start tomorrow morning.


Planned miles: 0.0
Actual miles: 1.5 (clambered while geocaching)

Geocaches: 1
Beer of the day: Mishnish Ale

Day 17 - Scotch Mist

We set out from our B&B in Kilmartin to typically Scottish weather. We're sure the rain here is wetter than at home.

The 30 miles to Oban took us past some spectacular scenery, but it was heads down through the rain and mist. We were drenched to the skin, squelching as we cycled along.

From Oban we caught the ferry over to Mull and arrived in glorious sunshine.

After a quick break to detog we were on our way.

The 21 miles along the coast to Tobermory were stunning although a bit hillier than anticipated towards the end.


A well deserved 1/2 way cake and coffee stop in Salen helped propel us up the final climb. (Martin made Louise a very happy lady when he collected her 'day' panniers at the bottom of the hill). The climb was worthwhile as we enjoyed a 3 mile long descent (clocking up speeds in excess of 31 mph - we promise not to do this again).


After a quick shower and change we emerged dry from our B&B ready for dinner to find yet more rain. Oh and Louise who booked the B&B has stunning views from her bedroom!!! The rest of us don't!! Mmmm.

Dinner has turned out to be a complicated affair. A prestigious local Yacht club (over 100 boats) has descended on Tobermory as part of their 100th anniversary celebratory tour, so all of our preferred seafood restaurants are full (there are only 3).

We're now sat in the local bar waiting for a free table at the local Italian on the harbour. But worry not, there are loads of local beers to try and Steve is working his way through them.


Tomorrow is our day off, so no cycling. And we're already planning our distillery tour; it's only a 500m stagger from our B&B.

Good night from team Lejog.

Planned miles: 50.2
Actual miles: 50.2
Total miles: 821.7
Punctures: 0

Steve's Helmet Humidity Index: 71%
Beer of the day: Terror of Tobermory

Day 16 - The Island-Hopping Begins

Following a much more peaceful night, we sprinted to Ardrossan so we could catch the ferry over to Arran.


Arran was beautiful; the scenery was stunning and we were lucky enough to have a lovely sunny day for our ride.


The road network on Arran is very simple - one road around the island, and one across the middle. However Amanda and Steve still managed to take a wrong turn, meaning they explored a bit more of the island than planned - in total, an extra six miles - but we all still arrived in Lochranza together.


Our return to the mainland meant a long ride on the A83 alongside the crystal clear waters of Loch Fyne, Amanda and Louise even saw a seal!


When we finally arrived at our hotel in Kilmartin we were greeted by the local poet - a gentleman who stored the remnants of the last week's meals in his beard. "He's in Lochgilphead" as the local saying goes...

Planned miles: 64.4
Actual miles: 65.3 (or 72.1 for Amanda and Steve)
Total miles: 771.5
Punctures: 0

Steve's Helmet Humidity Index: 68% (we all hope it will fall soon after a thorough cleaning)
Beer of the day: Arran Brewery Red Squirrel

Day 15 - Montagues and Capulets

Much of day 15's news concerns the events that befell us on Night 14...

Last night, we arrived at our 'Hotel' to a warm Scottish welcome. Wet and bedraggled we all headed straight for a shower and then dinner.

The food was excellent (Amanda enjoyed a fantastic Veggie Haggis and Neeps). Dinner was followed by a delightful homemade Banoffee Pie.

Then... off to bed for a well deserved night's sleep. That turned out to be a thing of dreams. Our rooms were directly above the pub's very loud jukebox - okay so it's a pub - at least the thing will go off when the pub closes. (Amanda thought the music choice was rather good though - lots of Bryan Adams fans in Moniaive!)

What we forgot is that Scotland has liberal licensing laws with (apparently) no time limitations so this continued for some hours.

It was around 1.30am when the real fun started. From our beds we could hear a series of crashes, bangs and crunches as (we believe) furniture and humans were propelled across the bar into the walls; a proper bar brawl was in progress. It was tempting to find out what was really going on but we felt safer in our own beds.

Many words were screamed, approximately 50% of which were configurations of the f-word.

Things progressed further around 3am when a car outside crashed into what we believe was the Landlord's car followed by a person. We gathered this from the shouts of 'F***! F***! They hit him!'. This was followed shortly by flashing red and blue lights (Police) and then an ambulance.

We finally managed to get to sleep around 4am. Not great considering the alarm was set for 7am!

Our hosts were very apologetic about the 'kerfuffle' and gave very generously to our charity (which all readers of this blog will have already done, naturally).

Day 15 proper was a slightly hillier version of day 14; lovely landscapes, bracing wind, intermittent heavy showers. We even got some sunshine later on and had to remove our jackets.

PS: For those of you who have been asking, both our bums and legs hurt, even after 14 days cycling. Louise makes a face and quite a painful groan every time she sits on her saddle. (Fiona has her own 'leg over' trouble too.) But nothing out of the ordinary considering what we've put ourselves through.

Afternoon coffee was procured in a small pub in Tarbolton where the landlady saw the despair on our faces and supplied a massive plate of biscuits.

Despite, or maybe because of the tiredness, we made it to Irvine in good time where Martin arrived bringing a much needed supply of clean clothes and cheering Louise up lots.

Fiona was distraught to discover that she had left her phone charger at Moniaive but then ecstatic to discover that Tesco could supply the components to construct a new one so that the map tracker will continue to work.


We are now happily looking forward to a good night's kip! (although slightly concerned that we have a school party sharing the same corridor - update to follow tomorrow).

Planned miles: 53.1
Actual miles: 55.2
Total miles: 706.2
Punctures: 0

Steve's Helmet Humidity Index: 48% but falling rapidly
Beer of the day: Maclachlan's Best Ale

Day 14 - The Wicked Wind of the West!!

If yesterday was notable for the amount of rain, today was notable for the strongest of winds.

After seeing a 'severe' weather warning on the TV at breakfast we set off in the pouring rain from our lovely B&B in Carlisle. The rain continued in short sharp showers all day, drenching us before stopping to let the sun shine through (albeit briefly).

Ten miles north of Carlisle we crossed the border and stopped at Gretna Green to look around the Blacksmith's shop where wedding ceremonies were traditionally held.


Fiona also did her first Scottish Geocache here!

From Gretna Green we headed due west into a headwind so strong that we were blown backwards! Sadly the wind stayed with us until mid-afternoon.

We enjoyed a fine ride around one of the most interesting corners of Britain - you should all visit the Solway Firth it's stunning.

Late lunch was at the Caerlaverock Wildlife Wetlands Trust where we watched live CCTV of the ospreys feeding thier young (Louisa and David you would love it!)

We finally turned northwards and inland, over the Lowlands to our home for the night in Moniaive at one of the oldest Inns in Scotland.

We're currently enjoying a fabulous meal of neeps and veggie Haggis (for Amanda) - well we are in Scotland - before we turn into bed after our extra long day.

Planned miles: 67.0
Actual miles: 65.5
Total miles: 651.0
Punctures: 0

Geocaches: 1
Steve's Helmet Humidity Index: 33% (constant wind kept things fairly fresh)
Beer of the day: Belhaven Best Original

Day 13 - Wet, Wet, Wet

We started off on our 'sweet little mystery' tour 'wishing we were lucky', but our good luck ran out this morning as we left Kendal in torrential rain with a small, but essential supply of Kendal Mint Cake packed in Louise's panniers.

The rest of us were again pannierless (thanks to Denise). Joined by Arthur (it's amazing what 60+ veterans can do these days), we headed to the A591. The rain soaked us from above, whilst the mini tsunami created by lorries driving through puddles soaked us from below. But 'with a little help from my friends' we managed to carry on.

There's a hosepipe ban in the Lake District at the moment... seems strange as we were cycling along with puddles in our shoes!

We stopped by Ambleside Pier for our first coffee (and cake) of the day, watching the gulls sitting on our bikes as we enjoyed our coffees.

The main road gave way to fantastic country lanes alongside Thirlmere where the dam had a beautiful Victorian plaque explaining how 20 town councillors, one clerk and just one engineer were responsible for building it.

We carried along the country lanes (still very wet) until we reached the unnamed road by Carrock Fell, at which point a kamikaze sheep attempted to knock Fiona from her bike. And then the sun came out!

The rest of the run was most pleasant - all the way to Carlisle where we have just had a superb Italian meal. (Apparently Amanda looks Italian according to our very nice host; she's very pleased by this!! Well it doesn't matter how old they are; it's still nice to be chatted up.)


'Goodnight Girl's!

Planned miles: 58.2
Actual miles: 58.2 (get in!!)
Total miles: 585.5
Punctures: 0

Steve's Helmet Humidity Index: Up to 78% but now falling rapidly
Beer of the Day: Cumberland Ale

Day 12 - Lie-in's, laundry and a long lunch

Our second rest day started with a long lie-in followed by a lovely relaxing breakfast after which we began working through the rancid pile of cycling clothing from the previous five days (some of which was still damp from yesterday's rain!). 5 loads of washing later we had various articles hanging in the drying room, on the Aga, on the garden chairs and on radiators around the house!


Having stocked up on essentials (mainly deodorant!), we enjoyed a long lunch with Fiona's friend Lorraine who took the day off work especially to come to see us; she was an inspiration for this entire trip, having done Lejog some 15 years ago.

After lunch Fiona and Lorraine went off to explore Kendal Castle, while Amanda, Steve and Louise went to see Amanda and Steve's new house close by in Levens.

On returning to Denise and David's lovely house in Kendal we all walked down to the end of the drive to find the 'Welcome to Kendal' geocache.


We've had a lovely day off thanks to Denise and David's hospitality - ready for getting back on the road tomorrow.

Planned Miles: 0
Actual Miles: 1/2 walked to the geo cache
Total Miles: 527.3
Punctures: 0

Geocaches: 1
Beer of the day: will be back tomorrow!!

Steve did not use his helmet today!

Day 11 - Stocks, Docks and a Brief Encounter

This morning brought back the fine weather, quiet country roads and pretty villages that we have enjoyed so much (and become accustomed to).

Having left rush-hour Preston, our first stop was Woodplumpton for a photo op at the stocks and a visit to the Witch's stone in the graveyard. (Having dug herself out twice they thought it best to bury her head down then stick a big rock on top - nice huh!)


A quick emergency stop at a Farm Shop; "Are you desperate?" / "Yes!" / "There's always one..." gave great hilarity to the rest of the group.

Next stop was Guy's Court where we were greeted by a cheering crowd. Well it sounded like it when we turned into the car park. Thank you so much to Amanda's Uncle Colin, Penny, Archie and Violet. You made our day and were our first cheerleaders of the trip.

Back on route the next 15 miles took us along the beautiful, flat, flat canal banks to Lancaster and then on to Glasson Docks (did I mention it was flat?). We had a short stop in Garston for coffee and the largest Cream Scones we've enjoyed so far. The local church bells rang out to the tune of Oranges And Lemons as we cycled out of the town - Louise has been humming it ever since.

Continuing on our flat route was rudely interrupted by what Phil Horsley called 'ludicrous steps', some 60 of them up to the Lancaster Aqueduct which took us on to Carnforth.


At Carnforth Station (or Milford Junction as it was in the 1945 film) we had a 'Brief Encounter' at the Refreshment Room where we enjoyed the most amazing lunch and Amanda and Steve re-enacted the famous scene under the clock.


After Carnforth things started to get a bit more undulating. Fortunately we were on our second pannierless day and our legs were beginning to cope a little bit better.
A few more hills appeared as we neared Kendal as did the rain.

We said goodbye to Amanda's Dad in Natland so he could get the train home (though promising to join us again for the Carlisle stretch). Then we cycled on to Amanda's Mum's where we received a wonderful welcome - there were even posters up to welcome Team Lejog.

Planned miles: 54.7
Actual miles: 55.9
Total miles: 527.3
Punctures: 0

Steve's Helmet Humidity Index: 60%
Geocaches: 1

Day 10 - It's grim oop north (...but getting brighter later!)

We awoke looking forward to a pannierless day thanks to Sandra's very kind luggage courier service.

After breakfast, we left Runcorn on the first rainy morning of our trip. Arthur (Amanda's Dad) guided us through the "industrial grot" of Warrington via the oasis of the Sankey Valley.

Crossing the Mersey wasn't quite the romantic experience that Louise had hoped for - the view was dominated by a power station, a landfill site and a chimney belching yellow smoke into the grey sky.

After lunch at Appley Bridge (which took a very long time to come but was worth the wait) we had a long ascent then an opportunity to use Louise's chain tool - she was very pleased that Arthur had suffered a broken chain as now he could demonstrate how it should be used.

Unfortunately, having successfully and efficiently removed the weakest link, the replacement link was too large for his derailleur, so we said goodbye as Arthur freewheeled back down the hill to the station.

Having missed the recommended turning to the canal path, we battled the school-run traffic through Penwortham and arrived at our destination some ten miles and an hour earlier than planned!

Planned miles: 52
Actual miles: 41.2
Total miles: 471.4
Punctures: 0

Beer of the day: Doff Cocker, Three Bs Brewery, Lancs.
Steve's helmet humidity index: 20%

Day 9 - Return to Tiverton

Today took us from Melverley (the 'Most motivated village 1991'), via Tarporley (the 'Best kept village' for most of the '90s), ending at Frodsham (the 'Best kept large village 2002'). We think the award of awards should go to Tarporley, because the manager of the tea shop told us "There's never any trouble here."

After seeing one of the seven wonders of the hedge world yesterday, today we saw the ultimate in garden ornaments - a huge elephant bearing a castle on its back.


Shortly afterwards faith in Fiona's 'blue line' method of GPS navigation was shaken as we found ourselves in Tiverton.


Despite crossing the Welsh/English border several times, at no point were we welcomed to Wales, so Louise still hasn't got her photo.

The day was rounded off relaxing in the spa at our Holiday Inn.  Looking forward to cycling with Arthur, Amanda's dad, tomorrow.

Planned miles: 54.9
Actual miles: 56
Total miles: 430.2
Punctures: 0

Steve's helmet humidity index: 30%

Day 8 - Two Tone

After a very quiet night's sleep Jill and Steven, our hosts, handed us a package of home-made rock cakes and waved us off on another glorious summer's day. A quick stop 500m down the road was necessary to get our end-to-end transit form stamped at the local Post Office/coffee shop/bookshop cum pub.

Our morning was spent weaving through picturesque villages of black and white cottages and amazing churches. Even spotting a black and white dog to match the houses, cue first photo shoot! (Amanda tactfully avoided this one.)

Much to our delight we met two other End-to-Enders at our lunch stop. They were even following Phil Horsley's guide book - agreeing they too were taken by the Beer of the Day entries.

On our way again, at least until milking time when we were stopped by a rolling road block of black and white milking heifers. Cue second photo shoot, again tactfully avoided by Amanda. She carefully placed herself behind a car. Unlike Louise, who eager for a photo, managed to get said photo and scare herself silly when the cows started stampeding towards her!

Then onto the Stiperstones! Amanda egged on by Fiona's 'You'll be walking this one too' comment, made it all the way up on her bike. Even though the front wheel of her bike wasn't much in contact with the road. You get the idea as to how steep it was. Fiona and Louise managed 90 percent on 2 wheels. The views at the top were all worth it and, a well needed tea and coffee stop at The Bog was much appreciated.

It was pretty much all downhill from the Stiperstones to our B&B - a delightful period house with gaps in the panelled walls and rather a lot of ornaments. Our landlady being away left her 80 year old mother in charge; a lovely lady who had already given Steve her life story twice before the girls had arrived.


Planned miles: 59
Actual miles: 59.2
Total miles: 374.2
Punctures: 0

Beer of the day: Butty Bach again (well it was very nice)

Day 7 - The Golden Valley

Another eventful night at Banshee Towers (Louise slept like a baby but, unfortunately Fiona and Amanda were kept awake by one of the three dogs barking incessantly into the wee small hours). 

Following breakfast Louise could be seen as a vision in pink cycling around Tintern with a large blue box balanced on her handlebars delivering her day off clothes back to the post office for the next leg of their journey.  

We started out at top speed to Monmouth, 11 miles in under 50 minutes. We had visions of reaching our B&B by 2pm, but then we took a whole hour to cycle the next 5 miles! :-(

In Monmouth, we went out of our way to visit the bridge - the only remaining two storey fortified bridge in the UK. Cue photo opportunity and the lynching of poor passers-by. By the way, Freddie Mercury wrote Bohemian Rhapsody here.



A not so hilly route turned into quite an up and down day, but an interesting one as we visited Skenfrith castle and the Abbey at Abbey Dore. We also crossed the border between England and Wales several times. However we've still not seen a 'Welcome to Wales' sign for Louise to organise a 'photo shoot' (you all know how much Amanda likes having her photo taken).

Our afternoon coffee stop in Peterchurch had to be called off as the cafe in our guide book had long since closed. Instead we visited a very depressing local pub for a drink and crisps. Boo.

But not to worry on arrival at our B&B in Eardisley we were served warm homemade cake and tea by the loveliest of hosts. We're hoping for a quiet night tonight!!!

We're are now in the pub (again) waiting for a well earned dinner, oh and, drinking local beer!!!

Planned miles: 50.4
Actual miles: 51.1
Total miles: 315 (that's more than we've ever cycled in a week)
Punctures: 0

Beer of the day: Butty Bach from Wye Valley Brewery. 

Day 6 - Relaxing in Tintern

After spending the night at Banshee Towers (the landlady & husband had a major screaming row in the wee small hours), we enjoyed a delightful organic breakfast before heading off to spend a few hours wandering around Tintern Abbey.

After a visit to the mill and craft shops, where Fiona and Amanda had a sword fight, (and a short wait so we could watch the water wheel go round), we took a hilly (and slightly awkward- stiff leg) walk along the river to indulge Fiona with a couple of GeoCaches.


At the old Tintern station Amanda and Louise enjoyed a late lunch of three Welsh cheeses (one of which had U.S.A written on the label!) whilst Fiona enjoyed a cream tea.

By the time we'd looked around the old railway carriages and made Fiona pretend to be Penelope Pitstop...


...and posed for photos by carvings (well there isn't that much to do in Tintern)...

...it was time to head to Tintern Parva Vineyard for an informative tour and a tasting of 10 excellent wines - some even with Decanter awards.

We're now writing this in the local pub (hic!), awaiting a highly recommended meal.

We're also looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight - and only 50 miles tomorrow.

Planned miles: 0
Actual miles: about 6 (walked)
Total miles: 263.9
Punctures: 0

Wine of the day: Tintern Parva Bachus

Geocaches: 2