omgnatfan

[omgnatfan]

Kind Donation from Stamford Belvedere fc that took our total over the £4000 mark ! Massive thank you Steve & Andy 👍🚴🏼‍♀️⚽️🚴‍♂️⚽️

[omgnatfan]

Our review of LEJOG 2019

Again, thank you to everyone who has enjoyed following our blog. Before we sign off, we thought we could share our statistics and memorable moments.

Miles covered - 972.8

Hours in the saddle - 65 hours 21 minutes and 7 seconds

Elevation - 47202.2 feet/14387.23 meters (much to Andy’s horror)

Calories burned - 25726 ( equal to 113 Mars bars!)

Tubs of bottom cream used - 3.5 (mostly by Andy)

Jelly Babies and Jelly Beans consumed - lots!

Punctures - nil ( thank goodness 😅 )

Mechanical failures - one (Andy’s pedal fell off near Blackburn)

Top speed - 44mph 😱😱

Improvised ‘Widow Twankey Laundries’ to dry off wet clothes - 5 ( expertly supplied by Steve and involving bungee cords, cooling fans, shower rails, radiators and door handles 😂🤣)

Items lost or left behind - daily, Ella would lose Steve’s car key, jumpers (many cafe owners running after us to return them), Oliver and Nick’s coats ( currently being posted home) but fortunately not Oliver or Nick!

Quite early on, our motto became ‘Eat, Sleep, Bike Repeat’ so the support team couldn’t resist the t-shirts from Fort William.

We stayed in many different establishments and met some interesting hoteliers.

Thank you to everyone for your support, donations and motivational comments. A special thank you to Matt Fiore, our IT technical support, who helped us set up the blog before setting off.

We have raised over £3,000 for Prostate Cancer, which we are extremely grateful for, and donations are still coming in. Many, many thanks to you all.

So, time to clean the bikes and ponder about our next adventure. Andy is fancying a bike ride in Holland whilst Steve is fancying a bike ride in the Himalayas. 😂🤣😂

[omgnatfan]

Day Fourteen

The final leg of the LEJOG. Leaving The Crask Inn under moody and rainy skies, we descended single track roads navigating our way round the odd sheep and cow 🐑🐄.

The roads undulated gently for miles, the surface was quite challenging throughout with the crosswinds, hardly any traffic, the landscape is breathtaking and the area is steeped in history.

Arriving in Bettyhill, Andy and Steve were disappointed not to see scantily clad nurses chasing them up the hills! 🤣😂 Much to Andy’s disappointment, the next 13 miles resembled Cornwall’s hills ⛰⛰with gradients up to 14%. We are all glowing having passed the Dounreay Nuclear Power Station ☢️.

The support crew, Natalie and Ella, were called upon to support two cyclists who had experienced numerous punctures in the first few miles. We are feeling very fortunate not to have suffered any punctures throughout the ride, phew!

The remainder of the route passed through Thurso and the beautiful coastal route towards John O’Groats. Upon the last half mile, there was a mixture of emotions as we reflected upon the previous 972 miles cycled and where they had all gone. As we crossed the line, Natalie, Ella, Oliver and Nick were waiting with celebratory fizz and the obligatory photo call📸 # Steve spraying everyone but him and his bike 🚲.

We would like to thank everyone for their messages of support and kind donations that have kept us smiling and laughing through the ups and downs.

Message from Natalie and Ella - We are immensely proud of Andy and Steve for their sheer grit, determination and will power to achieve their goal. Their dads would be extremely proud as are their families.

For those of you who have enjoyed reading the blog, we will post our final blog in a few days!

Thank you everyone ❤️❤️

[omgnatfan]

Day Fourteen

The final leg of the LEJOG. Leaving The Crask Inn under moody and rainy skies, we descended single track roads navigating our way round the odd sheep and cow 🐑🐄.

The roads undulated gently for miles, the surface was quite challenging throughout with the crosswinds, hardly any traffic, the landscape is breathtaking and the area is steeped in history.

Arriving in Bettyhill, Andy and Steve were disappointed not to see scantily clad nurses chasing them up the hills! 🤣😂 Much to Andy’s disappointment, the next 13 miles resembled Cornwall’s hills ⛰⛰with gradients up to 14%. We are all glowing having passed the Dounreay Nuclear Power Station ☢️.

The support crew, Natalie and Ella, were called upon to support two cyclists who had experienced numerous punctures in the first few miles. We are feeling very fortunate not to have suffered any punctures throughout the ride, phew!

The remainder of the route passed through Thurso and the beautiful coastal route towards John O’Groats. Upon the last half mile, there was a mixture of emotions as we reflected upon the previous 972 miles cycled and where they had all gone. As we crossed the line, Natalie, Ella, Oliver and Nick were waiting with celebratory fizz and the obligatory photo call📸 # Steve spraying everyone but him and his bike 🚲.

We would like to thank everyone for their messages of support and kind donations that have kept us smiling and laughing through the ups and downs.

Message from Natalie and Ella - We are immensely proud of Andy and Steve for their sheer grit, determination and will power to achieve their goal. Their dads would be extremely proud as are their families.

For those of you who have enjoyed reading the blog, we will post our final blog in a few days!

Thank you everyone ❤️❤️

[omgnatfan]

Day Thirteen

The penultimate leg of the LEJOG is now complete.

The day started with a stretch of urban cycling out of the city of Inverness, over the Kessock Bridge and through the country lanes towards Evanton.

At 24m above sea level, the village signals the start of a gradual but long ascent of nearly 200m onto Struie. The hills kept on giving as normal but they are becoming false flats.

The viewpoint at Cadha Mor offered spectacular views of the Dornoch Firth and the Kyle of Sutherland.

Lunch was eaten at Bonar Bridge and then on to the solitary Crask Inn.

The weather today has been another mixed bag. It was mainly dry until the last 3 miles as we approached Crask. The wind reached gale force with horizontal rain.

We arrived at The Crask Inn early afternoon. The hotel is marketed as Scotland’s most isolated and certainly there isn’t much around here that would cause us to dispute that claim. The welcome is friendly and has a well stocked bar ( Ella is currently working through the whiskey selection).

Our current total is £2500. It would be incredible to reach £2600 before we finish tomorrow. Please see the link to our Just Giving page below.

Thank you to Richard and Kathryn Kitchen for riding alongside today and taking some amazing photos.

[omgnatfan]

Day Twelve

This stage of the LEJOG is visually stunning despite cycling on the A82.

A little school boy error (not reading the route guidance at breakfast) resulted in a 7.5 mile cycle ride through a rocky, muddy forest track. Not really the best terrain for road bikes. 🙄🙄

Once back on the main roads, we headed towards Fort Augustus where we had a lovely lunch stop at Lovat Brasserie.

The afternoon involved looking for Nessie as we cycled along the shore of Loch Ness.

Thank you to Alasdair Cameron and Fraser Campbell from the Clansman Hotel Loch Ness for their kind donation to Prostate Cancer. Thank you to everyone for their kind donations, still time to donate. Please see attached link below.

It was nice to see friendly faces at the end of the ride. Thank you, Richard and Kathryn Kitchen, for your moral support.

Also, it was a pleasure to met up with Ian Finlayson, a former Barclays colleague, who is supporting our fundraising with a bucket shake at Nairn County Football Club later in the season.

[omgnatfan]

Day Eleven

The start of today’s ride saw us cycle along the shores of Loch Lomond. The route went through Ardlui and Crianlarich, where the roads began to ascend for over 5 miles, which led us to the start of the Highlands giving us an elevation total of 3,012 feet.

Just north of Tyndrum, Andy found it very difficult not to turn left heading for Oban and the Isle of Mull.

The Bridge of Orchy Hotel was an amazing stop for lunch which fuelled us up for the journey through Glencoe ( fully recommended).

The route navigated through 16 miles of the most dramatic scenery in all of Scotland. The Loch Tulla viewpoint, despite being exposed to the elements, is described as one of the finer views in all of Europe.

Weather today was still mixed with wind, the odd shower and good periods of sunshine. 🌦🌦☀️☀️☀️

Arriving in Glencoe, allowed time to bask in the sunshine.

[omgnatfan]

Day Ten

Leaving Moffat, we were met with horrendous side winds for a 12 mile uphill start to the day. A brief coffee stop in Abingdon was followed by a gentle descent in to Glasgow. Lunch was eaten in the calm surroundings of Chatelherault Country Park.

35 miles of cycle paths took us across the city of Glasgow however, Steve would have preferred to be on the road. Just as we joined the cycle paths on the outskirts of Glasgow, Steve swerved to avoid a cloud of mosquitoes and proceeded to take both Andy and Steve off in to the ditch.

After cycling past Parkhead, Celtic’s football ground, we followed the River Clyde past the Armadillo and Barclays buildings and finally out in to the countryside.

The LEJOG route today was made a little interesting due to the poor road surfaces ( thank you Lanarkshire County Council for their support, NOT!)

Our final destination of today was the southern shore of Loch Lomond at which, we arrived in rain! 🌧🌧🌧🌧

[omgnatfan]

Day Nine

Today was a 73.5 mile ride from Keswick to Moffat.

Again, the weather showed its ugly face with more torrential rain and winds throughout.

Today finally saw us leaving England and arriving in Scotland. We passed Carlisle Castle, near to the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall which was built by William II of England.

Brunch was had in England and the first haggis was eaten at lunch in The Ecclefechan Hotel. The support team gate crashed the refreshment stop of Peak Tours and realise they may have to up their game 🤣.

It was a straight road from Gretna Green to Moffat.

We were warmly welcomed by Rob and Maihri Ash from the Hartfell Hotel and The Limetree Restaurant who kindly offered to wash and dry the cycling kit.

[omgnatfan]

Day Eight

We are over halfway through LEJOG! A reason to celebrate 🎉🎉

Day 8, according to the route notes, is one of the hardest days of the whole adventure.... This was going to be a real test.

A decidedly hilly start from Slaidburn, 1600 feet in the first five miles, much to Andy’s delight!

Incredible views from the summit of The Skaithe (427m above sea level) followed by a rapid descent down Lythe Fell. This was followed by traversing the country lanes to Kendal. Cycling North to The Lake District.

Two lovely coffee stops today in Hornby, next to the River Wenning, and in Ambleside. It was lovely to meet Rosie Holland and Charlie Burrell in Ambleside. Thank you for your support and donation to Prostate Cancer.

Something strange happened today, we saw a yellow dot in the sky giving off some heat! 🌞🌞

The final stage of the day included a tough ascent from Grasmere (Dunmail Raise) with exceptional views of The Lake District Fells.

[omgnatfan]

Day Seven

Wet, wet, wet, torrential rain all the way, with horrendous crosswinds across the tops of the moors. Not a pleasant day in the saddle.

Today saw us tackle a lot of urban cycling as we encountered the delights of the North West of England. First off Warrington and then onto Leigh and Bolton. The next sprawling metropolis was Blackburn.

First mechanical failure of the journey when Andy’s pedal fell off, many thanks to Ewood Cycles of Blackburn for getting him back on the road in five minutes.

We would like to thank Kayleigh Owen, the receptionist at Runcorn Premier Inn for her very kind donation. We have reached a grand total of £2,327.89. Please help us to reach £2,500.

[omgnatfan]

Day Six

Much to Andy’s delight, the first climb of the day was completed on the back of yesterday’s ride! ⛰

The weather was much improved however, just as a little joke, we had a headwind today.

There was a nice ride through Shrewsbury taking in the Quantum Leap sculpture honouring the life of Charles Darwin. We were also serenaded by a drunk local on a bike!!!

Today, the support team have been at both ends of the spectrum, by providing an amazing lunch stop at The Dickin Arms pub in Loppington. They let themselves down badly by missing the rendezvous spot in Aldford ( we were sitting drinking coffee and eating cake elsewhere, oops 🤣😂)

Overall, today’s transition between Hope Valley and Runcorn was enjoyable and very picturesque.

[omgnatfan]

Day Five

“Weather, weather, altogether, what’s it going to be?!” Rain, rain and more rain 🌧

Just for a change, Andy’s hills kept on giving. Steve enjoyed sailing through his old cycling training ground of Herefordshire and all his memories came flooding back (excuse the weather pun.) For those of you that enjoy a little bit of history, we passed through Mortimers Cross and visited what is left of Clun Castle. However, we all somehow managed to miss the ancient Yew hedge at Brampton Bryan (slightly embarrassing for the 3 Bryans in the support car😳🙄)

Quote of the day comes from the hotel. When checking in, we were told, “ You can only bring the bikes in if they are clean.” Interesting, considering their idea of cleanliness and the state of the rooms.

[omgnatfan]

Day Four

Today has been a long and tiring ride, navigating through the cycle ways of Bristol. The Severn Bridge was a pleasant sight and experience to cross by bike (cross wind 🌪).

Andy has a better day in the saddle once his drugs kicked in (only paracetamol!)

Crossing the border to Wales and heading north made us feel we are getting somewhere.

There was a lovely downhill ride past Tintern Abbey, which was a sight to behold, and in to Monmouth.

The hotel for tonight is a fitting tribute to Fawlty Towers! We are looking forward to Manuel serving breakfast! 🤣🤣

Special thanks to James from Cog and Sprocket Cycles in Street for a quick indexing of Steve’s gears and his donation to Prostate Cancer.

Thank you to everyone for their donations and keeping us motivated. The link to our Just Giving page is below.

[omgnatfan]

Day Three

For a change, the hills had more to give! 1,000 feet in the first eight miles which Andy really appreciated, not!! ⛰ ⛰ And just to take the mickey, we had headwind today 🌪.

After the Dunsford climbs, there were some amazing roads (surfaces) that cut through the stunning Devonshire countryside. This was then followed with similar views in Somerset.

The mid-section of hills were just as fierce giving us a daily total of 4,455 feet of climbing (even though the book said 3,000).

We received a warm welcome from Chas at The Half Moon Inn at Stoke St Mary ( unlike the grumpy reception we received at The White Hart in Corfe.

The quote of today comes from Ella when looking for a coffee stop in Corfe, she said, ‘ Corfe has a castle and a visitors centre’. No, Ella, that is Dorset. More geography lessons for Ella tomorrow.

[omgnatfan]

Day Two

The start of the second day began at the water’s edge in Fowey with a short crossing across the River Fowey on the Bodinnick Ferry. Just for a change, the hills kept on going! Andy’s quote of the day, “My Garmin thought I had stopped but I was STILL pedaling!!!”

As we reached the cyclists’ Mecca of Yelverton, the ladies were a sight for sore eyes as they greeted us armed with a well needed pit-stop lunch (although Ella had failed in her task of buying Steve a Scotch Egg, which was soon rectified in the local deli.)

We set off, refuelled and ready to face the neverending hill to Princetown which continued on through Postbridge, reaching a height of 1500ft. We survived another deluge of rain, even the ponies and sheep were wearing flippers and snorkels. Andy said, “I have never cycled up a river before.” As we reached The White Hart Hotel in Moretonhampstead we were greeted by the ladies and Mary Poppins.

A huge thank you to Andy, the manager of The White Hotel in Moretonhampstead for his kind hospitality, for keeping the bikes locked up and secure, and for allowing us to place our charity box on the bar.

[omgnatfan]

Day One completed!

A day of mixed emotions, a long journey to Land’s End and we were not disappointed by the vision of beauty before us.

We were pleasantly surprised as the weather forecast was for gale force winds and torrential rain. However, we were greeted with bright blue skies and a warm gale!

After the photo shoot, it was time for the off. After 5 minutes they were back as Andy had forgotten to apply his ‘Butt Cream’ #extrahalfmilecompleted!

On the ride we experienced a mixed bag of weather and a distinct lack of coffee and cake shops. One not found until 40 miles in, just a normal ride out with Steve Dunn. The guide book lulled us in to a false sense of security stating 3,000 feet of climbing. Only for us to record 5,102! The quote of the day ‘These hills just keep on giving’ much to Andy’s disgust.

We all met up at the harbour in Fowey, only to have to walk back up to the car park.