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Grace,
a friend from Devon, asked me to join her on the End to End this year.
Having lived at Lands End all my life, I have always wanted to see
John O Groats and this was a wonderful opportunity not only to see
it, but to cycle back home!
John O Groat’s reminded me of Lands End many years ago, a hotel with
a shop and the signpost! However it does have a harbour and ferries
run from here across to the Orkneys. What surprised me most everything
was closed because it was Sunday, I could not buy a postcard! |
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Our
route went across the top of Scotland to Bettyhill, then down the
middle to Alness and eventually ending up in Edinburgh. From Edinburgh
onto Carlisle, down the West Coast of England skirting the big cities
onto Hereford and Chepstow.We then went around Bristol, over the Mendips
and down through Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Most of the roads we
used were either quiet A roads or B roads, unclassified roads and
as much as possible were taken on the Sustan Cycle routes. |
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Cycling
was wonderful all the way down, we cycled through forests, valleys,
mountains, climbed over hills (we never seemed to go around them!),
cycled along streams, rivers, locks. |
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We
saw the corn being harvested, potatoes being lifted, cows being milked,
sheep being moved and barges quietly going down stream by the Anderton
Boat Lift. |
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Crossed
5 bridges,:- Bonnar Bridge, Forth Bridge, Chepstow Old Bridge, Severn
Bridge and Clifton Suspension Bridge. |
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Cycled
on main roads, back lanes, cycle tracks and gravel tracks! We cycled
989 miles in 14 days, averaged 10.2 m.p.h. with a top speed 32.2 m.p.h.
The longest day was 90 miles and the shortest day 52 miles. |
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There
were 15 in our group, plus Colin our Leader and Jimmy driving our
backup vehicle.
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Cycling
into Lands End was wonderful, the weather was perfect and we could
not believe that we had all arrived safely and felt so fit at the
end of the ride. I would recommend this to anyone. |
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tour was organized by Colin Langdon, for the Cycle Touring Club, for
further details log onto his site. |
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