Day 12 The end!

The end. I did it! I did it! I rode my bike from one end of Great Britain to the other! I haven’t kept rigorous statistics en route, perhaps I should have done, but there were too many other things to think of. I know Werner has kept all the stats from his GPS, so when I get them from him I’ll post them here, but we spent an average of 6 hours a day in the saddle, so that’s about 72 hours in total, 1600km. I’ll check my bike computer for the accurate total mileage later. It’s safely locked up in the hotel Board room at the moment!

September 15th 2007; Imogen's 4th Birthday and I complete my end to end (and happy birthday to Stuart in NYC!).

In my mind I thought the last day would be some sort of grand procession. Cheering crowds, warm sunshine, rose petals cast in front of my wheels as we coasted to the finish line in front of an adoring public. The reality could not be further from the truth. The final ride of 98km involved some tortuously steep hills and treacherous descents, made so by a bitterly cold northerly Arctic wind carrying hail and icy cold rain driven into our faces. It could not be described as pleasurable and it made for a very bleak last day.

We bumped into Beth in Thurso, 32km from the end and begged her to go and buy food. Sausage rolls and rice pudding were consumed eagerly whilst we all shivered with cold. This did set us up for the last blast to John O’Groats though and our spirits were actually quite high despite our discomfort. I counted the kilometres down and we staged a sprint finish whilst Beth and Imogen cheered us on from the car park entrance.

A feeling of enormous satisfaction engulfed me. I hugged and kissed Beth and we men shook hands and clapped each other heartily on each other’s backs. Werner’s parents were there to meet him and looked justifiably proud of him. He has raised nearly £25k for the respite home where his severely disabled brother lives. Good for him.

We took photos and then retired to the café for hot soup and coffee and shelter from the cold and rain. We then drove to Inverness where we met up with Beth’s family, for a celebratory meal and a nice hotel. We pushed the boat out for a big room and some comfort after my labours. We had a great time and retired to bed late for a rest.

Best moment: climbing a tortuous hill on Dartmoor whilst Beth and Mo cheered me on from the summit

Worst moment: riding through Warrington and Wigan

Hardest climb: pick any from Dartmoor. Cheddar and Drumnadrochit, but probably the last was the steepest.

Best descent: a close thing between the ride down from the Shropshire hills into Shrewsbury and the 14km roller coaster from Drumnadrochit, but again the latter takes it for sheer grin inducement

Best day: Kilmarnoch to Loch Fyne; great ride, breathtaking scenery

Worst day: The last unfortunately; hideously cold and wet; we all just wanted it to end

Best hotel: the Mecure Albrighton; do it!

Worst hotel: the Bridge at Bonar Bridge; avoid!

Road rage: the idiot in Whitchurch or the bully that had a go at Beth by Loch Ness

Finally; thank you to all those of you that have supported me in any way, shape or form whether it be practical help, donations or just words of encouragement. The final fund raising figure isn’t yet known, but I’m well on the way to £5 000. A massive thank you to Beth for all her support, help and encouragement, its taken 9 months' hard work that I literally couldn’t have done without her.

And to Tom Barker. In whose memory I undertook and achieved this challenge. I hope I have in some small way helped.


nb. for some reason I can't upload pictures at the moment; check back in a day or so and I'll post the start and end pics.