The Final Push

After 14 days cycling the end was finally in sight. Everyone was expecting this last day to be a bit of a doddle. Only around 60 miles of cycling plus the excitement of finishing. Nobody had counted on the strong headwinds or the steep hill to start the day. This was proving to be a very difficult day.
To our left we passed Dounreay. This is now being decommissioned, but it is going to take several years to finish. Apparently they haven't yet decided whether to get rid of the ball shaped fast breeder reactor. The whole place appears to be a massive failed experiment. This is quite an interesting read http://tinyurl.com/dounreay

Most of us stopped in Thurso for lunch and we were quite lucky because there was a big downpour, only the second time I had seen rain during the day during the 2 week trip. As we left Thurso, the sun was coming out and the wind had dropped and we then had less than 20 miles to go in quite nice conditions.

Everyone faced challenges in completing the trip. Pictured here is Ruth who rode a Brompton folding bike. She impressed everyone with her cheery attitude and determination. It is believed she is the first female to complete Lejog on a Brompton. Riding with Ruth are Steve and Jo from Bedfordshire.

This is me (sporting my new Tesco helmet) riding with Welsh Mike. We are smiling because we are nearly there.

We took a detour to go and see the most Northerly point in the UK mainland, Dunnet Head. Pictured (l to r) are Stu, Mike, Alan, Phil and myself. The weather had really improved and our spirits were soaring.

A few more miles and we had finally arived. After all the training and 15 days of continuous cycling it was all over. I had clocked up 1,072 miles and climbed more than the height of Everest. It was a great trip. Bike Adventures http://www.bikeadventures.co.uk/ had done us proud, with the most fantastic routes, food and support and it was a real pleasure to meet so many nice people along the way.

I have raised around £4,000 for my two chosen charities of Help for Heroes and Ellenor Lions Hospice. Thanks to all those generous people who have sponsored me.

Will I do it again? Not sure, but my son Scott has expressed an interest in doing it with me, so you never know.