Helmsdale - John o' Groats, 53.5 miles
Jonathan, 5th October
A beautiful sunrise and a calm morning. Set off up the hill which went up, got steeper, went on and went up some more! Good view at the top though...
The road was undulating but pleasant a lot of the way, then a steep downhill in to Berriedale where I set the ride record of 43.4 mph! - of course this followed by a massive uphill on the other side, averaging more like 4.4 mph! Had a welcome stop at Dunbeath.
A pleasant run on the A99 as the landscape gradually flattened out, much more farming country with a lot of livestock and lots of straw bales, before rolling in to Wick for lunch. A strange town and the whole feel of Caithness is very remote and perhaps struggling economically.
The last section up to JoG passed through mostly flat, remote country, but progress was easy going with the wind behind us. In to the final 3 miles you rise up a hill on to the first bit of heather moorland we had been through. At the top there were wonderful views of the Orkney Islands. From here we drop down all the way to the finish line at JoG.
The bike computer read a daily total of 53.5 miles (not sure why the road sign at Helmsdale said 55 miles), making the total for the ride, unbelievably 999 ½ miles !!
Getting here was something of an anti-climax, being an over-developed tourist spot with a grotty hotel. It was wonderful to finish, but we knew there was still 20 miles to pedal to Thurso for an overnight stay before getting the train to Inverness.
Inverness - Helmsdale, 74 miles
Jonathan, 4th October
Lots of rain overnight, but it stopped just before we got up and the day got better right through. After an easy ride to Inverness, and some food shopping, we headed on to the A9 over the Kessock bridge on a horribly busy stretch over the Black Isle. Gradually the road got quieter and we arrived in Alness ("Britain in Bloom" winner!) for a good cafe stop and an excellent health food shop. Had a lovely run through Invergordon and along the coast with the wind behind and the sun out, achieving really good average speeds. Back on the A9, through Tain then on to Dornoch Firth.
Whilst the wind had veered WNW and gusting quite strong, the scenery was beautiful - over the long Dornoch bridge. Up and over to the next river inlet, lots of glorious woodland and some good farmland (lots of cattle and sheep) on to Golspie for a stop and lie down in the sun on the beach.
The road got really quiet from here on, past Brora and on some lovely rolling coastline with the late evening sun, on to Helmsdale. A pretty, small harbour and village, two fish and chip shops (opposite each other) and a beautiful hostel. The road sign says "John o' Groats 55 miles"...
Fort William to Inverness, 63 miles
Jonathan, 3rd October
An overcast day but got off to a good start, first stop at Spean Bridge. The A82 got quieter then, with views back to Ben Nevis, the top shrouded in cloud. There on to Fort Augustus was an easy run. A pleasant village with the impressive Caledonian Canal locks. Lots of woodland and the start of Loch Ness. We elected to take the road to the Southern side of Loch Ness.
This started with a massive climb that actually flattened, went down then up more before a fantastic view to the North at about 1200ft. A long descent led to an undulating road back down to Loch Ness, passing some beautiful wooded areas. Strangely, we went through a river valley that was actually over 500ft or more above the Loch - the river plunges down a waterfall eventually.
Undulating but quiet and pretty road to Dores, albeit with rain (the first since Gloucestershire, 8 days ago). A few more miles took us to Clachandreggy, where Maggie and Neil Sutherland, our generous hosts, have a great setup of an organic smallholding with veg, chickens and pigs, alongside a sustainable house design and supply business ( www.organicbuildings.com ). It's an amazing place in a rural area that is generally large scale farming and forestry that offers ecological, social and economic sustainability through diverse and successful businesses.
Maggie gave us a wonderful meal and really looked after us - we were made very welcome indeed. It was so nice to have such good fresh local veg after a bit of a lack of good quality food in Scotland.
Inverarnan - Fort William, 58.5 miles
Jonathan, 2nd October
A later start after a cooked breakfast, allowing the morning frost to melt away. Onwards to Crianlarich in sunshine, before turning left to Tyndrum. Interestingly it's here the train line splits, the Oban line keeping lower whilst the incredibly scenic line to Fort William climbs steadily.
At Tyndrum we strangely came across an excellent community Internet access facility, where we downloaded photos off the camera and wrote updates.
From here on the scenery got, quite simply, stunning. The road runs between many "Munro peaks" (mountains over 3,000ft) and with the wind behind us it was very enjoyable riding. Onwards over bleak, vast Rannoch Moor, everyone became really very quiet, just bowled over by the beauty and remoteness of the landscape.
This landscape can be seen as a place we connect to, but through the eyes of people who perceive nature and wilderness as something lost. To those who had to live here in generations past - and were dependent on the land to meet all their needs, I imagine it would have brought very little joy or comfort.
Through to the majesty and grandeur of a cloudy Glencoe, we cruised down the road to the lovely Clachaig Inn, a real gem, for (very) late lunch.
Rolled on through to Glencoe village, over the bridge and onwards to Fort William. A nice bunkhouse, strange town but a cracking pub, the Grog and Gruel.
Crawford Arms Trucker's stop, Borders of Scotland, to the Drover's Inn, Inveraran, North end of Loch Lomond.
Alice, 1st October
Equal best weather of the trip yet. Morning up through Abington to Strathaven. Very nice. Rolling hills in sunshine. At the crest of a hill Glasgow opened up huge in the valley below us. Crossed the Clyde into the city, feeling a little like London. Cultural interlude at the architecture exhibition Shift - at the Lighthouse gallery - imagining land use in Scotland's central Glasgow Edinburgh belt in 2057.
Pelted it out of Glasgow's industrial edges to southern tip of Loch Lomond as the sun was on its way down - lovely colours all over the loch and onto the eastern hills edging the loch. Crepuscule apparently means evening dawn in French. Final half hour or so of riding in the dark and you can't tell if you're riding uphill or down and the road surfaces, rattling or smooth, and ridges come as a surprise and from the back it's just three red tail lights gliding around the corners.
The Drover's inn looks as old as you can imagine. The bedrooms share a bath, no shower, real live huge bathroom with an armchair in the corner. 3 ptarmigans, 1 bear, 1 king like robe, 1 moulded fish, 1 wolf, 1 white furred seal in glass cabinets and not in glass cabinets on the hotel walls. A wallful of whiskey. Heavy white cotton sheets, deep blue walls.
The Crossing
Alice, 30th September
Low Luckens Farm, not so far from Carlisle, to the Borders of our northern neighbours, Crawford.
Best weather of the trip yet. Bikes no longer sluggish. Feeling pretty hot, hills are no bother, to Moffat. Moffat town of joy - sun shining on girls ceilidh dancing in the street, sun shining on us eating tea cakes in café, sun shining on offers of sponsorship from people passing us in the street. Up hill to overlook cows in the Devils Beef Tub. Downhill to the Crawford Arms Truckers stop. Brilliant views. 6pm finish. Slick.
Kendal to Low Luckens, 61 miles
Alice, 29th September
A night in Kendal YHA, well worth a visit if passing. Had the vibe of a forties scout camp with single sex dorms, lots of old women in their knickers and rationed orange juice.
And finally the next morning, after three days of windy flat, a hill- Shap fell ahead. Slightly daunting but in actuality the grandeur of the scenery and the company of a few fellow cyclists made it an enjoyable morning. The conversation up the hill ran something like this. ' Are you also an End to Ender?....How many miles today?... Shimano SPDs?.... ' followed by a few more comparisons on distances, daily averages and mutual admiration of lycra, AND FINALLY I feel like I'm in their gang. A proper cyclist despite the wonky helmet and occasionally dropping to 3 miles an hour- on hills.
The lake district blew away the gloom of Warrington and its industrial cobwebs. Pasture, rolling hills, barns, walls and great autumnal beeches. The landscape felt clean and the light sharper, the wilds of 'The North' creeping in and spirits lifting. Snacks of biscuits and piling layers back on at the top of Shap and then a long glide down through forestry plantations.
Lunched in a nice put in Penrith a hearty lake town that felt in stark contrast to Carlisle where we were sworn at twice although we did get enthusiastically told by a crazy man that people like us 'put the GREAT back into Great Britain'. Something to put on our next T-shirts.
Turned off from the droning whirr of passing cars to the last few miles of plateau lanes overlooking the mountains. The last few mliles seemed to go on a bit too far and I began to fall apart. Even thought something was wrong with my bike.... Blamed it for feeling sluggish but actually it was just my legs and mind.
And finally the quiet, gentle long track of Low Luckens farm with Mike, Ruth and Elsie Downham awaiting us to pick up the pieces and warm us up with good food drink and chats - transition world planned in an evening.
Rainford to Kendal, 72.5 miles
Jonathan, 28th September
Jenny Hall and Keith Griggs grow organically on a few acres (www.sowandgroworganics.co.uk), using vegan organic methods, for a box scheme. Formerly arable land, they've planted a willow hedge around the margins and make extensive use of green manures. Part of their field was flooded this summer and hasn't properly recovered, so this will be changed from veg to willows permanently.
We set off to Ormskirk then on to preston, passing many horticultural holdings. Veg grow well on the deep fertile silt soils here, which was nice to see after lots of livestock, but the soil managemnet in places was terrible. In to Preston for lunch - a very busy city and lots of people - not used to this!!
Following on up the A6 the landscae changes considerably with many more livestock. Still nice and flat, but the wind was still against us, taking the average speed down considerably. Feeling cold, a stop in a warm coffee shop in Lancaster was very welcome.
A few more mile up the A6 brought us to the edge of the Lake District and some lovely scenery. A few more miles in to Kendal, arriving in good time and found the YHA, our home for the night. We met Kate's mum, who had come to meet us and was absolutely lovely, buying us all (a three course!) dinner in the adjacent arts centre restaurant. It was so nice to have a good sit down meal, socialise and have a good square meal!
Market Drayton to Rainford, 69 miles
Jonathan, 27th September
The dark day! A froty morning at Fordhall Farm with a biting wind, but lovely and clear. The bull had got out in the yard and was munching away on some grass, but Ben soon had him back where he was supposed to be and we went in for a hearty brekfsat of Porridge.
We set off for Market Drayton then Nantwich. A lovely market town, though we were all feeling exhausted from the day before and felt very sluggish. Despite lots of food and some fairly easy terrain and some pleasant Cheshire countryside we were struggling. Plodded on to Northwich and had lunch. From here on it was hard going against the wind, to Warrington where it all started to go wrong. I couldn't pick out the right road and ended up going in to the middle of town, did a figure of eight of the whole town before getting out an our later.
Everyone was in a bad mood by now and we had many miles to do. At another wrong urn at Haydock we had a Board meeting and made an executive decision to cut short our day and stay with friends near Rainford, just a few miles away. This meant adding an extra day on to the schedule, but there was no way we would do it otherwise. So we went to Jenny and Keith of Sow and Grow Organics in Kings Moss to a very warm welcome.
The northerly winds actually set us back a hell of a lot. Physically you lose 3-5mph on average speed, which means 20 or more miles, or an extra 2 hours cycling, per day (on average). Physchologically you lose even more. It's been an interesting lessonin cycling.
Cheltenham to Market Drayton and Fordhall Farm, 80 miles
Alice, 27th September
Today we passed the invisible line marking that we are now over one third of the way to Scotland. I am beginning to think that cycling is a good analogy to life , all about the peaks and the troughs, the one being reliant on the other. You get pretty profound on the back of a bike.
Everywhere we go people have been generously giving us food. I had not fully realised the extent of this until I looked into the depths of my pannier after a few days and realised I had been carrying a small farm shops worth of sustenence. One banana, one orange, seven apples, two bars of green and blacks, two flapjacks, one yogurt, half a date cake, one cheese sandwich, two bars of kendal mint cake and a bag of brazil nuts. Quite a few kilos! I worked out that one apple has done about two hundred and ninty miles. A whole new understanding of food mile when you are carrying it as dead weight. Food has in general changed in meaning since we began the ride. It has transformed from something mostly about pleasure to being more simply our fuel. Such exertion brings a more direct understanding of energy. With your body being the machine what you put in, energy wise is what you get out.
Today has also been the day that i have mastered formation cycling, or slip streaming as termed by professonals ( like myself). It was a day of heads down and pushing on and despite feeling moments of some knee and mind ache there was also much elation. Kate and I had Van Morrisons 'as I ventured into the slipstream' buzzing round our heads and by mile seventy three the 'brown girl in the ring' moment in touching the void had a lot more resonance to me.
Fifty miles in and we stopped at Riskin Mill, Vale Head Farm at Kinver near Stourbridge for a delicious home grown lunch and photoshoot for the local paper. We met some of the students and were shown some of their direct exerience projects, from chair making to gardening. The garden was impressive with a rainbow of fruit and veg.
By the end of the day we were gliding along in the dark like skaters in perfect synchronization and couldn't help feeling a bit like the Red Arrows. Captain Jon with the map , ship mate Kate and anchor man Alice dragging myself and ALL my generous bounty along at the back. And finally, mile ninty three and we turned off before the ominous lights of the Muller factory to a starry cold calm moon lit yard. Fordhall farm and the warmest of welcomes and a massive bowl of bens sausages. Elation again.
Clevedon to Cheltenham , 62 miles
Jonathan, 25th September
With an easier day in prospect, we were all in a better mood this morning. Fortunately no hang over injuries from yesterday and a lovely clear morning. First stop was the Soil Association in Bristol to give a briefing to the staff on what we're doing, which was well received. The issues raised, of organic food, clothing, young people in farming and Peak Oil are all central to what the Association stands for - as with us as individuals. It's always good to talk to people who are as passionate and committed t the concerns as you are.
From here an easy ride out of Bristol up the good old A38. Having just taken our waterproofs off from getting too warm, we'd just got under the M5 at Almonsbury when it absolutely heaved down!! The nearest Chestnut tree came in handy to shelter behind...fortunately it only lasted for 5 minutes.
From here on spirits were rising as we dried out, the sun came out and we had easy miles up a fairly flat bit of road. At Whitminster we turned off towards Haresfield. Going over the M5 reminds you of the enormous reliance we as a society have on oil and the colossal quantities required to shift around millions of tons of metal and people. It's completely crazy when you stop and think about it, especially when so much of it is so unnecessary.
In Haresfield and surrounding lanes we admired the incredible perry pear trees - huge old pears, only used to make perry and some of them over 200 years old. Specific to this part of the country (they like heavy clay), these orchards are intrinsic to the landscape. In Brookthorpe we had a lovely stop with Dave and Helen of Day's Cottage, who make wonderful juice, cider and perry from many old varieties of apples and pears from their own and other local orchards. They sell everything locally and make some fantastic products. It's inspiring to meet people with such passion for what they do.
From here a pedal through the lanes, up another steep hill on the edge of the Cotswolds (including one wrong turn!) sped us down to Shurdington, past the Cheese Rollers pub (yes, it does happen and people must be completely mad), took us to Leckhampton and Charlton Kings to my aunt and uncle who gave us a lovely meal and made us welcome for the night. By then the wind had veered North West, the light clearer but the air cooler.
All the food we had so far has been fantastic, the people more than welcoming and seen some incredible landscapes. The transition through these landscapes (after over 270 miles) has been very interesting and makes you realise why we should be eating as much as possible locally and valuing our local landscapes - they are all special in their own right and by bombing down the motorway (or in a train) you simply do not see the peculiarities and distinctiveness of the areas. For more inspiration on this look up the work of Common Ground.
Copplestone to Clevedon, 90 Miles
Jonathan, 24th September
After some torrential overnight rain, a lovely clear morning. Some beautiful, quiet mid-Devon lanes with lovely countryside, but progress was seriously hampered by a disagreement between bikes and knees. After a stop at Tiverton, things improved and we went on to Milverton after some nice fast stretches of the A38.
Here the Organic Herb Trading Company sell huge amounts of organic herbs nationwide - mostly imported but with a stunning growing site at the farm which is a great sight. Here we met Chinnie Kingsbury, the field manager who showed us round and led us on general discussions about horticulture, the importance of good quality herbs and flowers, and (again) the chronic lack of young people in this profession.
The countryside was stunning, but we had a hellish climb over the Quantocks, down to Stowey Rocks Farm (near Nether Stowey), run by Richard and Remke Plowright. They grow lots and lots of good organic veg and again are very committed to local food. This is a new farm for them and it was interesting to see how they're getting on. The event was organized by the relatively recently-formed Organic Growers Association.
From here on the landscape was much flatter, putting some good miles on up the A38 through Somerset. After a hilly stretch cutting through the Mendips and the light fading, Clevedon was just a few miles over the moors. This flatter bit of country is pleasant, perhaps less aesthetically pleasing than further South West, but a hell of a lot easier for cycling!
Though the wind was fresh, it was all behind us, so we've been lucky so far in that respect. A long day, aching knees, but nothing some good food and sleep couldn't sort out.
Lanreath to Copplestone, 65 Miles
Jonathan, 23rd September
Rain! A classic Cornish Sou'Westerly, very misty, drizzle with light rain and exceptionally mild. The first cycle of the morning was down and up an exceptionally steep valley at Herodsfoot to Trevalon Organic Vegetables. Here Brian and Mark work a few acres doing a veg box scheme. The really interesting part of the operation is the use of Bill and Ben - not two humans, but Brian's horses. They do cultivations, weeding and transport and are a really inspiring example of what can be done - a very pertinent issue with Peak Oil.
Lots and lots of ups and downs (hills and moods!), including a monster out of Gunnislake up the side of the Tamar Valley. Getting to the top, lowest gear, full aerobic capacity - felt like wed been working! Pulling in to the pub for lunch spirits were quite down. A long rise out of Mary Tavy and a long downhill to Okehampton things started to get better - the sun actually came out then. After some beautiful Devon countryside along deserted lanes, we arrived (later than planned) at Summershill Farm, Land Heritage centre. A lovely farm, nice people and a great organization securing organic farms for the future.
A very pleasant cycle to Linscombe Farm near New Buildings, where Phil and Helen provided us with a mobile home, access to as much veg as we could possibly eat and a really good chat. Linscombe do a big veg box scheme and are very good growers who are committed to local food. They are also passionate (and very concerned) about the lack of young and interested people in horticulture (and agriculture) - it's not only bad for the future, it's having a serious impact on businesses right now. They are very interested in the idea of apprenticeships.
Land’s End to Lanreath, 73 miles
Jonathan, 22nd September
The weather at Land’s End was lovely – after a misty start, the clouds cleared, the wind was light and it made for a great start to the ride. Sadly Kate was unable to be with us for the first day due to work commitments, but Alice and I set off at about 9.15 (after a refreshing swim at Sennen Cove!).
We had to stop in Penzance to refuel, both feeling a bit flaked out after a lack of food and not ideal night’s sleep! Things improved and we had a reasonable mornings cycling through some beautiful parts of the Cornish countryside – Leedstown, Praze-an-beeble to Four Lanes. We stopped here at an excellent organic farm shop and café, generally feeling a lot better after lunch.
Some delightful scenery through Stithians, Perranwell and other villages took us to Trelissick gardens, where we looked at the fantastic orchard that has been planted there out of old West Country apple varieties. They’re doing really well and are keeping alive the varieties that are intrinsic to this mild wet climate. They are really in keeping with the landscape.
Over the King Harry Ferry we went through some more beautiful country through Philleigh, Ruan Lanihorne and Tregony, then heading off to St Austell. After the busy section we went to Par then Fowey, where we encountered the worst hill imaginable, before speeding down to the Boddinick ferry. A climb out of the lovely Fowey valley brought us through the very different landscape (much more akin to Devon) and to Lanreath.
Malcolm and Anne Butters have a lovely 1 acre or so garden, stacked full of top and soft fruit, willows, other agroforestry trees, veg, a tunnel, ducks and bees. It’s a really inspiring example of what can be done on a small scale and is amazing given just 5 years ago it was a grassy field – the willows must be 12 foot high! They really looked after us and now we’re ready to head for the Tamar in to Devon.
To sum up Cornwall, it was stunning countryside, generally quiet roads, some great organic food, but countless hills. The ecological diversity is created by the topography, but this also means you constantly go across river valleys where one downhill is equalled by an uphill the other side. Feel like we earned dinner.
Nearly time to leave
Jonathan, 17 th September
For most cyclists, getting to Land's End to start the infamous Land's End to John o' Groats (LEJOG) means travelling South West. But for me, it means travelling North East, because I live on the Isles of Scilly and Land's End is positively mainland and "up country"!
So I'll be on the Scillonian, the ferry from Scilly to Penzance on Friday afternoon, then cycling the 12 miles up to Land's End ready to start on Saturday morning. The next few days will consist of checking over the bike doing some fine tuning, checking I've got everything, doing last minute arrangements, packing, re-packing to loose some weight, packing again because I've forgotten something, getting up again when I've gone to bed to write something down I've forgotten, etc!
Then I'll be incessantly checking weather forecasts - short and medium term, seeing what's in store. At the moment, the first week looks reasonable, so we'll see how it pans out. Personally I certainly feel a certain amount of trepidation, which will disappear after the first mile is under the belt, but also a massive challenge and sense of freedom on the road.
I've still got lots to do on the land before going, hopefully leaving it in a reasonable state for when I get back. I've got someone to check things over once I'm away and do the odd bit of picking to order, but otherwise it should look after itself this time of year as I don't do many winter crops. What will really annoy me is if, with these Northerly winds, a lot of seaweed is broken off the rocks and lies on the beach ready for me to collect and use on the fields...only I won't be there to get it! Just have to hope it's still there when I get back in early October.
Please keep checking the website www.powertopedal.org.uk during the ride - first progress report due to be posted by Sept 24 th , if not before. Then please send the link to our website to all friends and family, encouraging them to donate to our charities online. Thanks for your support.
