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Early start.. I awoke at 6 a.m. and stealthily packed and had my room serviced breakie without Sam stirring. Well kinda as quietly as a moose! I did manage to leave at 7:14 in the rain from the hotel to an unexpected pleasant surprise to see Sam's father driving in to the carpark from Bristol? He wanted to show Sam his support *(& me) as our final leg of this adventure! I told him which room and rode off in the rain-rise! Sam was shocked but glad to see his Dad. I peddled onward to try to complete the day and meet Gabriel and Harriet at Land’s End around 3 pm. I managed to catch up with Sam at a farm where the route disappeared? The farmer came out and lectured us on how we should sort out a letter to Google Maps as this is a common occurrence for him. Had one biker riding around the outside of his house looking for the bike path! Eventually he explained how to find the correct routeand  old A 30 Road and off I went! Sam decided he was going to make his own route to the hidden bike path and took the road. I again caught back up with Sam via Indian Queens village and meeting Sam’s Dad. Finally we made it back to Route 3. Had lunch at Costa then on to Penzance! Quick rest and snacks by the Harbour and away! Only 9 more miles! Uphills and around bends til The First and Last Inn in England! Seenen Cove appears and finally, SAM and I ride to Land’s End to be greeted by his Dad and Gabriel my son and Harriet. We get pics taken, sign the End to Enders official book, drive to Seenen Cove and jump in the freezing cold sea before having a cup of tea and saying Goodbye.
I then clamber into the back seat of my car and attempt to sleep before stopping for a rest break in Exeter Services for a Cornish pasty and pot of tea. And see Sam exiting the services doing the same thing? I ask him are you following me? Where is your bike! Then we head off around 20:00 hrs until 22:40 when my car’s front tyre gets a puncture! We patiently Await for recovery services in the dark and wet rainy night in a lay by until 12 midnight. Arrive via truck at 2:30 back to Virginia Water! Tyred!
Thank you and Goodnight!

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After a tyred start, Sam and I set off around 11:30 through farm tracks, cycle paths, village lanes, uphills and across Exmoor. Moor or less a long day of cycling through wind and rain. After a muddy ride, we arrived around 8 pm and my bicycle was gritted and not changing gears easily. Rear brakes were not working! Not good! I hosed down the bike in the rain being careful to not let the dirt and grime dry! Sam checked the gears for me and then at 21:30 went to Dominoes for an "eat in" pizza and diet coke! Worried about my bike's functionality, I woke up early to start the last leg at 7:15. Knowingly, it would take me at least 7 hours to finish the 70 mile route to Land's End tomorrrow! We went to Texaco garage and bought cup o Oats, yogurt, and bananas to make our own early morning room service breakfast. Zzzzzz

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Taunton to Hatherleigh via Tiverton today!

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Taunton to Hatherleigh via Tiverton today!

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In the rain and the sun, up the hills and down through the farm lanes, we made it to Devon! Sam got a punctured front tyre about 5 miles from Hatherleigh! Changed it and new tube had a bad valve. He just kept filling the tyre every mile til he arrived at The George Hotel. Found the first puncture on the seam, and the second tube's valve. Found a mobile bike mechanic to hopefully bring him a new tube tomorrow! Lots of hills and nice views. Tomorrow we head to Bodmin then to Land's End for Sunday. Hope nothing else happens?

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Made it back to Clevedon from Bristol thanks to Sam's father...Ken Barber! Started back to biking after a rest day and fortunately it was like riding a bike...remembered everything! So now in Taunton after a lovely peddle of 46 miles. Dinner tonight is Italian at Ask ...before you ask! Then Cornish hills tomorrow for lunch to Hatherleigh for evening time. Suppose to be rainy tomorrow to just to add to the challenges! And then Hatherleigh to White Cross on Saturday! Then the End is near...Sunday from White Cross to Land's End! Hoping to be at the finish around 3 pm. for all of you wishing to come Cheer us in? But this is a dependent on accomodations, weather, and whether Sam and I can keep the energy level high enough over the next few days! Phew...need to go to dinner. Do not Ask! Ciao for now!

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The rest day is suppose to be the best day with time off and lazy late lie in. Lounging around with no plans and little effort. Well woke up at 8 to phone the local bike shop and make an appointment for our 2 bikes to be tuned up...so Bike Republic at 8:04 a.m. has a repair man out sick and back log of bikes...but could fit us in on Monday the 15th? So NO go there but they recommended The Mud Doc. So at 8:30, when the docktor office opened I called and begged to get my sick cycle seen. No brakes & gears all mixed up required immediate treatment therefore I was given an emergency appointment at 9:30. They sorted it with a new hanger that was bent, new brake pads on the front, a new chain, and an overall health check. We need an NBS system, for it cost me £100. Safety has no price tag, for everything else there is Master Card! Collected bikes out of surgery after mine and Sam's visit to the Spa around 16:30. Then did laundry and repacked the panniers, scrubbed and disinfected waterbottles and then...went out to Dinner with Sam's sister and Dad. A good carbo fuelled meal then 8 hours of solid restorative rest before getting back in the saddle for the final 4 days charity cycling celebrations! Oh yes! The finish is nearer than the start ever was!

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Great day with cool breeze and 23 degrees, variety of landscapes and cycling terrain...from canal paths, to dirt tracks, to country lanes, to city streets, grassy lawns, to fields of wheat. We rode through it. Arrived in Clevedon but staying in Bristol for our rest day tomorrow. Well...public bus did not want to take bikes and the one taxi firm refused to put bikes in their cars! And nearest train station is an additional 5 miles ride away...So what did we do you ask? We made things work for us! Sam basically took his bicycle apart so it was in tiny bke size pieces that the bus driver could digest. So he got on with his bike supply store. I was declined but a young couple got on the bus too and were eavesdropping. The young lady came off the bus to say she ordered a cab to Bristol in a half hour's time but were not needing it now and she would tell them to come collect me and my bike instead of cancelling. So  I waited for the taxidriver to arrive in shock and horror. And the 70 yr old woman just pointed at my bike when she pulled up without even rolling down her window she waved her index finger like a small windshield wiper at me. I opened the door and said hello can you take my bike and me to Bristol? She said "Oh no deary not in this car, I would have to put the seats down. Can't you just bike to Bristol?" No it is 7 pm. I have been cycling all day from Gloucester! Well then take the bus, she suggested! The bus does not allow cycles on them either, I replied. Well deary, you will have to take the train from Yatton. They take bikes to Bristol and they are only 5 miles up the road, she offers! Thanks I say and return to the bus stop, in hope that the 7:23 bus to Bristol will have a kind driver whom out of pity will allow my bike to travel just once? I waited til 7:28 when a kind old man drives up on the curb with his late bus to Bristol. The door opens and he shouts..."sorry no bicycles" as if I were deaf in both ears. I plead with him. Resite my case but he stubbornly says sorry not allowed and closes the door in my face then drives away. I ring Sam the bikeshop keeper to state that I will cycle to the train station in Yatton now. As I am putting back on my cycling shoes another Bristol bound bus appears with a younger female driver, so I ask nicely and say pretty please? She turns and asks the bus passengers if they mind? I get on and ask the downstairs seated passengers on the double decker night bus if they minded if I took my bike on the bus? They all said that they did not care so I did. With the one condition that if someone in a wheel chair got on then I would get off! 30 mins. later I get out at Anchor Rd. In Bristol. Phew!

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Had a great time visiting Sam's family on the farm near Telford and chatting til midnight. More canals today to get to Gloucester stopping in Worcester for tea! Route was bumpy and on side dirt paths next to speeding motorists. Sam had a run in with some thorn bushes but he e-scraped with some minor scratches. I lost a taillight going over curbs trying to stay safely of the busy roads. Arrived safely in Gloucester and visited the Quays and Cathedral. Hot today but hotter tomorrow. Peri-Peri hot! To Bristol and Clevedon for a rest day on Wednesday before the final push through Cornwall to Land's End and to the end of our sore rear-ends!

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Well the canal paths are therapeautic for awhile but now are just peautric! There was a fishing competition along the banks today and it took forever to pass by each fishing person and their 4 giant poles that extend the entire path and canal. One narrowboat owner set up chairs and a table plus a big garden umbrella all across the canal path? It takes 5 minutes for each person to clear a path to pass...times 50! I just exited the path and went road otherwise I would be still there.

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Today was a riverside ride to Stoke on Trent

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Today was a riverside ride to Stoke on Trent

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What a difference one day makes! Today was cool but with morning cloud cover to afternoon sunshine along a canal...a bike ride in the park basically! Stopped at Chorley for a riverside picnic then on to a pub lunch at Warburton Bridge by the Toll Booth. Then finishing up in Stoke on Trent for a curry in Alsager. On to Kiddeminster tomorrow!

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Made it back to Clevedon from Bristol thanks to Sam's father...Ken Barber! Started back to biking after a rest day and fortunately it was like riding a bike...remembered everything! So now in Taunton after a lovely peddle of 46 miles. Dinner tonight is Italian at Ask ...before you ask! Then Cornish hills tomorrow for lunch to Hatherleigh for evening time. Suppose to be rainy tomorrow to just to add to the challenges! And then Hatherleigh to White Cross on Saturday! Then the End is near...Sunday from White Cross to Land's End! Hoping to be at the finish around 3 pm. for all of you wishing to come Cheer us in? But this is a dependent on accomodations, weather, and whether Sam and I can keep the energy level high enough over the next few days! Phew...need to go to dinner. Do not Ask! Ciao for now!

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From Penrith to Lancaster to Gustang! 65 miles

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From Penrith to Lancaster to Gustang! 65 miles

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Today was again rainy and soaking wet and Hilly. In fact one of the biggest hills of the route. *(Literally in the clouds!) But no push bike today! No hiking boots for me...I had pedal power on the Green Machine! The sun did make a brief appearance this evening. Hope she returns tomorrow for all of the day! Off to sleep as tomorrow is another 6 hour ride to just outside of Macclesfield! Nite

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Made it from Lockerbie to Penrith! Took photos of Gretna Green and Welcome *(Good Bye) Scotland, and Entering England! The journey today was undulating like a rollercoaster or as I referred to an English Elevator...up then down then up and down. Farms to my left, farms to my right. Nice smells too...man lure or poo fume! Saw Carlisle Castle and Penrith Castle. Saw blue skies and warmer weather toward the South as well. All okay for today! Having a lovely stay here in Barrow! Thanks Sam and Sam's Dad! Long ride tomorrow! 😮

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Well woke up after a later lie in...8:30 for a 9 a.m. breakfast of Full Scottish minus the black pudding! Then called a bike shop for a check and tune up for the bikes at 9:30...1/2 mile cycle ride away. Course my bike had needed repairs with rear derailer replacement part to the tune of £55. Then had done laundry at a laundry service whom lost 1 glove of mine so had to buy a new pair. Of course walking in and out to the city centre cost me extra mileage 16,781 steps! So much for a rest day? Did get a nap in this afternoon for an hour. Also had a hair cut *(yes only one) and a turkish shave *(which nearly caused my throat to be sliced) which was not pretty. Had to go to Boots for antiseptic wipes and aftershave moisturiser cream from the barber butcher! All okay now. Nice dinner, repacking of clean clothes, then Sam and I hit the road again all recharged and dry. We will aim for England and Penrith for tomorrow evening. Of course stopping off in Gretna Green and the Scottish Border! Adios Scotland and Bonjour England!

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Carnwath to Lockerbie to Dumfries for dummies!

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Carnwath to Lockerbie to Dumfries for dummies!

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Well started in a cool breeze and light drizzle at 10 a.m. from Carnwath on our 51 mile bike ride to Lockerbie! But Sam experienced a little knee pain so he stopped to adjust his cleat...which resolved it! I stopped too to add a layer and some waterproofs as it was a force 5 hurricane blowing us backwards. I had to call Scottish Power to ask them to turn off their wind turbines as they were causing me to be more like on a stationary turbo trainer on the top of Everest! Then we had torrential head on rain so we could barely look up! But made it safely soaked to Lockerbie by 5 pm!
And now for a rest day! So we decided...well Sam did; that we would stay in Dumfries rather than Lockerbie for 2 nights and see more! So we went with our bikes to the bus stop to catch the 5:27 bus to travel the 13 miles to Dumfries...but the local busses DO NOT allow bikes on them. So off to the train station which we knew had no trains from Lockerbie to Dumfries but were hoping to find taxis? 2 Taxis in Lockerbie and one of them does not drive after 5 pm? So we call the one and they can only take one bike at a time! So I went first then Sam followed. Arrived in Dumfries! No cinema here as it shut down 3 weeks ago! Bike shop only 5 doors down to get bikes checked and maintained? Closed on Wednesdays! So we will venture further into town to sort out laundry, bike, etc...so much for a rest day! Had our biggest fans show up today to line the route and support us! Thanks they were outstanding...on a hill! Good night! Zzxxx

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One third there....now in Carnwath, Scotland.

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One third there....now in Carnwath, Scotland.

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Had a hard day cycling with some hills. Great job I brought a push bike because today I had to push it. Bike turned to HIKE up a mountain and came down a hill. Cloud and drizzle across the Forth Bridge...but I only saw 3...false advertisement? Stunning views though and as I cycled across the middle a huge tanker passed underneath the bridge. Then the rain returned and cleaned my bike and washed my clothing til I arrived in Carnwath! Last civilised village was Almondvale? Then nothing but rolling hills and pastures along small country roads. I swear I held my breath everytime a car *(or lorry) splashed by me. A long and undulating road into Carnwath. Staying at Robertson Arms hotel...will see if they can give me some new legs for tomorrow's ride to Lockerbie? Then we are taking a bus to Dunfries with our bikes for our very first rest day. Will need to get bikes checked, cleaned, and oiled up before resuming our Adventures! For those of you wishing to know...we are planning on finishing at Land's End on Sunday the 13th of August! That is 2018 of course! But we shall see what transpires *( bike tyres). We tire?

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Rain and showers but lovely dinner at Court House. Old Court house turned into an urban indoor pizzaria and great restaurant. The floor was made of an old hard wood gym floor (complete with white markings) from a local high school. And fairy lights and fun decor inside. Good food too!
We then hit the hay and slept til 8:30 then ate a full breakfast and packed up for our ride to Carn Wath to depart at 10.

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Left Aviemore around 10:30 to a cool and cloudy ride but then at noon the skies opened and wind howled into our faces! I quickly ducked into the Dalwhinnie Whiskey Distillery for a dry tour! 1 hour later I donned my waterproofs and floated down the A9 or National Cycle Path 7 should I say! 2 hours later and soaking wet I decided to stop for food. In the Bruar Shopping Center for a Bundaberg Rootbeer, Lemon Iced Tea, Cod & chips. AND a cappachino! The rain ceased but the wind continued to blow me backwards. I also met an old friend Alex from Wales in the fish & chip shop! Have not seen him for 15 years maybe! Hear him say...BILL?  so we chatted and he introduced me to his wife and then they left for a party!
Small world but would not want to cycle it! Arrived an hour late in Blair Atholl. A lovely town with a castle and gardens. Walked around, had dinner, then ready for sleep. More rain and hills tomorrow! Let's hope my clothes are dry for the wet ride again tomorrow. Off to Kinross tomorrow uphills! In the rain! Arghh!

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Sam and I arrived in Aviemore this evening...through hills and dales and heat. I thought I was getting heat exhaustion...just exhasted! Lovely views and quaint little ski town Cairngorm! Wish I could of taken the chairlift up some of these hills. Highest point is tomorrow! 462 meters above sealevel! We willl see!
Crossing the firth bridge into Inverness was a cool point. Well of to dinner and carbo load. Phew!

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https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/william-roach4

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Did manage to meet up with Sam on Tuesday morning at 10:27 in Inverness to go to Thurso for a 26 mile warm up bike ride before our official John O Groat's to Land's End start on Wednesday! I managed to wake up at 4 a.m. in Edinburgh and get to Waverly train ticket center when they opened at 5. *(Meaning I paid for a hotel room for a 4 hour nap!)
So I met the ticket master, whom immediately recognised me and my bike as we entered and furiously began making my reservation for the 6:33 train to Inverness to meet Sam!
But nothing ever goes smoothly and had to change in Stirling also no reservations available for my bike on that leg...so I risked it and went. Luckily I found 1 space on the train! But soon after 2 electric bikes got on and forced their's on top of my bike! Then padlocked them to the 2 bike rack with my bike? Luckily the disembarked 4 stops later and thankfully to me pannier padding protection not a scratch happened. Met Sam and then caught up on everything on our 4 hour journey from Inverness to Thurso. Once in Thurso, we happily pedalled 11 miles from the station to Dunnet Head which is the farthest northerly point in Britain's mainland! Then cycled another 15 miles to our glamping pod in John O'Groats before our official start on Wednesday July 25!

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Late start after catching up on sleep and trying to find breakfast in John O’Groats, we rolled down the hill from the glamping shed, we had stayed in, to the main John O’Groats area, took a picture with the signpost and had breakfast. Then we started our cycle! Back along a bit of the route we had done yesterday before breaking off and cycling down some of the straightest roads I’ve ever seen knowing full well that at the end would be a bend and another horizon touching straight! Over moorland and past wind farms rode the two, many sheep and a few cows waved us on. Quiet roads and a dry cloudy day were a blessing for cycling. Past some Neolithic 5,000 year old Cairns we trundled until lunch at a picturesque Lybster Harbour Cafe. Afterwards, we joined the A9 up and down seemingly unending hills, around a few hairpins all while along the majestic coast. Finally arriving into Helmsdale, our stayover for the night. Fish and chips for dinner and a comfy bed. Day one down, 17 more cycling days to go!

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Left London Richmond Station at 11 this morning with my bike thanks to Gregor for a lift! BUT 35 mins later at Victoria Station I became derailed. NO bikes alllowed! So from the bowels of the underground I carried my bike to daylight and we rolled in to a Black Cab to Kings Cross Station! Missing my train by 27 mins due to congestion! But another train to Inverness at 1300 hrs. with a change in Edinburgh. However, room for 1 cycle on that train was too much for them...so waited for cycle room on the 13:30 arriving at Edinburgh at 18:32 & last train out to Inverness still available at 19:47 arriving to Inverness at 23:11 tonight! Except my good pal Sam was already in Inverness thanks to BA on Friday! Accomodation in Inverness booked! Well this is the uncertainty of adventure travelling...fire near train line between Doncaster and York required my train to stop and disembark ALL passengers and await new train via Leeds after a 39 minute detainment. Then Leeds has overbooking of all trains heading North so further delays of two missed trains due to my bicycle luggage! Eventually, 19:00 hrs back on track, literally! But not in time to make last Inverness train out of Edinburgh, so another hotel booking near the "Royal" train in the butt "Mile"! First stop TRAIN CUSTOMER SERVICES near gate 11 to get the first train out to Inverness at 6:33 and meet my long lost friend Sam to travel to Thurso at 10:47 ! If it is not a Great Adventure...it is nothing!

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Taking the train up from London! This alone is an arduous adventure.