Normally pleasant, engaging, smiling and full of positive cheer,
If in a car you drive too close and you’ll get more than a sneer.
Our very first case of bike rage near the end of our trip did come,
If Paul doesn’t kick your car bumper, he will kick you up the bum.

ALISTAIR
With his hips rocking as his seat was high in the air,
Mostly out at the front the wind blowing through his hair.
Constantly adjusting his layers of clothing as we go,
He has enough clothes to even deal with a dump of snow.

He is called the Wheel Doctor as your wheel he can fix,
He will also offer you some of his bag of fruit and nut mix.
A new bike seat he did buy and then change to help him on his way,
Hoping his bum would be more comfortable as hips wouldn’t sway.

ELLA
Dressed in black, with her need for a thrill,
She is the speed demon of the downhill.
Each day she entertains us with dance and song,
Her choice of music at times a bit Pete Tong.

Beep beep she says as she goes along at a mega fast pace,
I hope her brakes work, so she won’t plant on her face.
Does she even know where the brakes really are,
Or is it that she really wants to overtake every single car.

JACK
With his Dawes bike, he’s always steady near the back,
His bike weighs a ton with its aluminium frame and rack.
He is hard, as a helmet on his head he does not wear,
Instead a cap he turns round for downhills cause he’s clever,

Near Drumochter he had a near big miss,
His bike hit a big hole and a bridge he did kiss.
He carried Snuffles in the side bag on his bike,
If he hits any more bridges, Snuffles will hitch hike.

SNUFFLES
Encased in a red pouch on Jock’s bike he did ride,
The main part of his body and tail he had to hide.
But he finished the trip with Jack in his bag on the rack,
Cause he had sabotaged Jock’s bike so he got the sack.

He completed the trip with drink all over his face,
With a smile and his kilt on he finished with grace.
At John 0′ Groats he brought some champers as a gift,
His choice of bubbly beverage giving us all a great lift.

MAHRI
Each day that she choose to join our motley bunch for a ride,
Meant great days with lots of sunshine and downhill glide.
She has legs of steel and is able to cycle with no stops,
With her small sexy blue bike she is simply the tops.

Magnificent cook, driver, dog walker and biker she,
Amazingly on our rides she never seemed to have a pee.
Always cheerful and there at the end of the day,
She loves her sat-nav that guides her along the way.

ISOBEL
Bright coloured hat and wore her Highwaymen T-shirt every day,
She was always there to wish us out and on our merry way.
With her black book and camera always at hand,
To record each detail of our little cycling band.

Generally a bit of an all round superstar unless to a supermarket you go,
Because then she might just get lost in all the hustle and bustle of produce flow.
She is full of laughter, colour and pretty soon in OZ a grandma to be,
However unlike Jim she always remembers the highwaymen van key.

RICK
With his dark glasses and red helmet he glides along,
Putting us right when our navigation goes wrong.
His route planning is excellent and our route is really great,
The way he’s been eating he might even put on some weight.

With his DHB clothing he and Jim look like a bit of a clone,
Yet with his navigation skills you will never be lost and alone.
Ricardo is his new nickname, betray him if you dare,
Cause he’ll order a hit with just his steely eyed stare.

JIM
He is our master mechanic and he’ll fix your bike if he can,
If not then you‘ll be riding in the Lonach Highwaymen red van.
Like Ferdinand of his loved United he sweeps up at the rear,
So the thought of being left behind you never have to fear.

Punctures, blowouts, broken chains, loose spokes he knows all about,
But you just need to make sure where’s the van key before he starts out.
Our adventure is over and Jim gave a fine speech with a smile a mile wide,
I know for sure that he is already planning next year’s big bike ride.

JOCK
Now to Jock, and what can we say,
Up first before even the break of day.
Frustrated with his bike until the end of day four,
Every night he needed to sleep on the floor.

Each morning he walked Monty so he could do his ones and twos,
In the evening he liked listening to Taj Mahal and the blues.
His back held out, which meant he did make it to the end,
But his loud voice can drive you round the bend.

LIZ
At Kirkhill with her computer on Waterside she did reside,
Working hard behind the scenes while we were on the ride.
But as our group neared Boat of Garten and the River Spey,
She came to visit us and even stay for the very next day.

Always smiling, cheerful and our website she did run,
Nothing too much trouble and she helped make the trip fun.
Responsible for entering our photos and our daily blog,
We know that all her hard work must have been a real slog.

LILIAN
Co-leader with Jim, the instigators of our cycle ride,
Organising this community project that we could do with pride.
Her tireless work getting sponsors to help us on our way,
Hoping that all the hard work would payoff at the end of the day.

She supplied us with wicked flapjacks and brioche to eat,
They tasted great and helped us achieve our endurance feat.
Joining us at John O’Groats at the end of our long ride,
To help celebrate our community’s achievements with the greatest of pride.

So with his idea he went to see Mrs Field to get her on his side,
To raise money for Strathdon School with a l066 mile bike ride.
Soon a motley crew gathered all unfit yet keen to do the trip,
Some thinking ‘Now is a good time to throw the old bike in a skip’.

A few of the group were happy as it meant purchasing new toys,
Lightweight carbon fibre bikes, flash jackets and lycra for the boys.
Training took place on Sundays instead of taking a rest,
Other times we trained alone trying to do our very best.

A name for the group of amateur cyclists was needed and indeed found,
Lonach Highwaymen they were called plus Snuffles the School hound.
Months flew by, also cycling took place with pupils from the school,
The Highwaymen training hard determined not to be a lycra clad fool.

The adventure began in Cornwall with sunshine so we all had a smile,
Shorts, shades and sunscreen for the first two hundred and eighty mile.
Heaps of punctures, tyre blowouts all happened in the first few days,
With the great GPS system we never became a bunch of lost strays.

We stayed overnight in Youth Hostels and bunkhouses along our way,
With by far the best being in Cornwall overlooking Treyarnon Bay.
Each day our mileage target of course always had to be met,
Snuffles sat in his pouch and hoped he wouldn’t need to see a vet.

Every day we would cycle for an hour or two looking for a coffee shop,
Then ride a few hours more till we found a nice place for a lunch stop.
At times we would cycle hard and the miles seemed to simply fly by,
Other times really steep hills that almost brought a tear to your eye.

Wasp stings on legs, birds landing and sitting on our bike handlebars,
Once in a while a close encounter with badly driven black cars.
As we finished each day and our destination we did always attain,
All of us hungry, dirty, sweaty, thankfully not in any real pain.

Gathering in a big group in the evening to have a drink and a bite to eat,
Conversation would be varied but would of course include the days feat.
Our ride seemed to flow easily by with plenty of sunshine along our way,
Then at Sauchs Farm due to strong winds we had to cancel a whole day.

Our route had to be changed and we had to come up with a new plan,
We had a couple of hard days cycling to get the ride back in the can.
The temperature soon began to drop the further North we came,
Still enjoying it as no two days were ever exactly the same.

Various friends came and joined us on our ride for the odd day,
Their company enjoyed as they helped us on our way.
Towards the end we had very early starts in the cold dark morning,
Everybody getting on their bikes still stretching and often yawning.

Our progress was followed at Strathdon School on computer by one and all,
Which meant if we ever did lose our way someone would give us a call.
Before we knew it we were down to the very last (83 mile) day,
The Highwaymen pretty confident we would make it all the way.

The last day the weather was really wet, windy and just plain bad,
But as we got to John 0′ Groats we were all really very glad.
We had taken a day less than the original plan for our ride,
An achievement of which we all have a great deal of pride.

There are so many great people to thank and who we must praise,
Who helped in some way our ride and the money we wanted to raise.
So to those who worked behind the scenes we liked to say thanks to you all,
But next year if you want to go back the other way, please don’t give us a call.

The run across the moors and down Strath Naver was cold, fast and exhilerating, with views across to the northern mountains Foinaven, Ben Hope and Ben Loyal.  After a brief snack stop in an inhospitable car park in Bettyhill, the battle commenced with numerous hills to ascend as we crossed all the river valleys along the north coast, buffetted by the wind but brief interludes of shelter in the valleys.

Fast wind-assisted descent down Strath Naver, before battling against it along the coast.

A welcome coffee stop at Melvich restored some energy.  Here also it was good to meet up again with fellow End to End cyclist Brian McClaughlin (last seen in Chester), who stopped by to wish us well on his return home after completing his ride the previous day see http://briansbigbikerun.blogspot.com/.

Caithness flagstone walls near Thurso. Orkney Islands somewhere beyond in the murk.

Another suprise meeting was Steve and Sue from Strathdon.  Steve had dusted down his touring bike to join us for a section of the final day.  

Next welcome break from the buffetting wind the was Tempest Cafe on the harbour front Thurso, then the final push for JOG, under darkening skies and cold showers.

The adventure finished at 16.54pm.  After photos and cracking open some bubbly with Mahri, Isobel, Ellas Mum and Dad and Maria, we adjorned to the Seafield Hotel for some celebratory drinks.   Then back on the bikes for a last time into the dark to locate the John O’Groats Guest House, which seemed to be up a hill, and further away than we thought.  Here we were joined by Lillian and Cath with more Champagne and cake, before heading back to the hotel for a meal and a few more celebratory drinks.

We would like to offer a huge  thank you for all of you who have been supporting us, with your comments and encouragement, the schoolchildren for their cards the donations of  goodies for the food rations, and those of you who turned up to meet us at various points along the route.

Thanks also to the Staff and Children at Altham St James Church of England Primary  School for their welcome and hospitality.

Finally a  big thank you also to Mahri and Isobel, for the van support, the daily shopping and the superb cooking.
 

Lunchtime update, 1pm Thurso – Hi to everyone especially Strathdon school.

A few random comments from around the table:
We saw deer running alongside us in the early morning light.
Beautiful golden autumn colours and gorgeous sky lines.
Big surf on the north coast beaches as we pass.
A lot of us are thinking of turning around and cycling back down to Lands End – I guess we just don’t want it to end.
Coldest, windiest day so far; probably a good time to stop, but feels good making progress in such bad conditions.
Snuffles says, “My ears are sore from flapping in the wind”!
Finished our coffees and heading back on the road again for the last push. from Thurso to John o’ Groats

Only 46 miles to cover today so started a little later. Cool conditions, (a smattering of early snow visible on Ben Wyvis) and mercifully no rain and little wind.

First stop, called in to see old friend, Al Currie at the Highland Council Community Service centre at Alness, where clients make garden furniture and mosaics from recycled materials. The quality is extraordinarily good. These are then sold on through charity shops, all profits going to the charities. In the recent past bicycles have been recycled from junked parts. They have shown great resourcefulness; all materials have to be sourced wherever they can be found (dumps, building site waste, rejected tiles etc). They’re hoping to exhibit one of the mosaics in the Scottish Parliament in the near future. We found the visit inspirational. We’d like to thank all the people who took time to talk to us about their work.

Visit to Highland Council community service centre at Alness

Selection of wonderful mosaics

After Alness we headed on to Bonar Bridge over the Struie and along the Dornoch Firth. Superb views and happy atmosphere pervaded through our little band. The end is in sight and though we want to achieve what we set out to do, there’s a few of us who would rather carry on; where to? Heaven knows! But we now understand the addictive quality of long distance journeying by bicycle, and all that means.

View north over the Dornoch Firth

We stopped in the sunshine at Falls of Shin and met Rowan and his family. The visitor centre provided support in the form of excellent coffees. Many thanks to Carolyn and staff at the Loch Shin Falls Visitor Centre.

Snuffles catches a spot of lunchtime sun

Off into the great wilderness of Sutherland, we noticed the occasional smell of peat smoke. A huge vista of gently undulating mosses with mountains on the far rim. The emptiness a huge contrast to anything we had experienced so far.

Eventually arrived at the Crask Inn cottage; a wee huddle of buildings in a beautiful void. The cottage is small, basic and bothy like but wonderfully warm and homely.

Our destination today, the Crask Inn and Bothy

Tea in the Bothy

The weather forecast isn’t great for our last day – mainly rain and ESE winds gusting to 30 mph. Wish us luck.

Outside, Stags roar into the night.

Notably cooler, feels like a seasons change fron Cornwall. We have to think more about layers to wear each day. More leaves on the road mean more care cornering, (well most of the time).

After Carrbridge there’s a notable lack of cafes, but lucky us, we met Isobel with flask of coffee and Clara’s cake just before the Slochd.

We must be getting fitter, the summit of the Slochd passed easily and a glorious but cool downhill ensued towards Moy. Cruising down the Findhorn and eventually up towards Culloden we stopped briefly at the ancient and impressive archeological remains at Clava Cairns. Standing stones and barrow cairns lay below a beech woodland.

Setting off after coffee stop after crossing the North Kessock bridge, Inverness

Dropping into Inverness we mistakenly cycled through the shopping precinct (not advised) and beat a retreat around the docks to the very windy and surprisingly uphill Kessock Bridge. Crossing the Great Glen Fault brought on another stop for coffee followed by a scenic ride along the North side of the Beauly Firth. The sun came out and lifted the chill. Finally followed the north side of the Cromarty Firth to Evanton; great views across the firth to the Black Isle, and in the distance the semisub oilrigs moored for maintenance off Invergordon and Nigg.

Incidents: Jack picked up a large staple in his tyre. Richard came a cropper after most of the Lonach Highwaymen tried to fit through the same small narrow gap in a fence at the same time. You’d think we know by now.

Jock persuaded the local butcher to donate an unfeasibly large bone to Monty, the ferociously friendly Labrador. Happy dog!

Andy, (a friend of Jim and Mahri’s), joined us on the ride as far as Blair Atholl.
Liz joined Isobel in the van today and Mahri cycled.
Coffee stop at posh House of Bruar.

A gentle trundle close to the A9, again by cycle tracks and quiet roads was carried on through what the met office optimistically called ‘light rain’….Rising up towards the Drumochter Pass the rain ceased but a cold wind was met head on slowing the party. Hitting a rocky puddle, Jack was deflected into a bridge parapet at speed and looked likely to pitch over into the river below. A shaky moment! Bent handlebars were straightened and our little band set off again. The hills grew higher and closed in; we’re in the Highlands now.

Paul and Rick just before Dalwhinnie

After a group photo at the summit of the Drummochter, and dodging the horrendously fast lorries on the A9 crossing the road back to our bikes, we set off the gentle but fast downhill to Dalwhinnie. Great track with just enough fairground undulations to bring on great big smiles. For the first time on the journey we were passed by our support van – lots of horn blowing and photos.

Dalwhinnie is twinned with Las Vegas, but is somewhat smaller, is less well lit and has a paucity of casinos. We didn’t have time to enquire whether Elvis lookalike ministers officiated quick marriages, but we did stop at the Dalwhinnie hotel for coffee and buns by an open fire.

The sun came out and the wind finally shifted to behind our backs and a wonderful ride was had to Newtonmore, Kingussie, and on to the ruins of Ruthven Barracks, a reminder of General Wade as was the road we followed. Paul had a near second chain incident when a tell tale clicking revealed a link with a displaced pin. A quick repair was affected, but a growing lack of confidence meant early retirement for the chain was imminent.

The ride swooped on – Tromie Bridge, Insh, Inverdruie; all autumn russet colours. Stopped at Rothimurchus café for yet more coffee and scones before the last blast to Boat of Garten arriving at 5.00pm. A warm welcome from the owners of Fraoch Lodge with a giant pot of tea and a blazing open fire. We received brilliant new cards made by the Strathdon pupils and tasty chutney from Elsie (thanks Elsie, it really works). We had a we had an invasion of Strathdon visitors. Cath, Maria and Gill who had just finished walking the West Highland Way and rushed down to say hello and Chris. Well done to them! So it was the perfect time for Clara to arrive with the most delicious giant cake.
Another great day.

Jack be nimble
Jack be quick,
Get us through Edinburgh,
Double quick.

Our rapid exit from Edinburgh felt like a cross between the Monaco Grand Prix and the ‘Italian Job’ complete with underpasses and steps. We crossed the alarmingly vibrating Forth Road Suspension Bridge and stopped for a mid bridge photo shoot. A pale hazy morning sun reflecting bronze off the surface of the Forth. The rail bridge remains dressed in protective pyjamas while everlasting maintenance work is carried out.

Crossing the forth was another milestone on our way north.

Quickly through Fife, into Perth and Kinross and stopped at the Lissen Pottery, Milnathort (friends of Ella) for coffee and doughnuts; thanks Dave.

Great riding through Glen Farg to Bridge of Earn and onto Perth. Passed by the docks in Perth, bigger than I expected, particularly being so far from the sea. Large stacks of timber. Continued along the riverside and into the park for lunch alongside the Tay. Watched ducks and a salmon leap (sign of getting closer to the Highlands). Followed cycle tracks and wee roads, playing hide and seek with the busy A9.

It was quite cold after lunch; the sun obscured by a thin veil of high cloud, so we pedalled fast to try and get warm. Rushing up hill and crunching gear changes Paul broke his chain (his first repair). Helping hands got the show going again in minutes. Flew up the rollery coastery lanes of Strath Tay towards Dunkeld where we stopped for teas and coffee at Palmerstons, and visited the cathedral, and an enormously tall tree. Saw ‘Ella’s Shop’! Finally rolled into Pitlochry with a last steep uphill to get to the hostel, tea and the day’s second tall stack of doughnuts. Seventy nine miles completed.

Snuffles had a flying visit to PGL at Dalguise, where many Strathdon children have visited over the years.

Other events:
Snuffles in a bit of trouble after being caught interfering with Jock’s gear cables; ‘so no excuses tomorrow, Jock’.

Jim was overtaken by
- 1 train
- 78 cars
- 4 helicopters
- 1 slow flying Tornado
- 52 times by Downhill Diva, (Ella).

Short day tomorrow; only 70 miles!

Breakfast at Penzance

Eager Beavers

Grub

Treyarnon Bay

Arriving at Treyarnon Bay

Group photo

Boarding Padstow Ferry

Ancient monument?

To jump or not to jump?

Get the fashion police out!

Tight fit

Glastonbury Tor

Wells Catherdral

Gill meets Snuffles once again!

Altham school

Goat on Pendle Hill

A pale Monty

Crossing the border at the Liddel Water on a clear frosty sunday morning.

Reached Hawick by 10.00am for a great bacon butty. No punctures, no breakdowns so must be doing something right! However Nav man managed to get lost and parted temporarily from the rest of the Highwaymen. How does one miss a complete town?…best not to ask. Lunch in Galashiels (in a field for Navman) and a blast down South Clark Street and North Bridge through the heart of Edinburgh to the hostel in Leith walk. 88 miles done in good time. A smiling Jack was greeted at the YH door by Rona and Russel who had been tracking us on their I phone. A pleasant evening with visits from family(s); Liam, Ruth, Euan and Mhairi and Amy and Malcolm. A modern, comfortable 3 storey city hostel.
The 88 miles to Edinbugh had rolled by easily after our rest day (due to weather). A fantastic days ride through the Southern Uplands

Terrain view of today's ride - 88miles