John O'Groats to Lands End

Wearing our spiffy new T-shirts with “John O’Groats to Land’s End” brightly emblazoned on the front means we’re getting more interest from passers by and other people we meet.   Though doing the End-to-End isn’t necessarily that special, it would seem.   Just about everyone has a close relative or friend who’s done the trip, and usually in some way much more remarkable than us.   “Oh yeah, me grandad did it when he was 84.   In 10 days.  Both ways.  Hopping backwards on a pogo stick.   Wearing a gorilla suit.   With a parrot on his shoulder.   And he had a bad back.”   Pause.  “How long did you say you’re taking?”

Nevertheless, we’re getting lots of encouragement, which is nice.   Random people calling out ‘Good luck’. Two ladies even whooping and clapping!

It was an easier ride today, coming across the Somerset Levels.  Mostly small lanes and then back on another tow path by the Bridgewater to Taunton canal.  A canal that was barely used before steam engines and rail lines made canals obsolete.

Beautiful beautiful scenery!

 

We’re in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, seat of an historic dynasty that I’ll let Margaret explain below. I hurt my back last Sunday, which prevented me running away to join a circus to become a trapeze artist, as well as throwing into serious doubt whether I would be fit enough to ride my bike today. But the same spirit that made Andy Murray a scintillating raconteur and contemporary wit prevailed for me too, and I was able to leap on the old steel steed this morning with my usual post-coffee exuberance. And my back and I made it to Shepton in good order and, touch wood, it will take me the rest of the way.

Today was an excellent ride – possibly the best day of our trip so far. We had bright sunshine the whole way and cycled through every kind of scenery – charming Cotswold villages, the Kennet and Avon canal, the old Somerset and Dorset rail line, the Combe Down tunnel (longest cyclable tunnel in the U.K.) and the Mendip hills.

My Grandfather, Francis Byrt, and his family go back to 1642 in this village (and beyond…that’s just how far we got with records). His father ran the Shepton Mallet Journal and hoped his sons would follow in his editorial footsteps. My grandfather, instead, made a quick getaway and landed up in Saskatchewan in the early 1900’s.  This mosaic used to welcome people to the SM Journal business. The last time we were there the shop was empty and dilapidated.  This time it was a coffee shop! Closed.  Until the owner opened the door to find out why on earth I was kneeling for a photo.  She knew the history of the building and was very excited to have a descendant who actually knew the name.

 

 

We said goodbye to our friends Jennie, Simon, Margaret and Steve this morning and rode the 35 miles through the Cotswolds from Haresfield to Chippenham.   We’re here now for a week or so doing family stuff, and will resume our journey south on July 6th.     (Cue intermission music.   Popcorn and ice cream in the foyer.)

That offer from Steve to carry some of our pannier weight for the day in his car? (that we weren’t going to do – soldiering on and all that stuff).  Well – we folded and the result was a much more pleasant ride with M not quite so far behind on the bigger hills! Full load back on tomorrow but a great lesson for the next leg down in to Cornwall.  Bare necessities only!

Great day cycling with friends.

Day 20:  807 miles (1299 km)

A wonderful day in Shropshire and Worcestershire.  A good cycle with beautiful fields full of wheat and corn (maize).  Our friends Jennie and Simon joined us for today’s ride which was wonderful.  Margaret and Steve were at the hotel in Worcester when we staggered in.  Margaret will join us tomorrow.   Steve will meet us at our lunch spot in Tewkesbury. He dangled the carrot of taking our panniers for the morning as he has the car.   I must say…that is so tempting!  However, I think we’ll soldier on.

It was nice to have the new company and a wonderful meal out this evening.

Simon, Margaret, Steve, Tony, and Jennie

ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive neuromuscular disease in which nerve cells die and leave muscles paralysed.  It’s a form of Motor Neurone Disease.

Not so long ago our good friend Bill Erving was diagnosed with ALS.  At one of the places we stopped for coffee in Scotland a little old gal asked us if we were cycling for a particular charity.  We weren’t really.  But Bill and his family have certainly been in our thoughts since we started.    We are too late to set up a formal ‘event’.  But now we tell people that we are cycling for ALS.

Another fine, hot day of cycling.  Fortunately a gentle headwind and some shade made it all quite pleasant.   Canals (Macclesfield and then Mersey & Trent) and old railway lines again, which made for easy and scenic cycling.

Another wonderful thing about canals is that they form their own ecosystem, so you can pass through heavy industrial, high traffic urban areas, but remain blissfully unaware of the four lane highways and huge cloverleave interchanges around you.  Some canals actually pass right under these interchanges.

I continue to provide sustenance to all manner of flying insects.   Food on the go.   If some of these bugs are trapped in amber, a million years from now some scientists will extract the DNA, hoping to recreate a dinosaur.   Instead of a T Rex, they’ll end up with an IT consultant – better forelimb dexterity but much less fearsome.

Day 17:  683 miles (1099 km)

In to Cheshire we come.

An ‘easy’ ride today.  36 miles of canal towpaths and trails plus a bit of road here and there.  It wasn’t fast but it was easy and often shaded. Probably only three hills.  Completely missed Manchester which was the whole idea.

Another flat tire for M.   The front this time…a very sharp thorn!  However, 20 minutes later with our spiffy hand pump working our biceps we were on our way.

 

As well as old railway lines, we also like bike paths that go alongside canals.   They don’t go up and down very much, and when they do, there is always an interesting lock to investigate (and sometime a whole flight of locks).    It’s fun to watch the narrowboats going through the locks and see the people opening and closing the lock gates.   Inevitably if there are two couples on a boat, one of the men will be at the helm (because it’s man’s work to drive a boat that can pretty much only go in one direction).   The second man will be first officer, there to manage the helm if the captain falls overboard or is kidnapped by aliens.   Which leaves the two women to operate the lock gates, each having to shift 10 tons of oak from open to closed, or vice versa, in the hot sun.   Do that through a flight of 6 locks and see whether there’s still matrimonial bliss onboard.

Today we followed the Liverpool to Leeds canal down to Burnley and the Rochdale canal to just outside Rochdale.  The middle part of the day was a tough slog over some Yorkshire dale, but with great views.

Major uphills lead to major downhills.  We replaced the brake pads on Margaret’s bike this evening as stopping was becoming way more interesting than it should be.

 

 

Day 15: 614 miles (988 km)

Two days in a row with no rain jackets. We’re settled in the Yorkshire Dales. It has been cloudless and very warm. A different kind of cycling with much more water and buckets of sun screen.

The scenery change is quite striking and so unique to what we saw in Scotland. We’ve been happily very tired by days end. On that note…will have to say the rest in pictures