The Lands End to John O'Groats Appeal 2007.
Who am I? My name is Russell Miller - I'm a 43 year old bloke, a little overweight, sometimes grumpy and going a bit grey. I work as a maintenance manager for the Prison Service and felt I needed a different kind of challenge. I have always enjoyed cycling whether racing or for pleasure, so I decided to undertake the big one.
Cycling from Land's end to John O Groats, the furthest possible distance in the British Isles, is a classic challenge that most cyclists dream of but never achieve. Starting at Land's End on the most southwesterly tip of England, you travel your way through Cornwall, over Dartmoor (and I mean literally over it) and then north along the Welsh border. You skirt the Lake District, ride into Scotland via Lochs and the highlands on to the north coast where you finally finish at John O'Groats.
In all, you cover approximately 1000 miles passing through some of the most spectacularly stunning and remote countryside in the British Isles, but it is one of the most fabulous ways of seeing the country (I will take photos and keep the web site updated).
View End to End map of the route >>(MS Word Document)I am going to do this to raise money for two charities that have a place in my heart. My son Tommy was diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) at 6 months old and we were supported tremendously through the Tuberous Sclerosis Association (TSA). Tommy is now almost 7 and attends Sherwood Park special needs school who we also have nothing but gratitude and admiration for.
This will be an exceptionally tough challenge, but the TSA and The Friends of Sherwood Park School (FOSPS) are two very deserving causes and I want to put a bit back.
If you would like to sponsor me on my epic voyage, or want to know how you can help either of the charities, click on the contact tab and send me your details and I'll be in touch.
I am travelling with a group through Discover Adventure and you can visit their website at www.discoveradventure.com and a brief Itinerary for the ride is as follows.
Day 1 Land's End to Liskeard;
I'll meet with the group the starting line, get my card stamped, and it's off down winding Cornish roads for the start of what should be an interesting 12 days. As we head east to Penzance we follow the sea for a while and pass St Michaels Mount. It's then on through to Truro and St Austell before stopping for the night at Liskeard. I know that doesn't sound too difficult but if you've ever been to that part of the country you'll know how hilly the roads can be, this should show me if I've done enough training.
Approximately 83 miles.
Day 2 Liskeard to Samford Peverell;
Today we cross Dartmoor, and everything I've read about riding an End to End says it is the most gruelling day of the ride, most of the descriptions begin with an expletive and end with either hard or toughest day they've ever cycled. It's pretty much up and down all day today. We enter into Devon passing through Tavistock and Moretonhamstead where I'm told the climbing is over for the day and we roll down into Exeter resting for the night at Samford Peverell.
Approximately 84 miles.
Day 3 Samford Peverell to Tintern;
We cross into Somerset and pass through Wellington and Taunton towards Cheddar where the scenery is supposed to be spectacular and very English. Skirting past Bristol we cross the Severn Bridge using the cycle path (avoiding the toll, see) into Wales. There are beautiful views of the ruin of Tintern Abbey before we stop at the pretty riverside village.
Approximately 98 miles.
Day 4 Tintern to Shrewsbury;
We follow the river Wye to Monmouth and then north into Herefordshire leaving Wales behind us. We head towards Hereford and into Shropshire stopping later at Shrewsbury.
Approximately 90 miles.
Day 5 Shrewsbury to Preston;
Cycling through the medieval town of Shrewsbury we cross the river Severn, which should be a bit smaller then it was two days ago when we went over it. We roll on traveling past small market towns before by-passing Warrington and Wigan. We then move into Lancashire resting in Preston where I won't mention West Ham, football or the Play offs.
Approximately 86 miles.
Day 6 Preston to Longtown;
This will be the last day on English soil and the longest of the ride. We cross Preston early and then through the town of Lancaster and push up into Cumbria. The hills of the Lake District can reach 1000 feet and are some of the hardest since Dartmoor. We face a long twisting descent down to Penrith and passing through Carlisle. The stop over is in Longtown just before the Scottish border.
Approximately 109 miles.
Day 7 Longtown to Kilmarnock;
The morning sees us cross over into Scotland and into Gretna Green, no time to stop here! We travel through many beautiful unheard of villages with hard to pronounce names (apart from Dumfries) until we hit Kilmarnock for the night where I may allow myself a couple of pints of heavy.
Approximately 95 miles.
Day 8 Kilmarnock to Inverary;
The roads are very quiet here as we head east to the Firth of Clyde traveling along coastal roads with great views across the water to the Isle of Arran and Bute. We then cycle on mainly flat roads past Loch Eck and Fyne, home to world renowned oyster beds apparently, on to our resting place for the night, Inveraray.
Approximately 90 miles.
Day 9 Inverary to Loch Lochy;
Today we really are in the highlands and it's going to be a tough ride. We ride past many Lochs, Awe, Etive, Leven and Linnhe where it becomes flatter into Fort William. On a good day we have impressive view of Ben Nevis but thankfully we don't have to ride up it. We stop for the night at Loch Lochy (I know, not a very imaginative name).
Approximately 97 miles.
Day 10 Loch Lochy to Bonar Bridge;
Another day of beautiful Highland scenery (more heather and hills then) and we follow the Caledonian Canal to Fort Augustus to the foot of Loch Ness, which we practically have to cycle the length of. We leave Nessie at Drumnadrochit (I'm assured it is a place) before we're up hill again and across moorlands, where it's bound to be windy, and on to Moray Firth and Dingwall. It's down hill all the way to Bonar Bridge for a deserved night's rest.
Approximately 83 miles.
Day 11 Bonar Bridge to Betty Hill;
A bit of a wind down today as far as the miles go but difficult terrain. We leave Bonar Bridge and pass through Lairg at the foot of Loch Shin. We are now in northern Scotland with the Highland behind us and where the landscape is very bleak. We will encounter very few vehicles just the odd red deer, osprey or golden eagle, if we're lucky. We skirt the forest of Naver and pass the end of its Loch at Altnaharra. I'm told this is the most sparsely populated region in Northern Europe with the nearest shop 20 miles away, that internet shopping as a lot to answer for. We hit the north coast and hit some tough climes to Betty Hill.
Approximately 62 miles.
Day 12 Betty Hill to John O'Groats;
After a long climb on a road that runs parallel to the north coast out of the small village of Betty Hill (I can't get the image of a little old lady chasing young men around at double time out of my head). We travel through small villages with really only one thing on our minds, the finish line, and a well earned celebration pint and meal. We pass the turn off for Dunnet Head, Britain's most northerly point and follow the well awaited signs for John O'Groats. The roads into John O'Groats are at least flat and we should get our cards stamped early afternoon and the group can start to celebrate crossing the finish line.