Starting at the bottom

A LANDS END TO JOHN O’ GROATS CYCLE RIDE 

Dot Patterson was approaching the age of 40 when she thought it was time to learn to ride a bike. She bought a cheap machine in Ashington and a few years later she and her husband arranged a cycling holiday that was something of a challenge. 18 months after a hip replacement in 2014 they rode from Lands End to John O’ Groats. The distance is 874 miles but by bike the journey was over 1000 miles and took 20 days.

It started in early June with a 10 hour train ride from Morpeth to Penzance and a stay at Sennan for the night. A two mile bike ride brought them to Lands End for the start and the day’s run to Newquay, with a Cornish pasty as a special treat for lunch. The hills began on the following day on the journey to Launceston and then on to Tiverton in Devon for night three. The route was through Glastonbury and then Wells in Somerset following a very narrow and busy road. A map clipped to the handlebars held the section for that day. They travelled through Bristol under the Clifton Suspension Bridge on an excellent traffic free cycle track through to the coast, then alongside the M5 to a travel lodge by the Severn Bridge. A major accident caused a detour and the closure of the service area so it was a hungry night. The next stage was Bristol to Gloucester and a stay with friends and the first access to a washing machine for six days. They had two nights at Malvern where they took a day off before tackling more hills on the climb to Worcester and then along the River Severn. A long day of 67 miles but good cycle paths through Telford. Travel routes through other towns and cities were often difficult. A shop owner let them and their bikes indoors to shelter from the only major storm before moving on through Cheshire with a visit to the Anderton Boat Lift at Northwich, a Victorian version of the Falkirk Wheel. They passed Bradley Wiggins’ gold painted post box at Eccleston south of Preston. The going was difficult and dangerous through Preston and Lancaster but there was a good view of Ingleborough on the way to Kirkby Stephen. They got through Cumbria to the Scottish Border onto the A7 and realised they were only half way. Nearer Edinburgh there were lots of good safe cycle tracks and some beautiful wild lupins. They crossed the Forth Bridge and went on to Pitlochry on the A9, over the highest point at Drumochter Summit, Carrbridge and Aviemore to stay with friends just north of Inverness. They had their second pasty lunch at Lidl’s in Tain. They took the inland route away from the A9 to avoid traffic and reached the north coast at a lovely B and B at Bettyhill. The last day to John O’ Groats was hard and hilly and the only day when they had a headwind. Overall there were two or three days with rain showers but no sustained bad weather. They averaged 53 miles a day and, hard to believe, there were no punctures.