Top Tip *4

If getting to the start and from the end by train. This is possibly the most important tip of all....

Book your bike on the train the second you book your train ticket, if not even before.  You do not want to go to all this trouble to find a lovely lady on the other end of the phone say "Sorry but all bike spaces are full, you cannot take your bike on that journey !!!!"

If only this picture was true, there are normally around 2-6 bike storage bays on each train.  Think of how many end to enders do this every year and most will want to do it mid summer !!!

Phew,  that was a close one....

It is so much easier if I can take my bike I reckon....

Top Tip *3

For anyone getting a train back from John O Groats I recommend getting a train from Thurso or Georgemas Junction instead of Wick because the Wick train goes up to these 2 stations after Wick so why waste time getting there for 6:18 AM for the early £30 cheap ticket when you can have a lie in and get the Georgemas one at 7:03 AM, an extra 45 minutes in bed !!!

The ride to Georgemas is about 21 miles, the same as to Thurso although a little bit more than to Wick well worth it I reckon.

REMEMBER TO GET ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE TRACK AT GEORGEMAS, YOU ARE HEADING SOUTH !!!

Top Tip *2

Foot wear ??

And so the plans change and move as I rethink and discover the best way to do this. I originally planned to take some cleat covers.....

They snap onto the cleats fitted under your bike shoes so you can walk around on them and not damage them.  But I reckon I will be doing loads of walking around train stations, after each day to get my pizza and chips and cakes, up big steep hills, etc, etc so rather than sliding and clip clopping around making a nuisance of myself I have had a little rethink.

So I googled ultra light flip flops and this is what I found....

http://xeroshoes.co.uk/

Xero shoes.

They are basically a thin piece of rubber with a lace attached to make a very thin & very light flip flop that you can carry rolled up in a pocket or even tied underneath a bike seat.  They weight 4 ounces each which is actually less than a cleat cover !!

There are loads on sale in various styles and colours but I went for the cheapest and lightest which is actually a DIY kit to make your own.  You have to cut out the hole yourself and thread the lace in to each shoe.  The website says they are guaranteed for 5,000 miles but at £19 I reckon they are a bargain and worth every penny.  Before you ask... No, I have not been sponsored by them. I wish.

Train to LE booked !!

I have booked my train to the end of the world as we know it, namely Penzance.  Being a bit obsessed with saving as much money as I can on this quest, research has shown it is apparently best to get an app on your phone to buy it and you get sent an email with a large black and white square digital splodge.  

If you are super intelligent you can look closely at it for 25 minutes in a dark room while humming the theme tune to Mission Impossible and you will never guess what appears before you on the screen.

It will actually tell you where Wally is,  honest.  Try it !!

Call me old fashioned but I preferred to have an actual ticket in my hand that a scary conductor would ask me to produce or suffer a fate worse than death that involving plyers, blow torch and being thrown from a speeding train at full speed.

Oh well, I guess they call it progress.  It's s shame they don't spend the budget on more comfortable seats or better sandwiches.

Just to help anyone, the app is trainline and best time to book it is the day it comes available on the app which is 85 days before the date.

Things to take on a big bike ride...

OK, panic has now set in, I am 12 weeks away from the biggest challenge of my life. To ride solo from the lowest point to the highest point in the British Isles. a.k.a. Lands End to John O Groats, a.k.a. the End to End.

All in just over a week.

The thought of it is making me weak.

Researching again what I may need to take with me led me to make a list of everything from the essential to the downright ridiculous. So in the attempt of making you smile and come along with me on this journey by following this blog, here it is.....

When asked what some people took along on their longest bike rides, here are a few replies...

I was expecting people to pack a pump, spare tube, food, drink and tyre levers but some of the items that people take with them on every bike ride are a bit unusual.

Money (£10/£20 notes, coins not ideal) or debit card, phone, spare inner tube, pump, tyre levers, a couple of cable ties, a granola bar or Soreen cake and a multi-tool. Always wear the right clothing and be ready with a rain jacket if the forecast advises for it.

A sense of humour and imaginary friend.

A ball of hatred and bile. Normally, you wouldn’t think of them as items, but if you compress them enough, they take on a physical form. Nothing makes you faster than rage.

Disappointingly weak legs.

(I THINK THEY ARE MEN'S LEGS ? BUT I AM NOT 100% SURE !!)

£10 tucked inside my phone case with ID in case of emergency as well as tools, tube and drink. Pack a cereal bar if I get hungry on a short ride but more often than not munch it when I get home with a pint of squash!

A long trailing piece of string, so I can find my way back.

CO2 inflator and two cylinders, superglue and small piece of old tyre (emergency tyre repairs), two tyre levers, one inner tube (I ride tubeless so this is last resort), multi-tool and £10.

I never go anywhere without my tube of industrial-strength Anusol (other haemorrhoid creams are available). Of course, I don’t like to talk about it.

£10, a repair kit, banana, organic flapjack and drink. And a huge sense of wellbeing and joy for the countryside I’m riding through.

Driver’s licence and ATM/credit card wrapped inside paper money inside saddle bag. Inside left jersey pocket: two or three gel packets and chapstick/lip balm. Middle jersey pocket: a spare tube and energy bar or banana. Far right jersey pocket: a handkerchief or face cloth, Nunn or Gu tablets.

Less fitness and self-belief than I come home with.

A copy of The Sun newspaper in case I need to wipe my…

A GPS device, because if it’s not on Strava…

Pump, Garmin, shoes, clothes, glasses, drinks and some of rule #5.

Phone credit card spare tube, levers and multi tool, water, usually rain jacket and Mobius video cam with aux battery.

A rolled-up copy of Cycling Weekly, strawberry jam sandwich (white bread) and 10p for the call box in case it all goes wrong.

My girlfriend. Although in practice she sets off 10 minutes after me as she likes to chase me down. I’m not joking.

Some pebbles in my pockets to chuck at the clowns in the cars these days.

A Bike.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Well what a day..

Some freebies very kindly donated by Andy at Halfords in Oswestry. The Good.

There are some fantastic bike shops around where we live.

I wish I could say the same for Giro's quality control and Cookstown Cycles which sold me some shoes which did not have a screw hole in one shoe for the cleat to fit in.  Not even an apology, had to send them back and they just could not care less about it. The bad.

Here is the ugly....

Thank you Julia

Thank you so much Julia

Top Tip *1

Do not under any circumstances introduce something new to your diet during the event thinking you will be a health god that can live on this new wonderful (home made) energy bar without suffering the consequences !!!

Keep it plain and simple and food you know your body can eat all day long without it wondering what on earth you have just given it.

Make life easy for yourself, get your calories in as easy a way as possible.

Back to the drawing board for me I think..

Porridge, pork pies and pizza !!!

A Room For Two !

I am pretty sure my fellow cyclists love their bikes as much as I love Charlene (yes I call her Charlene).   Seriously, you need to think about where you will both rest each night and get it sorted ASAP.

At first I kind of liked the idea of being free and booking into which ever place caught my eye when I got tired at the end of each day  BUT  when I thought more about it I really did not want to do a search after cycling all day and possibly getting nowhere nice or having to pay over my budget just to get a bed for the night.

I also grew to like the idea of having a target mileage to achieve each day and a guaranteed pre paid bed in a place I had already checked out and was happy with.  However, the downside is I needed to commit to the dates & the mileage whatever weather or problems came my way. It was also going to be a bit like dominos as if I got delayed all the future plans needed to be shifted on a day. Bit of a risk but knowing now what I found out when trying to book the first and last nights places I am so glad I did it.

Basically, Lands End and JoG have a very very limited and highly sought after number of B&B's, Hotels, Hostels, etc.  So if you do it I recommend you book these days first and get a rough idea of how many days you want to do it in.  I chose to do it in 8 days which was a push for me but I really did not want to spend more time away from family that I had to for this quest. 8 days is an average of 117 a day. 10 would be 93 a day. If you can ride at say 15 miles an hour on long days cycling this means I would be on the road for about 8 hours a day, add on 2 for stops and 1 more for mishaps and 11 hours is doable and OK. If I aim to leave at 7:30 each day I should be at each target venue by 6-6:30 each night.  So I committed to Sunday 19th June to get down to Lands End, Monday 20th to start and hope I can then achieve Bovey Tracey night 1, Nailsworth night 2, Home in Ellesmere night 3, etc, etc.....

I have read so many blogs, books and stories about people doing the end to end in many different ways and the one outstanding memory people bring up is the highlight was meeting the people along the way.  Some stayed in the poshest hotels they could find as a treat, some stayed in cheap as chips hostels, some camp, some sleep rough, some beg a room on a sofa, pubs, etc, etc.

My choice quickly emerged from a search on google for bed and breakfasts in Bovey Tracey and I found a website called airbnb.co.uk     https://www.airbnb.co.uk/

It is basically, people with spare rooms becoming amateur bed and breakfast hosts.  they build up feedback ratings based on the travellers opinions and it is fair to say there are some good and bad ones out there.  I found it to be perfect for me as I could choose from a really large range of properties in an area where I knew I would get a bed, breakfast, shower, toiletries and best of all staying with interesting people in their houses.  I cheekily asked for food, clothes and a washing machine and never failed to be amazed at peoples kindness and willingness to help a weary traveller.

Best thing I did, and the costs were around £30-35 a night too.

How do I get there & back again...

If you haven't already read Royston Wood's book or read his blog I strongly recommend it...

http://www.landsend-to-johnogroats.co.uk/home

Loads of great tips and practical advice.

Anyway, how do I get down to the start ?

Planes, trains or automobiles ?

Flight is not a bad option but pricey and restrictive as I live in Shropshire. Car hire was also an option but many firms restrict the miles you can do in a day so a 520 mile trip home from JoG would cost more than a first class train ticket, plus you have to think about the petrol/diesel costs too on top. It is also hard to find firms that you can pick up a car in say Chester and drop it off in Lands End !! It is also not a good idea to drive when tired for obvious reasons. There are good firms that can get you and your bike from JoG to Inverness but I was quoted £200 with a mention that it could be discounted heavily if more book to share the cost. But I did not want to risk not meeting other end to enders needing a lift to the main city to share the cost. You can hire a bike box and ship it home from the JoG post office !!  You could have a friend to come and collect you (dream on)

Last resort if time is not a factor and you are feeling super fit after your challenge is cycle home.

Well, along with many end to enders I opted for a train. I worked out the trick is to book it 7-12 weeks before so I can buy an Advance Single for each journey and book on my bike too,  There is a limited number of bikes allowed on each train so it is best to get in early.

My travel date is Sunday 19th June so I have added the 24th March into my phones calendar to tell me to get onto www.thetrainline.com or www.nationalrail.co.uk to get looking for cheap deals. I need a Shrewsbury to Penzance train. If I get the one I hope to it will cost me around £52.  Coming back I need to start the hunt for the Wick to Crewe train 8 days later and if I get the one I am praying for it could cost me as little as £30, that is for a 500 mile 12 hour journey.  Unbelievable but true.  I will need to do a short 16-25 mile bike ride to and from each station which will be a nice little warm up/down. Penzance to LE is 11 miles. JoG to Wick is 16 miles. 

Praying for no leakage or soggy bottoms !!

My main problem when cycling is I cannot eat the energy bars and hate the rubbish you can buy on the market to keep you going. I quite like the idea of knowing the ingredients in stuff I eat. As a rule I don't think you should eat anything that has ingredients that you cannot ask a child to spell. 

So today I am going to be Mary Berry and make my own....

So here's hoping for no leakage or soggy bottoms....

Paul & Mark thank you so much for donating to the charities, you get first dibs on them, as long as they are edible.

The Recipe....   (Thanks to GCN)

HOMEMADE ENERGY BARS

• Sunflower Oil – 120ml/3/4 cup
• Soft Dark Brown Sugar – 200g/1 cup
• Golden Syrup – 2 tbsp
• Peanut Butter – 1 tbsp
• Vanilla Extract – 1/2 tsp

Melt these ingredients in a pan over a low heat until melted and mixed together.

Next, add:

• Sesame Seeds – 25g / 2 tbsp
• Sunflower Seeds – 25g / 2 tbsp
• Flaked Almonds – 50g / 1/2 cup
• Sultanas – 50g / 1/2 cup
• Chopped Dates – 50g / 1/2 cup

Gradually stir in:-

• Thick cut porridge oats/oatmeal – 225g / 8 oz

Transfer mixture to a baking tin lined with parchment. Roughly 25 x 15cm or 10 x 6 inches.

Press down firmly with a metal fork.

Place in an oven at 180 *C for 10 – 15 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they don’t get over done.

Finally, leave to cool in the tin before you take them out and cut them.

Thank you Mark

Thank you so much Mark Drury for your support !!

Thank You Paul

Many many thanks to Paul Roberts for the very kind donation.

Packing List...

So the list has grown from just me and my bike to this.....

• Me    (essential)
• My bike     (very essential)
• Phone charger     (more essential than first 2)
• Garmin charger   (hate to miss out on kudos)
• Di2 charger ?     (not sure if the shimano can do 920 miles on one charge ?)
• Contact lenses/specs   ( yes, I am a blindo)
• Meds/toothbrush/paste   (see lovely pic below)
• Chamois cream   (even more essential than phone charger)
• Money & credit card    (bit obvious)
• 4 spare tubes/CO2/pump + levers  (my emergency breakdown insurance, see lovely pic below)
• Multi tool & spare chain links    (boy scout working overtime)
• Waterproofs   (dad told me to never leave home without it)
• Lights   (just in case I cannot get to B&B by 9:00 at night !!!!!) 
• Ear plugs   (to get a good night sleep and stop my own snoring from waking me up)
• Cleat covers/flip flops ?   (clip clopping to chip shop or striding in all cool)
• Energy bars/gels   (essential to stop me bonking during the week) * see explanation below
• 2 x Drink bottles and sachets  (fluid in, essential for life)
• Triathlon bars ?    ( Don't know about this, I read alot of blogs and advice seems to say take them as you can settle into a rhythm and it is more comfortable, but I probably won't as I find them irritating on climbs as my knees keep knocking into them)

Funny how phone chargers was first thing I thought of even before toothbrush, food and drink ?

I was also thinking about taking some inner soles or lightweight flip flops to use after the days ride. I will need to find somewhere to eat my own body weight in grub after each day. Plans are coming together nicely, just got a lovely new toothbrush.  Cannot quite understand the excitement of seeing the thing arrive.  First little sign that I am actually going to do this ride.

Here it is..

Also I got myself a little luxury holder for my CO2, I hate carrying these in pockets so this was a great bargain at £7...

If I get tired going up a hill I can light the fuse and go like a rocket for a couple of yards at least.

Note no clothes, I will be using the wash in shower and hope they dry by morning method.

Hit this link below for the explanation of Bonking, not at all what you were thinking, you dirty minded people you !!!

*    BONKING

Happy Birthday Dad

Dad would have been 83 today.  God bless, love you and I cannot wait to do the lejog for you in 14 weeks time.