Day 15: 180km
Rogart to JohnOGroats and some!
via Lybster, Wick, ferry from JohnOGroats to Burwick, Scapa Flow
Epic day! We knew that we had 82 miles to ride to JohnOGroats today so decided to hack straight up the A9, against all advice. Bizarrely, it turned out to be a great road with fab views of the sea and headlands. Unfortunately, of course, you have to be high up to see the views.... I had trouble with my bike for the first time: couldn't change between the 3 front gear cogs so was forced to stop part way up a 13% hill. Grrrr! Managed to get gears sorted but very stiff. We squirted WD40 at the mechanism later but I think it will be time for a service when I get back!
We had lunch in tiny Lybster harbour (1/2 mile downhill - oops) that made us think we were back in Cornwall. And from there on the countryside got wilder and flatter and more Cornish, all the way to JohnOGroats.
Came across a very strange construction of bridges and railtracks that had no obvious purpose and were protected by DeepSea7. Did the man pretending to paint a fence, dressed up in full protective clothing and hard hat really have a more sinister purpose...?
And in the tackiness stakes there wasn't much between them: we weren't allowed past the fence around the signpost at JOG without paying £10 for a photo. We had circumvented this rule at LandsEnd by arriving out-of-hours; this time leant our bikes against the fence and took photos from outside. A chap arrived having spent 9 weeks walking End-to-End; and a solo cyclist arrived a few minutes later. Good job we hadn't thought we were doing something unusual!
Postscript: the ferry that was supposed to bring us to Kirkwall tonight only actually came as far as the southern tip of South Ronaldsay so we had an extra 20 miles to ride. A lovely route though that brought us through Scapa Flow. We will spend more time exploring tomorrow and Saturday before getting the ferry to Aberdeen.
Rogart to JohnOGroats and some!
via Lybster, Wick, ferry from JohnOGroats to Burwick, Scapa Flow
Epic day! We knew that we had 82 miles to ride to JohnOGroats today so decided to hack straight up the A9, against all advice. Bizarrely, it turned out to be a great road with fab views of the sea and headlands. Unfortunately, of course, you have to be high up to see the views.... I had trouble with my bike for the first time: couldn't change between the 3 front gear cogs so was forced to stop part way up a 13% hill. Grrrr! Managed to get gears sorted but very stiff. We squirted WD40 at the mechanism later but I think it will be time for a service when I get back!
We had lunch in tiny Lybster harbour (1/2 mile downhill - oops) that made us think we were back in Cornwall. And from there on the countryside got wilder and flatter and more Cornish, all the way to JohnOGroats.
Came across a very strange construction of bridges and railtracks that had no obvious purpose and were protected by DeepSea7. Did the man pretending to paint a fence, dressed up in full protective clothing and hard hat really have a more sinister purpose...?
And in the tackiness stakes there wasn't much between them: we weren't allowed past the fence around the signpost at JOG without paying £10 for a photo. We had circumvented this rule at LandsEnd by arriving out-of-hours; this time leant our bikes against the fence and took photos from outside. A chap arrived having spent 9 weeks walking End-to-End; and a solo cyclist arrived a few minutes later. Good job we hadn't thought we were doing something unusual!
Postscript: the ferry that was supposed to bring us to Kirkwall tonight only actually came as far as the southern tip of South Ronaldsay so we had an extra 20 miles to ride. A lovely route though that brought us through Scapa Flow. We will spend more time exploring tomorrow and Saturday before getting the ferry to Aberdeen.
Congratulations on making your goal. Bask in some glory even if others have done it before. Well done indeed. All love from Sarah xx
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