64 miles
Total: 989 miles
Today was our earliest rise and we awoke to a strong wind battering the windows. After a quick survey it was bad news as it was an easterly wind and we were going due east all day. Maybe it was payback for our over casual day yesterday. After a quick breakfast we were on the bikes by 8am - there was to be no mucking about today.
The previous evening ended with a discussion about the position of the sun when it rises and set's and in the morning it felt like it did neither as it stays astonishingly light for most of the day this far north.
After we left the hostel and joined the road to Thurso & the wind was in our face all day and never once relented. We were battling the wind and also the hills. And they weren't small hills. We found out later that we had a
21mph headwind all day which was so draining it's untrue. It made things incredibly tough just to get to Bettyhill 13 miles away. We had no option but to get the heads down and the legs pumping but we were working as hard as ever but getting nowhere. To be forced to pedal downhill is morale sapping.
After 20 miles my dad and James Banks first appeared and we arranged to meet for lunch in Thurso. But Thurso was 25 miles away and our average speed had dropped to only 10 miles an hour. Not long after they left us we were amazed to cycle past the Marie Curie Field of Hope. To see such an inspiring sight in the middle of nowhere on the North coast of Scotland at our lowest ebb helped to drove us on. My word's way back at Land's End about having 'a tough 12 days in front of us but would be nothing compared to the pain and suffering that cancer victims go through' were at the forefront of my thoughts as we struggled to grind out the miles.
We ploughed on through the hardest, grimmest, bleakest part of the whole trip only stopping for a brief snack short of Dunreay Nuclear facility. I guess it's hard to describe how tough the wind made it today. It was simply relentless.
I suppose that it was fitting that the final day was the toughest of the lot and meant we had to dig deep to get over the line. Grum was really feeling his knee at this point and was in a fair bit of discomfort.
I never stopped again till Thurso. Dad and James again drove past to offer us some more encouragement. The team were very spread out by this point and I was at least 2 miles ahead of the tail. 10 miles short of Thurso I began to feel very emotional and had to fight back the tears. I think it was due to a mixture between how hard I was working on the bike and how far we had come as a group on our challenge for Marie Curie. I was sobbing along alone for about 5 minutes. I was almost at breaking point and I wondered if I burst into tears when we arrived at John O'Groats. It was a long 10 miles from here to our stop in Thurso.
We regrouped and had lunch with only 21 miles to the finishing line.
I again put the hammer down with all I had to get to JOG. Fighting the headwind effectively added an extra 15 miles of work and the miles just never ticked over. The only thing that was getting me through was singing along to the songs on my MP3 player. I can remember great renditions of several Proclaimers songs, Manic Street Preachers and Belle & Sebastian.
I was again in tears with 10 miles to go. Once I reached JOG I stopped and waited for the rest of the boys. It turns out that through my determination I was 17 minutes ahead of the last guys. It gave me time to compose myself and gather my emotions. Once we were all there we rolled into John O'Groats towards the famous sign as the team that we were. All 6 of us had made it together.
Dad, James and Andy Forrest were there to greet us and the smiles we back on the Chain Spokers' faces. We hugged and congratulated one another for completing 989 miles. Exhales and sigh's of relief all round rather than overwhelming joy. I didn't feel the tears I felt on the road today but, for some reason, slightly anti-climatic. We were just far too drained to celebrate. Andy Forrest brought some beers so we toasted our success.
It hasn't really sunk in yet what we have achieved but the thing I do know is that I am so proud to have done it with 5 of my best friends.
“A journey is best measured in friends rather than
miles." Tim Cahill
After 20 miles my dad and James Banks first appeared and we arranged to meet for lunch in Thurso. But Thurso was 25 miles away and our average speed had dropped to only 10 miles an hour. Not long after they left us we were amazed to cycle past the Marie Curie Field of Hope. To see such an inspiring sight in the middle of nowhere on the North coast of Scotland at our lowest ebb helped to drove us on. My word's way back at Land's End about having 'a tough 12 days in front of us but would be nothing compared to the pain and suffering that cancer victims go through' were at the forefront of my thoughts as we struggled to grind out the miles.
We soon passed the majestic Carbisdale Castle perched on it's throne on top of the hill. Now a Youth Hostel, it holds a special place for the 4 Stewart's Melville FP's in our ranks as we stayed there for the best part of a fortnight on a school trip when we were 15. I took great pleasure in explaining to the other two lads the colourful history of the place and the great memories we shared there. I think Fraz and Andris understood that I really, really, love that place! It was a shame we couldn't stay there but the castle bore the brunt of the severe winter weather and was closed for repairs for the foreseeable future.
Before arriving at the hostel we stopped off to buy dinner at one of the world's limited Spar's. Nevertheless, as student life was not too far behind us we managed to throw together two pasta dishes from an onion, chicken, bacon, Cup a soup, and Feta cheese. I had presumed we would cook our tea more often but between staying some nights in B&B's and arriving late in the evening most nights we had a pub dinner.
