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Riding from John O'Groats to Lands End.
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Friday 28th June 2002 23.20 A select bunch of misfits ensure that we do finally leave the Canns farm in Devon. Actually before midnight which was the deadline we had set ourselves. Stopping at TDG in Tiverton to pick up high visibility jackets the journey is uneventful until we get on the M6 north of Birmingham. About 4 in the morning and it feels like the gearstick has been knocked out of gear, clutch down and all the red lights on the dashboard are on, engine dead !! Luckily there is enough momentum to bump it back into some semblance of life. Everyone's awake now and looking at each other with that "oh no it doesn't end here does it" expression. Its sounding really rough so we pull over. Bonnet open - nothing obvious wrong but its only firing on three cylinders. Quick look at map and there's a service station a few miles up the road. Pull up there and we leave the engine ticking over while there's a trip to the loo for seven full bladders. Back to the van and the tool kit comes out. But it sounds fine now. A few pulls on the throttle - yes its all go again. Everyone in and away we go. Oops - in the excitement we didn't think to fill up - diesel gauge is in the red. We do make it to the next petrol station and the journey is uneventful up to Fort William where we get some supplies in and have a picnic in the shade of Ben Nevis - tallest mountain in the British Isles. We also get an introduction to the infamous scottish midge. We press on to the North. Saturday 29th 2002 22:10 We arrive at John O'Groats, the mist is all around and it is very gloomy. Park up in the camp site, quick beer at the Groats Inn, back to the caravan for a pizza and bed around midnight. Day 1 Sunday 30th June 2002 No alarm today but we are up at eight, the weather is much better the sky is blue and there is no wind. Hot shower and shave - this is real civilised camping - not what I'm used to... Back to the van and today's disaster awaits. The van's doors had been set to only open from the inside and the keys put in the ignition. Ooops. A call to the AA proves redundant as Jim is able to open the sliding door from underneath. Although we had planned on leaving on Monday the consensus is that we leave today. The boys having explored the beach agree that it would be a good idea to start the ride. The bikes are assembled, the cycling gear dug out and then we go down to the harbour for a photo session and the official start. The weather starts to deteriorate immediately and a fine drizzle sets in. I leave a few minutes after the riders and as the diesel situation is precariously low I pull into the first open garage - Sundays do seem to be a day of rest for some up here. When the pump gets to £60 I think "Wow the tank was pretty empty", but on closer examination I see the price is 86 odd pence per litre - only the desperate would fill up here. Looking for a suitable spot for a stop, I find a wonderful beach but the wind is blowing right onto it, this isn't good news - the helpful north westerly is turning into a south western wind which will start to be in their faces. Jim and Sam think that wind is going to be the worst demoraliser of the kids - they have the right gear to stay warm if not entirely dry and the guts to get up the worst of hills but a head wind can be a real soul destroyer for the younger ones. Back to the main road and parked in a layby 13 miles from the start expecting to wait an hour and they turn up only 30 mins later. The pace is better than I expected. A cup of tea and cake and we're off - I'm going to look for a parking spot around the 30 mile mark. After exploring a few side roads I find a couple of very soggy Scots digging a hole who tell me that there is a new camp site 10 miles down the road. The rain has really set in now. I find the site, set up and report in - Sam reckons that they can cope with another ten miles. I put a big kettle on and see if I can get online to update the site.18:15 and they turn up very wet indeed. Bow greets me with a "I'm gonna kill you, you *******", apparently Mum hasn't told him how far down the road I was. 38 miles in the rain on the first day having not started til 17 minutes past 1 this afternoon, spirits are high especially once the wet stuff is off, they've had a hot shower and they are all in the caravan which is really warm. A chorus of "Close the door" meets Bow every time he decides he has to be either in or out. Once everyone is dry(ish) Jim offers to cook chilli and rice. He doesn't get a single taker (I have never seen the reason to suffer for my food) and settles on pasta. Jim gets a real slagging from the girls for over-cooking the pasta - I wonder who will be cooking tomorrow Calamaty ? Over a game of cards we discuss what to get Haby for her birthday (send any birthday greeting emails to <mesg23@dial.pipex.com> and we'll give them to her on Thursday morning) we decide it might be nice to go for a cycle ride as a special treat... Starts just before half seven. The Canns are all up, breakfasting and
prepared for the first radio interview of the trip. Radio Devon phone
just before 7.45 while Jim and I are extricating the bikes from the van,
it sounds like the interview goes well although Bow can't remember what
he said and Sam is nervous and can't think of a lot to say. A lot of the
clothes are still damp, Haby gets in quick and claims the spare pair of
shorts leaving Capers to pull on some soggy leggings. Everyone else has
padded shorts so the rest of the wet gear is left hanging in the shower/toilet
block with a gas heater on. Everyone is eager to be off but have to wait
for Jim, he has forgotten to cream his rear end - saddle sores n rashes
would really put the dampers on the attempt. An offer from the camp site
owner to tumble dry them has to be turned down as every single article
sez don't tumble. She offers me a good piece of advice though - string
a line up in the caravan and open windows front and back, the wind will
dry things out as I drive. A quick update of the web site, hitch up the
caravan and I'm off to see where they have got to. The weather is a little
wet as I pass them at around twenty miles for the day, nevertheless a
beach stop is requested. I find a beautiful bay but there is no way to
get to it across the railway line, I find this out the hard way - its
fairly hard to turn the van and caravan around on a one track dead end.
Finally find a beach at Brora, even though its a bit further than we want
it turns out to be a great spot. 28 miles before lunch. The kids dry out
and have a sandwich then Bow and Capabilaty come down to the beach, Bow
is under instructions not to swim - he body surfs, dives thru waves and
generally soaks himself but doesnt swim !! Its decided to do another 15
miles and we aim for Dornoch where there are apparently three caravan
sites. I drop in at Dunrobin Castle and see an impressive falcon display
before driving on to the caravan site at Pitgrudy. The site is really
impressive and free to people doing charity events - even more impressive.
The Canns turn up having clocked up 44.51 miles on a rather miserable
day - another great achievement. I ask Bow if thats the furthest he has
ever ridden in a day and he says scornfully "No we did 50 miles some
days in Holland". When you think that was in summer of 2000 he must
have been five then ! Seven o'clock and the sun is out - slight exageration but it certainly isnt raining. We are getting a bit more coordinated at getting on the road now and they are off at 8:20, the intention is to try and avoid the A9 for as much as possible - its quite a narrow road for the artics that travel it. Most drivers are considerate but there are the odd exceptions. We intend to use 'the smallest car ferry in Great Britain" - I'm going to try to get there before the cyclists commit to that route and check its running at convenient times. First I have to pop into a Post Office and get the only set of car keys back to Dolores in Devon. Its no big deal - she doesnt need them til tomorrow. Luckily they guarantee delivery by eleven o'clock next day. Or your money back. Great. My life is now priced at £3.75. On to the ferry, the good news is that it runs every 30 mins - the bad is that the van and caravan won't fit on. I relay the news to Sam and we decide that I will go back and around on the A9. They plan on catching the next ferry so I have to quickly knock together some sarnies and malted loaf which appears to be Bow's staple diet. They manage to bang out the seven miles in half an hour and arrive as the ferry appears. They pick up lunch and knock back a cup full of iron bru each and off they dash. I set off back to the A9 to play chicken with the morons overtaking towards me - an emergency stop with the caravan leaves me needing a change of underwear. At Inverness I check in with Sam - they are having a long lunch at Fortrose - and we decide to aim for a caravan park 5 miles east of Inverness near Culloden. I abandon the caravan there and go to the battlefield at Culloden for todays history lesson. I opt for a guided tour, no-one else does so I have a tartan clad highlander complete with shield, dirk and sword for my own personal guide. A fascinating hour is spent in 1746 then I'm back to the campsite at Newlands to get some work done. A phone call from a rather lost Sam catches me away from my map - they have followed the cycle tracks so haven't come the same way as I have. There are no useful signposts so I tell her to go towards the battlefield and keep going. Back at the van I work out that they must have hit the road between me and the battlefield and so are going in the wrong direction. Oops. A quick phone call confirms this, they turn around and arrive just as I get into the van to go find them. More death threats from Bow are nullified with buttered malt loaf. I'm learning. They have managed to do an astonishing 55 miles today, it hasn't rained and the wind has been reasonably kind. After tea I expect them to crash out but no - a rather violent game of frisbee is necessary. Where do these kids get their energy from ? After Bow's physio, some ministering to Haby's neck and Capabilaty's knee the Canns settle down at eleven and I retire to the van to update the web site. Hope I can upload it tonight - the GMS coverage seems a little suspect - dunno what its gonna be like during next couple of days when we hit the Grampions proper... A lie in til eight o'clock - what's this all about. Oh its peeing down. First time that they have had to set off in the rain. I abandon them at the site with the caravan and go back to Inverness for some supplies. The plan is to see them at the next site, they'll carry sandwiches for lunch. Luckily the weather changes for the better pretty quickly - apparently it only rains on them for 10 mins and they soon dry out. Todays bit of history was going to be Macbeth's Cawdor Castle but I decide £6.10 for half an hours sightseeing is a bit rich and am content with some photos of the outside. I pass the cyclists at about 2 o'clock - all smiles and thumbs up. Its amazing how far away I can see them from - the bright jackets work well. I park up at Grantown-on-Spey, again the caravan site suss that we are doing a sponsored cycle and let us have a pitch for £2 - another bargain. They turn up at 4 o'clock dry apart from the some feet, they've had a nice easy day travelling a mere (!?) 40 miles . There's a trampoline being assembled so the boys feel at home. Jack gets another knee rubbing then runs off to play pool with Bow. Haby grabs some kip and Calamity does some stuff with her hair. Mum's washing n cooking while Dad checks the bikes over. The kids are doing an amazing job - they are not getting any assistance up the hills, no-one yet has had to get off and push, Bow is actually setting the pace - apparently still riding off road whenever possible. Day 5 July 4th Haby's Birthday A perfect cycling day dawns, beautiful blue sky which gently clouds over enough to just keep the sun off. Haby opens her cards, presents and I read out the emails that I have received for her. They set off at 8.45 looking forward to some serious climbs and fun downhills. I set off with a bit more trepidation - we were shown a guide book last night that said the passes were "not suitable for caravans unless the towing vehicle is exceptionall powerful." hmmm. According to the map the test will be just 10 miles down the road, although they have packed enough supplies I really dont want to abandon them in the Grampions so I go for it. No problem, I need 1st gear to pull away from a hairpin at the bottom but other than that its a half mile climb in second. I park up the van, secure it and jump on my bike to pelt down the hill, get up the other side and have a snooze in the heather overlooking an incredibly peaceful glen. The 21st century is well and truly left behind. The Canns are pleased to see me riding with them and we have a blast down the hill, Jim records 47 mph. Thankfully the kids are a tad more sensible and so is the white van I meet at the bottom, I wave frantic slow downs and indicate that there are 5 more coming. He actually stops before the blind bend to let them all past safely. A climb up the other side, I'm puffing away and Bow is pulling wheelies off road while Jack climbs past me !!! A Mars bar stop at the top then I set off in their wake in the van once more. Another 10 miles on and I find a real 'slope' as Jim refers to them, I am in 1st for what seems like an age, the temperature gauge which has been below 1/4 most of the way is just touching the red, not that I need to look at it - I can smell how hot the engine is getting. I dont want to stop and cool it off because I might not be able to get rolling again. Finally make it to the top and there's a sight. The Lecht ski centre has branched into summer activities with quad bikes and deval karts (yep more on them later - can you sense the broken collarbone approaching ?). Its an absolutely perfect place for a birthday lunch. I dig out the cake, blow up some balloons and also put up the CF3 info boards - its a tourist spot so hopefully we will get some donations. Jack and Haby arrive first - hardly out of breath. I just can't believe what these kids can do. After lunch we go to play - Jack and Bow aren't old enough for anything except the quad bikes so they have a go on them and I take Haby and Calam up the mountain on a chair lift to the start of the deval kart track. These are simple karts with a steering wheel that also slides up and down to act as a brake. The track is made by a large plastic mesh laid on the boggy peat and looks very bumpy. I go first and am accompanied down by shrieks and giggles from behind. I manage to get to the last hairpin before spinning at some speed - its great fun. All seven of us go up in the lift - Bow and Jack are going to walk down beside the track. Sam comes down gingerly and decides that this isnt for her so Jim, the girls and I go up for one last drive. I'm last setting off and get past the others on the gradual incline at the start. I try to get round the first hairpin without braking - foolish move - the kart spins and instead of harmlessly slithering down as has happened every other time the wheels bog down and throw me off. I land heavily and awkwardly with a crack. Sam's yell alerts Jim who was just behind and he locks up, spins, clips my kart but manages to miss me as I crawl out of the way. A very painful slow descent to the cafe where we await an ambulance. The paramedics arrive expecting to deal with a broken leg, but are persuaded to examine the shoulder - no diagnosis other than 'hospital' but I know its a broken collarbone. The Canns put a brave face on it though I can see the kids are shaken (quiet for once !!) and decide to set off with Jim driving the van for a few miles, cycling back and then moving the van on again. I feel absolutely awful that I'm actually adding to the mileage he has to do !! The paramedics fill me up with drugs and drive up a really rough road for an hour and a half, to a hospital in Elgin where the worst is confirmed. A glance at the x-rays shows me why its so painful, its broken in two places and the middle bit is not where its meant to be. I leave the hospital, still feeling a bit whoozy from the drugs, at around seven with a phone number for the train station, one for bus station and no idea where I am. There is no train station in Braemar (the next scheduled overnight stop) and the bus station is closed. A bizarre conversation with a taxi firm "If you tell me the distance I can give you a price". Hang on - I have no idea where I am, cant he consult a map ? As its a ballpark cost of £150 I'm beginning to feel a bit depressed. Check in with Sam, her advice is to find a pub, have a bite to eat and Jim'll come pick me up after they have parked for the night. Not wanting to add any further to Jim's day I walk in the direction of the bus station and strike up a conversation with a couple in the town centre. They tell me that the only way to get to Braemar by bus is to go to Aberdeen which is more than two hours away. I decide my only option is to hitch. If Tony Hawkes can hitch all the way round Ireland with a fridge (blatant plug for funniest book I've read this week) then I can do a bit of Scotland with a broken collarbone. I manage to get a lift after ten minutes or so. David lives locally but offers to get me onto the correct road out. We find a map and I finally realise how far out of the way I am, its about 70 miles to where I need to be - I'm actually north of Culloden which is where we were the night before last. David takes me home for a cup of tea, jots down the route and then drops me at a convenient layby with his mobile number in case I have no luck. Bruce stops for me and takes me to Rothes. I'm reporting in to Sam when the couple I met earlier show up. They felt so sorry for me that they have been scouring the road trying to help ! They offer to drop me at Tomintoul which is half way to Braemar, where I'll meet Jim. They take me back for a cup of tea but then realise there isnt enough petrol to get there and we have to go all the way back to Elgin !!! I finally meet up with Jim - the boys have come up to meet me too - its really great to see them all again . Enough of my tale - back to the camp site, meal and bed. In spite of my diversions they have managed 48 miles today which brings the total to 225 miles on day 5. I'd like to say a big thanks to David, Bruce, Dennis and Christine for helping me out A plan has formed - Timotei, one of the Teign Valley Pedal Bashers, was planning on joining us for some cycling - he is co-opted as reserve driver. After the rest of the family set off Jim takes me to todays lunch point, unhitches the caravan and goes off to meet Timotei who is cycling from Pitlochry having caught a train from the south last night. Coincidentally the lunch spot is exactly on the 250 mile point - one quarter of the journey is complete. Tim and I go onto Rattray, I get some supplies in and he cycles back to meet the Canns. We then head off to Perth where caravan spaces are at a premium - there is some game show happening and all the sites are full. We temporarily stop in a side street and have dinner then move on to the Friar Inn where the landlord allows us to park overnight. A fairly uneventful day (thank you god) - 55 miles covered and the total to date is 280 miles - well ahead of schedule. Weather today varied from heavy showers to bright sunshine. Spirits are still high. Finally get yesterday's words out one fingered, fix a couple of problems with the web site - apologies to all that have been waiting for updates ....Tim goes off to play in the woods - he hasnt done much cycling today - every time he parks to go meet them, they are moving so fast that he only gets a couple of miles in. We then feel morally obliged to go for a drink in the Friar, curiously the bar is completely empty - a Friday night in a housing estate pub on the outskirts of Perth ?
A rather sleepness night for myself with the shoulder, Haby is feeling a little under the weather too but wants to go on. Bow has a little cough so Sam takes a sample of sputum for me to get tested. Tim and I set off down the M90, eventually park in the middle of Edinburgh then he takes his bike and catches the train back up to the Canns. Edinburgh is a little further than expected so they lunch at a Safeways 20 miles south of Perth. I wander around Edinburgh and find a children's hospital where they take the sample for testing and promise to forward the results to Bow's CF nurse in Exeter. A phone call to Sam confirms that they won't be going any further than Edinburgh today so I book a camp site then get on with some work. The rain dies out and by the time they get to the camp site they are all dry, Tim is used to a faster pace so has to stop and buy a jacket to warm up before coming back to me and driving the van to the site. Haby is feeling much better and starts to write some words about the trip, Calamaty updates her words but the boys are much to busy playing hide and seek to do anything so boring. We then sit down and try to plan the rest of the trip. Although we are often approached by people offering donations we feel that the effort the kids are putting in could be better rewarded if there was more local interest in what they are attempting. We know that to get a good turn out with some reasonable publicity we need to have a schedule that we can stick to. The kids are coping better than our best expectations so we start to make tentative plans. We want to arrive at Lands End at a weekend so aim for the 21st July as the completion date. There is a chance of some involvement in a concert in Bristol next weekend and we have plans for a reception at Exeter too. Its tricky organising this on the road, Sam has her mobile with her but is mostly receiving info as opposed to instigating things now. She has some people helping her on the outside - once we make Carlisle we will firm up plans. They covered 46 miles today from Perth to Edinburgh bringing day 7's grand total to 326 miles, just under one third of the way !!
Words by Wheelie Bin aka Chris Wood - support vehicle driver Bow-Jango's Diary Capabilaty-Jack's Diary Calamaty-Jayne's Diary Haby-Blu's Diary
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