This is what happens when you cycle behind and slightly to the right of a well oiled bike on the A49 for nine hours.

Sitting in a sunny conservatory looking out over rural pastures and sipping coffee it is hard to recall the hell that was yesterday.

7 miles to go, rain teeming, every part of us soaked and teeth chattering… Psssst. Puncture. It took myself and Paul 1 minute to get everything out and ready and then we took 4 attempts each to do the simple job of putting the tube inside the tyre. Our hands we numb and Manual Dexterity was a Spanish Dancer. We managed to make it the last 7 miles and collapsed at the side of the Caravan. We were all a little dazed and suffering from mild exposure.

Breakfast finished, time to oil the bikes and get on the road to Bath

Yesterday in one word? Wet, wet, wet.

My longest day on a bike yet. At Seven thirty as the last of the light faded we pulled in for the forth time in 30 miles just to stretch and eat. We noticed that the sign we were leaning against marked our departure from Scotland after four brilliant days.

At noon we were climbing in the rain and freezing cold. I was going through permutations in my head but could not see how we would finish before eight. We stopped in pub for lunch after only 35 miles with 70 miles still to do. We simply could not go on. The rain past and for the first twenty minutes after restart myself and Tom were shivering but the rain had stopped.

The scenery through Tweeddale was spectacular but there was not much of an appetite for it. At 8pm we pulled up at the caravan park in the dark. The owner greeted us by reprimanding us for using the wrong gate. Thanks to Staff at Carlisle A&E who managed to retrieve Paul’s pump at 4am. A quick wash and it will be as good as new

It is an obvious cliché but despite all the cycling and the incredible scenery the really highlight of the trip is the people you meet. 

Angus our landlord drove us into town last night for dinner. He explained that his wife had dementia and not to be concerned if she repeated questions. In the morning he got up at 6am to make us breakfast and then left at 7am to drive another guest to the foot of Ben Nevis.  ‘He tells me he is climbing it today. Mind you he said he was going to climb it yesterday and he didn’t get up until noon. The day before that he said he was going to climb it too ..’ While Angus was gone we meet his wife. She mentioned she was recently told she couldn’t drive because of Alzheimers and that her husband had learned to drive after swearing for years that he would never drive.  His Job?  Captain of a Ferry on the lake.

We arrived in Stirling to our Caravan for the night.  A beautiful heated Caravan with a lovely cosy bed.  Met another guest by the Campfire.  She was alone and drinking Rose having a ‘lost weekend’ ‘I had a week off and felt I had to go away and not waste it.’

Lost weekends with Tennents and wine. Something I often considered.  Initially I thought to myself that I made a different choice but giving it thought I realise I have been drafted by my friends and the miles I have travelled are down largely to them.

Guest Blogger: Jaclyn Hargreaves

Day two’s cycle was a game of two halves as we started with a tough slog along a busy A-road from Tain to Inverness. The remainder of the day took us across the country to Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis. Our route was beautiful, hilly and peaceful and we had to take several stops for photos.

We passed Loch Ness hoping for a glimpse of the beast in the deep but unfortunately Nessy remained as elusive as Peter’s Dartmoor gold!

Yesterday was a day of firsts for another reason. The gentlemen with the Penny Farthing caught Peter in the hall and spent a good half an hour bending his ear about his jaunts around British Isles on his vintage steed. When he escaped Peter asked why I didn’t come and save him from the cycle bore who doesn’t stop talking. “I feel your pain Peter, I feel your pain”.

Today was a day of firsts.  The first pee in the wild, the first postcard posted from the first post office, the first puncture and the first lunch stop.

The highlight of the day was the first lunch stop. I chose it on the basis of the fact that it contained four high-vis jackets. It was a good choice. A rude waitress with an overly nice owner who was clearly the reason why the waitress hated everyone and everything. I liked the waitress.

The high-viz jackets belonged to the Vintage Bikes Cycle club. They were doing JOGLE by Motor bikes.  Their bikes are vintage and they were vintage. They were brilliant fun and even gave a donation to Rosemere.

One of them who appeared to have fought in the Crimean war pointed out that John O’Groats is not in fact the most northerly point in Britain but rather another point 2 miles away is. He suggested that we would have to retrace our tracks back to the start in order that history recognise our efforts. I suggested that as he was the only person aware of this fact that all we would have to do is take him out of the picture.

It turned out he had an impressive cycling Palmares. In the fifties he had held British records in the 25 mile and 50 mile and had a 50 mile tandem record.  I wasn’t sure if he had these records or just the British record for Lying 2013. Given how sharp and fit he appears I am inclined to believe his account of things.

Arrived to the B&B to meet a man in his seventies touring on his Penny Farthing. He had toured all over Britain and Ireland starting in Jersey and traveling through Galway and Belfast. Finishing on the Shetlands. All on his Penny Faryhing apart from the 28 ferries

Final planning for operation JOGLE took place in the Caravan while Tom engaged one of our neighbours in a discussion on metal detecting as a hobby.

‘I’ve never been interested in metal detecting but it must be fascinating’ said Tom

‘Yes, When it beeps you never know what might be. A penny or just a coin’.