Epilogue

Hello!

It is rather sheepishly that I return to this blog, having not posted a single word since before the beginning of our trip, over two and a half months ago. I realise that there were a dedicated few who checked the blog regularly for updates throughout the two weeks of the trip, so many apologies for keeping you in the dark!

I suppose I should first confirm that WE DID IT! After 14 tough days and about 1003 gruelling miles we rolled into John O'Groats at 3pm on Saturday the 9th of July to be met by a small group of friends and family who had made the trek up north to greet us.

I've been wondering how best to go about summing up our trip, and put into words just how amazing the experience was. But having left it so long and not updated you as I went along, the task of writing a blow by blow account seems a bit daunting! And besides, I doubt I'd be able to convey all the emotion as well as I'd like, or share even half of the stories we picked up along the way.

So I've decided to let some of our photos tell the story....

Day 1 - Malc (left) and I at the start at Land's End.

Day 1 - Rolling across the START line.

Day 2 - Entering Devon, home to yet more hills.

Day 2 - Up and over Dartmoor.

Day 2 - Dartmoor.

Day 2 - Our well deserved feast in Exeter, after finally finding somewhere to eat.

Day 4 - Crossing the Severn into Wales.

Day 5 - Malc stops for a roadside peanut butter sandwich or 6.

Day 6 - Rolling into Blackpool.

Day 7 - The top of Shap, a brutal climb.

Day 8 - Triumphant return to the motherland!

Day 8/9 - We ended up staying here last minute after deciding to ditch the hippy commune where we'd booked. Best decision of the whole trip!

Day 9 - Malc feeling the burn on our 83 mile monster day from Dumfries to Glasgow.

Day 11 - A soggy roadside stop near Fort William. We got soaked for a few days.

Day 12 - Malc admiring the view of Ben Nevis, near Spean Bridge.

Day 12 - Getting ready for a cracking descent,  near Errogie.

Day 13 - Crossing the Dornoch Firth.

Day 13 - The always difficult 'on the move' shot.

Day 13 - Arriving our last overnight stop, Helmsdale.

Day 14 - Catching our breath at the top of the Berridale Braes.

Day 14 - Nearing John O'Groats with the steam rising off the road.

Day 14 - Rolling into John O'Groats.

Day 14 - The finish line, 1003 miles down the road from Land's End!

Day 14 - Enjoying some celebratory champers at the finish.

Day 14 - Posing by the (absent) John O'Groats signpost.

I hope this tells at least some of the story. We both had the time of our lives on the trip, and it is something I already look back on with an immense sense of pride and accomplishment. Doing the trip with Malc was great, and those incredible two weeks have given us memories and stories that we'll cherish for a lifetime.

Since completing the trip I have been back on the bike for a few weekend rides (though just over 30ish miles, rather than the 70 we were churning out during the trip) and fully intend to keep at it. As I mentioned at the very beginning, both Malcolm and I had been avid mountain bikers at school, but I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed road cycling. It really is a brilliant way to exercise and see the country. It has also rekindled my interest in mountain biking, and last weekend I dusted off the old full-suspension steed and took a trip down to Glentress. Malc has stuck with it too, and just last weekend completed a 100 mile sportive in just over 6hrs, a mammoth effort! Given the enjoyment we both took from doing LEJOG, I wouldn't rule out the possibility of the pair of us attempting more charity expeditions in the coming years, so watch this space.....

Many thanks to all of you for checking out the blog over the past year or so. I would have liked to have kept you more up to date around the time of the trip itself but it sadly wasn't to be. I hope it has informed and encouraged some of you to undertake the 'LEJOG' challenge, and my final word of advice would be:

GO FOR IT!!!