Cycling John o'Groats to Lands End
End2End : 14th June - 23rd June 2014 (c950 miles, unsupported)
Day 10 - Launceston to Lands End
What could be more fitting than a crystal clear blue sky as I peered out of the apartment at 05:30. It was clearly going to be a hot day but even as I write this I can recall the feeling of excitement of being on the final day but also that it would soon be over, a strange combination of relief and disappointment. No breakfast available so in the routine of a yesterday sandwich and an energy bar with a hotel bedroom cup of tea (you know the sort with synthetic milk)
Chris was in the room next to me so we were ready at the same time and set off from the golf club on to the A395 heading NW toward the North Cornish coast. It was quite chilly in that first hour but we were straight on to an incline up a winding country road which warmed us up. We past multiple wind farms and on to the brow of the hill, maybe a 400 ft incline from the golf club. The views were magnificent from here, you could see the North Cornish coast stretch all the way south towards Lands End, our final destination.
It was to be an 85 mile day so a decent shift but we were up early enough, the plan was to cross the line at 16:00 and meet Emma and John at the finish line where we were booked in to the Lands End hotel. About 10 miles in we found the A39 and started our track South staying on this road for about 15 miles. It became increasingly busy but was manageable and we stopped relatively frequently, sometimes to admire the view sometimes just to get off the bike and have a rest. Barring a disaster we were going to finish this today and I wasn't taking any chances of a late injury or brush with a metal cage on wheels.
Route: Day10
Activity: Cycle
Started: 23 Jun 2014 06:13:10
Ride Time: 6:15:40
Stopped Time: 4:08:08
Distance: 86.12 miles
Average Speed: 13.76 mph
Fastest Speed: 36.43 mph
Ascent: 7730 feet
Descent: 8136 feet
Calories: 4758
Temperature - 24oC
Weather - Sunny
Wind - 4mph WNW
Humidity - 88%
Sunrise - 04:16
Sunset - 22:13
We crossed the River Camel at 25 miles, this was a very high bridge with a spectacular view over Wadebridge as you can see from the photo on the top right. The photos of Chris and I on the bridge gives an idea of the type of traffic on the road and what a beautiful day it was. The plan was to go in to Wadebridge for breakfast but on viewing the landscape we decided the hills were an unnecessary hardship! By this time the heat of the sun was rising, it was about 09:00. Even though the bridge was high, the old addage still held strong and up we went a long incline after the river. Fortunately there was a garage half way up so we stopped and opted for breakfast sitting on the grass in the warm sun by the side of the petrol station, a strangely pleasant experience.
From the garage, feeling refreshed, we got back on to the A39 for about another 8 miles until we thought "best get off" as the traffic was ever increasing. This proved to be a mistake as we went down a steep decline in to St Columb Major (which only means one thing!), I remember it well, it was called Bridge Hill, probably a 20%+ incline but head down and get on with it. We popped back out on to the A39 for another 4 miles before hanging a right on to the A392 towards Newquay then before you reach Newquay we turned South on to the A3075, this road shadowed the track of the A30 and was much safer, although still quite busy with holiday traffic. I did get the feeling we seemed to be in a quiet bit of the country full of the driving style of London, on reflection this is probably because most of London were on holiday at their second homes in Cornwall or something like that .....
At the 52 mile point we stopped at a services cafe on the A30/A3075 roundabout for lunch. A mere 33 miles to go, incredible to think it would be all over in the space of a 2 hour training run. This was a welcome break from the sun and I was tired at this point but strangely this was the point where I lost all feeling of fatigue or being tired, the next 32 miles just didn't bother me at all, neither did my kneck or hands, a testament to how much your tiredness and ailments are in your head. After quite a considerable lunch we had a look at the map again to make sure we got the next bit right. In order to keep away from the A30 you pretty much have to track down the A&B roads and also the National Cycle Route [3] to reach Marazion on the South Coast.
I wouldn't say it was difficult but if you don't know the area then it's quite technical to make sure you are always going in the right direction, at least that was our experience. The point where you come over the crest of a hill and you can see the sea past Lands End is fantastic made even better by the blue sky you can see in the picture above left. At 20 miles on from lunch we had hit the South Coast, an incredible feeling and the experience turned in to pure enjoyment of the last few miles of this trip. We were on course to arrive at 16:00 as planned so a leisurely ride along the sea front with a short stop at the A30 road sign to point out it was 12 miles to Lands End was a must.
To be honest we got to that sign and I thought 12 miles? I felt a bit closer than that but now wasn't the time for disappointment! Equally surprising was the climb up over the hill towards Lands End. It felt like a sting in the tail of the UK as if 940 miles wasn't enough punishment there had to be one last test for your weary legs. In good spirits though up we went, pace didn't matter now really I could sense the end and huge feeling of relief, exhiliaration and excitement.
This wasn't the time to have realised you'd forgotten anything at John o'Groats as there was no way I was going back for it! We reached the crest of the hill that would take us down to the Lands End Hotel and the finish line. Briefly stopping at the cemetary I took the picture to the left, full of old sailors graves from the multitude of shipwrecks off this coastline. You've got to be there but it's quite an emotional moment knowing you are pretty much there as much tinged with excitement of the achievement as it was the end of an adventure and the unfortunate circumstances on day 8 which meant John couldn't share this moment. That was a real regret for me (and John) as it would have put the icing on the cake of a fantastic experience, it went through my mind on the freewheel to the finish line.
Chris had been brilliant in the last 2 days as he had to put up with me being tired and pretty much always slower than his pace but he also enjoyed the ride. We freewheeled down to the finish line at Lands End, Emma and John were there to meet us which was a welcome sight. Emma had made John get in to his cycling kit for the photos and that was so important as it made the trip and to have the photos of the 3 of us at the finish will be an unforgettable memory of the event.
On reflection the whole thing was fantastic, it didn't really go to plan but these things rarely do I suppose. Yes some of it was tough but the vast differences of the country become apparant on a bicycle, the lochs, rivers, countryside, industrial towns, coastline, incredible history and beautiful scenery. Not sure how accurate the computer statistics are really but roughly 40,000 feet of climbing, about 950 miles I reckon (3 in an ambulance) and about 68 hours in the saddle in 10 days.
You never remember the difficult bits, you only ever remember the good bits, which is why it becomes addictive and why very soon afterwards you start looking for the next adventure. I can't believe though that there is much that will top cycling your own country end to end with good friends and weather you would expect in the Central Mediteranean. Thanks go to everyone who helped .... Steve Pullen, Darren Roberts & his mate Chris for joining us at Lancaster and of course John, Chris, Julie, Suzanne and most of all Emma for putting up with the whole thing for the best part of 9 months. Here's to the next trip ....................
