Edinburgh to John O’Groats
LEJOG – Preparation
LEJOG – Getting to Penzance
LEJOG Part 1 – Land’s End to Liverpool
LEJOG Part 2 – Liverpool to Edinburgh
LEJOG – Video Clips
A trip to The Orkneys
Reaching Edinburgh was really significant for us both – we both felt it was as much an achievement as getting to John O Groats, probably because it was Karon’s home town. Before riding out to Karon’s cousin’s house we rode into the city centre and found a place for some lunch and a celebratory drink. The view of the castle perched above Princes Street Gardens reinforced that sense of achievement. Another rest day wouldn’t have gone amiss, but we were on a schedule to reach the Altnaharra Inn some days later. It was another essential overnight booking, far from any other places to stay, so the next morning we rode out to cross the Queensferry Bridge.
Strava for Day 29 – 3rd July 2012
Our room in Kinross was the tightest fit we had all trip. I even thought about going elsewhere but there was a music festival on nearby and so many of the B&Bs and hotels were full. Our landlady was friendly enough and recommended somewhere to eat that evening but I thought the room steep at £80 for the night.
Strava for Day 30 – 4th July 2012
From Kinross we followed NCR 775 through Bridge of Earn, where we stopped for coffee, and on to Perth and another stop in the High Street before pushing on to the pub B&B in Bankfoot. In the evening we sat next to an American lady and her two youngsters. Got chatting and swapped details. We are still in touch through Facebook and her daughter loved Scotland so much on that trip, it inspired her to come back later for studies at Aberdeen University.
Strava for Day 31 – 5th July 2012
Shortly after leaving Bankfoot we joined the River Tay Valley and followed it and the A9 through Dunkeld where shortly after, we left the road to ride on a track beside the River Tay. It was the official cycle route (77) but under the trees the surface was slippy. Fortunately it was only a couple of miles and we were back on tarmac heading towards Pitlochry and our next overnight stop.
At Pitlochry we had time for a wander before dinner in the hotel, and found a little garden absolutely crammed full of gnomes and other garden decor. We got chatting to the chap who had obviously spent much of his waking days working away in his little garden.
Strava for Day 32 – 6th July 2012
After a short stop at Blair Athol we continued towards the Drumochter Pass and Glen Garry. With the weather we’d been ‘enjoying’ we were both a bit apprehensive about the next stretch where there would be no coffee stops and little in the way of shelter.
Our fears were unfounded. The weather cleared, the cycle track was perfect for much of the way – in most parts the old A9 single road before the new one was built. At about the half-way point a Burger van was parked up in a layby off the A9 and the cycle track ran right past it at that point, so we stopped for a hot cuppa and burger. Our next B&B was in Newtonmore and we’d made such good time getting through Glen Garry that the temptation of a guided tour of the nearby Dalwhinnie Distillery was too good to pass by.
Strava for Day 33 – 7th July 2012
Strava for Day 34 – 8th July 2012
Strava for Day 35 – 9th July 2012
Leaving Inverness we had to cross the rather large bridge to the Black Isle then on to Conon Bridge and Dingwall. From the high ground of the lanes either side of Alness we had great views of the Cromarty Firth.
Strava for Day 36 – 10th July 2012
From Tain we headed for Bonar Bridge. Arriving at lunchtime we stopped at a pub there. I thought a ploughman’s would do me fine. For the price I wasn’t expecting a feast but maybe the chef felt sorry for us because three pork pies, a stack of cheeses, salad and chips were more than I could manage!
Strava for Day 37 – 11th July 2012
From Lairg it was some 45 miles to the coast at Farr, near Bettyhill which was too far in one hit for us we thought – especially if the weather was bad. So to break the section in two, I had prebooked the Altnaharra Hotel. It proved to be the most expensive night of the entire trip, but we did enjoy our stay with some lovely food and then a few whiskeys in the Highland Bar after. On the way to Altnaharra we stopped off at the Crask Inn – out in the middle of no-where it’s one of the obligatory stops for many LEJOGers.
Strava for Day 38 – 12th July 2012
Leaving Alntnaharra, we followed the north shores of Loch Naver, continuing along Strath Naver, heading for the North Scottish coast.
Strava for Day 39 – 13th July 2012
Now we had hit the coast, we were only a couple of days away from John O Groats. It was a stiff climb first thing to get back up to the road from our B&B, and then we had a series of headlands to cross, where the road climbed away from being beside a beach, to crossing the hills above cliffs, then descending to the next bay. It was a pretty physical morning and while we didn’t need waterproofs for the climbs, they were necessary to keep the wind off on the descents. It was at the top of one climb that we suffered our only puncture of the entire ride. Of course, it had to be the rear wheel, so everything had to be unloaded before I could put in a new tube.
Our next and final night before JOG was in Thurso. Not a particularly attractive place but big enough to have pubs and places to eat.
Strava for Day 40 – 14th July 2012
Next morning we set off with two goals ahead of us. First to get out to Dunnet Head… the mainland’s most northerly point, then second, on to John O Groats and the end of our ride.
It was only about six miles from the Castle Mey to John O’ Groats. We were booked in to the Seaview Hotel, where they keep the book for LEJOGers and JOGLErs to sign. Without the necessity to get back to work, we would happily have ridden home again for despite the all-to-often foul weather and the trials and tribulations of finding places to eat and stay, we had enjoyed ourselves enormously and were sad that it was over.
Though there were no cheering crowds to welcome us in, once again, the folk at The Stream had arranged us a treat in our room in the form of some bubbly! There was also a video with them forming an arch with a walk-through and congrats from each.
