Day 3: Fort William to Glasgow

Early in the morning, and having been put off hostelling for life, I escaped the Bank street lodge and headed down the road to tesco to buy my breakfast. Having filled up for the morning, I rejoined the A82 to follow it the rest of the way along the loch to where it meets the Irish Sea. It was similar to the end of yesterday's ride, fairly flat and gently winding.

Around the corner and I started to head towards the Glencoe mountain range for my climb for the day. The views were incredible, and I dont blame the coach losds of tourists stopping at every available parking spot along the route for photos! Massive rocky mountains either side of the road that climbs steadily up through them. Not too much of a punishing climb, it didnt drag on too much because of the insane views.

Once at the summit, the wind really picked up, and I cooled off very quickly on the long descents. I seemed to be heading downhill for most of the rest of the day, with only the occasional small hill to top.

Sticking with the A82, I rode the length of Loch Lomond (famous for its fish) before a small bike path started alongside it. I ended up having to change between the bike path and the road where the surface conditions got too bumpy. Parts of the bike path were fine and smooth, whilst others were unbearable on a road bike.

The end of the loch dropped me into a small town called Alexandria, where I joined a blissfully smooth cycle path (Route 7) along the river Leven, that lead down to the river Clyde. Through Dumbarton and still on the cycle path, I deviated from my planned route to follow the bike path all the way into the city centre (why can't all bike paths be this good?).

Lucky, I managed to get a room at the easyhotel, owned by the orange loving, cheap flights flogger, Stellios. Its a no frills tiny room, where even the tv remote is an optional extra and the sinks are (you guessed it) orange!

The Italian just next door served me with a foccacia bread stater and another big bowl of pasta. Piling on the carbs! A little walk around some of Glasgow's sights and I saw the legendary Danny Macaskill jumping bollards in town, very cool! Tomorrow, I head back across the border into England!

Miles today: 103.7
Total miles: 285.7

Day 2: Tain to Fort William

After helping myself to some of the yummy pastries on offer to guests at the Morangie B&B, I got my soggy bike out of the garage and set it up for the days ride.

Just out of Tain and heading west this time, I quickly joined a quiet lane running through a neat little pine forest. The rain from the day before made the pine trees smell great, and I was happy to be riding in the sunshine again. The first 40 miles were fairly flat, rolling along into the heart of Scotland.

Shortly after this though, the road began to climb up through the purple hills covered in heather - quite a view! The steep climbs came with accompanying steep descents, made more fun by the fact I could properly use my brakes in the dry!

After the steepest descent, I met up with the famous Loch Ness which I would follow to its end. The roads around the Loch were gentle again, casually meandering along. No signs of Nessie along the way unfortunately, but plenty of Nessie themed activities!

With Loch Ness behind me, the road began to criss cross between the other smaller lochs along the route, with a few small waterfalls running down next to the road. The rain had held off for the day so far, but by now a few small sprinkles were falling -  not enough to be of any bother though.

The last few miles down to Fort William were fairly easy, with some stunning views of Ben Nevis along the road. I'm checked into a small lodge with shared rooms, but yet to meet my roommates. To the local pub for a bite to eat, and they seem catered to cyclists, with plenty of pasta based dishes to choose from. I had haggis bites to start (deep fries haggis.... healthy!) with a chicken and bacon tagliatelle to give me tomorrows energy to get me down to Glasgow.

Miles today: 96.5
Total miles: 182

Day 1: John O'Groats to Tain

I started off the morning with a full English at the B&B, something to keep me going. There I met a man called John who was running the whole JOGLE route, 40 miles a day for 28 days, incredible! His father was following in the car and playing the role of cameraman for his travels. With the room paid up and everything packed where it should be, I set off, in true Two Tyred style, in the wrong direction! (Well, technically the right direction, but before I'd actually been to the John O'Groats point!)

After my short 6 mile ish 'warmup ride', I made it back up to the point for some photos. There seemed to be a fairly constant stream of coaches dropping elderly tourists to the viewpoint, who all took a photo or two and hopped back into their coach. A few wished me well and commented on how far it is. One lady even took my photo so she could 'inspire her son' to do something similar!

Back on the road for real this time, I passed a few other walkers and after a short while, John on his run. I wished him luck and set off down the road. The first 30 miles were wonderful, with only a few soft clouds in the sky and some great rolling hills. I thought I might miraculously manage to dodge the rain today, but then I noticed the large black cloud looming to my back-right. Uhoh!

A few more miles down the road and the fun began, with heavy rain stabbing at my face. The rain came at the most opportune moment, as I was beginning the steeper climbs and descents on my route. The water makes your tyres less grippy, your brakes basically useless and in the longer run leads to rust on your frame and drivetrain. Not to mention dropping your body temperature and making it very hard to see (the eternal struggle of glasses with no windscreen wipers vs. being poked in the eye constantly).

The scenery was stunning though, when the rain stopped and I could actually see it! In a few breif moments the sun even managed to break through the clouds, showing off the Highlands. The A9 I was riding on eventually meets the railway line I took yesterday to get to Thurso, and criss-crosses its way back to Inverness.

After a long cold slog, I made it across the Dornoch Firth and into Tain, greeted by the sweet whiskey smell of the Glen Morangie distillery at the top of the town. Checked into a family run B&B, a warm shower was very much needed. Dinner tonight was at a local pub where I had a prawn platter (basically and unmixed prawn cocktail) with a chilli con carne and, of course, a single Glen Morangie whiskey.... when in Rome! 

Miles today: 85.5 

Total miles: 85.5

Day 0: Getting to John O'Groats

A 6.30am start, bleary eyed I climbed into a taxi to take me to Luton airport ('a fantastic place to get away from'). My flight took me up into Inverness, as far north you can get on standard low-budget airlines in this country. It was raining in Luton so the cabin smelt a little damp after we walked to the plane, but thats a bank holiday in England for you!

Up in Scotland I collected my bike and put it together in a corner of the airport building. It reminded me of when I put my bike together in a park in New York, just with less homeless people asking if I was setting up a lemonade stand! Next I rode the 9 ish miles down to Inverness train station to catch my train to Thurso. Luckily the weather was a lot more pleasant north of the border, and the ride was fairly straightforward. Inverness has even tried to put bike paths and lanes in, some of which are even smooth! I arrived at the station with over an hour to spare so had a spot of lunch. A sandwich and an Irn Bru. 

As the train pulled out of the station the sun burst through the clouds and showed off some of Scotlands magnificent scenery. If the weather stays this good the whole way down I'll be very happy.

Unfortunately the further north we got, the more of the infamous Scottish Highland mist we saw. Once in Thurso it was fairly grey, but not too cold at least. I got off the train and onto my bike to cover the last 20 miles over to John O'Groats on fairly quiet roads. Only the occasional gust to contend with.

I rode past Dunnet head, Britain's most northerly point, and along the coast to find the Seaview hotel at John O'Groats. I've got a bunkroom to myself (so far) which is a little outdated, but cheap and as close to my start point as possible! A pub lasagne and local 'Wildcat' ale and then off to bed ready to start the challenge fresh tomorrow.

7 days to go!

Its only 7 days til I'll be back on the bike and trekking across another country (well, two technically) on my way from John O'Groats to Lands End.

I've put my new bike together and given her a few test rides with weighted panniers on and she rides well. The geometry is very much similar to my old Pinarello frame that took me across the states, so it handles in pretty much the same way. Its a slightly more compact frame, so my knees get a bit closer to the handlebars and I sit in more of an upright position (better for touring) but that's about all the noticeable difference.

Now to find the rest of my touring gear!

Tifosi is born from Sam Crossley on Vimeo.

And we're back!

Hi all, its been a while!

This summer I've decided to complete a challenge a little closer to home, the infamous John O'Groats to Lands End ride.

Once again, I'll be completing the ride solo and unsupported, carrying everything I need for the 10 day challenge with me in my panniers. There have been a few changes to my kit, mainly due to my well loved Pinarello developing a nasty crack around both chainstays, but also due to the slightly different climate up in the Scottish highlands!

I'm planning to head up north on the 31st August, ready to start my challenge on the 1st September 2015 and as usual I'll be blogging all the way (hopefully with mum not worrying as much this time!). Keep track of my progress here or on my facebook page www.facebook.com/twotyredtravels

I'm collecting for Macmillan again, and I'm sure you're all aware of the great work they do. Please give generously at www.justgiving.com/twotyredJOGLE . Thank you

The finale

I'm now back in the UK and my bike finally returned to me from its little detour in Copenhagen. I've had a busy week moving into my new house and starting my new job, but I have finally totted up all the offline donations and added it to my grand total.

Together, we have raised an incredible £2900 for Macmillan cancer support, so I would like to say a huge thank you to each and every one of you who have donated and given kind messages of support along the way. When you include the gift aid money, the total reaches £3292.42 which equates to £1 per mile cycled and over triple what I set my target at two months ago.

America was such a fantastic experience and has left me with some memories that I will treasure forever. I've been sat at my desk at work thinking that just a couple of weeks ago I was in the middle of the salt flats and it all seems slightly unreal, almost like a dream. I'm going to have to re-read through my past blog posts to help realise it all happened!


In answer to a few of the most frequently asked questions:

Q: How long did planning take?
A: I started planning about a year ago, around the time I started my final year of uni. It started really out of curiosity and as something crazy to do over my long summer holiday, before slowly developing into the plan that got me the whole way across.

Q: Did you ever feel like giving up?
A: No, never, not one second. Even after the crash and the tough windy days, I still wanted to carry on with my mind on the the goal of getting to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Q: Where next?
A: I don't really know, but I've definitely been bitten by the touring cycling bug! I've thought about doing the same across Australia one day, but I'll have to save up a lot of holiday time for that. Maybe somewhere a bit closer to home first.

Q: What was the best part?
A: I really enjoyed exploring Chicago, I found it a fascinating city, but I also really like cycling across the salt flats and the challenging climbs through the Appalachians. Every day was so different to the last and that made it all so interesting and fun.

Q: Are you insane?
A: Yes, definitely.