Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

You may know that our daughter Rhona suffers from M.E. There are 1/4 million diagnosed sufferers in the UK - millions across the world. Yet very little funding has been directed at causal research on the illness.

So I'm setting off from Carlisle on 17th May to put my knees & bum through hell. I should be staying at home celebrating my 70th on 20th May...... .

NEWS:If you'd like to catch up on this adventure please refer to my facebook page for updates! (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=544740814)

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MADE IT!

Got to J O'G on schedule - on 31st May. The ride was a great experience - moments of sheer pleasure - and sheer hell! I cycled with Brian & Pippa Legg, old friends from our Harpenden days. They had already cycled from Lands End to Carlisle last summer & invited me to join them for the Scottish leg going up the West coast, island hopping. We'd estimated total mileage to be 500 - but due to taking to the side roads wherever possible & deliberate detours to RSPB sites, etc., we ended up doing 560 miles. 

The route took us up Galloway & Dumfries to Ardrossan - ferry to Arran - cycled N to Lochranza - back to the mainland, Argyll - to Oban - ferry to Barra on the Outer Hebrides - 150 miles to Stornaway - ferry to Ullapool - north through the middle of the North Highlands to Bettyhill on the North coast - turned left to J O'Groats.

We were incredible lucky with the weather - rain all the 1st day, cloudy/sun the 2nd, then sunny for the remaining time, and more often than not we had the wind from behind. With the sun out, the Scottish scenery was glorious so we had many stops for photos. This website only allows for a maximum of 10 photos to be put on it - there are another 400! If you haven't been, Arran & the Outer Hebrides are stunning in sunshine.

We managed to find B&Bs as we went along (the 1st 2 nights were booked). The B&B owners were really friendly and helpful. We realised as we went along that it was worth hitting the road early to avoid the heat of the sun. On Harris & Lewis the tar was melting on the roads! Many of the roads on the islands and in the Highlands from north of Ullapool to Bettyhill were single track, but vehicles were very considerate to cyclists.

Brian & Pippa are really good on bird recognition. Between us we recorded 97 different species, including a pair of hen harriers and a corncrake. It helped having visits to 2 RSPB sites - lots of sea birds.

Linda & I have always been keen walkers. But I'm also now sold on cycling. It's a great way of discovering an area - but cycling also allows you to stop quickly if you see something interesting. You just throw your bike down on the verge and watch/investigate. If you're in a car, you have to find somewhere to park and the moment can be lost.

THE PAIN!:  Before the ride, I expected that my thigh muscles would quickly get acclimatised to the daily exercise. I'd done some training - but not the right sort - should have gone up hills and not the flat country that's immediately around Topcliffe! The thigh pain never went away - it got worse each day if anything. We all also suffered from what felt like a bruised bum - nowt one can do about that according to a cyclist I know. Savlon soothed an unmentionable area....The thighs have taken over 2 weeks to get back to normal.

If you have read all this, thanks for showing interest/support in my adventure!

The Director of ME Research UK knows roughly how much ££ I shall have made for the organisation. He has sent a very nice email. Thanks for your support.

Alan.