Hello Everyone - First of all thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. (Please Read My Update Below)

I started with the idea to cycle from Lands End to John O'Groats in 2009 and after much planning I decided to give it a go from the 13th May to the 29th May 2010.

Training went well despite the cold weather and I hoped to take the start fighting fit. I will be riding with all my equipment using 4 panniers and my trusty 18 year old touring bike.

I will be cycling 1009 miles unsupported in 17 days following a pre-determined route and hope to achieve my target of £500 and more for The Macmillan Cancer Support. This is after Macmillan supported a family member during her fight with Cancer.               

Each year 27,000 Scots receive a cancer diagnosis and with a growing number of people living with cancer for longer. They rely on donations in order to do the work that we do in your local community so if it wasn’t for generous people like you we simply could not help the people affected by cancer. 

NEWS UPDATE

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On the 29th of May 2010 around 3pm I arrived in a cold, windy but sunny John O' Groats. It has certainly been some adventure and a great learning experience. I wanted to thank everyone who has helped me to achieve my goal and to all the people who dug deep and sponsored me. THANK YOU !

I actually cycled 1043 miles in the 17 days and climbed over 34,000 feet. This was due to making some map reading errors and having to re-trace my steps and also to get the bike repaired in Exeter on Day 3.

I also wanted to share with you my diary of the days events as they unfolded and to add some photographs.

May 11th - Set off from Scotland and cycled from my home to Glasgow Central train station to catch the 12:40pm Virgin train to Oxenholme. All went to plan - took around 1.30 to cycle the 19 miles. Got some food from M&S in the station and boarded the train with my bike and all the luggage. Travelled down to the Lakes and cycled from the station following the Sustrans route 8 (further 8 miles) to Mum & Dad's house for around 3:30pm. Had dinner and an early night in preparation for tomorrows further journey.

May 12th - Got up a 3am with the car already loaded with panniers and bike and left for the long drive down to Lands End. The journey went very well and we managed to avoid any congestion on the M6. We arrived in Lands End just after 12pm. Had lunch at St Buryans and then went to find the B&B after visiting a few local Cornish villages and Lands End to suss out where I need to go the following day.

May 13th - Lands End to Golant Youth Hostel - 67 miles (Sunny & Cold) Got up for breakfast at 8:30AM, ready for the first big day. Drove from the B&B to Lands End which was about 10 minutes away. Arrived at Lands End and avoided the £4 parking fee. Unloaded the bike and panniers and rolled down the hill to the famous sign post via the tourist shops and fun fair!  The sign was not out yet as the man had just arrived. So we waited for the sign post to be put out and took the famous tourist photo. Was extremely nervous and just wanted to get going. I set off and within a few hundred yards I found my computer was not working, not showing the distance travelled. I tried to fix it, but after 10 minutes of playing around decided to get going and fix it later. Within 4 miles of leaving Lands End I found my first Cornish hill and soon realised that the day was going to be tough. I followed many small lanes with high sided hedges which was very pleasant as there were no cars. I passed through Penzance and continued weaving along country lanes all day. I had lunch around 1:30pm in a farmers field and continued onto the King Harry chain link ferry. An extremely steep climb followed after a very pleasant crossing. From there the going was a little easier and I got a slight tail wind. Eventually arriving at Golant youth hostel around 5:30pm. Put the bike in the shed, unloaded my gear and had dinner in the YH. Went to bed around 9pm as I was tired.

May 14th - Golant YH to Exeter - 82 Miles + 7300 feet of climbing ! (Very Wet and Cold) Had breakfast in the hostel at 8am and left around 8:40. I knew this was the BIG day. After setting off the roads were like rivers from the rain and quite busy. I decided to get off the 'A' road and follow a minor road as the trucks passing me made unpleasant riding. After 3 hours or so,  I had been climbing and had reached to summit of Bodmin Moor. I was soaked to the skin and very cold. The cloud was all around and visibility was poor. I found a cafe just opening and went inside for a hot chocolate and cheese toastie. Stayed there for about 30 minutes and felt a little better so continued down hill at 46mph top speed off the moor. The day continued to be wet, but at least the roads I was on were quiet. The climbs came thick and fast and I was starting to get tired. I stopped several times to eat and rest up. At around 4pm I discovered that I had worn my rear brakes out and was on the verge of crying as I thought this is all I need. I told myself to get a grip and ploughed on. From this point I was just using my front brake, but at least it had stopped raining by this point. I followed the Sustrans network through Oakhampton and eventually came down into Exeter at 7pm. A very hard and long day. I was drained, but still had to eat, shower and prepare for the next day.

May 15th - Exeter to Congresbury - 75 miles (Sunny and starting to warm up).  Had investigated where a bike shop was located in Exeter, my first port of call @ 9AM - They had just opened and I walked in asking to get my brakes fixed. The mechanic said I would have to leave it with them and I replied "Er, I need it done now if possible as I am doing LEJOG". He kindly said "OK" and the bike was fixed in about 20 minutes. Was a little worried as this put me behind schedule for the day, but luckily I made good progress through Devon and into Somerset. The views and paths along the Canal around Bridgewater were very pleasant. I arrived at the B&B which was a lovely farm house up a single track road.  I have to say that this B&B was the nicest I stayed in the for the trip. Certainly helped me recover from the previous day. Thanks to Mrs Edwards for being so welcoming!  I met Mum & Dad here and we went out for a pub meal.

May 16th - Congresbury to Welsh Bicknor - 55 miles (Sunny with Showers).  Set off to skirt around Bristol and over the M48 motorway bridge to cross the Channel. This was the highlight of the day. An amazing construction. After leaving the bridge I made my way into the Forest of Dean which had some long climbs with amazing views back to the Severn River.  The hostel I was staying in was set in the Wye Valley next to the river. There was only one road to the nights resting point which was very steep and turned into a track. I arrived there at 4:30pm and awaited the doors being opened at 5pm. The hostel was set in a lovely part of Herefordshire. I had time to catch up on my gear and went for a walk after dinner along the river.

May 17th - Welsh Bicknor to All Stretton YH - 58 miles (Sunny with head wind). Had to climb up the steep zig zag track back to the road from the YH and made my way onto the busy A49. After riding for about an hour I decided to alter my route onto a minor road into Hereford following the Sustrans route. I got to the YH around 4pm. The place was really nice and had no one else staying apart from Mum & Dad who turned up a little while after I had settled in. We went for a meal in Church Stretton along the road as not many places were open.

May 18th - All Stretton YH to Pickmere - 66 miles (Sunny and hot). I set off following an old Roman road up to Shrewsbury where the traffic was quite busy. A pretty flat day with no major hills which was a nice change. I made my way across Cheshire to Pickmere and walked along to the local village pub for a beer and a meal. It was nice to sit out and enjoy the sun.

May 19th - Pickmere to Longridge - 54 Miles (Sunny and windy). This was one of the days I was not looking forward to as I have to cross Greater Manchester which had many main roads. Thankfully the route that I was following took me through Leigh and skirted around Bolton over the moor to Blackburn. Quite a lot of climbing today but I got to Uncle Gordon's around 2pm which meant I could spend some time catching up on family things. At first I did not think he was in, but I found that his door bell was not working and in fact was there all the time. It was really nice to see him and nice to have familiar childhood memories around me with all the family pictures, etc. We had dinner together and Doreen came round later for a chat too.

May 20th - Longridge to Beetham - 37 miles (Sunny with head wind). Today was my shortest day of the trip and nearly half way. I rode the Lancaster canal path today which was very nice and then went onto the Silverdale Sustrans route 6 to skirt round to Beetham with only a small part of the A6 en route. I got to Mum & Dads expecting them to still be en route from the south, but they had arrived and it was a chance to properly clean up and service my bike. We had a nice meal and then I got a early night.

May 21st - Beetham to Carlisle - 56 miles (Sunny & Hot with tail wind). Today was a super fast day. I came off the climb of Shap A6 very quickly and stopped at Shap village for lunch where the half way point of the whole journey was reached. Met several cyclists today on the climb who were very friendly, including a 70 year who was training for a ride from Kendal to Scarbourgh and back in 1 day (212 miles) for charity. Later in the day I met 2 other fellow LEJOG riders heading for Lockerbie. They were going at quite a pace in the lovely sunshine. I got to my B&B in Carlisle and walked along to a pub for a beer and then went to a nice Italian for a meal. Thanks to Mary & Nick who were very friendly.

May 22nd - Carlisle to St John's Town of Dalry - 68 miles (Sunny with strong head wind all day). A very hard day of cycling. I was only managing around 9 miles an hour into the constant head wind, and with climbs following Dumfries, made for a hard day in the saddle. Had to travel on the A75 for a short time which was very busy and the cars did not give much room. Was glad to reach the A712 which took me over the hill to the Galloway Forest. I arrived in a hot Dalry around 3:30pm and went to find some food in the local shop. I then walked down to the local hotel and met a nice chap called Gordon who it turns out had cycled LEJOG 2 years before. He shared his photos on the pub TV and we talked about the journey. As I was leaving Gordon gave me a donation which was really nice of him.

May 23rd - Dalry to Kilmarnock - 49 miles (Sunny with strong head wind).  Another tough day over to Ayrshire. The wind did not relent, so I had many stops today just to stop pedalling for a few minutes. I was looking forward to today for some time as I got to see Karen and the girls which was really nice. I had missed them all lots. It was also great to start riding roads I knew well and helped me to gauge my effort better, as I knew what was coming up the road.

May 24th - Kilmarnock to Lochgilphead - 58 miles (Sunny and windy). This was a great day catching the ferry from Adrossan to Arran and then another ferry from Lochranza to Clunaig. The roads were quiet and the roads steep, but I was enjoying the ride. I only managed to catch the 12:30pm ferry, then the 3:45pm ferry from Lochranza which meant I still had 22 miles to ride from 4:40pm. I did not arrive in Lochgilphead until 7pm. I grabbed a quick wash and out to find an open food place. I found a nice fish and chip sit-in cafe. The owner of the B&B was from Australia and was quite a character. The view from my bedroom was stunning over to Arran. She mentioned that the Oban day was tough.

May 25th - Lochgilphead to Glen Coe YH - 75 miles (Very Sunny with head wind).  Today was really hard with many tough steep climbs. The wind for the first 40 miles was in my face and really did not help. The views today though were amazing and once I had turned the coast road I seemed to pick up speed and managed the last 20 miles very quickly. I stopped off in Glen Coe village next to the water and watched a helicopter come into land. They were doing some filming up the top of the Pap of Glencoe. I met a few cyclists in the hostel who were to follow me all the way to John O' Groats. I walked down to the local inn for a meal.

May 26th - Glen Coe to Loch Ness YH - 59 miles (Sunny with some clouds).  My route today was going to follow the Great Glen walk on the far side of Loch Lochy and the Caledonian Canal. This made a pleasant change and I had a really nice day floating along. Met many walkers in the forests and then back onto the roads for a fast finish. Got to the hostel at 3pm and waited for the warden to arrive at 5pm. I got my own single room for the first time in a YH which was nice. I met 2 LEJOG cyclists while staying in the hostel. One had done it before and had come along to give moral support to Lee.

May 27th - Loch Ness to Carbisdale Castle - 65 miles (Cloudy and rain / hail showers).   I woke up knowing that today would involve the big steep 1:5 climb, from Drumnadrochit to Beauly, and that if I completed this day it was the last hard day before the finish. The day started a with some light rain which changed into heavier rain before ceasing half way through the day. The climbs were long but not so hard allowing to get into a groove to slowly grind up them. The last climb took me into some rather black clouds where the heavens opened and it started to hail very hard. The wind got up and it was sore cycling. I told myself to push hard to get off the hills and into the next valley which I did. It kept raining but the hail ceased once I came down from the top. The descent in rainy conditions was quite interesting to say the least. I finally arrived at the castle which is a very impressive building. I met Tom again and his Dad from the previous day in Glen Coe. We shared some stories of our trip so far and planned the next day.

May 28th - Carbisdale to Tongue - 52 miles (Cold, windy with fresh snow on the mountains !!!!).  I thought this day was going to be easy but it turned out to be a tough one due to the head wind and cold temps which meant I had my winter cycling kit on all day. The climbs were very gradual and long, went on for some miles and the descents off the other side were fast and interesting. Stunning views over the lochans and mountains seeing Ben Hope for the first time and then down into Tongue to a wee hostel on the shore. Met Karen and the girls who had travelled up the night before and had a nice meal together. I had my back up team with me for the next day which was a nice feeling. I met Tom again in the hostel and we knew that we would get to the end on the same day which was nice.

May 29th - Tongue to John O' Groats - 67 Miles (Cold, with some light rain). This day I thought was going to be easy and flat. It turned out to be a lot harder due to the first 30 miles following the coast line and the coves. Many sharp climbs with an easterly head wind made the task even harder. Tom had left earlier than me so that he could take it slow. I was pushing on the climbs and after a while had to tell myself to sit up and take it easy as I still had over 30 miles to go. The wind continued all day getting stronger on the flatter more open sections which meant I could only manage 8mph. This made the going slow and I went through a tough patch. Karen and the girls passed me and we stopped for a while at a wee shop and then further on they took some photos of me in action. I was feeling a bit down at this stage and stopped several times to eat and rest. After going through Thurso things seemed to be better. The rain started to ease and I was nearing the finish line. I had seen many signs for John O' Groats all day, but it was now down to 8 miles. I started to ask have I really cycled the whole of the UK. It felt that I was not actually there. The last miles seem to take forever until finally I saw the finish entering JOG I rolled down the last hill into the car park trying to find the white marker post. After weaving my way through the parked cars I saw the famous sign post and shouted on Karen who was in the middle of the roundabout. I gave her a big hug and said "It was Done". We took some photos of the finish and I then waited for Tom to arrive. He was about 45 minutes behind me after stopping in a pub for food. I shook his hand, followed by some more photos. It was a great moment and one that will remain with me forever. I had many emotions that day and it was so nice to dedicate the ride to my Aunt June who had sadly passed away.

Thank you all for spending the time reading this blog.  I recommend cycling LEJOG to anyone.  I would certainly do it again, especially if the wind were to follow its more normal direction from the SW rather than the unusual northerly flow of the Spring of 2010.