HE'S FINISHED!!!! See below for final stats.

Hello and thank you for visiting my fundraising page for the RNLI. My name is Iain Houston, I'm a keen amateur cyclist currently based in London.

I'm riding over 1,000 miles from John o' Groats to Land's End between Saturday March 22nd and Thursday 3rd April.  Just like my chosen charity, the RNLI, I'll be out in all weathers and riding against the prevailing wind.  Unlike them, I'll be doing it on the roads in relative safety, rather than at sea.  The RNLI perform an amazing, vital service on a voluntary basis and I decided to open this page to raise what support I could for them during my ride.

I'll update my progress with ride accounts as often as internet access permits along the way.

Where will I be riding and when?

March 22nd:  John o'Groats to Inverness (120 miles)
March 23rd:  Inverness to Glencoe (81 miles)
March 24th:  Glencoe to Stirling, via Loch Lomond (96.1 miles)
March 25th:  Stirling to Hamilton, via the Forth Bridge and the Falkirk Wheel (65 miles)
March 26th:  Hamilton to Thornhill (50 miles)
March 27th:  Thornhill to Lancaster, via the Lake District (125 miles)
March 28th:  Lancaster to Altrincham (62 miles)
March 29th:  Altrincham to Shifnal (60 miles)
March 30th:  Shifnal to Hereford (57 miles)
March 31st:  Rest day! On this day I might ride the 40 miles or so round trip to nip across the Welsh border to ensure that I get all of the countries in the UK mainland in my ride.
April 1st:  Hereford to Bristol (62 miles)
April 2nd:  Bristol to Plymouth, via Dartmoor (119 miles)
April 3rd:  Plymouth to Land's End, then back to Penzance (105 miles)
April 4th:  I might, might just possibly ride back to Plymouth from Penzance (87 miles) or I might just get the train.

If you enjoy or are inspired by this account, please consider sponsoring me online if you can.  Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Thanks for your support.

Iain

Updates from the road

Day Zero

Weather very bad, heavy, heavy crosswind prevented me reaching John o' Groats by bike, hoped the next day would be better.

Day One

With better weather (some wind and snow but none of it too bad), I made my way southwest down the east coast - there's a stark beauty to much of it and I recommend a visit.

After a long day and heavy rain right at the end, I reached Inverness to complete the first 120 miles.

Day Two

A tiring day along undulating lochside roads,although with fantastic views.  I reached my destination after 76 miles, very tired after the first two days.

Day Three

This was the best day so far - a great climb up the snowy Pass of Glencoe, stunning scenery all around, like something from Middle Earth.  After a long ride along the shore of Loch Lomond I eventually reached the outskirts of Stirling to complete another 102 miles.

Days Four, Five and Six done - no internet access yesterday and no energy today for full posts. Now 538 miles done and in Lancaster.

Tired and aching but in a good way.

Days Seven & Eight were horribly rainy and windy with nothing much to recommend them.

Day Nine was cycled with Bryony and the weather was good despite one vicious hailstorm. The gourmet pub lunch was a highlight!

Day Ten went down the Wye Valley and over the old Severn Bridge to Bristol.

Day Eleven was the longest so far at 126 miles, crossing two counties in their entirety to reach Plymouth, meeting Rupert along the way.

Day Twelve covered Cornwall as far as Penzance.

Day Thirteen (4/4/08) arrived Land's End after almost exactly 1000 miles and 88hrs 17mins on the bike. Celebratory beers to follow shortly.