Robert Beal

2nd August 2010 - After such a draining cycle the day before we had a lie-in and didn’t leave until around 10:30. In retrospect we should have still left around 09:00, leaving so late meant we still arrived at our destination late. We cycled clockwise around the outskirts of Glasgow, which to start was quite pleasant. The roads weren’t great though, something we experienced throughout most of Scotland, and we got our first puncture of the LEJOG trip after over 1000km of cycling. It was Daryl (we had to fix it in the rain), and it wasn’t his last of the day.

Eventually we cut into Glasgow to head towards the Erskine bridge. This was where the trip got a nasty. We passed through some fairly unpleasant areas with busy roads, poor tarmac, glass on the road, and generally not the nicest areas in terms of substance. As we got closer to the Erskine bridge Daryl got another puncture. We promptly stopped and fixed it, only for him to get a 3rd puncture crossing the bridge. We had gone through two fresh inner tubes, and Darly’s rear tyre wasn’t looking in very good condition. The Erskine bridge was actually quite easy to cross. They’ve dedicated a whole lane for bikes, and you have a barrier between you and the cars.

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1st August 2010 - Mentally, this was probably our hardest day of the trip. It wasn’t as hard on the legs as Cornwall and Devon, but it was certainly mind numbing and a big mental challenge in terms of al’s broken bike, boredom, and demoralising headwinds. We got up at around 08:00 but didn’t set off until nearer 10:00. Daryl and I waited until we knew the state of Al’s bike. Luckily there was a bike shop open early and Al was able to buy a spare set of wheels. So the only down time was fitting them to his bike which took an hour or so. During this time Daryl and I set off ahead but not too quickly (Al was the fastest cyclist, so would catch us eventually saving us some time). I had the GPS device, but gave Al my phone which has GPS on it and a rough guide to the route. We had all bases covered, and got under way.

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31st July 2010 - We got up early to clean the bikes down after riding for hours in the rain on the previous day. Luckily Earby hostel stocks a bike toolkit, so we were able to do a decent amount of work to the bikes. It was a sunny morning, and we set off at a fast pace over towards the Lake District. The roads alongside the Yorkshire Dales were A/B roads and generally quite fast, but never felt dangerous. I had planned the route so that we could do a fast stint, then pull off onto country lanes for a break before re-joining for another fast stint. It worked very well, and allowed us to get some photos along the way. Notably this was where we started getting photos of Daryl going to the toilet by the side of the road, and formed part of our “Daryl peeing his way from the Peak District to John O’Groats” collection. Just a shame we didn’t start it from day 1.

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• Original Route Mapping
• Route Stats on Garmin Connect

30th July 2010 – Our biggest day in terms of accent. The mapping software reported around 3100m (equivalent of a Le Tour mountain stage), although I think it was probably less. Knowing this we set off relatively early at around 8:30am (about as early as you can given the time the hostels serve breakfast at). The start of the day was pleasant with a few climbs. It was mostly country lanes with views over the peak district. And despite the climbs, we made good time and didn’t tire too much.

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• Original Route Mapping
• Route Stats on Garmin Connect

29th July 2010 – We left All Stretton at around 9am, with a relatively easy day ahead of us. By now the sun (from the first days) had started to disappear and it was overcast, and a little cold in the morning. The high was only around 16C so at 8am it was only around 9C. The roads having left the hostel were excellent. Winding, fast, and picturesque with plenty of trees overhanging the roads. We pushed a hard pace in order to reach Hartington Hostel as early as possible as it was the highest rated (and most expensive) of all the hostels we had booked for the trip. The route was a bit generic, not hugely scenic, or exciting. Still enjoyable though. We stopped at a pub for lunch during a small bit of drizzle. We stopped off in Stone for a pub lunch during some drizzle. It was a nice town, but not as nice as I had hoped given the name.

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