Extra photos

JST packing up the bikes to go home.

Back in London in Hackney Wick

We made it back

John o Groats only single digits now

The Highlands

I cannot imagine living here

Standing guard

Hay making

A lunch time nap

Longslow

This was a serious descent

Our second Exmoor tea and ice cream stop

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MISCELLANEOUS

METHODS OF COPING WITH HILLS

When we were "bike-walking" or pushing our bikes up hills, which were sometimes bloody steep and quite long, I would put my head down, so that because of the visor on my helmet I could not see in front of me how steep or how far it was ahead, and then I would count out my steps, one for every year of my life! And then I would allow myself a peep to see how far I had gone. 71 steps takes one quite a long way, and it is remarkable how distracting it was to think about what one was doing, what milestones had occurred etc, as I counted my life over and over....... Hills began to be measured in lifetimes.

When I was dealing with biking up hills, sometimes I would know, looking ahead, that there was no way I could bike it, so off I would get and walk. Most times, however, again I would put my head down so that I could not see ahead, and let my body, especially my legs, tell me when I had to change down or get off, rather than letting the hill psych me out. I tend to go for endurance in such instances, gearing right down, and pedalling evenly, rather than 'attacking'. Of course with this method, one must always snatch a look from time to time to make sure one does not crash into anything unexpectedly.


FLORA AND FAUNA ALONG THE WAY

Flora

The hedgerows were full of many varieties of plants, and I meant to do an even more indepth photo essay but that just did not happen. It is quite difficult to stop to take photos of everything that one would ideally like to record.

Here are some pics of various things I saw and was able to photograph.

One had to be REALLY careful not to brush up against stinging nettle - it was everywhere, and very large, and sometimes made harvesting blackberries a bit tricky.

Fuchsia

Rowan trees were growing wild everywhere in Scotland, and they were laden with berries

                             I loved the way moss decorated the tops of posts and rock walls.



Fauna

We saw many many pheasants. In the south we saw trailer loads of them being taken to be released, so that, as a lady we were talking to said, "the posh blokes from up north can come and shoot them," and then went on to describe the seasons for various birds. In a couple of places there were signs warning of "pheasants on the road", and indeed we scared up a couple of flocks. In another place we asked some men heading into the fields if they were going hunting, and they replied that no, they were not - they were off to round up some pheasants that had the "cheeky" habit of getting onto the road.

We saw signs for Exmoor ponies, Shetland ponies, a rabbit boarding establishment, falconry reservations, plenty of hawks, crows, pigeons, doves. We saw rabbits, badger road kill, a ferret, and in Scotland I saw a red fox.

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Day 23 : THURSO to JOHN O GROATS PLUS - and back to THURSO : It's a WRAP

25 September 2012

Miles : 44.35

Average Speed:

Hours:  8.30 am - 2.30 pm

Feet up : 2369

Feet down : 2391



Yep, it's true - as of about 2.30 this afternoon, WE ARE DONE!!!!!!!!

There were weather warnings for severe gales in this region today, so we were up early and out of here. And indeed it was very very windy. Technically a Nor ' Easter,  it was either right into our faces, or coming in from our left side. The ride was really very difficult, and the main tasks were to actually make way, and to avoid getting blown over, or into the path of an overtaking vehicle.

We battled on, taking numerous little mini rests, and constantly reminding ourselves that it was just a revolutionary matter i.e. one revolution of our pedals after another until we got there, just like all the other miles we have done. Around about Mey, which is famous as the location of the Queen Mother's Castle of Mey, it began to rain heavily, just to add to our misery. ( By the way, we had thought of visiting said castle, but it went on the list of things to do next time with a car!!!!)

Somewhere along the way I found myself having a very unexpected thought. When we were on the olive grove, I would have nightmares about gorse, that pest of a plant imported into NZ from Scotland - for the uninitiated it is a thorny, well nigh impossible to get rid of plant that spreads like wildfire, and whose seeds sit dormant in the ground for up to 60 years - turn your back, and it's away. Well, there I was struggling along being grateful to the hedgerows for any kind of protection, when I realized that the hedge consisted of gorse! You never know what's going to happen!

Single digits on the mileage signposts now - a long way from the guy in Devon with his notice saying it was only 870 miles !!!!!!

We chose to continue past John o Groats to Duncansby Head Lighthouse, another couple of extremely wild miles, where the wind was positively ferocious. Had to walk the last hill, nearly getting blown over, and eventually arrived.

Leaning back into the ferocious wind.

Suddenly there was a young man from a camper van parked there asking if we would like a cup of tea. Yes, we said.

What a lovely mini event - a young couple with their two lovely little boys aaged 2 and 3, on a vacation. They had seen us along the way and taken pity!!!!! We had a delicious cup of tea, sitting in the front of the campervan, sharing chocolate coated cookies with the boys. The van was facing straight out to the very wild sea way down below, rocking and rolling in the wind. It was wonderful and most appreciated.

Back to John o Groats for our piccie. By this time we were mentally "on our way home" and the weather continued to be awful. It is a very commercial place, like Lands End.  So of course when we found the signpost for the obligatory photo, it turned out to be manned by someone demanding money for them to take our photo or a donation to take our own. (We think there may have been other options but were too much wanting out of there to explore !)

There were no fellow tourists to take a photo of both of us together, so we quickly took one of each other and were out of there.

Here at last

Well, we just zoomed home with the tail wind. It took us exactly half the time to get home ..... We just whizzed by all the little places whe we had stopped for a rest on the way out. (at one stage we were so knackered JST actually biked in to someone's yard to shelter by the side of their house!)

                             JST biking past the church where Jan De Groot is buried.

And then we were back in Thurso.

No big champagne scenes - just up to our room, then down for our celebratory beer and shandy, and then our warm bath etc. - the usual!

                                                         WELL DONE TEAM !!!!!!

So there we are!!!! Perhaps at this point it is a bit difficult to actually comprehend what we have done. But it is gradually dawning on us, and we are really pleased and feeling very accomplished.

Tomorrow we catch an early train to Inverness, stay overnight, and then Thursday a day trip all the way to London. We will arrive at Kings Cross, bike to the Regent Canal, and along the canal back to friend Gerry's until we leave for NZ on Tuesday 2nd 0ct.

In a few days I will publish another post to cover all of that, along with some reflections on the whole event, and some statistics etc.

Til then....................

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Day 22 : BETTYHILL to THURSO : Oh Weather Most Foul OR What a Difference a Day Makes

24 September 2012

Bettyhill - Strathie - Armadale - Reay - Thurso

Miles : 30.56

Average Speed:

Hours:  8.30 am - 2.30 pm

Feet up : 2206

Feet down : 2354



Well, the mileage may look wimpy, but believe me, we worked our butts and legs off for every inch of it.

The weather started out being cold and windy, and we slogged through the (mostly-walked-by-us) hills between Bettyhill and Reay, facing right into the fierce headwind. The countryside was extremely rugged and bleak, right on the coast, with big rugged outcrops to the sea, and moors to the mountains on the other side.

We stopped for lunch in Reay - crackers and cheese in a bus stop, sheltering by now from the pelting rain.

We were particularly interested in Reay, since my sister Barb and husband Fin MacKay live on their farm in Southland NZ, which is called Reay also. This is because Fin's grandparents came from this Reay , and, says Barb, the cemetery there at the Kirk is "full of dead Finlay Mackays!!!!!". Well, we found the Kirk and the cemetery, but did not tarry long enough to search through the headstones - it was freezing and pouring.

Reay Kirk

Reay cemetery from the Kirk

                                             
We did see a memorial earlier to men who had drowned at sea on two different occasions, and the list was completely made up of MacKays, except for one person.

We also went through Armadale, a far cry from the Armadale we know so well in Melbourne (JJ and M. Sharplés) !

Where did High Street go?

In what felt like the middle of nowhere, here is all a community needs - phone box, garbage collection, behind which you can just see the red post box, and a notice board, not much used it seems


The weather became truly disgusting, with rain and wind pummeling us straight into our faces, until it was hard work just making way, even on downhills and the flats.

Finally our destination of Thurso was in sight, and the weather had the nerve to clear a little and be sunny as we rode into town, a couple of drowned rats.  Good spotting by JST revealed a lovely coffee house, and coffee and cream cake helped our spirits a lot.

Then we found the Pentfield Hotel with a bath and a warm room and by 3.30 pm all those wet windy experiences were a mere memory.

Weather forecast for tomorrow is not good at all, but we intend to get there somehow,

Watch this space again!!!!!!

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