Girls on Cogs

Destination: Helmsdale – John O’Groats

Daily miles: 59

Total Miles: 1035!!!

Average speed: 10.4

Weather:  Horrendous…nice to have wet and wind to finish as well as start….

So, after a big bowl of porridge (following a few beers the previous night to celebrate almost reaching our final destination with a couple of other end-enders, and Emma having to wrestle the small bottle of whiskey we had purchased from me in the early hours….) we set off up the big hill.  We had been told the hill was 9 miles long, in fact it was only 4, followed by a little downhill, then a further 2 miles uphill.  Weather had started nice and sunny, but quickly deteriorated to the point we had to stop in a bus shelter as we couldn’t see where we were going.  We were cycling in literally rivers of water flowing down the side roads and creating waves!  I particularly enjoyed the speeding car that didn’t slow down through the lake at the bottom of the hill, completely covering me.  Emma helpfully said that ‘well, we couldn’t be any wetter!’  We had originally planned a route passing Dunnet Head as the most northerly point, however due to the very poor weather and the extra 15 miles this would add, we aborted this idea in favour of reaching JOG as quickly as possible.

We had to stop for coffee and a cake (and had lots of congratulations from the old people on the bus at the coffee shop). We had to ask the shop assistant to mop the floor after us for fear that a little old person might slip in the pool of water left around our seats.  It was slow progress up to Wick, battling against both wind and rain, and we decided to have a nice warm lunch here until the rain subsided a little…gutted to see two lads we had met in the Castle had already finished and were looking nice and dry on their way home…

It was only 17 miles from Wick, so we bought our pasta dinner and a bottle of wine.  We were approached by some young lads who had heard about us in the pubs (?!) and were about to embark on the end-end from John O’Groats – advised them bivvying was very brave in the current climate!! and so we set off for the final leg.  The weather had dried up a little and we bounced along to John O’Groats, heading to the lighthouse at Duncansby Head as the most NE point.  We took some photos here, holding our bikes like trophies above our heads, then headed to the sign-post at JOG. It was now after 5pm, so the official sign where you have to pay to have your photo taken, had been taken down (very mean we thought!) So, the final photo had to be taken outside the first and last gift shop! 

We made it!! and had a really good time (despite the weather), we didn’t fall out and still had stuff to talk about .

Many thanks to everyone who has supported us along the way, it really did keep us going.

Hels and Em xx