Category: Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021
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Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021 – Day 15: Glazebrook to Accrington, 55.7k, 940m climbed
Today’s early hero was Dylan of Dilly’s Bike Shed in Glazebrook, who successfully extracted and replaced Trixie’s sheared and frayed gear cable, so that I was on my way, with a fully functioning multi-speed bike, by 11am. It’s safe to say that his establishment didn’t bear much resemblance to our local bike shop: But the…
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Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021 – Day 14: Market Drayton to Glazebrook, 79k, 522m climbed
This morning’s coffee came with a side order of mechanical failure, which looked set to derail my plans, were it not for the intervention of a perfect stranger – in the purest sense of the phrase. The day started innocently enough, with a chilly ride through a shady avenue of broad leaf trees. For the…
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Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021 – Day 13: Bewdley to Market Drayton, 89.5k, 972m climbed
It was a cool misty start in Bewdley… But we soon warmed up with a punishing climb out of the Severn valley. Having negotiated the unremarkable outskirts of Kidderminster, we briefly enjoyed the tranquility of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. But could have done without the alarmingly rutted section of towpath in this tunnel: We…
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Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021 – Day 12: Cheltenham to Bewdley, 91.3k, 813m climbed
Today I was joined by two top quality domestiques (for those not familiar with cycling terminology, I’m not being offensive) It was nice to have company on the road… And at the pit stops. Tewkesbury Abbey was very, very old (and closed). It was a day of three rivers – we crossed the River Avon…
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Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021 – Day 11: Rest day refreshment
When a rest day happens to find you in a spa town, it seems churlish to pass up the opportunity to take the waters, metaphorically speaking. So after a suitably relaxed start, I enjoyed the best massage I’d ever had. The fact that it was also the first massage I’ve ever had should not detract…
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Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021 – Day 10: Bristol to Cheltenham, 92.8k, 632m climbed
Two historic cities bookended today’s ride, sandwiching a mostly flat, deeply rural section, dotted with dairy farms and offering views of distant hills. Unfortunately the wind had not received the memo about prevailing from the south, but on the plus side sunglasses were definitely required. The National Cycle Network continued to impress, with clear signage,…
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Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021 – Day 9: Burnham to Bristol, 52k, 351m climbed
I want to start today’s entry with a thank you to a fellow guest at my B&B, whom I’d never met until this morning. As I was loading Trixie, she first asked where I was going, then whether I was fundraising, and then disappeared into her room, coming back with a £10 note. Betty Thompson…
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Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021 – Day 8: Bury to Burnham-on-Sea, 93.1k, 679m climbed
Today I finally bade farewell to the Devon hills and their Cornish cousins, but not before they’d had the last laugh, with a rookie error involving insufficient forward momentum and feet attached to pedals. Luckily, the high earth bank beside the road (see below, assuming the right photo appears) meant I didn’t topple too far,…
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Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021 – Fundraising target achieved!
A massive thank you to everyone who has supported me on this adventure so far. If you haven’t yet and would like to, you can do so via JustGiving.com at clairedavieslejog.
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Land’s End to John O’Groats 2021 – Day 7: Rest Day reflections
Having made it through the first week, I’m now sitting in Miranda’s beautiful garden, nestled in Exmoor National Park, with warm sun on my back and birds twittering all around – the perfect way to spend a day off the bike. Inevitably though, I’m already thinking about tomorrow’s 98k ride, one that I clearly planned…
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