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Text Box: Mark’s Lands End to John O’ Groats Cycle Text Box: A personal message... I am undertaking a sponsored cycle ride from Lands End to John O' Groats between September 25th and October 6th 2005. The total distance is 942 miles (assuming I do not get too lost en route!) covering about 80 miles on most days. Your sponsorship support is sought on either an amount for the full trip or an amount per mile or any other basis you care to offer. All donations are welcome - however small. I will post daily reports on this website so that you can check my progress if you are interested. Many thanks for your support. Mark Campbell. To sponsor me, click here. The Route  The Progress Reports Day 1– Start: Lands End. Finish: Camelford. Start delayed by 45 minutes due to the ’newly serviced’ brake blocks failing (thank you very much J.E. James Rotherham!). Eventually started at 8:50. Cycled 43 miles in the morning and stopped for lunch at St Agnes. Cycled 45 miles after lunch due to a ’intentional’ detour of 6 miles. Arrived at the B&B in Camelford at 5:15 safe and well and feeling extremely fit. Day 2– Start: Camelford. Finish: Wellington. First day with the saddlebags due to the support team (Jess) being unavailable. Cycled 82.75 miles including a 2 mile detour. Average speed: 12.4mph. Time in saddle: 6hrs 39mins. Day 3– Start: Wellington. Finish: Nailsworth. Lovely day cycling. Ninety-one miles with two very tough climbs. The day was highlighted by a stop off for lunch with Pippa Wilson and eighteen month old Robert (his fascination with rubbish certainly cuts him out to be a management consultant!) Hedra colleague Peter Cross then joined me for a pleasant hour cycling across North Wiltshire– thanks Peter for your company and your sponsorship, much appreciated. There may be some less than glamorous photos appearing on the Hedra intranet. Looking forward to dinner with Jess tonight. Day 4- Start: Nailsworth. Finish: Church Stretton. Total miles: 71. Got up this morning and suddenly the world felt very different! Heavy legs and telltale tenderness in the ‘saddle’ area. The first three miles was a serious climb out of Stroud– Which only added to the pain! Rest of the morning’s cycle in lovely weather was enough to forget the soreness. Have there always been vineyards in Herefordshire or is it global warming? After lunch cycled last 30 miles to Church Stretton in the pouring rain. Currently Worcestershire council holds the crown for the worst maintained roads. Now off to find a pub to watch the reds beat Chelsea! Day 5– Start: Church Stretton. Finish: Upholland. Total miles: 92. Average speed :13.3mph. My anatomy felt in much better condition today– all over! The ride was a much easier one over the plains of Shropshire and Cheshire which allowed a marked step-up in pace. However, then followed the grimmest part of the whole tour, cycling on dual carriageway for 10 miles through Runcorn and Widnes. It was a toss up as to which was worse– lorries shooting past at 60mph or the fragrant bouquet of the chemical plants! Eventually made it to Upholland where I was met by my mum but I did have to bounce over the byways of St-Helens council which now claims Worcester’s Crown. Day 6– Start: Upholland. Finish: Windermere. Total Miles: 71. Average speed: 13mph. The day started wet and got wetter! First 20 miles on fairly busy and rain sodden roads meant that by the time the sun arrived I was beyond drying out! Decided to cut my loses and take the quickest route to Windermere which meant hitching the lift on the back of a lorry! (I jest). Instead I followed the A6 most of the way rather than minor roads. Finished with a steep climb through Underbarrow just as the heavens opened up once again. Arrived in Windermere by 3:30pm to a cup of steaming hot chocolate. The arrival of an enhanced support team (Jess and Rory) much welcomed. Tomorrow I face the toughest climb of the tour, 1400ft up Kirkstone Pass thankfully no saddle bags! I end up in God’s own country (so half of my support team tell me) Day 7– Start: Windermere. Finish: Dumfries. Total Miles: 81. Average speed: 11.7mph. Toughest day cycling so far– even though my support crew had my saddle bags. Started out with a 1500ft climb up the Kirkstone Pass. It rained heavily all the way up but thankfully stopped when I reached the top—...to be replaced by hail for 5 minutes of my descent. Rory and Jess came speeding past near Ullswater and took some photos for posterity (or for a laugh). They went off Quad Biking and I laboured on. After we all met for lunch, it looked like it would be a very flat 40 miles to Dumfries– easy I thought. I had reckoned without the blustering 40mph head wind. Eventually arrived to awaiting Jess and an Indian (where she met him I don’t know). Day 8– Start: Dumfries. Finish: Glasgow. Total miles: 86. Average Speed: 12.6mph. Mixed day. Most of the morning cycling into headwind, but in the afternoon the wind had died down. Support crew again had my saddle bags and Jess brought her mum and dad out to meet me on the road. It was like a scene from “are you being served”. They turned up, they said “you are doing very well” and then they sped of in the warm car with 320 horses under the bonnet. Made it all the way to Glasgow for a warm welcome and great home cooked food courtesy of Helen. Need to find a cycle shop tomorrow as my back wheel is slightly buckled. Day 9–Start: Glasgow. Finish: Glencoe. Distance: 97 miles. Average speed 13.7mph. Had to go on a 5 mile diversion for some repairs on my buckled rear wheel. This made for a long day. However many thanks to Jim Anderson (Jess’ Dad) for carrying my panniers all the way to Glencoe in the car. What a glorious cycle, Loch Lomand, Bridge of Orchy, Rannoch Moor, and Glencoe. As beautiful a last 40 miles as one could ever wish to see. Drizzle, low cloud and mist made for an evocative Glencoe...suggesting Campbell ghosts of 300 years ago. Only 200 miles to go! Nearly there. Day 10-Start: Glencoe. Finish: Alness (8 miles North of Evanton). Distance:100 miles. Average speed 14.2mph. The longest and fastest stage of the tour yet. I would like to think it a sign of my increased fitness, but in truth the tailwind should take the credit. After the first hour, when it rained, the weather was fine and although the A82 was busy through the Great Glen, this did not detract from the beautiful scenery. Lunch was at Drumnadrochit before the most severe climb of the tour on the road to Beauly– a real jelly legs affair. About 8 miles before Alness, I saw my first sign for John O’Groats– 111 miles, nearly there! Two short cycling days coming up of approximately 50 miles each. There is no truth in the rumour that I planned a small day tomorrow to allow time to visit the Glenmorangie distillery at Tain. Day 11-Start: Alness. Finish: Helmsdale. Distance: 48 miles. Average speed: 13mph. Today almost seemed like a day off– half the mileage of yesterday and in the best weather of the whole tour. This was only my second completely rain-free day. The far north-east certainly feels relaxing and peaceful in this weather. Am eagerly anticipating tomorrow, a relatively short 55 mile hop along the coast with one serious climb. My core support team (i.e. Jess) is joining me tonight ready for the last leg tomorrow. It will be an early start to allow me to finish before lunch and then abandon the British pluck and muscle and return home courtesy of German engineering. Day 12 - Start: Helmsdale. Finish John O’Groats. Distance: 51 miles. Average speed: 16.5mph. That is it …. Finished! I didn’t actually sleep that well on Wednesday night, I kept thinking of two things, the two very steep climbs out of Helmsdale to Berriedale and how quickly I was going to try to get to John O’Groats! I set off at 7am and indeed the climbs were punishing. However, having reached the top of the second one there was only one speed I was going to go at—foot (or feet!) to the floor! Jess was in the chase car and when I rang her from Wick (16 miles from the end) there was a distinct danger that I would get to JOG before she did. Well a few dead pheasant and grouse later she overtook me. Arrived in JOG by 10.20am to a great feeling and a support crew, thoughtful to the end, with a bottle of champagne. So, that was me, 950 miles and over £12k raised for my charity and counting. Thanks to everyone for all the sponsorship and thanks to Jess for being such a massive help and support during training and throughout the ride. Finally, thanks to my “blog-masters”, Jack and Rory for maintaining this site.

To sponsor me click here.

Final destination!

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