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Friday 28th May 2010 Thurso to John O’ Groats via Dunnet Head and Duncansby Head The day dawned well although rain was forecast for the afternoon so we made a fairly prompt start, getting away from the B&B by about 8.50. Once again I cycled with John Rimmer whom Rachel had nicknamed ‘Ace’ after the dashing super-hero alter-ego of the craven Arnold J Rimmer in ‘Red Dwarf’. Ace and I made good time along the level, easy-riding road and had ample time to take in Dunnet Head, adding about 8 miles to our ride.
After Dunnet Head we continued a while then stopped to look round the historic church of Canisbay. While we were there John’s son-in-law’s mum turned up – she was due to pick him up at John O’ Groats but had driven out along the approach road to look for him. She now returned to John O’ Groats to await his proper arrival and we pressed on, finally getting to our famous destination at about 12.00.
At this point I had done 28 miles, taking my total mileage to 1069. I later rode over to Duncansby Head on my own, just for the sake of completeness, which brought my daily total to 33.43 and the overall total to 1074.68 miles. John’s pick-up driver was called Jo and she came complete with champagne and a picnic hamper which she kindly shared with me. We took pictures, ate Jo’s food and wrote postcards. Jo very generously offered to give me a lift to Wick or even to Cromarty where she lived and even offered to put me up for the night. She wanted to be off shortly though while I wanted to finish all my postcards so I could post them from John O’ Groats and get the right postmark on them. Plus I still had the ride to Duncansby Head to do so accordingly we made our farewells. I shook Ace’s hand and gave him my email address so he could send me some photos, and then he drove off with Jo. I finished my postcards, texted family and friends of my successful completion and did the Duncansby Head ride. Unfortunately the weather broke at this point and brief icy rain/hail showers ensued. Little benefit from going to Duncansby Head apart from the satisfaction of reaching the north-east extremity.
I now had to decide where to spend the night and briefly set off for Wick only to turn back again at the first resumption of showers a minute or two later. After 3 weeks on the bike I just didn’t feel like doing another 17 miles in the cold and wet. Instead I got a room in the Seaview Hotel annex (£35).
A slightly flat feeling, anticlimax perhaps, but very satisfying nevertheless, knowing that I had achieved my aim and cycled the entire length of the country. Interesting to see the different areas and terrains blend into one another en route. Had a veggy curry at the Seaview and it was very nice. My room had no heating though, apart from filling the sink with hot water. I sat in the pub with a pint of Stella to have my meal but after that everyone was in little groups chatting about their own exploits or plans so I left and walked down to the now deserted and closed-up visitor centre at the end of the world. A man with a limp and a small dog was there, busily picking up dog poo – his own dog’s, that is, he wasn’t a serious collector. He ran the nearby craft village and explained how he’d been duped by dodgy trading figures when he bought the place and was now trying to sell up and return south ie Nottingham. He asked if I’d found any accommodation and very kindly offered to put me up if I hadn’t. Distance: 33.43 miles including diversions to Dunnet Head and Duncansby Head Average speed: 11.6 mph Max speed: 30 mph | |||||||||
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