JOHN O'GROATS to LANDS END

You should now be aware that James Wall and friends are cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End to raise money for HEROS which is a racehorse retraining and rehabilitation organisation. They are based at Fawley near Wantage and do a fantastic job. We'll be tracking James with a daily report on our site...See Below... telling people where he is and anything of interest that has happened.

If anyone wants to find out more about HEROS they can find them online at www.heroscharity.org.

If you would like to support James in his venture, you can make an online donation to the charity by clicking on the picture below.

or you can send a cheque payable to HEROS to:

James Wall

c/o Induna Stables

Fordham Road

Newmarket CB8 7AQ .

Many thanks for your support

CHRIS

Mission accomplished. At 7.32pm on the 5th June Sam, Nat and James rolled into Lands End. They were very tired but elated by the sense of achievement. All the bikes are in various states of disrepair and in need of a good service. The last couple of legs proved the hardest, not just because all concerned were getting tired but because of the hilly nature of North Devon and Cornwall. James’s knees were so sore that he had to resort to pushing his bike up the hills and freewheeling down the other side but it meant that they took a long time to complete the last leg of just over 50 miles. They had a good drink in the local pub afterwards and thoroughly deserved it. The one downside is the Lands End is privately owned and in the boys own words is a rip off. You can’t take any pictures but have to have them taken by a cameraman and pay for the privelege and you even have to pay to get into the place. Not much of a reward for cycling nearly 900 miles!

James has been taking photos as he has been going, a selection of which will be put on this site in due course.

Wednesday 28th May

James and his two mates travelled north on Monday taking 12 hours and three trains to complete the journey to Thurso. The scenery was spectacular in Scotland but James thought that the snow capped peaks, although a beautiful sight, didn’t bode well.

On Tuesday they left Thurso for John O’Groats. What was supposed to be a 15 mile ride was in fact a 20 mile one and so a vital lesson was learned – don’t trust signposts. They then began the first leg of the journey, a 90 mile ride to Tain on the south coast of the Dornoch Firth. Three steep hills and a head wind made it hard going and they were f******* knackered on arrival. Only nine more days to go and the weather isn’t going to be in their favour over the next couple of days with rain and winds moving north.

Thursday 29th May

On Wednesday we completed a 117 mile leg from Tain to Glencoe. I was told that we would be passing through some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland as we passed Loch Ness ( no monster ) and approached Fort William ( Ben Nevis and all that ) but it was raining all the way and visibility was restricted which was disappointing. Every time we stopped the dreaded Scottish midges took their revenge so any exposed bits of me have been well bitten. We have managed to eat well and started the day with a full English ( or should that be Scottish ) breakfast. So far our billets in Hostels have been comfortable and warm and a shower or bath at the end of the day is a great relief. On Thursday we make our way towards Glasgow and our first experience of navigating in more congested areas.

Saturday 31st May

On Thursday morning the group left Glencoe in mist and low cloud which soon developed into steady rain which remained for the rest of the journey to Glasgow, another 100+ miles stage. This was a very hilly section which took its toll physically, particularly on the knees. The boys stayed overnight in a hostel in the centre of Glasgow which they all said was a really nice place so our stereotypical image of the city is obviously wrong, at least with regard to the centre.James’s right knee was very swollen on Friday morning requiring a number of painkillers to get it back into action for the long leg to Carlisle where they group stayed with Wall relatives. James’s knee was still swollen so he went to the infirmary where he was told there was no serious damage, it will go away when he stops cycling(!!) and gave him stronger painkillers.

The next leg takes them over Shap where any physical problems will be cruelly exposed

Sunday 1st June

The group were well looked after in Carlisle by the Wall clan so the journey did not start too early on Saturday! The first part of this leg meant a climb up into the hills behind Carlisle and then a long climb up to the summit of Shap on the old A6. Nice weather, the best yet, meant they had great views across to the Pennines in one direction, the Lake District in another direction and Morecambe Bay straight ahead. In theory a long downhill run into the Vale of Lune but in practice not quite that simple. Passing by Carnforth ( Brief Encounter filmed here and the Flying Scotsman residing at the Railway Museum) the group finished the journey in the centre of Lancaster where they are staying with a relative of Nat Browning’s.

Monday 2nd June

The group left Lancaster on Sunday morning in rain and the weather remained throughout the day. They had their first navigational error during this leg when getting in a muddle around the St Helens / Warrington / Widnes area and having difficulty finding the Mersey Bridge to Runcorn. This put several extra miles on the clock which was frustrating, particularly in the rain. They spent the night with another relative of Nat’s about 10 miles south of Tarporley where the chance of a hot bath and a hot meal was gratefully welcomed. They are pleased with their progress to date and although begininng to feel a bit tired they are still in good spirits. James’s knee has improved too which is a relief.

Tuesday 3rd June

On Monday the boys cycled through the Welsh Marches covering 110 miles from their overnight stop to Gloucester. The weather was quite good allowing them to top up their tans. It was an uneventful journey taking them through such towns as Ludlow and Ledbury. As the strain begins to be felt I think that all places are beginning to look the same and certainly no comments have been passed about the route or the scenery. James’s knee continues to be a problem but is holding out so far. Today they are trying to reach Tiverton.

Wednesday 4th June

On Tuesday the boys moved off from Gloucester in bad weather, wet and windy, making their way towards Tiverton in Devon. They rested for quite a while in Bristol at lunchtime before carrying on. James’s knees have been giving him a serious problem and he has been reduced to pushing his bicycle up the hills. He also had his first puncture which took a lot of time to repair as it proved very hard to remove the tyre from the wheel. I can imagine that the language was very agricultural!!. They finally reached Tiverton at 8.30pm having left Gloucester at 6.00am so it was a very long, hard days riding ( and pushing ).

Today they cycled onto Bodmin, a mere 80 miles. They haven’t sighted the fabled “Beast” but they have seen some rather odd characters apparently. En route they cycled through Sandford and so have been in “Hot Fuzz” mode ever since, so lots of “yarps”. This leg was taken at a very leisurely pace as all are suffering the effects of the long ride to some extent but they are now within 50 miles or so of the end of the trail so are looking forward to arriving at Lands End tomorrow and having a celebration dinner in the evening.