Day 1 and 2 of JoGLE done!

That’s Day 2 of cycling from John o’ Groats to Lands End complete. Breathtaking, brutal, wonderful! 

The journey up was an adventure in itself. It took ten hours to drive overnight to Wick, grabbing a couple of hours of sleep in the car somewhere near Aviemore, before a final 20 mile cycle in headwind to John o’ Groats. Scotland is long!

It was great to get to John o’ Groats a day early. It gave me time to wander and explore the area, meet Paddington bear, have my photo in front of the famous sign, and just take it all in to be honest. From spontaneously visiting the museum at Land’s End and deciding to take on the challenge, to now, has gone by so quickly!

I booked a B&B nearby so I could get a good night’s rest, and was good to go by 8am!

Day 1:

What a day. There’s not enough superlatives to describe the landscape I cycled through. Many say that northern Scotland is one of the beautiful places on the planet, and I wouldn’t disagree. Cycling through it felt like a privilege.

It’s also so remote. After the first town of Thurso, I wouldn’t meet another thriving metropolis (by that I mean: has more than one shop) until the next day. I have a direction cue sheet for each day loaded on my maps – for most of the trip, there’s roughly 100 cues per day. For Day 1, there was 4 cues. Turn left – in 57km turn right.

The roads were long and winding, flowing over the stunning landscape. Some of the best cycling I’ve ever done.

I was lucky to see lots of wildlife too. I spent far longer at Thurso than I should have, observing a school of dolphins in the bay, leaping out and playing. I also saw many deer, as well as the famous highland coos.

My destination was Altnaharra, 120km in. But I decided to push on over another climb, and camped at 136km, to make day 2 a little easier. In Scotland, their right to roam laws mean I can camp reasonably anywhere, as long as I leave no trace, which is great.

What I wasn’t expecting though, was the midges. I knew how horrific they can be, but the ‘midge forecast’ have them as a 1/5 at the moment. Well, the midges where I camped, didn’t seem to care about that – they were relentless.

Thankfully, I took a head-net with me, and seem to have come through unscathed.

I also had forgotten how long it stays light. Being so far north, it was still light at midnight, and meant I stayed up later than I should have.

Day 2:

Clear skies meant for a cold night and I woke up to my bike covered in frost. A little morning sun on it and it was dry in half an hour though. 

The midges continued to be relentless and I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I had some breakfast of readybrek, packed up my gear and set off. 

The nature of the challenge ahead of me came into sharp focus today. Although I made it in good time to the campsite at 6pm, taking plenty of rest on route, I’m beginning to appreciate just how long this tour is, and how much distance I need to cover each day.

I’m glad I did a little extra yesterday, making today only 113km. But there’s some long days, and lots of climbing ahead, and I’ve not packed much opportunity for rest..

Not helping today was the sun. It was a scorcher, with the sun beaming down all day. I’ve stayed hydrated, been using my electrolytes and salt tablets, and covered up as much as I can. These things have definitely helped, but it’s been tough going. 

Equally tough has been the chafing – saddle sores. Now I’m at the campsite, I’m applying lots of healing cream, but I think I need to use more chamois butter during the cycle. I’m a little apprehensive at how much it hurts after just two days, and something I need to keep a close eye on. 

But for all the complaining, it’s been another wonderful day! The landscape continues to be incredible and I feel so lucky to be able to do this – that I have the time, opportunity and healthy body to attempt this journey.

I’ve now made it past Inverness and really feel like I’m making progress. Tonight I’m at Auchnahillin Campsite; have cleaned my shorts, sorted my tear out, eaten and showered (unlimited, free hot water!).

The midges are thankfully not out also.

An earlier night tonight, and we go again tomorrow! 

p.s. A thank you to everyone who has sponsored me. You guys are incredible. I’ll talk about the charities I’m raising money for in a future post. Simon x