Stage 15: Tongue to John O'Groats
The last push
Distance: 63.72 miles
Climb: 4,455 feet
Fun Fact: This village is named after Jan de Groot, a Dutch settler who came to the area in 1489.
Post-ride Debrief: We did it! It’s only just sinking in, but we did it!
After 15 days in the saddle LEJOG is completed. Tempted to leave it there…but let’s not.
Waking up in the Kyle of Tongue to a cooler but dry morning with widescreen views at every turn put us in a great mood for the final push.
We had arranged to ride the last stage with our new Tasmanian buddy Adrian who we met earlier in the Scottish journey. His riding partner Peter (Tasmania’s most famous news anchor) was unfortunately still waiting for his broken elbow to be operated on in Dundee. Get well soon Peter.
There are a couple of tasty little bumps as you leave the Kyle of Tongue, so early ride gilets and sleeves were soon pocketed. We learned a new phrase, “be bold start cold”, which we will not be trying come autumn.
Now firmly on the North Coast 500 route there was a reasonable flow of traffic, with the occasional JOGLErs starting out amongst the motorbikes, motorhomes and Tesco delivery vans.
With sea views to our left and rolling country all around our final ride started to slip by. Our last double-shot-espresso stop of the tour was an excellent one: set up in the owner’s brother’s garden just before Covid lockdowns kicked in, it now appears to be thriving.
In good spirits, the trio pressed on with occasional bursts of song from Adrian and Richard, along with Grand Designs conversations about fixer-upper opportunities along the way.
At times today we had tailwinds, although our almost constant companion the blustery easterly was not to be left out. With the halfway point passed and Thurso up the road the countdown began to feature more prominently. Although all the officially registered climbs were already factored in, there were a number of other uphill drags as we climbed over 4,000 feet in the day.
Glimpses of the Orkney Islands suggested that John O’Groats was getting closer with every turn of the pedal. After forming a brief peloton with three young women (who had not really cycled before taking on LEJOG) we pushed for home. Adrian was contemplating the commitment he had made to swim at both ends of the ride. Paul and Richard didn’t express any keenness to join their new antipodean friend for a dip.
With the brightly coloured John O’ Groats hotel looking like an Orthodox Church we knew we were nearly there. The adventure which began with a “do you fancy” question was all but done.
As the massed pipes and drums of the Scots Guards welcomed us – no sorry – as our support crew and a smattering of tourists and other riders welcomed us we celebrated our achievement with bikes aloft, photos and hugs all round.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who has sponsored and supported us along the way. All those who provided hospitality, rode with us, cheered us on, or helped in any other way.
Of course we chose to do this ride for ourselves, but it was also to raise funds for the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care. The generosity of our sponsors to date has been fantastic and we know it every penny/cent will be appreciated.
To our Support Crew: Jacqui and Teresa have been so generous and supportive before and during this ride. From agreeing to support our crazy plan, to arranging refreshments and putting up with our foibles and demands along the way. Genuinely could not have done it without you. Our love and deep gratitude to you both.
Richard here now. Just a few words about my cycling sensei and great friend Paul. He did not hesitate for a moment when I suggested the ride to him. He plotted excellent routes and devised a training regime to make sure that I especially was ready. As an experienced, knowledgable rider and especially climber Paul has tolerated my slow assents and technical naivety with patience and calmness. A better partner for the last fifteen days riding I could not have wished for. Thanks for everything Paul.
Paul now. What can I say about Richard? I’m in awe of your strength and utter determination. Thank you for your faith in letting me plan the route, a route that was more challenging in places than I could have imagined. He attacked every hill without comment or complaint. A self-confessed novice cyclist “not built for climbing” he has climbed over 70,000 feet in the last three weeks – a truly remarkable achievement. Richard’s humour, enthusiasm and energy shone through not only his cycling but his post-ride debrief blogs. Thank you for being such fantastic company.
So that’s it – LEJOG complete. What shall we do next…
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