The final push! It was cold as I set off at 5am, registering 6c on my computer, so I put my Gill waterproof on over my usual three other layers. The raincoat would stay on until well into the afternoon. It was cloudy and there was a very nasty 25mph headwind slowing me down. The adverse conditions made themselves felt all too well as I rose up the Slochd summit and then down and over the exposed bridges north of Inverness on the A9.
It was hard going and I was averaging around 12mph. The landscape was wonderful but I was in no mood to appreciate it. Near Dornoch I stopped into a transport cafe and had my first cup of "regular" (i.e. caffinated) tea I'd drunk in over 6 years. As I left I bumped into two guys (Laurence and Mark) from Edinburgh Uni on a tandem who were also going north on a LEJoG. They were on day 9, having had problems getting down to Land's End on the first day which messed up their hopes for a 7 or 8 day trip.
We set off together for a few miles, and the company helped me pick up my speed. I dropped back to take photos and was on my own as I reached the hills around Helmsdale, which were steep but luckily not too long. The sun came out and I met up with the tandem again, and we made good time in reaching Wick. Here I stopped to confirm a cycle reservation which I had made for next day's return train journey from Thurso to Montrose, but the station was closed and I spent an extremely frustrating hour on my mobile phone trying to get in touch with Scotrail, only to be kept on hold.
With nothing resolved, I started off on the last 20 or so miles to John o'Groats. The wind was still up, but the sun and scenery made this a wonderful last stretch, and soon I had reached my destination. I checked into the Seaview Hotel, then headed down to the harbour for the obligatory photo.
Later in the evening I was joined by Laurence and Mark in the Seaview resturaunt, and we spent a few hours comparing notes and experiences from the trip. By 11pm (the latest I'd been up all week) I was extremely tired and trailed off to bed.
STATS
Depart: 5am
Depart: 5am
Arrive: 7pm
Distance: 144 miles
Ride time: 11.27
Av. speed: 12.7 mph
Temp: 6 - 16c
Wind: 18 - 30 mph NE (headwind)
TOTAL DISTANCE: 875
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