LEJOG - Now it’s behind us
As promised after the blog covering the
final leg of our trip last week (our thanks, by the way, to Scilla and Graham,
who were great hosts for the two nights in Golspie either side of our last leg to John
O’Groats), this blog has a few thoughts from the two of us after what has been
a genuinely uplifting experience for us both. We’ve also added to the photo
gallery (including the photos at the start in Cornwall, which couldn’t be added
to the initial post for “technical reasons” and we've updated the route to show
the actual mileage in comparison with the initial estimates (the reality proved
somewhat longer).
Some of our thoughts which follow are
aimed at all readers, whilst some are directed more at the cyclists amongst you
and in particular those who might be considering doing something similar.
1. Observations
– for everyone
·
The objective was
of course to reach John O’Groats, and in doing so promote Beating Bowel Cancer,
raising funds for the charity and hopefully raising awareness of the condition
and its symptoms. We certainly reached our destination and have raised funds
for the charity (with, fingers crossed, more donations still to be made) and
we’d like to think we’ve contributed something to raising awareness.
·
A recurring theme
as we fell into conversation with people along the route was how many had been
affected by bowel cancer, whether themselves, a relative or someone they knew.
·
We also came
across people who admitted that they weren’t doing as much as they should to
get themselves checked for the condition, including, for those in the target
age ranges (which, for whatever reasons, appear to differ between Scotland,
England, Wales and Northern Ireland) admitting to having received a testing kit,
but having not done anything with it.
·
The ride was a
brilliant way to see our glorious island, with the route taking us to places we
might not have otherwise seen.
·
At the start the
distance appeared enormous, but by the end our island appeared that little bit
smaller.
·
There was no single
stand out region or place as different parts of the island have different
features and attractions, but three areas which made a particular impression on
us were:
o
For beautiful, gentle,
rolling countryside – the Welsh/English border counties.
o
For magnificent
grandeur – the Scottish Highlands.
o
For rugged beauty,
glorious views and pubs where you wouldn’t expect them (very important!) – the Lancashire
side of the Pennines, as we rounded the east side of Manchester and headed
north. This section of the route, which we followed as a result of going via
Macclesfield was probably the unexpected revelation of the trip.
·
People with experience
of LEJOG had told us that, for cycling, the first couple of days through
Cornwall are the worst. With its myriad of narrow lanes (which didn’t help
navigation), steep inclines and descents on which, because of the narrow roads
with blind bends, you couldn’t build up much speed, they were spot on. A lovely
county, which from Ian’s experience is more easily crossed by Land Rover
Discovery!
·
We were not
disappointed with any of the accommodation Martin booked for the trip and our
hosts everywhere gave us a great welcome. It would be invidious to try to pick
out a favourite, so we won’t.
·
The various
friends we stayed with were all generous with their welcome and hospitality and
we are very grateful to everyone who put us up (and put up with us!).
·
Our gratitude also
goes to everyone who came to see us on the trip, whether they travelled from
far or near, although in this case we have to mention again Martin Benson, who
made the round trip from Ullapool simply to see us at the finish at John
O’Groats and (through his choice) did not even get on a photo. We’ve heard of
people going the extra mile, but 350 of them!
·
Our
thanks also go to the people on whom we relied most to make sure both our bikes
and our bodies were up to the task, in particular Graham Theobald, Roxy Pearson
and Sue Edgar at The Body Rehab in Staveley and
Chris Wood at Your Sports Therapist in Northwich.
·
Our thanks, of
course, go to our families for their tolerance in giving us the freedom to
spend the time preparing for this ride as well as actually doing it and giving
us all their support in helping us achieve our objective.
·
Final thanks go to
all the people, some of whom we met along the way, and many of whom we have not
mentioned by name, who have given us (or are possibly yet to give us, as word
spreads) their support and also their donations to what is a very worthwhile
cause.
2. Observations
on the practicalities, for the cyclists amongst you (if you’re not one, feel free to skip this
bit!)
·
We were glad we had carefully pre-planned our route
and pre-booked our accommodation, making sure there was a pub or restaurant
close by. This avoided hunting round for a place to eat and sleep at the end of
a long day.
·
We used paper maps for navigation rather than
Garmin or similar. This enabled easy adjustment of our route, which we did
several times. Pages from a 1inch: 4miles road atlas worked well generally,
with the complicated bits augmented by 1:50,000 printouts from the OS getamap
online mapping service.
·
We found it best not to rely on mobile phones – the
signal was often patchy or non-existent. Wi-fi, although on offer at most
places, was sometimes not powerful enough – worth bearing in mind if you do a
daily blog as it can waste a lot of time.
·
Probably stating the obvious, but it’s worth
travelling as light as possible. You don’t actually need much stuff, especially
in summer.
3. Final
Thoughts
·
Martin discovered
four nights after we had finished that he had broken a toe, whilst stumbling
going down the stairs in our B&B in Inverness – he’d had his eyes glued to
his phone at the time, so there’s a lesson there somewhere! Fortunately it
hadn’t affected his last two days cycling on LEJOG, but he has now been told
not to ride a bike for two or three weeks. Thank goodness it didn’t happen a
couple of weeks earlier.
·
An important and
heartfelt observation from Ian (based on personal experience!). Bowel cancer is a common condition, but if
the symptoms are acted on early enough it can in the vast majority of cases be
successfully treated. People owe it to themselves and their loved ones to be aware
of the possible symptoms and if they occur they should get them investigated.
Also, if people fall into the age bracket where they are sent testing kits, please
use them. When I was diagnosed, I was below the age for routine testing and
also I had no idea of the possible links between the symptoms I was
experiencing and bowel cancer. Whilst I sought medical advice, I am sure that
if I had been more informed I would have chased up the investigations I
ultimately had, so that they would have occurred sooner. I am exceptionally
fortunate to be here today. Please don’t get caught out by either ignorance or
inaction – and if you are reading this, there really is no excuse.
·
Can anyone
recommend a comfy saddle?
