Great Barr To Thurso (By Van)
Today we set off at 6:30 from my house in Great Barr, heading north for Thurso, near John O'Groats. We had been given a van for support and transport of bikes from Flora Vehicle Hire and sponsored by Control Scaffolding Systems. Thanks guys.
My wife waved us off with a smile and a cool bag full of food for our lunch. Cheers wife. (she looks after me y'know). I remember worrying that she seemed a little too happy to see me go. Hmmm
We had an overpriced and overcooked breakfast at a service station in Carlisle just a few hours later and we were making good time. We rock!
The further north we got, the more picturesque the scenery became. We passed by many famous landmarks and through some great countryside. A highlight for me was passing over the Forth Bridge, quite an impressive work of industrial art.
Up near Inverness we stopped for and opened up the cool bag for a light snack. It seems my Wife has discovered the secrets of the Time Lords and managed to fit enough food to feed an army into a small cool bag. Some of the food lasted until the next day.
On this next leg of the journey, we noticed that we seemed to be driving down some rather steep hills. Hills we would have to climb while cycling. I think we all started to doubt our abilities as the van was slipped into an incredibly low gear and we heard the brake discs moan under the strain.
13 hours after setting off, we arrived at the Waterside Guest House in Janet Street, Thurso. We checked in to two rooms, Dad and Bryn shared one room and myself, Dan and Matt shared another. So we popped off to the Central Hotel in Thurso for food (and beer, though not too much, we were worried about the effect alcohol would have on our cycling performance).