Day 0 - Sat 15^th June. 39 miles.

Set off from Sale at 8.20 and got to Land's End at about 4pm. Got bikes set up and our driver, Geoff (or Saint Geoff as he should be known for all his sterling efforts) took the obligatory photo at Land's End signpost. Set off at 16.38 just as the rain started. Our route took us up the A30 to Hayle and then on the backroads to Peranporth. The road out of Porthtowan was the first inkling of what was to come. I nearly gave up there and then. By the time we got to Peranporth at 8pm we were like the proverbial drowned rats. The youth hostel there was quite comfortable.

Day 1 - Sun 16^th June. 91 miles.

A bit of a setback right from the start. We couldn't get into the Okehampton youth hostel so we had to do an extra 20 miles to get to Steps Bridge near Dunsford. We set off at 8am and decided to go straight up the A30 to save time and miles due to the unforeseen extension. It was drizzle and fog all morning. At the top of Bodmin Moor with the visibility down to 50 yards and no hard shoulder, Roger had a puncture. A very pleasant 20 mins was spent changing the tube in less than wonderful conditions. After lunch in Launceston, we crossed the border into Devon and said "Goodbye" to the Cornish hills. If only we'd known what was to come. At Okehampton we had a bit of a mix up. Roger went into the town I took the bypass. When I realised Roger wasn't behind me I went back looking for him thinking he had had another puncture. Voicemails and text messages were going everywhere and getting nowhere and it was an hour before we were re-united three miles down the road. After this we discovered a peculiarity about Devon signposts. The mileages used on them are curious in that they bear no relation to the distance of the signed town or village. We passed a sign "Dunsford 4", then "Dunsford 3" 500 yards later, then "Dunsford 2" 3 miles later and then Dunsford itself 6 miles later still. At 6.20 we arrived totally exhausted. My legs were more tired than a Des O'Connor joke. Our driver, Geoff left us here to return home.

Day 2 - Mon 17^th June. 62 miles.

New driver, Graham (or Saint Graham as he should be known, also Roger's brother) joined us and brought with him a spare tent and sleeping bags as our next two stops were also fully booked or closed so camping was to be the order of the day. This was to be a short day so we had the luxury of setting off at 9am. The most memorable thing about today was leaving Devon for Somerset. Leaving behind the hills of Devon was one of the most pleasant experiences of my life. We arrived at the campsite near Street quite early at 4.15 and gave the local hostelry some of our business.

Day 3 - Tues 18^th June. 79 miles.

We set off at 9.30 expecting this to be a fairly short and easy stage. It wasn't. The climbs over the Mendips were horrible. At the top of one of the climbs we found Graham chatting to a local man, Mr. Lake, getting directions from him. Mr. Lake then donated £5 to my charity fund for Unicef. Thank you very much Mr. Lake, you are a scholar and a gentleman! We went over the Brunel suspension bridge into Clifton. The view was spectacular. The hills in Clifton are something to behold, very unpleasant. We then slipped briefly into Gloucestershire before crossing the Severn bridge and then made our way to the campsite at Symonds Yat. If ever a place has been made more difficult to find than this place then I'd be very surprised. Roger and I spent over an hour and 10 gruelling miles searching for this place on top of a mountain. We finally found it at 7.40.

Day 4 - Wed 19^th June. 58 miles.

We set off at 8.30 on what should have been a fairly easy and quite short stage. The weather was cool with sunny spells and a calm breeze on our backs. There were a few hills at the start but became mainly flat and should have been quite easy. Our average speed for the day was 11.5mph which was incredibly slow for the terrain and weather. Then I found out why! My back brake had been binding on the wheel for the last two days and I'd assumed it was just my fatigue that was making things so difficult. As if I wasn't tired enough already. That night we were under canvas again and I was obviouly getting used to it as I had the best night's sleep I've had in ages.

Day 5 - Thurs 20^th June. 68 miles.

Today started cold and dry but warmed up as the day went on. It was a relatively flat stage from Church Stretton to Warrington. We changed our route to go straight up the A49 because Geoff was going to cycle down to meet us and cycle with us for half a day. Having sorted out the problem with my bike overnight (thanks Graham) it went like a dream today. The average speed was up to 14.1mph which is a little more respectable. We met Geoff north of Whitchurch just after we'd had lunch. Unfortunately Geoff hadn't had lunch so Roger and I were forced to take another break in the pub. We were devastated by this turn of events but bore it with fortitude. Just south of Warrington, I had my first (and only) mechanical failure when one of my water bottle carriers broke. Geoff kindly lent me his for the rest of the ride. At this point we also said 'Goodbye' to our driver, Graham. Thanks for all your help Graham.

Day 6 - Fri 21^st June. 78 miles.

My Mother and Grandmother were our new backup drivers for the next 3 days. We also had a new rider with us for the first half of the day as another ADAS wheeler, Peter Ward, joined us on the road. It was fairly cold and drizzly all day with a slight tail wind but Peter kept up a blistering pace for us and we turned in the fastest stage of the ride at 14.6mph. Riding through Warrington was strange as the roads were the quietest I have ever seen them. I believe it had something to do with the fact that England were playing Brazil in the World Cup. Roger had planned to wear his Brazil shirt on the ride but I wouldn't have fancied his chances of getting through Wigan alive if he had. We passed into Lancashire and it felt nice seeing some familiar places. Peter left us just south of Garstang and returned home. Moments later, Roger had his second puncture of the ride. The rain was the main feature of the remainder of the stage to Kendal where we arrived, once again, wet.

Day 7 - Sat 22^nd June. 89 miles.

The day I had been dreading had arrived. Shap summit. As we climbed the nine miles towards the summit, the drizzle turned to fog and then thick fog. The hill itself was actually a lot easier than I had feared but by the time we got to the top visibility was down to less than 20 yards. The journey down was considerably better than the one going up! After Carlisle, we got onto the A7 where there were some major road works causing 6 miles tailbacks for the traffic but not for bikes. We probably overtook more than a thousand cars on that road. just after the A7 we had the great psychological boost of crossing the border into Scotland. We now felt as though we were making progress north. However, the winds were swinging round to the west now and getting a little stronger. Just before Moffat the heavens opened and we got drenched again. A boat would have been more appropriate for our arrival in Moffat.

Day 8 - Sun 23^rd June. 80 miles.

The route now swung north west towards Glasgow and then on to Loch Lomond. Unfortunately, so did the wind so we had a brisk headwind for virtually the whole day on this long stage. We climbed over Beattock summit which was quite easy as it is very gradual rather than steep. Getting through Glasgow was very quiet as it was Sunday, thankfully. Five miles from Balloch we got another, predictable, drenching from a very heavy shower. With 80 miles of headwinds, this was the hardest day so far and, I have to say, my enthusiasm was ebbing a little. At Balloch youth hostel we were asked by the teachers of a large school party if we could help them fix a couple of unicycles, which we did. It's not the kind of thing you get asked very often.

Day 9 - Mon 24^th June. 87 miles.

Another change of driver here. Helen, (Is this the face that launched a thousand ships and burnt the topless towers of Ilium) or Roger's wife took over for the rest of the ride. This stage was fun. Here I use the word fun in its archaic form as defined by the Dunham dictionary of archaic usage: Fun, adj. That emotion felt when one cycles into cold, horizontal rain whilst having ones colon removed with a red-hot poker. In fact I would go so far as to say it was great fun. Despite this, I was still able to raise a smile as we crossed into Argyll & Bute which was the next landmark on our northward trek. The descent into Glencoe was notable as we had to peddle downhill to get to 11mph because of the strong headwind. The scenery was stunning though. By the time we got to Glencoe I was close to hypothermia but two cups of hot coffee and a quick change into dry clothes and shoes fortified me for the last 20 miles Glen Nevis. This made yesterday seem like a party. I don't think I have ever felt so tired and aching in all my life.

Day 10 - Tues 25^th June. 77 miles.

This was like a rest day compared to the last two. Only 77 miles and a tail wind for most of it going up the Great Glen. We had a few showers in the morning but nothing heavy. We stopped just outside Spean Bridge at the Commando Memorial which is usually a good vantage point for viewing Ben Nevis. Not today. At Drumnadrochit we left Loch Ness and turned north and encountered what was probably the steepest hill of the entire ride. Three quarters of a mile of 15%-20% slope very nearly killed me but i made it! Never let it be said that Mrs. Suddick bred a duffer! It was a wonderful ride down the other side too. The rest was quite easy to Strathpeffer.

Day 11 - Wed 26^th June. 69 miles.

This was a mixed day. We changed our route to head for Helmsdale on the A9 rather than go north towards Altnaharra because of the uncertainty of accommodation. A strong tail wind made the morning very easy but it was marred by frequent showers. I was also full of a cold by this time which made breathing more difficult. After lunch in Dornoch we had more trouble with headwinds as we meandered north east. At this point we passed our first mileage board with John O'Groats on it. A great boost for morale.

Day 12 - Thurs 27^th June. 55 miles.

This was meant to be an easy rest day before the victory ride into John O'Groats tomorrow. We decided to go north over the moors to Melvich and then along the coast to Thurso. The gradient over the moor is very gentle so it would be a very easy but long climb and a long shallow descent. However, the wind decided to swing round to the north and gust up to gale force. At one point I was blown to a complete standstill and Roger nearly got blown off the road. Even the descent was like riding uphill. When we turned east on the north coast road we got a little assistance from the wind and another morale boost as we crossed into Caithness. If it looks wild, wet and windy in the photo, it's because it was.

Day 13 - Fri 28^th June. 28 miles.

The final day. It was bright, sunny and windy from the north west which made for a very easy ride along the coast. We took a small detour up to Dunnet Head which is the most northerly mainland point just for good measure and then rolled into John O'Groats at about 11.30 to be met by our wives. We signed the end-to-end register in the pub before dismantling the bikes for the journey home.

The ride taught me a lot about endurance and about myself. Looking back over the two weeks and 958.1 miles I have already largely forgotten the pain and fatigue I suffered due to the adverse weather but remember clearly all those great moments. I cannot describe here the feelings I had as we passed the John O'Groats marker on the A836. I hope I remember that feeling for a long time to come.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Maybe it will encourage someone else to have a go.