Day 9 - Sunday 30th May

Left Golspie in a light, but not torrential drizzle like yesterday. Started with a steady first 20 mile till after Helmesdale and the first of two big hills. The first of which was on a new road which stretches in a long winding curve up and over the hills. A strong easterly head wind has started which slows progress and makes riding difficult.

The second and steepest hill is hard work, from here the last 50 miles follows the exposed coast line route is the hardest riding of the trip with a relentless head wind meaning that my stops became ever more frequent as I battle against the wind. Eventually I reached Wick and the last 20 miles stretch out before me.A quick lunch stop and head down into the wind for the final stretch,reaching the last 3/4 miles and eventually some cover from the the wind or is it just the sun shinning for the finnish?reaching the end of a tremendous trip.                                                                                                                                                                                                            I pose the Team photo and collect my last stamp for the log sheet,next stop is the bar.

Golspie - John O'groats (71.52miles)      Total -  934.33miles

Saddle time 06:04:57                              Total -  68:49:57

Average speed - 11.7mph Lowest which reflects the strong head wind

Average daily mileage 103.81        Average Daily speed 13.57

Day 8 - Saturday 29th May

Later start today after last nights late finish, not leaving Loch Ness along its winding roads till 09.30. Followed the Loch for 23 miles just the one little monster spotted this morning.

 Nice ride into Inverness where I stopped for a cup of tea and soup at the fire station.

The rain started to come own as I left Inverness and continued for the next hour soaking me through as the temperature dropped.Plan A was to ride as far as possable and then to bivvy out but that does not seem so appealing in this rain! couple of phone calls to my contact in the Highlands Jon Gunn and overnight accommodation is arranged at Golspie retained Fire Station. A welcome break to get kit dried out and warmed up.

Cramping in my legs was bad tonight but with the knowledge of just one more day kept spirits high.

Loch ness - Gospie (82.4miles)  

         Total - 862.81miles

Saddle Time - 05:55:09                   
  Total - 62:45:00

Average speed - 14.1mph

Day 7 - Friday 28th May

From dumbarton took the A814 bypassing the main A82. Following the coastline around, passing the Trident submarine base with their neighbors, Green Peace camp on their doorstep. Excellent early morning ride rejoining the A82 at Carbet following the shores of Loch Lormond. The rain starts and then the sun is out and then the rain and that sets the pattern for the rest of the day.

Its a long route through the remotest part of the Highlands but with stunning views all around this is why I choose this section as opposed to the shorter more direct A9 route. On reaching the highest point at Glen Coe ski area the rain turns to sleet and continues with heavy rain until just before reaching Fort William but I can enjoy the long descent down.

Still with 40 miles to go it becomes a hard slog but with a stop at Royal Marine Commando memorial at Spean Bridge I am reminded of the many sacrifices past and present made by our armend forces.I left feeling lucky to be able to climb back on my bike and ready to finish my long day through the most scenic part of the route so far to reach Loch Ness at 9pm were the tin-tent is ready and pitched.

Dumbarton - Loch Ness (136.26 miles)  Total - 780.41miles
Saddle Time - 09:29:35                          Total -  56:49:51
Average speed 13.4mph
Left 07.30 - 21.00
Punctures - 2
Road Rage - 1 stag, 1 deer

Day 6 - Thursday 27th May

Early start, up at 4am with the thoughts of two days worth of punctures to repair before I left. Began my day with a good egg and bacon breakfast then hit the road for 7.15, bright and sunny but down to 44F. Straight onto the A76 heading for Kilmarnock. On paper this looked like one of the easiest days with no major hills or mountains to overcome however with a very rough road surface in places as large sections were in the process of being resurfaced, my life was less than easy. This will however benefit anyone using this route in the future. A few hours into the day with about 550 miles gone I finally hit the wall and progress seemed to get increasingly difficult.This tough time was then added to by a strong headwind and rain. Options started to run through my head of taking a break, getting the sleeping bag out and having a power nap but a boost of 2 red bulls and 3 chocolate bars pushed me through. Knew I needed to push on to make up the time I'd lost from my slow start to the day.

Eventually I arrived at Kilmarnock which marked the 60 mile mark for the day. Kept pushing on following a large circular route towards Glasgow, negotiating its rush hour traffic which was a new experience.Headed for the Clyde Tunnel but somehow missed the cycle tunnel and ended up heading straight into the main car tunnel..oops head down and keep smiling might be on Scotlands most wanted list :)Riding onto Dumbarton the rain became the heaviest its been so far but battling on I arrived there at 6.30 just as the lads sat down for tea and cream cakes perfect timing again... I am starting to get the hang of this,after a shower a big chilli and rice supper and lots of good tips and advice from Mickey an experienced JOGLE

Facts and Figures

Dumfries - Dumbarton (98.1 miles)       Total - 644.15

Saddle Time 07:37:38                          Total - 47:20:16

Average Speed - 12.1mph

Low temp - 44F

Day 5 - Wednsday 26th May

Coolest day so far, heading out of Lancaster on the A6. Back in rural  country roads which is a nice change from yesterdays city riding. Heading into Kendal, got puncture number 6. Once that was repaired, heading away out of Kendal I had the dreaded climb up and over to Shap to look forwards to.
At least the weather was in my favor for the hard climb up.I was met up by an experienced cyclist from Falkirk Iain Mcleod who pushed me on and made the next miles pass quickly unfortunately Iain was not cycling back to Scotland today and had to break away but the company was greately appreciated.Heading down the other side, the first signs of rain appear, by the time I reached Penrith it was heavy rain. So I took cover in Greggs for pie and chips maybe not the purists diet but it does for me.The temperature was dropping dramatically to a low of 49F, welcome to the lake district. Headed off towards Carlisle in the rain and towards the 500mile mark, passing through Carlisle I had a mechanical malfunction in the form of my pannier's falling off, luckily this was after I'd left the main road and away from the traffic.

Time for cable ties to come into their own.                                                                                              Took a couple of wrong turns to eventually find the A7.

Drizzle turned to torential rain on the way to Gretna and the first house past Scotland but upon my arrival there was the sun greet me. All that was left was a 32 mile slog along the A75 to Dumfries Fire Station where I arrived just after 6pm just as the shifts changed.Once again made welcome by both watches and after showering enjoyed spicy chicken and rice. Starting to get leg cramps and pins and needles in my fingers and toes in the evenings, thinking this could be a regular fixture of my evenings now.

Facts and Figures
Lancaster - Dumfries (107.15miles)     546.05
Saddle Time  07:54:42                 39:42:38
Total Ride Time
Average Speed 13.5mph
Low Temp 49F
Punctures 1

Day 4 - Tuesday 25th May

Good early start, overcast and a lot cooler than the last 3 days. The terrain was a lot different to the Welsh mountains. Pushed on and got 25 mile under my belt before coming across a truckers pit stop were it was time for breakfast. However I did choose the healthy option, single dipped, deep fried (not double dipped).

Got back on the road and passed through Winchester before spotting two road victims ahead but upon catching these up I realized it was their 9th day, so obviously in no hurry.

I then began to hit the Midland towns of Warrington, Wigan and Preston which are a total contrast to the countryside of the previous 3 days. While stopped at the first post office in Warrington to get my confirmation stamp for the log book and what was intended to be a 2 minute stop turned into a 30 minute stop as people spotted the charity t-shirt and started giving donations in the street.

Had my 5th puncture of the trip coming out of Wigan but kept the momentum an pushed on to Preston where I had my prearranged meeting with Paul Keatts from Lancashire FRS  who led the way for the next 20 mile. Arrived at my stop on the closest estimated time, 10 minutes to 6, early for the first time. The evidence of the city fumes was then washed down the plughole as I'd been turned charcoal colored from riding through city centers all day. Many thanks to 'The Ship' PH in Caton who donated delectable fish and chips to the cause and big thanks to Paul Keatts who went out his way to lead me in and arranged accommodation for the night.

Facts and Figures

Shrewsbury - Lancaster (108.66miles)    438.9miles total

Average speed 14.9mph

Saddle Time 07:28:53          31:47:34 total

Road Victims - 2

Punctures - 1

Leave 07.15   Arrive 17.50

Day 3 - Monday 24th May

Red hot on station, up early again for another early start before the heat starts building up. Not a direct route onto the Severn bridge out of Bristol to avoid the motorway but quiet.Nice ride across the bridge but with a cycle path that was not well mark causing me to end up in a farmers field. Quickest way was to unpack the bike and carry it over two fences back onto the main road loosing about 45 minutes. Crossed into Wales via Chepstow, giving a nice ride through the Wye Valley and providing a bit shelter from the tree's. Nearly was a road victim myself when a four man cycling team came up behind but this kicked me on and as their team leader came up along side and we both stepped up a gear or two,  

after a couple of miles he was called back by his team mates as the rest fell behind.Pushed on into  Monmouth and found a Greggs, proving they are now international. Stocked up on sausage and bacon butties. A hard 40 mile of rollarcoasting hills followed passing through Hereford before making a stop for more water and red bull. Another big climb followed to get out of Hereford to the country park but worth the trek when you hit the big decent where I clocked a top speed of 43.6mph. Following the A49 which flattened out for a fast ride towards Shrewsbury. Stopped at Craven Arms(not the pub) but still managed to find the village drunk, his words...not mine. So I joined him for a drink, me with my red bull and him with his special brew. Found out his life story in 10 minutes but I did my bit of community safety work advising him to get a smoke alarm. Pushed on for the last 20 mile into Shrewsbury, would have made my 6pm target for the first time if the locals knew where the fire station was. Arrived at 6.15, needed to do some work on the bike which was covered in dust and bone dry,oiling chain and gears. Treated to a hot spicy chicken and rice to end the day.

Facts and Figures

Bristol - Shrewsbury (110.58miles) - 330.24 total

Average Speed 13.4mph (8 in morning, 20 in afternoon)

Saddle Time 08:02:40

Total Saddle time - 24:18:50

Top Speed   43.6mph (bone shaking)

Low Speed   4mph up the other side

Road Victims - 4

High Points -  40 miles after Hareford

                      Village drunk

Lows Points - Hard mountain climb to Hereford

                      Getting lost in farmers field

Day 2 - Sunday 23rd

Early start, 5.05, repaired punctures, packed and left at 6.20. Headed uphill out of Okehampton up to a service station for a sausage and mash breakfast before starting the main ride in the cool morning and made good time on the A30. Quickly covered the 30 miles into Exeter on the quiet Sunday roads. Took a detour from Exeter to Tiverton to get off the main road and get shelter from the sun under the tree's, again making good time, spurred on to meet the Taunton fire crew. Climbing the last hill on the way to Taunton got a shout from someone who knew my name. Jason from the station had rode out to lead me into Taunton, was good to have a wheel to follow, quickly covering the last 8 miles in. Arrived at the station to find everyone had gone out on a shout but nice all the same to get a drink of tea, a choccy biscuit and shade from the red hot sun.

Thanks to Chris Snoop who has done a great job arranging my accommodation and this welcome stop at the half way point of the day. Setting off again into the heat with another 60 miles to cover in the day but with the support of the Taunton pump for the first 7 or 8 miles which gave me plenty of protection from the busy main road.

Long hot afternoon ahead, covered the miles quickly along the A38 towards Bristol until I hit the longest steepest hill at Redhill which seemed to go on and on with a number of false summits. Had to stop a number of times to clear the sweat from my eyes. Lost track of the A38 in Bristol city center which added time and a few miles extra to my journey. Arrived at Patchway at 7pm, pulled up outside to get ambushed by other family again, this time Craig and Lotte. Happened to be next to an off license so Craig dived in to get a few beers. These were most welcome as I'd ran out of water an hour before. This had made it very difficult to ride past pubs with the people outside, the temptation was there. Mess man made a lovely chicken curry with chocolate cake and ice cream. Washed, showered and bed.

Facts and Figures

Okehampton - Bristol (118.5miles) - 219.56 total
Saddle Time - 08:27:13
Total time - 16:16:10
Average Speed - 14mph
High Temp - 106F (at Bridgewater)


Highs- Support in and out of Taunton
            Having a couple of beers at the end of the day, cheers Craig and Lotte

Lows - Long climb to Redhill into Bristol
            Loosing the A38 in Bristol city center

Day 1 - Saturday 22nd May

Up at 5.45am for the 40min drive down to the start after a breakfast of tea and toast. Was a beautiful sunny day with a strong easterly breeze (annoyingly...) What happened to the Westerley wind which is supposed to assist you starting from lands End? Got log sheet stamped and team photo taken and was ready to set off at 9.15 into a strong head wind. Temperature was already hitting the 70's and only getting hotter. Starting with the rolling Cornwall countryside before hitting the big long hills everyone talks about. Got onto the A30 duel-carriageway, where I would be for the next 80miles...head down and slog it out as the temperatues rises. 40 miles in got my first puncture, 45 miles in - 2nd puncture, 60 miles, 3rd...Changed tyre as well as tube this time,hope this would help it hold out. Kept slogging the miles out, lots of debris on the road and with the high temperatures and carrying extra weight this was wrecking my tyres. Made it 30 miles before the 4th puncture struck, couldn't believe it, 90 mins wasted in total to changing tubes.Had us ed all my spare tubes in one afternoon. Kept putting the miles in but it felt like I was riding on egg shells, waiting for the next one to strike. Managed to last out the last miles made it to Okehampton retained station at 7.30. Shower, fish and chips then made a bed up from chairs , to tired to fix punctures so they'll have to wait till the morning.

Facts and Figures -

Lands End - Okehampton (101.06 miles)

Saddle Time - 07:48:57
Average Speed - 12.9mph
Max Speed - 38.07mph
High Temperature - 90.7F
Leave 09.15 Arrive 19.30
Punctures - 4
Road Victims(LEJOG cycles passed) - 1

Highs - Getting Started
            Having the station to myself at the end of a long hot day.

Lows - 1st puncture
            2nd,3rd,4th puntures...

Day 0 - Friday 21st

Final bag pack, still too heavy...will have to consume drinks supply quickly. Gentle ride into Newcastle, temperature already hitting high 70's, hot weekend forcast. Sitting having a peaceful and quiet time in the central station when I got mobbed by the family. Was good to see everyone, see you in Scotland!! On route down I got a phone call from Camborne fire station inviting me for a curry on the station, was very nice and followed swiftly by a good nights sleep.

Before the off

Thursday 20th May

One more night shift before the off, riding down to Chester Le Street to collect cash for the charity via KB cycles to get some energy bars and a new KB cycles cycle top. Final bag pack adds several pounds in weight. Rode back to Birtley for my last shift on new tires/tubes, wondering how far these will go before the first puncture. Anyone who knows me will know of my history of collecting punctures on route. Donation to guess total number of punctures anyone? Prize for nearest...

New year training

I started regular cycling by commuting to work in October 2008 after buying a bike through the bike to work scheme.This lead me on to thinking about completing Lands end to John O'Groats or LEJOG.
After a cold and snowy January/February which limited the trips on the bike to about 120/130 miles per week.March arrived with cold and windy trips out but a least it stopped mainly dry.

The plan for the bike was to see the winter out covering as many miles as possible and get a full re fit about 3-4 weeks before the start of LEJOG.

Easter Hols 10days in the lake district to get some hill training in on the bike and walking.Disaster 4 days befor travelling I set off on the 16mile trip to work and heard a "ping" followed by a crunch and the bike stopped rather quickly, a spoke on the rear wheel had broken and then wrapped itself around the gear changer.Luckily I was close enough to home to trot back and throw the bike into the car.2 days before good Friday was not the best of times to have a major bike breakdown.....

This is my lejog map



View LEJOG in a larger map

Brian's LEJOG Blog

Hi I am Brian I have been a Firefighter with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service for the past 25 years.

After watching many sad moments of dead and injured service personnel returning from conflicts abroad I decided to "just do something" to try and help. So what started out as a proposed sponsored cycle or walk has developed into a four part challenge

I'm raising money for Help for Heroes that provides practical direct support to those servicemen and women wounded in the line of duty in the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and I urge people to support them by sponsoring me.

Sponsor me online and tick gift aid your money goes direct to the charity.

My aim is to complete the following challenges between June 2010 and December 2010:

1.Cycle from Land's End to John OGroat's (LEJOG) the length of mainland Britain between two extremities.approximately 1000 miles in10 days. (see photos for routes) 22nd-31st May

2.The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in less than 12 hours climb and walk the three highest peaks in Yorkshire 10th July

3.The National UK Three Peaks Challenge in less than 24 hours climb and travel between the three highest peaks in England (Scarfell Pike 978m) Scotland (Ben Nevis 1344m) and Wales (Snowdon 1085m) 23rd-24th July

4. Everest base Camp 19 days trekking through the Everest foothills following the Khumbu Glacier to Everest base Camp at 5545m this is also my fund raising target. 14th Nov-2nd Dec

The first of my challenges will be:

Land's End to John O'Groats. The distance on the road is around 1000 miles. I have set a ambitious target of 10 days, which means I need to average 100 miles per day this wiill be an enormous personal challenge for me,but I am prepared to do this to show my support.Which raised the issue,am I fit enough? it's not a race, but there are a few days in which the climbing is particularly arduous so Iv been told!!,notably Cornwall Somerset Lake district and Scotland mmm 4 out of 10 cant be bad. I've been cycling about 30 miles a day to work but will need to take some scenic routes to increase my distances.

My main worry is the pain but after watching War Torn Warriors which focused on 3 injured Royal Marine Commandos returning from Afghanistan with terrible injuries any pain I suffer will be worth every penny I can raise to help our injured troops.

Remember the motto "NO PAIN NO GAIN" as an ex Royal Marine I still remember the sign in the lane at the end of our endurance runs "Only 500m to go"

Their stories also provide insight into the often overlooked issue of what happens when military men, who have experienced indescribable horrors in Afghanistan and Iraq, return to civilian life. War Torn focuses on how these individuals recover from their wounds, be there appalling physical injuries or emotional scars.

The British Government do not publicise (for security reasons) the number of injured service personnel but it is estimated that for every 1 fatality there are another 10 very seriously injured with life changing injuries.

My bike is a Trek road bike bought from http://www.kbcycles.com/ at the old Fire Station Newburn through the bike to work scheme a great way to keep fit and save money by reclaiming VAT and Tax.

A big thank you to Keith and the guys at kbcycles who have donated parts and time to rebuilt my bike for the ride changing just about everything apart from the frame, replacing wheels cranks gears chain and cables and Adam who carried out a Trek bike fit session.

And the I am encouraged by the fact that someone did it on a penny farthing in the 1870s,and hundreds of people do it every year but often takeing a leisurely 2/3 weeks to complete it.

I will be travelling light and unsupported.On the same principle as if you take a big suitcase on holiday you'll fill it up and won't be able to carry it.I will be taking only two panniers and a bar bag. That means two sets of cycling gear, and a change, plus waterproofs bivvy bag sleeping bag and essentials.(no bottles of Bud) on this trip.
I have managed to arrange most night stops in Fire Stations along the route but I'm not high maintenace and will use any facilities available.

Any donations are truly appreciated and will be my driving force behind my challenges.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page http://www.justgiving.com/BrianTinnionHelpforHeros

So this is my first post of many... From here you will be able to track my progress as the ride approaches and then I shall be updating during the cycle with news and information about how I'm doing.