Update

Just to let you know:

1.  I have gained 2 pounds in weight - I must be the only person to cycle so far and PUT ON WEIGHT!!
2.  I have gained £873.26 in sterling for Ty Gobaith.  So thanks to you all for contributing.

Untitled

Thursday 16 September

FINISHED!
At 11.13 am. We started at 9.15. The weather didn't treat us kindly. It was blowing hard and 5 minutes after starting it started raining, then alternated sun and rain squalls. We had white out conditions during one of them. We met some ladies walking the whole route, but doing it in sections at different times. One female cyclist overtook us but then kept stopping to take phone calls. Got to the end with Barry waiting for us with champagne! It was very windy so we didn't hang about. We went into the cafe for a hot drink and found out that the female cyclist had been taking phone calls from her partner who was on his way to pick her up but had broken down at Inverness. He was having to hire a car to finish the journey. Barry now driving us part way back, then we arrive home tomorrow.
Now what?
Mileage: 20.51 miles
When we get home I will update the blog with pictures from Peter's camera and he will put technical details on for anyone who's interested.

Last day

Well this is it - the last 20 miles to do. It's not raining at least, but it is blowing. Breakfast, then we're off!

Wednesday 15 September

As Peter said, this hotel is like Fawlty Towers! There was no heating as the oil delivery hadn't arrived (and it was a big draughty hotel); there was no hot water - they were expecting a man to come and fix it (he didn't arrive), so if you wanted a shower you had to walk down several different corridors to get to the bathroom with an electric shower; there was no bulb in the light fitting above the mirror; the floor under the carpet outside our bedroom was decidedly wonky; and half the food on the menu was unavailable. Oh, and there was a howling gale coming in through our sash window, so Peter put one of the towels across the middle section and in the morning it was soaking wet. Did I mention the thunder and lightening storm that we had about 9.30pm? It all added to the atmosphere - it just needed the lights to go out and Miss Marple to turn up and I'd have got really worried! Still at least we had got to the hotel before the hail that we were told by some guests had come down during their journey to the hotel (in their car). Anyway, after our continental breakfast (tea or coffee, cereal, juice and toast - that's it),

Untitled

we went back to our room. There had been a funny knitted thing hanging on the wardrobe door, which we had both wondered about, 'why?', but then dismissed. Peter decided to look more closely at it and discovered a label on it which said, 'graffitigrannies@googlemail.com'. I haven't yet looked at this website, but I'm intrigued! Well Dave and Roelof, the weather forecast, luckily, was wrong. Yes it was blustery, and there were rain clouds scudding about, but all managing to miss us.

Untitled

In fact the wettest I got was loading up my bike when a gust of wind blew water out of the rain gutters onto me. We left at 9am and had some climbing to do. We saw Dounreay Power Station and eventually came down into Reay, which was very odd as suddenly we had trees again and civilisation. So we stopped at the shop and bought two cakes and some crisps. Got to Thurso early so had lunch in town before going to the B&B we'd booked yesterday. Barry has arrived and we are off to town for dinner.
Mileage - 31.94 miles
Current height 167ft
Max height 550ft
PS The picture is for my family