Today , has tried to break me! From the onset!! A scorcher or a morning in Alness, we had breakfast at 7am and I was getting ready to rumble!I was going to re pressure my tire, but the valve blew out and I had a weee panic! Easily fixed, but a drama no less!

Leaving 2 minutes later I nearly got hit by a car!!! As much my fault as the drivers but I left Alness shaking and I knew today was going to be challenging!
The day was stunning, the scenery all day has been stunning and the roads have been mostly quiet and single track! It is described as the Queen’s stage and I was pretty impressed with the landscape all day. The day was set to be a hilly one and off the blocks we had an 8 miles climb. It was however not steep and we could easily cruise up it. I have not spent a lot of time in this part of the world and I have been impressed with the landscape, but not so much the bumpy roads!

We didn’t have a scheduled water stop until 28 miles but Phil gave us an early one at 10 miles – a wee bit too early as we hadn’t digested breakfast!

A brief stop and off we went again. The next stop for sustenance was at 28 miles and in the town of Lairg. A lovely wee remote town built around a big dam.

Off we went again, and only had a 14 mile ride to lunch at a small Inn in Crask.

Having lunch at 42 miles on a day with 102.8 mile day didn’t appeal, I prefer to get a good chunk of the day done before lunch and have a smaller afternoon, but it was always going to be a tough day. On the way to lunch however I got a puncture!! The first on the trip and not a day I would have wanted one. I had a spare tubes and a pump with me so it wasn’t really a problem to sort. I have been suffering from cyclists clutch (palsy) where I have lost the feeling,grip and strength in my right hand, so it was a bit more challenging. Christina , one of our lovely DA support crew happened upon me and helped out! Sharon, who hadn’t realised I had a problem had come back to help as well.

I thought that was the 3rd thing of the day that went wrong and I was home and dry!

Lunch in the Crask arms was soup and sandwiches and lots of tea! Due to the weather they have a water shortage so had brought in Portaloos. Crask had the Inn and one other house in it but was a welcomed shelter from the relentless sun!

Just before Crask, the roads had turned to single track. I am very familiar and comfortable on single track roads and enjoyed the change in pace from the traffic surrounding us. It was a fairly flat ish run out after lunch for the next 25 miles and the we would start climbing towards Betty Hill and the North coast.
With 33 miles still to go, Bettyhill was to be out last water stop! We were all eager to get this day done and look forward to an easy ride to John O Groats in the morning.

However, about a mile or 2 out of Betty Hill, I lost my small gears. I had to push my bike up the hill and I just new this was going to be disasterous! Sharon again had rode off into the distance unaware I had a problem, but she was waiting patiently for me at the top! We tried to discover the problem ourselves but couldn’t fix it and when Christina arrived it was beyond her expertise at the side of the road so she called Phil to return with the spare bike!!
However, about a mile or 2 out of Betty Hill, I lost my small gears. I had to push my bike up the hill and I just new this was going to be disasterous! Sharon again had rode off into the distance unaware I had a problem, but she was waiting patiently for me at the top! We tried to discover the problem ourselves but couldn’t fix it and when Christina arrived it was beyond her expertise at the side of the road so she called Phil to return with the spare bike!!

I was to say the least pretty gutted! My brother Gus, had very kindly lent me his good bike to do the trip in and it is a sheer delight to ride! I did do all my training on my own bike which is OK, but when I got on the spare bike it felt like getting on a tractor. I really wanted to get in the back of the van as the day was getting worse by the minute!

Still 30 miles from Thurso, the home stretch was hill after hill. The heat was pounding down and there was barely a cloud in the sky. There was a strong headwind and I had trouble getting any speed or momentum out of the tractor!
I was frustrated and wanted to cry! I didn’t have a holder for my phone on this bike and couldn’t see how progress was , but this probably worked in my favour! Poor Sharon stuck with me! She would ride on ahead, disappear in the view then wait for me to catch up, I was playing catch up for the rest of the day! Frustrating for us both!
To top it off my extra battery pack for my phone and navigation had gone back with my bike and I was worried I would not be able to find the hotel in Thurso or contact anyone when I finally had had enough!
True grit and determination got me in to Thurso! The sight of the town was very welcomed from the hill 2 miles before. My heart lifted at the sight and with the help of some locals we got into the hotel a little after 7 pm.
Christina had gone back in the van with my bike at 4.30pm and was trying to change the gear cable but couldn’t manage . I felt further deflated!
I had a pint of water and a pint of lager as I had run out of water and was totally parched! It didn’t help! A quick wash and dinner at 8pm. The plan is to try and get my bike to a bike shop or Halfords in the morning before we leave at 9.30am tomorrow to head to the end! I tried bribing the staff in the Premier Inn for some local insider info and help but no joy!

Sooo, it looks like I shall be rolling into John O groats on the trusty tractor!! Thanks goodness it’s only 29 miles to go!! As much as I don’t enjoy riding the said tractor, I am so grateful DA had a spare bike, to get all the way to the North Coast and not be able to cycle to the finish line would be gutting!

Fingers crossed I get there tomorrow ❤️