LEgentleJOG 2021.....

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CanucksTraveller

Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
It's been a while since we heard from you @mikeIow , how have you been getting on? Hope you're getting along okay although I work out you've possibly finished at the weekend, so you might just be settling back in at home before your final write up!
 
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mikeIow

mikeIow

Guru
Good point! In my defence, I’ve been doing daily Instagram updates 🤪

Well, I feel like I’m now in the holiday portion of my LEJoG!

Joined by some pals in Edinburgh, they are a little slower than me, & whilst we had a couple of ~70m days, the Scottish portion is kinder, & the weather far nicer!
Now tucked up in the Crask Inn: we could have taken a day less, but tomorrow we head up over to Bettyhill, then a final 50m to JoG

Each day here has been pretty delightful: a cracking Unorthodox Roasters cafe in Kinross….great lunch at The Pier in Lairg today….happening upon the Clara Cairns outside Inverness….lovely beer & pizza at the Black Isle Bar in Inverness…
I cannot recommend highly enough staying at the Balsporran B&B: just a delight, with lovely hosts and their lovely crazy bearded collie….even if I did blindly pedal past it for 3 miles slavishly following the Wahoo (hint: put the actual location in, not a postcode 🤣). I will return one day!!

Some fabulous scenery along the way: today was really remote, & it is still very light outside!

So….having had almost 25,000 ft of climbing in pouring rain and gales on the first leg (& a broken crank!)….22,000ft of ups and a couple of LONG days on the second….this third leg m, with around 14,000ft of ascent, is feeling almost too easy!

One pal has had 3 punctures so far 😳.
I had the frame lug for the rear mudguard one side snap off: luckily I could bodge it to the frame nearby, and also had to zip-tie the pannier frame nearby it. I’m sure that lug should not snap off 🧐
Wondering how to approach Evans after this is over (particularly over The Crank issue, where they technically sold me a bike which was not fit for purpose….& then this lug & the rack mount!)

Anyway…..nearly there! Thanks for following!!
Oh yes: good luck on your JOGLE, @albal - must be crazy wanting to head into the wind 🤣
 

albal

Guru
Good point! In my defence, I’ve been doing daily Instagram updates 🤪

Well, I feel like I’m now in the holiday portion of my LEJoG!

Joined by some pals in Edinburgh, they are a little slower than me, & whilst we had a couple of ~70m days, the Scottish portion is kinder, & the weather far nicer!
Now tucked up in the Crask Inn: we could have taken a day less, but tomorrow we head up over to Bettyhill, then a final 50m to JoG

Each day here has been pretty delightful: a cracking Unorthodox Roasters cafe in Kinross….great lunch at The Pier in Lairg today….happening upon the Clara Cairns outside Inverness….lovely beer & pizza at the Black Isle Bar in Inverness…
I cannot recommend highly enough staying at the Balsporran B&B: just a delight, with lovely hosts and their lovely crazy bearded collie….even if I did blindly pedal past it for 3 miles slavishly following the Wahoo (hint: put the actual location in, not a postcode 🤣). I will return one day!!

Some fabulous scenery along the way: today was really remote, & it is still very light outside!

So….having had almost 25,000 ft of climbing in pouring rain and gales on the first leg (& a broken crank!)….22,000ft of ups and a couple of LONG days on the second….this third leg m, with around 14,000ft of ascent, is feeling almost too easy!

One pal has had 3 punctures so far 😳.
I had the frame lug for the rear mudguard one side snap off: luckily I could bodge it to the frame nearby, and also had to zip-tie the pannier frame nearby it. I’m sure that lug should not snap off 🧐
Wondering how to approach Evans after this is over (particularly over The Crank issue, where they technically sold me a bike which was not fit for purpose….& then this lug & the rack mount!)

Anyway…..nearly there! Thanks for following!!
Oh yes: good luck on your JOGLE, @albal - must be crazy wanting to head into the wind 🤣
Yeah thanks. And you nearly done. At crask inn now enjoying a nice black isle Porter. I like a challenge. Lol... tomorrow looks awful, weather. Wind ( normal) and rain. may do half day.
 
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mikeIow

mikeIow

Guru
Yeah thanks. And you nearly done. At crask inn now enjoying a nice black isle Porter. I like a challenge. Lol... tomorrow looks awful, weather. Wind ( normal) and rain. may do half day.
Ah, a lovely pint!! Maybe we passed you earlier!
Douglas is a nice fella there!

How are you planning stays to give you that flexibility?
Yup, finishing with some rain for me 😳
Bon voyage!
 
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mikeIow

mikeIow

Guru
IT’S OVER!!!
A dreich day greeted us in Bettyhill, along with an early steep climb (the red of the day, but not the last steep one!)
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A wet few hours: had to abandon my slower pals and hotfoot it to Thurso for some shelter (they rocked up a bit later 😉)
A more relaxing route onwards, with the last hills fading as we rolled down the hill to arrive at the final post for a celebratory photo and bottle of bubbles from the cafe!

A very nice dinner at the Seaview Hotel….then off to Wick tomorrow for a bus (or two) back to Edinburgh!

Not sure if anyone here followed my Insta updates…& if anyone donated (there were some anonymous ones), then on behalf of the Holme Valley Mountain Rescue Service: many thanks!
 
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