Day 12 - Grampound to Land's End - Longest day

Distance - 48 miles
Total distance - 935 miles
Average speed - 11.3 mph
Maximum speed - 34.4 mph
Time - 4 hrs 15 mins

We finished! However, the day is far from over. More on that in a bit. For now, the most important thing is that we safely made it to Land's End.

The day started much like any other. After a fairly restless nights sleep, at least on my part, panniers were packed and breakfast was eaten. On reflection the B&B wasn't too bad, but we were all pretty eager to get away. Around 9am we were on the road.

The going was still fairly tough, littered with steep gradients. But with plenty of determination we ticked off town after town, passing Truro and Redruth within a couple of hours. The uphill sections were met with frustration more than fatigue. They were simply an annoyance, halting our progress. We simply wanted to get to Land's End.

The headwind wasn't quite as strong as yesterday and we only caught a couple of light showers in the first hour. So generally conditions were more favourable. We stopped for lunch in Penzanze and after a quick recharge readied for the final 10 miles. I had heard lots of people say the last 10 miles to Land's End were among the hardest on the whole trip. This is an exaggeration. The first 5 miles are tough, but no more difficult than much of the final two days. Then, the going was actually relatively easy for the final 5 miles. Or maybe that's called adrenaline.

We popped on our Macmilllan shirts a couple of miles shy and crossed the line in unison. We had clicked up 935 miles in total. It's hard to describe how I felt and I think I can speak for the boys. I was very happy, but I wouldn't say emotional, or elated. In a way cycling just seems to have become my day job. Scotland seems like a lifetime ago. It almost feels surreal to think how far we've come, almost unbelievable. I'm sure it will sink in, one day. Either way, it's satisfying to know you have accomplished it.

We thought the hard work was over, but it had barely begun. We had an adrenaline-missing 10 miles to Penzanze, before booking a seat on a train to Bristol, where we are going to stay at Jonny's for a few nights. The train left shortly after 5.30pm, making it as far as Liskeard, where it stumbled across a derailed passenger train. Luckily no one was hurt, but it has slowed progress somewhat. Over three hours later we're still in Liskeard, with the earliest arrival estimates into Bristol being 2am.

A fun end to a fun day. I don't really care too much. I'm one of the lucky ones. I don't have work tomorrow. And when I do finally get to sleep, I shall sleep sound in the knowledge that I have managed to do something pretty cool.