Winding up

I thought there to be space for one final blog update, just to tie up some loose ends. And also because, once again, I find myself on a long train journey. And, if honest, because I rather enjoy this blogging.

When I last wrote we were stranded in Liskeard. After a four hour wait and plenty of confusion we finally managed to get through to Plymouth, after the engineers had declared one line of track safe to pass. After arriving at Plymouth we had hoped to catch a sleeper train, which was due to arrive into Bristol at 2am. Almost immediately it was announced that this train was 90 minutes late. Riding a fully-loaded bike is hard enough, but hauling it onto and off trains, while loading and unloading panniers is energy sapping. The prospect of cycling home through Bristol at 4am didn't fill us with excitement, whereas the prospect of a bed did. So we managed to get on an accommodation list and shortly after 1am we were marched to the nearest hotel. Naturally it rained.

I dread to think how much this whole episode must have cost the rail company, because not only did they put us up in a hotel, they put us up in a very nice hotel! With breakfast included. Also, extremely luckily, it was my turn to get a room to myself. Sorry boys. After an extremely welcome - but not quite long enough - sleep I met the guys for breakfast, which turned into quite the feast. Of course, if you're not paying a penny you're going to have some fun. A little while later, we were uncomfortably full and checked out, prepared for a second attempt to get to Bristol. This time it was easier. Our tickets were still valid AND we should get a full refund anyway. So, on reflection, the whole episode turned out rather nicely for us!

And then it was time to continue the interrupted and extended celebrations. These mostly involved collapsing on the sofa with a cup of tea upon making it to Jonny's house. It felt great though. We did muster the strength to play a round of crazy golf, which I lost. Badly. And then, there was time for a little more carb loading, as we devoured a selection of food that my girlfriend had had delivered to Jonny's house, as way of congratulations. With this much food and a few drinks, we were all soon falling asleep on the sofa.

Saturday, after an extended lie in, had a similar pattern. More sofa time, a round of golf, which I lost (again, very badly), and a few drinks. It culminated in a BBQ, which, due to our slow start to the day, finished in total darkness around 11pm. By this point we were simply hoping the meat was cooked. So far we all seem well. Today really hasn't been any different. Except that, once again, I'm now on a train. Destination Diss, where I shall see my sister for the first time in a year, after her return from New Zealand.

It's been lovely not to have to bike for a couple of days, although I am now discovering the full extent of some of my injuries. This was always going to happen as soon as I came off the Ibuprofen. The left knee doesn't seem to enjoy bending, while the right calf complains about stretching. Also, my whole body feels generally battered. All I can do now is rest. And I plan to.

It still hasn't really sunk it what we achieved. Like I said previously, cycling really became the norm. To the extent that it almost didn't feel as if we were doing anything special. We were all so focused we simply fell into a routine. Wake up, stretch, eat, cycle, eat, cycle, find place to stay, stretch, chill out, sleep. And then we would do it all over again the next day. I also think we had it very easy. The weather was smashing, with the slight exception of the last few days, particularly the second-last day. But, on another trip we could have had hell and damnation the whole time. Also, we didn't fall off our bikes once, get hit by a car, or, amazingly, get one single puncture. For all this we are hugely grateful.

We are also hugely grateful for the donations to Macmillan and the kind messages that people have sent us. This really helped and at last count we had raised nearly £1100, which we are hugely proud of. So thank you everyone for making the experience so rewarding and worthwhile. In return, I hope at least a few of you have found some entertainment through reading my blog. Additionally, we met plenty of lovely people along the way (the only real exception being Glasgow!) who added to the enjoyment. Before leaving, I will summarize the trip in a few short phrases...

Reclining chairs, not much sleep, slowest train ever, most northerly, JOG, interesting meal, getting started, massive hills, Great Glen, midges, Rannoch Moor, midges, Loch Lomond, Glasgow, youths, tricky navigating, knee trouble, legendary couple, escaping Scotland, Carlisle hotel, Carlisle curry, up and down, amazing fudge, Shap summit, A6, urban sprawl, funny butchers, escaping the north, A49, lunch with Jonny's parents, dinner with friends, are we in Wales?, going 'downhill' in the Wye valley, Severn, industry, cash machine race, easy to Exeter, hard after Exeter, Dartmoor, hills, leaving Dartmoor, hills, Cornwall, hills, sideways rain, soaked through, only B&B for miles around, eager to finish, LE, the struggle home.

Really, I've loved it all. Thanks to everyone, especially Gareth and Jonny. You're both heroes.