Day 13: Tongue to John o' Groats 67 miles

Scotland threw everything at us today and we managed to reach our destination mid afternoon having had two weeks of a real challenge! We set out to cycle the length of the UK and after 13 days of cycling we have reached john o' groats. Top tip for the day, never use glueless puncture patches.



After a particularly bad nights sleep nervous about todays final ride we awoke to a clear morning and tucked away a quick breakfast before heading outside. After reaching the bike shed we quickly found Bens tyre had deflated overnight so a change of tube was in order. While he set about taking off the wheel I ran inside to inquire if any of our fellow guests had any spare puncture to supplement my dwindling stocks. A kind thanks out roommate who gave us some patches as it turned out saved our day!

I returned outside to find Ben dancing around swearing and surrounded by midges! As I helped him change the tyre we were both bitten to pieces within 10 minutes. After finally getting on the road we made the first 6 miles without incident.



Before we made 7 miles however Bens tyre nightmared continued. We stripped off the useless patches and attempted to repair the damage as best we could. With one inner tube now completely useless, with the amount of gunk from the old patches making it impossible to week the new patches. We decided to see how the other tube would hold.



I was genuinely worried at this point that Ben was going to struggle to continue with the challenge, with us fast running out of options. A nervous two miles later his tyre suddenly went again as he had another puncture! This was easily repairable however the old hole was still leaking.

The decision was made to stop periodically to pump the tyre and see how far we got. So from this point on we cycled 3 miles before the tyre had deflated and Ben stopped to pump it up again. This coupled with a hilly stretch made for slow morning progress.



10 miles from Thurso and lunch we had our first slice of luck of the day, meeting a guy just starting his end to end cycles with early problems who had the number of a mobile mechanic and location of a bike shop in Thurso. The heavens opened briefly as we limped into Thurso and after a quick sandwich lunch we headed to the bike shop.

An hour later, after a good many stories and for only just over £20 we emerged from the bike shop with Ben now running on a new tyre, new inner tube, tightened brakes and spokes aswell as a decent puncture repair kit! From then on in the final 20 miles were plain sailing and we arrived at the most.north easterly point in Scotland just before 4.



We spent an hour or so buying postcards, taking pictures and calling families to announce our arrival! We then headed back up the road and enjoyed dinner and a few pints in the seaview hotel. We later header down to the hostel and looking forward to tomorrow beginning the journey home, what a challenge its been!

Time on bike: 5 hours 5 mins
Distance covered: 66.76 miles
Average speed: 13.1 mph
Max speed: 34.7 mph
Total distance: 995 miles