Footnote
You may be thinking what has a cycling trip got to do with photography, well I was one of the support team for this trip and my plan was to include some photography along the way, did this happen, please read on to find out.
What I did come to appreciate was the fitness, and determination of the four cyclists completing this challenge.
Planning
In January of this year the seed was sown to bike from Lands End to John O Groats by Carl, at this time the general discussions identified that a support vehicle would be required and what identify the daily distances be to achieve the overall timescale.
A figure of 160 miles per day would achieve a 6-day target to complete the route, it was anticipated that the cyclists completing the challenge would be competent cyclists able to achieve this daily target and the route would be from south to north to accommodate the prevailing winds. The start date for the adventure was pencilled in as being the 13th July 2021, travelling to Cornwall on Monday 12th July, this would get us to John O Groats on Sunday 18th July and return home from there on Monday 19th July.
Fast forward to May 2021 when details of the route were confirmed and towns/cities were chosen as the overnight accommodation stops, however as we began to book the accommodation it became evident that the daily distances would need to be tweaked a little as not all the planned stop over towns had accommodation available, or the accommodation available was far too costly.
Booking the accommodation took some weeks to complete as this was done as and when people could do it. Next on the agenda was to book the support vehicle, this was needed to be able to carry all the participants, the cycles, equipment clothing and spars required to support the 6 days travelling and the two days travel from Cumbria to Cornwall to start the challenge and return from John O Groats to Cumbria upon completion of the challenge. Different sizes and types of vehicles were considered, vans with enough seats, minibuses with the ability to carry the cycles and equipment, in the end the choice was determined by the cost of the hire of the vehicle, this ranged enormously, eventually we deciding to use a local business to hire a nine-seater minibus which allowed us to move the rear seats to create the space necessary for the equipment to fit in.
In late May early June, the cyclists were confirmed these were Carl, Luke, James, and Tom, with me being the driver of the support vehicle, all the hotels were booked, the minibus booked, only the route needed fine-tuned, and we were ready to go.
How the best laid plans change!!
As we got into the second half of June, it became evident that I was not able to complete the full week of travel for family reasons. A second support driver was then sought, and Allan quickly volunteered to take the first four days, when we would change over at the halfway point with me taking the remaining 4 days.
The morning of the 12th of July swiftly arrived at which time the minibus was collected, and Allan picked up the four cyclists, namely Tom, Carl, James and Luke, the bus took a little patience to load up with the bikes and equipment but eventually this was done and on a hot Monday morning the group began the long 8-hour journey from Cumbria down to Cornwall.
The first night’s accommodation was at Hayle, which is located some 26 miles from Lands End, but would easily be covered using the minibus to get the cyclists to the starting point the following morning.
The group woke to a beautiful sunny morning which was to become a common theme of the trip, they drove to Lands End at which time the bikes were prepped and ready to go.
Day 1: Lands’ End to Tiverton.
The four cyclists set off from Lands End around 8 am, with plans for Allan meet with them at agreed points throughout the day, however as the day progressed it was soon realised that the route chosen was using minor “B" roads and lanes, this created serious issues for Allan in that he did not know where the cyclists were, or when he did locate them using mobile phones it was exceedingly difficult for him to plan a route to get to them as the hedges of the roads/lanes were very high which blocked any line of site.
Whilst the lads set off on the bikes Allan’s task was to find a shop to purchase the food and essentials to sustain the cyclists through the day, this task was the number one priority every morning once the lads had set off.
The terrain in Cornwall had not been appreciated in the planning stage, the ups and downs became a constant irritation as it slowed the group and hindered them getting any visual clues as to where they were.
Punctures became a regular occurrence during the day, with Tom holding the record of three in quick succession, nevertheless, the lads battled through the day finally arriving safe and sound at the overnight stop of the Lowman Hotel in Tiverton, at which point a well-deserved beer or two was swiftly sank.
Once the group had changed out of their cycling gear and had their well-deserved meal, a reassessment was made on the next day’s route, with Allan scrutinising the maps to ensure the next day’s route was more direct and quicker that what they had encountered on the first day.
After each stop off point during the day Allan and I soon noticed was that we were the persons who would be doing the tiding up after the cyclists had left the bus. Food wrappings, bottles, and clothing was constantly in need of bagging up and disposed of. (I suppose they could be excused as they were doing the hard work on the bikes!!)
The first days cycling date was:
Distance Travelled: 140 miles
Moving Time: 8 hours 39 minutes.
Average Speed: 16 mph
Elevation Gained: 3242 meters (10636 feet)
Day 2: Tiverton to Wooffeton
Again, the group awoke to a clear sunny day, breakfast was had, and the group were soon on their way for the second days adventure, the route had been changed from the original, which now did not cross the seven estuary on the seven bridge but they headed up to Gloucester then across to Wooffeton which was hoped would be a faster route along faster and easier “A” roads.
Allan made the agreed stop off points which greatly helped the cyclists in re-hydration and getting some food into them on a regular basis.
The group enjoyed today's cycling a lot more, they felt that they made better progress and really benefited form the support stops, albeit in red hot conditions, but the pesky punctures continued to happen on a regular basis.
Again, the group arrived at the overnight stop safe and sound, although weary from their efforts, a shower, quick change, and a well-deserved meal soon restored the lad’s enthusiasm and happiness.
A review of the second days cycling data was:
Distance Travelled: 142 miles
Moving Time: 7 hours 20 minutes.
Average Speed: 19.4 mph
Elevation Gained: 1784 meters (5853 feet)
Day 3: Woofferton to Lancaster.
The third day would get the group to the halfway stage of this challenge, and nearly back to where they had departed several days before.
Again, the weather looked like being baking hot, but on a positive note little or no wind, the lads got some breakfast from a nearby Greggs and began the relentless drive northwards.
Today’s route was again on mostly “A” roads, but they would have to fight their way through several large towns along the way, this assisted the cyclists in hitting a high average speed which reduced their travelling times for the day.
The cyclists and Allan met up as arranged using lay-byes and service stations as easy recognised and safe stopping points, this also allowed the lads to purchase food and drinks that they wanted.
Allan had to double back on a couple of occasions to support the cyclists who had punctures, unfortunately this meant him having the make his way through Warrington and Wigan more times that he would have liked.
Today was the agreed changeover day for the support team, so once the cyclists were settled into their accommodation at Lancaster, Allan drove the minibus back to Cumbria, from where I collected it and would return to the group for the following morning.
The third days cycling data was:
Distance Travelled: 135 miles
Moving Time: 6 hours 59 minutes.
Average Speed: 19.4 mph
Elevation Gained: 1173 meters (3848 feet)
Day 4: Lancaster to Edinburgh.
Day 4 was the driver change over day with Allan driving from Lancaster to Cumbria the previous evening and handing the minibus over to me, my job was to get back to Lancaster for 7 am to allow the lads to start their days journey, a 4.30 am alarm call was not the most welcome start to the day.
I arrived at the hotel and swiftly loaded up the bus with the cyclist’s bags and agreed the meeting points for the day. The route was to follow the A6 to Kendal, Penrith, on to Carlisle, then pick up the A7 to Hawick, through the borders onwards to Edinburgh.
Today’s journey was one of the longest days in the saddle hence the early start, and what promised to be another baking hot day weather wise, but the positive note, there was little wind blowing again today.
The day went well, first stop being just before Shap, a stop at the Subway food outlet Kingstown Carlisle then the last stop of the day just before Hawick, the distances between each stop being approximately 40 miles.
This day felt like us being home, it was the nearest we would get to where we live, but most of the roads, towns, and villages that we visited whilst travelling through Cumbria were well known to all the group.
Arriving safe, if a little tired at the overnight accommodation in Edinburgh at around 7.40 pm, with a hearty meal arranged for 8.30 pm in the hotel restaurant.
The forth days cycling date was:
Distance Travelled: 164 miles
Moving Time: 9 hours 17 minutes.
Average Speed: 17.7 mph
Elevation Gained: 2221 meters (7287 feet)
(Once the meal was had, I left the group to head towards South Queensferry to take some photos of the Forth bridges, the early evening sunset producing pastel-coloured skies which I hoped would help create some decent photographs, more of this later.)
Day 5: Edinburgh to Inverness.
The group arose bright and early to devour their cooked breakfast at the hotel, unfortunately this took slightly longer than anticipated which meant that the depart time was delayed slightly, considering that this was another long day in the saddle it was not the ideal start.
I arranged to meet the cyclists at Perth, which was about 45 miles away, this was going to be the longest separation between the support vehicle and the cyclists time since the adventures of day 1, and how they had an impact on the first half of the day.
I had planned to visit North Queensferry to take some more photos of the Forth bridges, then head to Aberdour to photograph an old pier then move on to St Monans where there is a unique Zig Zag jetty that I wanted to photograph, again more of this later in the article.
What I did not know was the lads had had a difficult time of reaching the Forth Road Bridge which added quite a bit on time to the schedule, they then got lost heading towards Perth which added even more time to the day.
It was during this morning’s trip that the group experienced its first mechanical problem, Carl’s chain got caught in the derailleur, kinking the chain and causing him problems when changing gears, he called me to see if I could purchase a new chain anywhere. I kept my eyes open for any cycling shops, but as is the norm, I did not see any for the remainder of the day. However, after the stop over at Perth the lads looked at the problem, twisted the chain straight and levered out the offending links so that the chain ran smoothly for the rest of the trip.
I was in contact with the cyclists via mobile phone throughout the morning and was aware that they had stopped for food and drinks just north of Perth on the A9, I was playing catch up to them and reached the A9 north of Perth only to become stuck in the only major road works that we encountered throughout the whole trip. Imagine my surprise when the four lads came shooting past me whilst I was stuck in the traffic jam!!
Today was going to be the day of most concern as the cyclists were following the very busy A9 all the way to Inverness, the reason for this choice was that it is the most direct route which would allow a higher speed, but it would expose the lads to a higher volume of high-speed traffic.
I stopped off at a small town to gather food and drinks for the cyclists and stopped in a layby some 35 miles north of Perth and waited for them to arrive. It was here that you notice the volume and speed of the traffic, sometime later the lads arrived for a well-earned drink and intake of foods.
Another scorching day was now further hindered by the road began to climb up the Cairngorms towards Aviemore, if this was not bad enough the cyclists were also battling against the strongest head wind they had encountered so far, all in all this was becoming a brutal day for the cyclists.
After a torturous day all four cyclists arrived at the Inverness Hotel around 8.30pm, I had sorted the rooms but was unable to book any meals as the hotel stopped serving food at 9pm. Once the lads were showered and changed, we headed for Inverness town centre to find a restaurant for a well-deserved meal.
The fifth days cycling date was:
Distance Travelled: 135 miles
Moving Time: 6 hours 59 minutes.
Average Speed: 19.4 mph
Elevation Gained: 1173 meters (3848 feet)
Day 6: Inverness to John O Groats.
An early rise for the group, followed by a hearty Scottish breakfast, again the sun shone, but the wind appeared to have subsided, the cyclists buoyed by this being their last, and shortest day in the saddle to to reach john O Groats.
Once the bikes were checked, the lads set off heading along the A9 to Latheron from where we would bear right onto the A99 and then onto JOG. My job was to find a supermarket, purchase the food and drinks for the day, top up the minibus with fuel then head to the first pre-arranged stop off.
The scenery along this stretch of the trip was lovely, the traffic was less, but still quite busy as the road forms part of the North Coast 500 route.
Has I passed the cyclists it was evident that their spirits were high, and they were looking forward to completing their challenge. The first stop was held, food water and protein taken on board by the cyclists and off the set.
I had again planned to stop off at a couple of locations to capture some photos, more of this later.
After the first stop-off the lads said they would like to sit-in somewhere and have a hot meal to finish off their adventure, so I found a café about 30 miles up the road at Bay Dunbeath for us to stop.
We all agreed the food and service was first class here, all priced very reasonably too.
After an hour or so the final leg was started, what we had not accounted for was the sudden change in the weather, clouds began to form, the sun disappeared for the first time during the trip, thick rolling mists began to blow in off the North Sea and the temperature dropped from 22 degrees to around 10 degrees. I looked for a layby to stop at, so the cyclists had the opportunity to add extra clothing to keep them warm and dry for the last 30 miles of the trip, this they greatly appreciated.
I made the point of stopping at lay-bys around 20 miles and 10 miles to go distances just to make sure that everything was OK with the cyclists, I then headed to John O Groats and waited to record the momentous arrival four the four lads.
I have to say what an fantastic achievement for the four lads, Tom, James, Luke, and Carl to complete this challenge, not only doing it in 6 days, but the way they achieved this, not once was there any bickering or arguments along the whole route, they completed this with a smile on their faces.
Well done to each of them.
Once the obligatory photos were taken, we retreated to out hotel for the night, washed and changed, food and drinks taken then several celebration drinks were had to finish off what had been a fantastic trip.
The sixth days cycling date was:
Distance Travelled: 119 miles
Moving Time: 5 hours 59 minutes.
Average Speed: 20.0 mph
Elevation Gained: 1560 meters (5118 feet)
Luke's Fundraising Idea.
Several weeks before we departed on this challenge Luke Johnson decided he would like to create a “Go Funding” page to raise sponsorship for the trip which would be donated to the “Loweswater Suite” at the West Cumberland Hospital, this specialises in palliative care for our local community. The initial target was to raise £1000 for this cause, to date a magnificent total of £3540 has been raised, the group would like to thank everyone who has donated to this cause, a great gesture by our friends, families, and supporters, thank you kindly.
Our Journey Home.
The group awoke on the morning of the 19th of July with not to bad a hangover, to another heavy sky with traces of light rain falling, the mist still hugged the coast so visibility remained poor.
A hearty cooked Scottish breakfast was had followed by tedious emptying the minibus, stripping the bikes of their wheels, and loading them into the bus in preparation for the return journey home to West Cumbria.
This was followed by our bags, and other equipment sandwiching it between the bikes as best we could.
At around 9.15 am we were ready for the 417-mile (8-hour journey) home. James very kindly volunteered to take on the driving duties as we retraced our route from the previous day, but now being able to see more of the scenery then that of the day before. Once we reached Inverness the sky lightened, and we were back into the bright sunshine and high temperatures that we had become used to throughout the trip. Upon reaching Perth we stopped to binge on a health meal burger and chips. Luke kindly picking up the driving duties for the remainder of the journey home.
Trip Information:
The Cyclists: James Slater
Carl Tomlinson
Tom McGeen
Luke Johnson
Support Team: Allan McGeen
Tony Tomlinson
Vehicle Provider: Eilbeck Motors Limited Eilbeck Motors LTD | Facebook
Very helpful staff, very competitive hire rates, recommended.
Hotel Accommodation:
12th July: Hayle Travel Lodge, Cornwall,
13th July The Lowman, Tiverton
14th July Travel Lodge, Wooffeton
15th July Lancaster University.
16th July Pollock Halls, Campus Accommodation, Edinburgh
17th July The Chieftain Hotel, Inverness.
18th July Seaview Hotel, John O Groats.
Photography Aspect of this Trip.
My plan was to research a selection of locations for me to capture some photographs along the route which I could easily reach whist still supporting the lads doing the cycling.
Sounds easy doesn’t it, in practice it wasn’t.
My stint as the support driver was from Friday the 16th of July from Lancaster to John O Groats. The first day comprised of me keeping a look out for any interesting compositions as we went. A couple of views caught my attention as we travelled through Cumbria, these being fields of bales being caught in the early morning light, but as is the case, the volume of traffic around me prevented me from stopping.
I took a couple of photos of various foxglove flowers that were in one of the laybys we stopped in, but the main photography would take place around Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth.
Has mentioned in the main article I left the group on the night we arrived at Edinburgh to take some photos of the Forth bridges from South Queensferry.
I was lucky to have a beautiful sunset to use as a backdrop to these iconic structures where I spent about 1.5 hours snapping images before returning the hotel for a well-earned nights kip.
The following day I had found a couple of locations in North Queensferry to capture the bridges from the north, however when I got there these were not that appealing, so I moved on an old jetty at Aberdour. Despite having to pay a £2 car parking fee (my pet hate) the conditions were not to bad considering it was middle of the morning. A strong onshore breeze was blowing, and this would come to bite me when I viewed my images once I got home, I had not noticed that specs of water had been blown onto my lens causing water marks on the images. I took images from a high perspective and then from one side using a selection of shutter speeds to see which would produce the best image. After 40 minutes or so here I packed up and set off to my third location which was a pier at St Monans. What I had not account for was the amount of slow-moving traffic on the roads which resulted in me taking substantially longer to get there than I anticipated.
St Monans harbour was a quaint small village. I found a perking place and proceeded to get to the harbour where I climbed over the external harbour wall to view the zig zag jetty.
I immediately realised that the tide had receded further that i would have liked which was exposing the rocks around the jetty and harbour entrance.
This was the only time that I could be here, so I had to work with what was in front of me, the sun was higher in the sky by now and producing harsh direct light. Again, I used portrait and landscape orientation to compose the shot mixing these with a selection of shutter speeds to create differing effects.
I was very conscious of time, and that I had to be in Perth to meet the cyclists in an hour or so, so not a lot of time was spent here, but a place that I would love to re-visit.
My last planned photos were to be taken around John O Groats as there are beautiful headlands, cliffs, seabirds, and sea-stacks not far from John O Groats.
Unfortunately, on the afternoon of our arrival and on the morning of our departure the misty overcast conditions ruled out any decent photography being undertaken.
Just goes to show, you can plan and research all you like, but if mother nature has other ideas, then you are wasting your time.😢
Maybe some day in the future we can re-visit the far north of Scotland for a dedicated photography trip?
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