and finally.....thanks, thoughts and considerations

a) We were all surprised at the generosity of the people we met. Although we wore hi-
viz vests advertising our chosen charities we were amazed at the cash just handed
over. We would like to thank all of those generous strangers we met en route who
gave us in total £207.
Our immense thanks also go to those of you who sponsored us and made our efforts
worthwhile for our chosen charities.
b) Thanks to those B&B owners who laundered our kit at Oban and Fort Augustus.
c) Worst drivers we came across were in Ayrshire
d) Modern bus shelters are a great place to dine in sheltered surroundings!
e) Copious quantities of posterior cream is required from Assos. Another product used
was Butt Butter. As a marketing idea I thought "Crack Cream" would be better as it
has a ring to it! Posterior Protector for the Lady cyclist.
f) On the west coast of Scotland place names were in both Scottish (English) and
Gaelic
g) CFE's highlights were Fort Augustus, the very quiet county lanes in England and
the parks and wide open public areas in Bristol
h) TVR's highlights were riding in Scotland especially Arran and the Helmsdale
valley. I was disappointed as I thought that Northern Scotland would be more
isolated. If the weather had been better most of the riding from Oban to Fort
Augustus would have been fantastic.
i) CFE confirmed that Co-op's BLTs were consistent throughout the countries
j) Driving home I wondered if it was legal to just pull over and have a pee!
k) Would we do it again???
CFE: Yes but differently and suggests less than 10 days supported.
OWO: Yes but John O'Groats to Land's End but totally independent.
TVR: Yes - same as OWO but preferably supported
l) Waterproof trousers are a must!
m) Yes I did manage to ride everything using my compact double gear set up!
n) Cycling long distances seems to bring out the alliteration in you!
o) Our Garmin GPS devices were a godsend which saved so much time.
p) Take a Scotsman and preferably two to sniff out those supermarket bargains!


Finally I would like to thank both Ed and John for their great company during the 14 days we were away. I would also like to apologise to John for leaving him much too frequently. It was also a shame that we stopped and waited for John to allow us all to ride into John O'Groats together as this ruined his E2E solo attempt! Unfortunately on a ride like this it is more comfortable to ride at your own pace rather than anyone else's. It was coincidence that Ed and my pace were similar.
A huge hug and thanks to Michelle for arranging the welcome "committee" with a special momento and for putting me up for 3 nights before, during and after our adventure.
An even bigger hug with kisses to my wife, Sharon, who allowed me the time to fulfill this adventure. In 32+ years of marriage this was the longest period away from each other.