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Shaun does a distance job!
John 'o' Groats to Lands End Day1 Was a gentle 495 miles up to John 'o' Groats and early to bed in preparation for a pre-dawn departure. Day2 Left the hotel at 05.45 and nearly hit 2 kamikaze deer that ran out in front of me within half a mile! In addition there were also countless suicidal rabbits before sunrise. Sunrise was spectacular, but brought no real warmth as it was still very cold indeed. When I stopped for petrol, I noticed a small patch of ice. As I passed each loch, there would be great clouds of steam rising up from the water. Stunning bleak scenery! Northern Scotland REALLY is sparsely populated as I couldn't find an open cafe for breakfast until I'd done nearly 200 miles!!!...And the weather had worsened, very grey, overcast, damp and cold. Fortunately by Glasgow, the sun made an apperance and my spirits shot up with the temperatures. I crossed the border into England at Gretna having already done 380 miles! Scotland is bigger than you realise! The M6/M5 motorway run was boring, but effective at covering mileage, and the traffic was flowing remarkably well. Layers of clothing were being taken off and put into the top box. As you get to the end of the M5 it feels as if you are almost there, whereas in actual fact there's nearly 120 miles of A road left to Lands End. Everything was going well until darkness fell, and with it came a thunderstorm for the last 50 miles and the roads got progressively worse the closer you got to Lands End. I finally reached the Lands End Hotel at 10.15pm after 850 miles in 16 1/2 hours and settled down to some food and one of the nicest pints of lager I've ever had... Day3 The return trip home was a mere 379 miles, but in stark contrast to Thursday, the traffic conditions were absolutely dreadful, with tailbacks in Devon and Cornwall, two accidents on the M5 and then Birmingham gridlocked after the closure of the M6! I must stress the trip was not about driving too fast, just a case of being incredibly lucky with the traffic conditions, and keeping stops to a safe minimum for food, fuel and rest. I raised over £4000 for the 2 worthy causes, and would like to say a HUGE thank you to all of the customers, suppliers and individuals who donated. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! Francis House Hospice for Children Charity No.294354 Motor Neurone Disease Association Charity No. 328659
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