Day one started at 12:15am at Inverness Airport after a 2 hour delay. It seemed like one taxi serving the whole airport (not that there is much of it). I was last in the queue, because of my bags, and eventually got to my hotel at 1:30. My train is at 7am, so it was an expensive 5 hours!

At least the station was close (200m to the end of the road) so carrying the bags was feasible. The train, Inverness to Wick, was tremendous – 4 hrs of amazing scenery for £20 probably cheaper than the pictures.

What I hadn’t appreciated, that the train went to Thurso before Wick (Thurso being my first night stopping point, and therefore a potential short-cut). Luckily the train was running late and all the Thurso passengers went by bus from Georgemas Junction, saving me any conflict. At Wick I set about assembling the bike – it was a long painful exercise with bolts continually coming loose from the rack, it took more than 2 hours before I could get going properly. Hopefully it’s sorted now (lots of loctite). It seemed like a long slog to John O’Groats, but once off the main roads the roads were very quiet, and very straight – but I thought the Romans hadn’t got this far!

Had the obligatory picture at the JOG signpost (on the off chance I get to Lands End), and chatted to a guy who had just finished – he had no rain for 13 days (writing this from the future – I won’t be so lucky!).

Before heading to Thurso had a slap up traditional dinner in the tea rooms (in my defence I was waiting for Lasagne).

It was easier cycling to Thurso, as I must have had a headwind going. I took the “main” road to Castletown, which was beautiful.

Then went back on the NCN (National cycle network) 1 which is part of the north sea cycleway – from the Shetlands to the North Cape in Norway, so I must have cycled some of it last year!

I rolled into Thurso at about 6:00, stopped at a Tesco to buy food for a slap up meal on the campsite. Only 42miles done – but I didn’t get going until 2pm so maybe not too bad – time will tell.