I was sad to wave "Goodbye" but it was just one of the many unexpected decisions that have to be made on adventures. Still, there's now time to add my reflections to the blog.
Today's been a beautiful day for the Scafell climb - though I don't suppose anyone saw much on the way up at 2.30am!! Weather for the ride looks almost optimal on the forecast - go for it guys!
Nicky is absolutely amazing - cool and calm about her big disappointment - she's a great addition to the "truckers" - knows what bikers are likely to need and I learned a lot during my last day, as she ignored her bumps, bruises and the rest, to focus on their needs.
My fellow truckers are brilliant - Jon's tea-making, muscles & mind (so many boxes, bikes and bags to be juggled at every stop, not to mention theological enigmas to be unravelled and road diversions negotiated - with the help(?) of a nagging satnav), Sarah's repartee, nursing/strategising (how do you undress an injured cyclist without resorting to scissors?) and "emergency" stops (OK, I had a few of those too - the van's an automatic and so's my left foot!)
What a beautiful few days it was - not least a minor monster-hunt on the bus ride from Inverness, after two easy days up from Horsham. (Must admit I wondered whether we'd ever arrive, when we hit road works traffic on the A24 after leaving BBH late, having realised we'd never fit all the gang in with luggage and bikes. The only other hold-up cleared as we had our lunch). Thanks, Alex, for the excellent route - my family will be treating this as a trial run for our trip to Orkney in Sept.
Gorgeous countryside approaching Hexham, where we ate and slept very well, not to mention catching up with everyone at "Duncan Towers", in the middle of their holiday family fun, then "peaks and crests" on the clear rural roads all the way to Edinburgh. I had the easy stretch into Inverness, with Sarah and Jon both negotiating torrential rain. (Potential derailment for the whole trip when we stopped hoping for lunch at what turned out to be a distillery...!)
We did the tourist thing in Inverness - and were rewarded with an excellent Italian meal and the sight/sounds of a Highland band.
Still, with a developing infection and plenty of expert van support in place, I thought it best to get home while still within range of an airport - and to leave at least one spare seat in case of other emergencies (though of course there won't be any!)
Fozz is a diamond (this should be a doddle after his stroll from Mexico to Canada last year!) and Mark's a rock (all this is his fault - thanks so much for the vision, the careful planning and the fun! I take back all previous comments about never arriving where he says we will - we/they did!)
I really take my hat off to you all - cycling and driving through the rain, the pain and the East Lancs. traffic today, after a hard climb up the biggest mountain in England, with the prospect of Snowdon ahead. God bless and God speed you all.
Love to from Hazel xxxxxx
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