LEJOG - Life and Death

Sunday was a short 30 something miler from Kirkby Stephen to Ruckcroft which is north of Penrith and not that far now to the Scottish border.

I'll be paralleling the M74 on Monday.  South Side Mark from Moffat is cycling down to join me around Gretna Green for the ride back up.  No not in that will you Wayne take Mark to be your wedded etc...   Mark used to live in Brighton but moved to Moffat cos he got fed up with seagulls shitting on his car every day.  He has an eagle problem now..

This is the route for Bank Holiday Monday.


This route mostly parallels the M74 towards Glasgow where we run along the old B road which is now a service road for the motorway.  

Shame that one of them service roads does not exist on the A66 which I stupidly took for about 7 miles today.  Simply, riding the 5 bar gate downhill for most of the time at over 20MPH along a razor's edge wide strip of rough wobbly tarmac between the near side white line and the 4 inch drop into the rubbish and detritus from 1000 years of motoring across the top of England was dangerous.  And dodging high speed cats eyes with artics and all other manner of vehicle whizzing past my right ear.  Bloody Eastern European truckers are terrible and will not give an inch.  Hairy Melon was screaming and holding on to Brooks so hard that he almost came off the bike when I stepped off it shaking at the first available emergency lay-by.

But what a beautiful day.  Makes you think, there I was inches away from death whilst enjoying this life affirming journey from Lands End to John O Groats.  What an absolute idiot.

Next time you see me.  Any of you.  At any time.  Walk up to me and smack me hard in the chops.   I must never ever do that again...





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