The day had a slightly surreal feel to it; it seemed odd riding on such familiar roads but with the knowledge that I was coming to the end of my epic trek. The cycling has become such a routine over the past couple of weeks that it'll feel strange when I finish.
I met up with Claire and Graeme (aunt and uncle) at Blackwater to give them my panniers. We discussed where would be a good place for me to eat lunch, and decided a pasty in Camborne was the best choice .
From Camborne I cycled through Praze-an-Beeble to Marazion, and called in to see Toby at his gallery. After a quick catch-up then a few photos of St Michaels Mount I cycled through Penzance and straight out towards Land's End.
This is a road I know incredibly well and although there are several ups and downs, I knew that Tregonebris Hill would be the only real challenge. Once this was conquered it felt like downhill all the way.
Just the other side of the hill I received a quick flash of headlights from a white 4x4, my uncle Howard on a scouting mission to see where I was. He reappeared following me at Crows-an-Wra, and for a worrying moment I thought he was going to follow me with his hazard lights on!
It was such a great feeling to be cycling along the 'Jolly Eater' straight seeing parents, aunts, uncles, cousins all waiting for me at the St Just turn-off (or Quakers to the locals!). Here I was joined by another cyclist - my Dad!
I was smiling so much as we went through Sennen (single file of course), past my primary school, the turn-off to the Cove, then the First and Last (pub). After rounding the corner before the final straight down to Land's End I was joined by yet another cyclist - my Grandpa! Despite being 86 he was keen to finish the ride off with me! I'd cycled on my own for the whole route until the last couple of miles. To finish the ride flanked by the previous two Eddy generations was a special moment. I even think Grandpa pipped us across the line at Land's End!
The welcome was better than I'd expected - many thanks to the lifeboat crew for turning out and cheering me over line. A photographer from the Cornishman was there too, and even an ex-work colleague, Bob who happened to be down on holiday.
19 days, 919 miles. An awesome experience.

Can't wait

Fixed the puncture. If I have another one, I'd much prefer to have it in the front tyre...
Although everyone says to avoid the A30 at all costs (when cycling!), I simply had to do a short stretch just before Launceston. I knew there would be a Welcome to Cornwall sign and I just had to cycle past it and take the obligatory photos. Dinging the bell as I passed it just isn't quite the same as tooting the horn, now a ritual whenever I drive home.
The odd thing was that I could see the River Tamar beyond the sign. So is the sign in Devon?
I stopped in Launceston for a bargain pub lunch... £2.60 for roast chicken, potatoes and veg! And it was quite good. Try getting that combination in London!
From here I headed west to the A39, then through Camelford and Wadebridge, the original planned destination for today. I was buzzing, thinking how every pedal stroke was taking me closer to finishing, and I wanted to push on.
Finding accommodation was turning out to be a little tricky. The new plan was now to find somewhere in St Columb Major, 8 or so miles further on. Sharon drew a blank online as did I when cycling through. Here I had one of my closest shaves yet - bombing downhill and someone half pulling out of a junction without looking - I left a long black streak on the road! [from my rear tyre...].
I wasn't too bothered, knowing that Newquay wasn't far away with an abundance of B&Bs. I headed in that direction and found a B&B in Quintrell Downs. Another post 7pm finish.
I'm now well within a day's ride of Land's End! Can't believe it. I'd always planned to arrive on Thursday, in order to have a rest day before hopefully playing cricket. But now it looks like I'll arrive a day earlier. Fingers crossed for tomorrow, and recovery and selection for Saturday's game!

You probably won't be able to make out the pub's name... The World's End!

I weighed myself this morning. Sharon and Gail had both commented on how I looked slimmer, but to me any transition has been slow so that I just can't see any difference. I was curious to see how much weight I'd lost... to my surprise the scales showed over 12 stone! I've been told by others that perhaps my scales at home are a little flattering but a stone's difference can mean only one thing - I've PUT ON weight!
After only 30 mins of cycling it suddenly tipped down. The timing was excellent - I was passing a bus shelter and I wanted to stop for my routine banana and stretches. It was a very brief shower and had virtually stopped by the time I set off again.
Progress was good in the morning and upon reaching yesterday's intended destination, my sister's, I stopped for an early lunch.
It was immediately more rewarding to be cycling new territory. But unfortunately the relative flatness of the morning was all too quickly swapped with very hilly conditions. Long and short ups and downs, many steep, again and again and again... To make things even worse, there was quite a strong headwind, so all but the steepest downhills required pedalling to maintain speed.
This all made the afternoon's 37 miles incredibly tough and when I eventually made it to Okehampton, I was knackered.
And then the grand finale... a puncture! As I rolled into town, the bike's handling seemed a little odd - a glance at the rear wheel explained it. Thankfully it wasn't completely flat (just as well as I didn't have the energy to fix it) so I made it to the hotel, by this stage it was a little after 7pm. Still, my first puncture in over 800 miles is very good.

Thankfully not due to weather, so still open for cyclist and pedestrian crossings

I left Sharon and the hotel over an hour later than planned so immediately felt behind schedule. Then when I got to the Severn Bridge a mild moment of panic... a flashing sign saying the bridge was closed! Thankfully though, this only applied to traffic and not pedestrians and cyclists.
Crossing the bridge felt like it was quite an occasion. (Oddly, I remember feeling similar when crossing the Firth of Forth.) Today also happens to mark what has become a personal milestone on this trip - moving to a new section of taped together roadmap pages, in this instance the last one!
Once across the bridge, the confusion caused by the road closure and the fact that I hadn't warmed back up to the cycling mindset, I took the wrong road. A little while down the road the names on the sign didn't look familiar so I checked the map. I was really annoyed by this cock-up especially as I was now even later than planned. Normally this has little impact but today I'd arranged to meet up with my sister, Gail, so that she could take my panniers to give me the best chance of making it all the way to her place in Sampford Peverell (mentioned that especially for Nas ).
To speed up my navigation to the A38 I got the satnav to plot the shortest route and set off, pushing hard. I had planned to circumnavigate Bristol but the satnav sliced a line across the city - no big deal on a Sunday. However, later on a local mentioned that 'my gaaadget' had taken me on the hilliest route and had I gone around the city it would've been pretty flat. Not what I wanted to hear.
On the plus side though, the route took me through Clifton giving me an opportunity to take a picture of the Suspension Bridge and also meet up very briefly with my cousin, Chris, who had run there from the city centre whilst on a cheeky extended lunch break. Good work mate.
I met up with Gail and off-loaded my panniers. The plan to get to her place was now completely screwed, but kindly, Andy, my brother-in-law, had offered to pick me up from wherever I ended then drop me back the next morning. Ideal.
Unladen and after some hilly terrain the road flattened out and I started making good progress. Of course, things had to get worse, and true to every other day's cycling it started raining. Not just normal rain - it absolutely pissed down. Stubbornly I carried on, riding through the river that the road had now become. I was soaked but was keen to make as much out of today as possible. Eventually I made it to Taunton and a rendez-vous with Andy.
Back at the house it was amazing to see my nephew, James, walking! He even managed to stand up without assistance from anyone or anything, something even Gail hadn't seen before. Magical.
The roast pork and loads of vegetables Gail cooked was also pretty magical

One factor why I was late leaving...

Pink champagne, pink champagne truffles, room service dinner last night. Room service breakfast (finished off by the resident mallards!), full body massage. More pink champagne truffles. Lewis Hamilton on pole at Silverstone, England vs West Indies 3rd ODI - OK, so we lost, but at least I had a chance to watch it. Wimbledon - Jamie Murray making it to the mixed doubles final.
And the sun was shining. Shame it wasn't on a day that I was cycling, but you can't have it all!
Above all though, a day off with Sharon

Wales on the left, England on the right!

Putting on soggy trainers is not the most pleasant sensation. They also stink and had imparted their aroma to Ed's cellar, sorry Ed.
I set a good pace in the morning, buoyed by this being my last day before a rest day with Sharon.
The terrain was quite flat, weather OK, and even the A49 past Ludlow then Leominster to Hereford was OK. I ate lunch in Hereford - another city with a nice feel to it.
The afternoon was a little tougher - next to no rain (!) but the route to Monmouth then Chepstow was a little hilly. The latter section follows the River Wye and must ultimately be downhill, but as the road flits either side of the river and up the valley sides, there are many climbs involved.
I was quite disappointed that there wasn't a Welcome to Wales sign, or that I'd missed it.
Arriving at the hotel in Chepstow was a great feeling. My second furthest distance, 68.5 miles, bringing the total so far to about 680 miles and a very deserved day off.
Sharon's train journey from London had been a nightmare... someone had driven into a bridge. Eventually she made it though - great to see her.

Before leaving Whitchurch I went into the town centre to get supplies. I don't think I was being paranoid but it definitely felt like I was being looked at in a 'he ain't local' way.
Stopped for lunch in Shrewsbury - what a lovely place. Slowly cycled through the centre soaking it up. Also managed to get another stamp on my record sheet.
The pub lunch was OK, but unfortunately I became the target of conversation by two of the pissed local drop-outs. Pissed Bloke 1 was clearly a little dim, while Pissed Bloke 2 was simply a moron. He failed to grasp the concept of a charity bike ride and repeatedly insisted I'd be better off getting a taxi to Ludlow! They were harmless and good amusement but I was glad to leave.
Next was another stint on the nasty A49. At 3pm I phoned Ed to confirm I'd be staying the night at his place. I then started to head cross country towards his place in a small village called Stoke St Milborough. The rain that had been conspicuously absent all morning now kicked in, clearly keen to make up for lost time. Again, yet more heavy persistent rain. Ed had mentioned it was quite hilly but this was the last thing I needed at the end of the day - short steep hills in heavy rain.
Two and a half hours later I finally arrived at Ed's place. A hot bath helped me feel human again. Then we ate and chatted, catching up and reminiscing about days on ACDMM.
A trip to Ed's always offers something new or different, this time it was feeding his bees.

Took shelter in a bus stop just to protect the camera! Makes for grim cycling. Can't believe it's July...

I just hadn't anticipated how tough I'd find today. And I'm still not sure why I struggled quite so much.
Heavy rain is just horrible to cycle in and after the first 90 minutes of overcast skies it started to piss down. Not just normal rain, this was thunderous downpour except without the cool electrical stuff. And once you've got wet you might as well just carry on riding; stopping does little but to get you cold.
My waterproof jacket is very good at keeping my top half dry, although my head is exposed. I always cycle in shorts so of course they get wet (phone and wallet in plastic bags!) as do my legs - I really don't mind this. But it's the wet trainers that make it grim. Cold soggy feet make you feel miserable, plus they don't dry out.
Yep, it's fair to say that the weather put a large downer on the day. But otherwise the terrain wasn't especially hilly and distance covered - 58.7 miles - although the highest of the last week wasn't particularly high. Cycling on the A49 was again quite unpleasant, verging on dangerous at times. I suppose it was the combined effects of these that made today tough going.
On the plus side, the satnav did a great job guiding me to and through Wigan and Warrington and then onto the A49 to Whitchurch. Then in Whitchurch it took me to the door of the B&B. Shouting instructions at the important points and put onto standby when I had a straight bit for a while.
I'm really pleased that it's still working... despite the vibration and the rain. Although the manufacturer claims it's waterproof I'm still a little nervous, but it has survived some heavy persistent rain, especially today.
Heard on the news that so far this has been the wettest Wimbledon for 20 years, and they're far from finished.

Very nearly took a day off today in order to give my achilles a rest. A number of factors persuaded me to push on though, particularly the hotel booked in Chepstow for Friday night where Sharon will be joining me. However, today needed to be ibuprofen-assisted...
Before setting off I walked into Kendal town centre to get drinks and food for the day and a stamp for my record sheet. I also carried out some maintenance on the bike and when I was finally ready to leave it was raining so heavily that I waited for it to abate.
This made today the latest start yet (after 11am) but once on the road I made good ground, thanks mainly to the relative flatness. I opted to stick to more main roads just to get the miles in but this meant enduring slightly heavier traffic.
I was very fortunate with the weather as I managed to avoid the rain all afternoon. Quite an achievement having seen the forecast this morning.
Sharon found me a cheap hotel in a small place called Croston. Almost with comedy timing, I got into the bedroom, switched on the TV to be greeted with local news stories of flooding, then a graphic of the area and... Croston one of the 4 places on Flood Watch!! Unbelievable.
With nowhere to leave the bike overnight, the receptionist suggested I keep it in the room(!). This meant I finally fitted the bar ends that I'd bought in Edinburgh!
After planning tomorrow's ride, I had a look at the UK map and saw the distance I've covered over the past week and a half. It actually surprised me. Each day I've been tearing off these bite-sized chunks without looking at the bigger map. At first this was to avoid being overwhelmed and up until now I just haven't looked. Now though, I'm starting to feel a small sense of achievement; I'm definitely over half way.
However, I know there's still a long way to go, and that my body is giving me some warning signs...

Arrived at breakfast to a 'here he is' introduction and the distinct feeling that the other guests and landlady had all just been talking about me. Their misconception had been that I was on an East/West coast to coast ride but when I clarified that I was on a JOGLE their raised eyebrows and shock said it all. When asked why I mentioned it was for the RNLI and immediately found sponsorship being offered. Unbelievably then when I came to settle up, the landlady said it was on the house! I even tried to get her to take half with the other half to be donated, but she insisted I take it all! A lovely gesture.
The days riding started with some short sharp hills - managed to clock 42mph on one 1:5 descent .
Persevering with the hills meant I was rewarded with a view of Ullswater lake which I then cycled down to and beside for a little while. Next on the route was the Kirkstone Pass. At breakfast everyone had suggested a different route to avoid it. One had said it was 1:8 which I thought would be fine. He was wrong - a sign at the bottom said 1:5 for 1 mile. The sign too was wrong - it was a long, hard 2 miles before I finally reached the top of the pass. The downhill went by too quickly and didn't justify the painful climb. Views were great though.
Ate lunch in Ambleside, a lighter affair than usual... only 2 smallish courses.
Briefly I cycled beside Lake Windermere before heading inland towards Kendal. Or so I thought.
The satnav had taken me up a very steep hill only to see a sign saying no through road and no public right of way. Gutted and annoyed all I could do was head back down the hill, knowing I'd have to climb the equivalent again. I changed the transport mode setting to 'car' to avoid these situations. The hilarious consequence is that I now get navigation instructions shouted at me - could be cause for some amusement when going through towns.
It was during the re-climb that my right achilles starting hurting a lot. The discomfort had previously been tolerable but this wasn't. The severity and potential impact of the situation started to really get me down. I took 2 ibuprofen and sat in some long grass beside the road. Thankfully the sun was out and rather hot so I sat basking in some sunshine whilst waiting for the painkiller to kick in. A phonecall to Sharon helped and I took the opportunity to fuel up with a Tracker bar and drink, and write some blog.
I had hoped to get to Lancaster but that was now looking like a bad or impossible idea so I aimed for Kendal, still 8 miles away. After 20 or so mins on the side of the road I set off and was pleased that the painkillers were doing their stuff. Ironically I went through a place called Crook! Made it to Kendal and booked into a hotel. Managed to find a newsagent nearby to buy some Kendal Mint Cake. I loved this stuff as a kid and still do.
Hope the achilles is feeling better tomorrow or that the ibuprofen will help me through to my next planned rest day on Saturday...