END OF THE JOURNEY

One week on from reaching John O’Groats, Steve and I are back behind our desks and aching limbs and sore backsides are a fading memory.

We would like to thank everybody for their assistance and support both during the ride and beforehand. In particular, thanks to Rob the Fish, Paul Littler and Neil Exton for joining us on the Leominster to Northwich section; never have two nearly middle aged men travelled so fast on a bike! Also thanks to John Howson for brining rain and navigation skills from Hurst Green to TempleSowerby and to Simon Tribe for setting the pace between Dumfries and Oban.

Thanks to all you who kindly donated to Cancer Research and Cure Leukaemia. We have raised £6,047 between us and have further promises of £900 to date. It is a truly great effort by all of you.

Our families deserve a big thank you for their support and for putting up with our absence for two weeks. It really was good to get back home to our own beds and not face the prospect of having to get up the following morning and get on a bike for six hours.

Thanks also go to Colin and Lucy Roulston for dropping us off at Lands End and to Simon Green for picking us up at John O’Groats. Thanks also to Euan Fraser for showing us the flesh pots of Inverness! We must not forget Jane Cumming’s welcome gift of a professional massage as we passed through Beauly – although you probably could have done without seeing photographic evidence of that.

Last but, by no means least, we would like to publicly thank Denise Smith, Project Director, for her organisation skills and support both before and after the ride – thanks Denise.

We met some really interesting and intriguing people on the ride, most of whom, not unsurprisingly, appeared to be related to Steve in some way. I think most of them figure in the blog at various times. Daren from Dumries – we know who you are!

Life has now got back to normal at West Coast Energy, with this distraction well and truly over. I would recommend this ride to anyone who fancies a go. It is surprising what can be achieved with minimal training and a large level of determination and, of course, the right company. Although it was hard work for a couple of weeks, Steve and I were determined to enjoy it and I think it is fair to say we did, even though we were extremely glad to finish.

Best regard and thanks

Gerry

PS – still time to donate if you have not already done so!

www.justgiving.com/GKJ or www.justgiving.com/Salt

AFTER 856 MILES

Thanks so very much to all of you who are logging onto this site and charting our progress. Your many messages of support and your generous donations keep us smiling and pedalling.

Thanks also to our wonderful domestiques, Rob, Paul, John and Simon - you made a very big difference.

Must not forget Darren of Dumfries - hoping to meet Betty of Beauly today.

Gerry and Steve - 18th July 2007 in Fort Augustus

BEFORE STARTING:

Two weeks to go before we set off on our intrepid journey from Lands End to John O Groats. Some training has taken place but perhaps never have two nearly middle aged men been so ill prepared for such a trip!

Because of the lack of training, this is likely to be a fairly painful experience so we thought it would be only fair to share the pain with some of our friends and business colleagues. We have decided that we would like to raise some money for Cancer Research (Steve) and Cure Leukeamia (Gerry). In order to do this please log onto our respective pages www.justgiving.com/Salt or www.justgiving.com/GKJ - giving to either charity will spur both of us on.

We aim to do the 1000 mile trip in some 14 days, approximately 70 miles per day, starting at Lands End on Friday 6th July and, God and legs willing, ending up at John O Groats around the 19th/20th July.

Click on "Itinerary" on the left hand side of this page to see where we will be each day. Anyone wishing to join us for a day or half a day is more than welcome to come along - give one of us a ring and let us know. If you do not have the time to join us please stay in touch with progress by logging on to this website to chart our daily progress on the "News" page. You can also leave us messages in the "Guestbook". If we can manage the technolgoy we will post photos. Watch us turn from nearly overweight, nearly middle aged men into either fit, tanned, muscular young looking men or (more likely) very haggard, tired, grumpy nearly old men!

Thanks in anticipation of your support.

Gerry and Steve