Day 15: And in the End

Boswinger to Lands End: 66.43 miles

Time Spent Cycling: 7 hours 51 minutes

Average Speed: 8.46mph

Rather than waking up to a feeling of excitement on the last day of our trip we were instead dreading the morning's riding which involved having to cycle the 15 or so miles to Truro without anybody getting a puncture. We chose to go inland from Boswinger in order to avoid the large ups and downs of the coast and then head across to Truro. This went well and before long we were on the main road to Truro. A slow train took us up to the final ascent and we dropped down into the town feeling relieved to have made it intact.

We found the bike shop, Clive Mitchell Cycles and I explained to Dan our problem. He confirmed 100% our theory regarding the punctures adding that because we had used up all our tubes for Ella's bike and our tubes were the wrong valve and the wrong size for her bike then this would only increase the likelihood of punctures. We bought, and Dan replaced, new and correctly-sized tubes for Ella's bike and we inflated them to max pressure as well as inflating all other bikes to max too. Spare tubes were bought all round and I thanked Dan the Man for his assistance and gave him some dosh to buy himself a pint. He was well pleased! 

We left the nice town of Truro on a large ascent which Ella rode up. She was the only one of us to do so - it must have been the new inner tubes! We climbed further still with Rob and I this time infront and the girls pushing slightly behind. We turned left as the road crossed over the railway line and assumed the girls would do likewise. Rob and I carried on cycling slowly and were chatting. All the time I was glancing in my rear-view mirror for signs that the girls were behind us. They didn't appear so I told Rob I would wait and catch him up. I waited 5 minutes but still nothing. I decided to cycle back to the railway bridge we had crossed to see what was going on, maybe another puncture? I got there but there was no sign of the girls. They must have missed the turn and gone straight ahead! Just then my phone rang. It was Ella 'I take it we're following National Cycle Network Number 3, Dad'? 'Erm, no, please turn round and cycle back the way you came until you get to the top of the hill Georgia was pushing up and I'll wait there for you'. I waited. Five minutes later still nothing so I cycled down the road they would have gone down to see if there was a sign of them. My phone rang again. 'We're there now but where are you'? And so it went on. It transpired that Georgia had pushed up other hills in the intervening miles and the girls only retraced their steps back to those hills and not as far as the railway bridge. Eventually, after several more phone calls and an aborted attempt to meet the girls in the village of Bissoe we met up. 

By now Rob said he would wait for us in Gwennap and we set about to get there. Without Rob's sat nav, navigating along unmarked Cornish lanes could prove to be extremely difficult and so it was. We got lost trying to find Gwennap but once we did find it we cycled through the village but there was no sign of Rob. I rang and he was now on his way to Four Lanes and would hang around there for a bit but if we couldn't get there within 20 minutes or so he would crack on. We didn't (make it in time) due to getting lost again but eventually we found the place after asking a toothless local man. Rob was now through Penzance and would wait for us in St Buryan near Lands End so we could cross the finish line together. 

Navigation was easy and the ride from Four Lanes to Penzance was brilliant. We rode the B lanes all the way, mainly downhill, and the ten miles or so to Marazion were some of the best cycling of the trip. As we entered Marazion we caught our first glimpse of St Michael's Mount and that's the sight every End2Ender doing it this way must love seeing. It signifies the end is near and as we rode the coastal path to Penzance we sensed it was close. Penzance train station was passed - we had cycled from the furthest north station in Thurso to the furthest south in Penzance. Even if we didn't make Lands End I suppose that's something.

The climb out of Penzance was on one of the longest pushes of the trip. It allowed us some thinking time at least as the end drew closer. I thought about the enormity of the journey we had undertaken and everything we had been through together. I thought about my dad. I thanked him, as I looked skywards through watery eyes, for his guidance in seeing that we all made it safely to the end. Then I looked behind me and saw my own daughters pushing their bikes. They had been with me every step of the way through the rain of Glencoe, the wind of Loch Ness and the beating sun of Cornwall. The feeling of pride I felt at their achievement was one of the best feelings of my entire life. I'll never forget it. It was an emotional experience and all that in the space of one climb on a Cornish street!

We met Rob in St Buryan and bought some fizzy plonk to celebrate our impending finale. The final five miles came and went and, as we rolled into Lands End, our journey was finally all over. What a journey we had had. It was the ultimate bike ride in the UK, the End2End and we were now End2Enders. And what's more, we always will be. 

Dan the Man

Ella at Four Lanes

The big push in Penzance

The first glimpse of St Michael's Mount

Georgia Burkey, aged 16 and End 2 Ender.

the last mile

We made it!

it's not Appletizer this time around!

I would like to dedicate our journey to Ella and Georgia. Well done girls, you can do anything if you put your mind to it. You did yourselves proud.