With hindsight and without doubt the most difficult day - not because of the terrain,although it was quite hilly particularly between Bettyhill and Thurso, but because of struggling against gale force northerly winds. We were blown about and it was a real struggle to keep the tandem upright. Fortunately it was Sunday morning and the traffic was light. We stopped at the Royal Hotel Thurso just as it begain to rain. Had coffee and the usual, surreptitious, bacon sarnnie. Within minutes of leaving Thurso we had to stop to get into our wet weather gear as it started to rain hard. So for the next 20 miles we not only had the wind but also torrential driving rain! Finally cycled into John O 'Groats, had our photos taken, registered for End to End certificate and had a Costa coffee! John O 'Groats is touristy but not tacky in the way that Lands End is. Room in Sea View Hotal is very small which makes it difficult to dry our very wet clothes. Had a lot to drink and good food for dinner. In our hotel last night was a young man who had just run the End to End ( he featured on the national news) it took him 6 weeks, an Australian who had walked it - 70 days and of course ourselves. At John O' Groats itself we arrived a few minutes before two cyclists and just in front of 6 young men, all of whom had been supported ie others had transported their bags each day. Did not manage to telephone all the family of our arrival as we could not get a signal on our mobile. (53 miles)
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