Colin and Fifi do the JOGLE 2014

Up until the Kessock bridge into Inverness the weather was great.  Nice and cool and not too much wind.  Then as if by magic, as soon as we crossed the bridge, the heavens opened and it was non stop rain for the next 3 hours.  As we cycled down the cycle route parallel to the A9, the skies cleared and we even enjoyed a bit of sunshine.  We thought we were home dry. Alas no! Rain rain and more rain. The Carrbridge sign was a welcome sight and a warm room was just round the corner.  The forecast for tomorrow doesn't look much better!

Monday 28 July Final kit check! After packing up all our stuff we made the short cycle to Abbey Station for the train to Watford.  A quick celebratory Nandos later, it was time to haul our bikes up and over the platforms towards the Caledonian Sleeper train. Luckerly it was running a little late! Unfortunately the train was too long for the platform and in order to reach the bike storage carriage we had to wheel our bikes through 5 carriages, only just fitting down the narrow corridors. Thankfully, Andrew our sleeper host was very helpful and after a quick introduction to the features of our bunk room we were ready for a hot chocolate and whiskey before settling down for the night.  Tuesday 29th Before we knew it we had arrived at Inverness. Luckerly the platform was longer here so getting off the train was relatively easy! Just in time for breakfast. After a short wait until the 9:00 opening we thought it rude not to treat ourselves to a full Scottish. Tasty.

After an early start and monsterous breakfast (porridge, eggs on toast, banana and pankakes) courtesy of Mary and Mark at John o'Groats Guest house, it was time to don on our Lycra for day one! First stop - a quick five minute ride north to famous John o'Groats sign post.  The skies were looking a little grizzly but luckily the rain held off for most of the day. Boy was it windy though!!!  After over 3 hours of fighting the relentless head wind, it was a welcome sight to see a road side tearoom. A date slice and a cup of tea later we felt refreshed and ready to tackle the next few hours of wind fighting riding.  At last. The end is in sight.  After booking into our B and B, a quick stroll to the chippy was in order! Haddock and chips all round. 

Today I took the opportunity to receive a pre trip massage from Leda at www.howgoodcouldibe.com . Needless to say I had forgotten how 'relaxing' a top quality sports massage can be! Not only did I get an excellent massage, but Leda took the time to give me some last minute advice on fluid intake and nutrition. Thanks!

It's not quite a centre fold spread in the Telegraph, but it's a start. Thanks to Debbie White for a lovely article in the local Herts Advertiser .

As quite a few people have asked for information on our intended route and accommodation choices, we have created a page outlining our plans . We will be uploading GPX files for each day when we have finalised the final details. Our route (in red and blue)

Thank you all so much for all your generous donations! We have just passed the £2000 mark. Check our progress (and donate more!!) on our JustGiving page . £2000 will pay for over 65 physiotherapy sessions!

Today we took the opportunity to visit the Chilterns MS Centre to meet the wonderful staff and see for ourselves the superb facilities and treatments available to MS sufferers. We also hoped to get a couple of photos of us outside the centre to use in their newsletter article and put on our JustGiving page. After a rather creaky cycle ride over (neither of us had been out on our bikes for a few days), we were warmly met by Hannah, the  Trusts & Foundations Fundraiser, who gave us a guided tour of the new building and facilities and helped us visualise what the money we raise will pay for. It was great to see and hear first hand how much good the centre does for those with MS, and how the money we raise will primarily help fund physiotherapy and other treatments. Hannah shows us around the centre One of the fascinating elements of the tour was the Oxygen chamber. This is one of only a few in the country, and it was custom made for the centre. We met three wonderful vol