Day 9½: Saturday 30th April 2011: Lybster, Caithness to John O’Groats, Caithness. 30 miles today. 900.18 miles in total.

Departed 6.34am. Finished 8.58am.

Todays route – On A99 Lybster, Wick, John O’Groats.         

No wind. Rolling roads. Not a single steep climb. The end shown on our map.  The smell of success in our nostrils.  We rolled in to John 0’Groats, a crofting hamlet, not to hoards of fans chanting our names but to no-one and the sound of complete silence.  Except perhaps for a sheep baaing.

But the euphoria is inside at a time like that.  We succeeded in completing the route in less than 9 days - in 8 days 23 hours and 8 minutes.

And just so we don’t get too carried away the official record for cycling from Land's End to John o' Groats on a conventional bicycle is 44 hours, 4 minutes and 20 seconds, set by Gethin Butler in 2001.   

Special thanks must go to the following:

Mick Dobie – scout number 1.

Walter Wright – new scout.

Our families for allowing us time to train and take part, although they seemed remarkably happy to see us depart!

The people we met who made us laugh along the way.

Whoever makes Sudocrem.

The Queen for organising the royal wedding during our trip so the whole country can follow our progress.

And everyone who read our blog and left messages of support or disappointment.