We will be leaving the Smoo caves carpark at 9am.
No news is good news, due to a small technical hitch - like the update hans't made it to the publishing team as of 07:30am on 22nd it will be delayed!
Never fear we know things are OK as we have had some communication, just gives us an excuse to dispatch a team to intercept the group up north and pick the details up first hand. This will probably mean TWO updates tonight - 22nd June .
Really sorry for upsetting everyones day, just leave plenty of room for a BIG helping tomorrow or later today if we can get it sorted quick enough...
'Team Base Camp'
--- Communication have now been restored......
Hi folks
A harder day today where we amassed 308 miles. We left our basic but welcoming B&B that was based in the remote hillside of Smoo (just past Durness). Some of the team members were a little worse for wear in the early stages following a hard evening in the Smoo Cave Hotel with several members of HM Coastguard who celebrated England's exit from Euro 2000 in the appropriate Scottish manner. We continued until after 2am with Gary joining the local band practice where he mastered playing an accordion (with buttons rather than valves). Just when the evening couldn't get more entertaining, a local lad called "Shifty" took two of us back to our home for the evening on his quad bike, carefully balancing one of us on either mudguard.
But back to today.... it started with our most expensive fill up to date at 95.9 pence per litre!! OUCH!! We convoyed along the top of Scotland through Tongue and Thurso where we viewed some very isolated landscapes....so isolated that at one point it felt like the American Werewolf was just waiting to pounce!! Scared? You've never seen scared! We then made our way up to Dunnet Head, the most northerly point on the mainland coast, for a photo shoot. But who called it Dunnet Head....was it because they'd dunnit? Geddit?! (We know, bad joke!) From there to John O'Groats, the end of so many charity events, with more photos at the landmark and start/finish line. On the way out of John'O'Groats on the A99 we immediately passed a Postman just entering town after walking backwards from Lands End to John'O'Groats. Yes, we were all very impressed by this, but strangely more excited by the fact that there were TV cameras present!! The trip had taken him 33 days (including 5 rest days) and had averaged 33 miles per day. An with Grampian TV there to capture the moment, they also sureptitiously filmed our convoy of eleven MX5s as we passed him!! But the best bit to date was Gary bursting in the room that Fran, Simon, Chris & Mark were sharing!! (And he insisted that it was only to tell us that the news was on!) What was there on the local 6 'o'clock news, but a string of MX5's waiting to drive past the walker!! And who should be captured but us lot....the MX5 Around Britain Drive!! BONUS!
After a quick lunch stop at Helmsdale we were forced to drive down the A9 around Inverness and through the most torrential rain encountered on the trip to date. However,you will be pleased to hear that hoods remained firmly down and we used our increasing forward momentum to keep dry. As always though, it didn't last forever, and the sun then returned as we crossed Kellock bay...that's Kellock not the cereal! Surprisingly enough, the route then followed the coast through Nairn, Finloss, Port Nookie and eventually into Banff. However, there was no nookie in Nookie, but at Finloss the local Torando's honoured us with a fly-by....and then proceeded to land on the fairway of the 18th green!!
After a while on major trunk roads we returned to smaller minor roads again in the afternoon which were run all along the coast, passing some remote fishing villages and small harbours. And some great pubs, and locals, who have waved like lunatics at every opportunity!!
There was loads of communication over the VHF radios today, but the theme seemed to alternate between medical matters (Chris' mouth ulcers!) and horticulture (the nominated plant of the day by Eillen - yesterday Rhododendrons, today Wild Roses!) which kept us all chuckling through the day.
We also had to say goodbye to our new found friend Malcolm Gray-Stephens in his turbo charged Yellow Jellybean!! He managed to suffer us for 3 days, and without doubt is a much "richer" person for completing the task! We will no doubt see him again because he enjoyed the company...sorry, driving, so much!! Mind you, the landscape and roads of Western and Northern Scotland were pretty amazing, and with his car, you couldn't help but smile!! And Mark's still trying to convince Chris that an aqua mist system water injector and turbo are essential for basic life itslef!! (Needless to say, Chris isn't having a bar of it!!)(You need it you know you do!!(Mark))
But can you believe that the whole time that Malcolm was with us he never phoned the love of his life....the girl he even referred to as "the girlfriend"!! And with a suggestion that he might want to buy her flowers to say how much he'd missed her, said..."But if I do, she might think I've been unfaithful!"...say no more, Malcolm, say no more!!
However, Malcolm, if you're reading this, then we think that there's something you should know! Has anyne ever remarked that you have a resemblance to a famous personality!? No!?! Well have you ever thought of Postman Pat!! No I'm not surprised! But it has been mentioned by several members of the group!! Sorry!!
After eating at a local Indian restaurant, we then discovered that our new host, Eric at the County Hotel here in Banff was a fully trained french chef from Montpellier and was a chef that is of a "Two Fork" standard! Bloody typical! There are 5 people in France that are better than him and we choose the Indian!! Dohh! Still at least we get to sample breakfast in the morning!
Well, that's all for today folks, as our normal journalists have crashed out early tonight!! Lightweights!! There's a vicious rumour that Eileen and Terry were heard to say, in true Yorkshire fashion: "The young 'uns today can't take the pace like us OAPs you know!!!"
That's it for tonight folks
More tomorrow
The Team in Banff...full of curry and beer!! (Not a good omen for tomorrow!)
Pics to look at for all and one
Double
Exposure?
Fuel
saving idea..
Johns
gone for a pie!
John (
not Pie ) O'Groats very confused we start and finish at Whitby!
The
menace appears again..
Ships,
Ships who took this pic!
better
the'Mutts Nutts' struts off.
Petrol
station - Scots style...
Ian tests
suspension after Johns latest Growler was removed from boot!