There at last ... There at last

We finally made it!! There at last, there at last and what a feeling of relief. We finished the last few miles from Penzance to Lands Ends and yes there were more hills but all was forgotten as we rode into the car park and had the finger post in sight. Unlike John O Groats the finger post at Lands End is fenced off and you have to pay to get your photo taken. The SD wasn't having any of that so we nipped to the back and took our pictures there. This time the mileage on the finger post didn't upset the SD as this was miles we had done and not ones we needed to do. This was great as it saved me another Mr Whippy!  We were met by the Promet staff in their car who took us back to Herefordshire. So by the evening we were back home and as the SD remarked it could all be put down to a horrible, although sometimes fantastic , dream. The SD is still cogitating on whether she wants to do more tandem travel. Time will tell.

Overall the bike stood up to the test and although we always seemed to be in for bike fettling it was usually for small stuff except for the electrical malfunction in Shropshire. If you want to know more about the bike then look on the EBike site where we bought it at https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/Gepida-Rodanus-Tandem-Bosch-Electric-Bike .     Martin from Ebikes on learning of our trip generously made a donation so thanks Martin.

The bike always seemed to draw a crowd and we met some great people on the journey. A common comment was "I could never do that". We heard this from people of all age, shapes and sizes . Well if your reading this and you are thinking  "I could never do that" well think again. You can do anything if you put your mind to. Me and the SD are just your average, not particularly fit,  slightly overweight ( the SD asked me to add in the word slightly so as is the natural order of things I obeyed) mid 60's and we managed to do it . So it you have a burning desire to swim the Channel or climb Mount Kilimanjaro then get on your speedos and give it a go ( on reflection perhaps don't wear your Speedos for the Kilimanjaro trip as it can get a bit chilly up there particularly at night). We are the Baby Boomers and having messed up the country for the younger generation ( or so they all believe) we are now retired and can do anything we like - arthritis and haemorrhoids allowing.

All this moralising is great but what was it really like. Well it was tough, both physically and mentally. It gives you thighs like Usain Bolt and the mental stamina of Bear Grylls and this is only the SD!  At times I didn't think we'd make it. The effort to get the tandem and the trailer + case up some of the hills, frequently in appalling weather often seemed beyond us, but we pulled together and got the job done. It's like with any task you just have to see it through. Tenacity, hard work and a bit of luck is the order of the day. Would I do it or something similar again well I might but I don't think the SD would be on the back. As I always say there must be a moral in there somewhere , but I not sure what it is on this occasion.

Finally some thanks.  Thanks to Promet and Will for great support and collecting us on several occasions. If you need any first aid training (or long distance bike support) these are the guys to go to.

Thanks to Joe Meredith from the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund for his encouragement and support.

Thanks to everyone who contacted us and supported us throughout the journey and made donations to our just giving site

Finally I would like to than my wife Ursula (AKA The Senior Doctor or SD) for her tremendous support and effort in the endeavour. It probably wasn't her ideal cup of tea but she stuck at it manfully, or should that be womanfully, and I could not have done it without her. She was an absolute star and a great companion, but I always knew she was. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder but in this case puffing up a massive hill lashed by rain and hail in a 50 mile per hour gale did the trick.

           One bike, two riders and 942 miles completed so bring on Mount Kilimanjaro!