10 weeks after hatching my plan, the day before the day of action has arrived. My friend Julian has kindly lent me his bright yellow Ortlieb waterproof panniers. They're so well designed and easy to fit, "basically idiot proof" he tells me. I pedal off to the station, waving confidently to my wife standing on the doorstep. I'm just out of sight 100 metres down the street, over the first speed bump when a pannier comes flying off. Fortunately there's no 10 ton truck in the vicinity to run it over, only a car that steers around it as I retrieve it from the middle of the road and refit it carefully.
I get to Paddington via Hyde Park and catch the train to Penzance, then ride the long way to Land's End via the pretty fishing village of Mousehole. I reach The Land's End Hotel by 5pm, in time to watch a magical sunset while drinking a celebratory bottle of Proper Job Cornish IPA - it would be rude not to.
The hotel is perfect, with references to the "End to End" adorning the walls. I'm inspired by this one at the reception desk.
I'm a little more troubled by the posters on the stairwell celebrating the records for fastest LEJOG via unorthodox means.
Hopefully I'll beat that skateboard.
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