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Published: October 12th 2007
Yes it's time to head back home. With 11.5 weeks already gone on this trip it's time to return to Sunny Southsea and start looking for a way of making some money. Having reached John o'Groats the plan was to cycle down the eastern side of the great British Isles. Despite the depressing articles in the daily tabloids (ASBO activity etc), the one thing I will take away from this 11.5 week trip is the generosity and kindness displayed by the British public. My favourite tale is being stuck in Aberdeen with nowhere to stay for the night. With the Youth Hostel full and B&Bs all displaying their "No Vacancy" signs, I stumbled across a bloke having a tab outside his local boozer. Enquiring the whereabouts of some cheap digs he said I had a trusting face and let me kip round his place for the night. I at first thought that there was something sinister about the chap but he was the genuine article and I am greatful for his hospitality. The other thing which I enjoyed immensely was seeing the wildlife in Scotland. As well as seeing a variety of birds, I was mostly impressed with the seals lazing
themselves away on the beach in the vicinity of Helmsdale on the north-eastern coast of Scotland. Along the way, I managed to meet up with some friends in Edinburgh (Penny), and Kit kindly drove from Milton Keynes all the way down to Margate in Kent to meet me for a couple of quiet beers. Yes, with just 20 miles to go to complete the bike trip around Britain and Ireland, riding from my parents house in Bognor Regis to Southsea it has been a fascinating experience and one that I will treasure for the rest of my life. The total mileage accumulated is 4671miles. I have certainly got the travel bug and with 7 months of travelling already completed this year I will find it very difficult to settle back into life in Portsmouth. Who knows where I will be off to next.
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Katreya
non-member comment
Dear Lord Sturdy....
It's been really interesting reading about your travels. A fantastic trip. But I'm curious about the picture of those animals on the beach. Seals, did you say? Are you SURE they were the real thing? They looked rather wooden to me....