I did it!

I cycled round the entire coast of mainland Britain, travelling 4030 miles / 6486 kilometres in 72 days. That's the equivalent of cycling from London to Iran.

I'm exhausted, ecstatic, aching all over, and so proud of myself!

I cycled for 61 days and rested for 11 days, averaging 66 miles per day. The longest day was 121 miles, the shortest 31 miles. I hopped over four islands, took twenty nine ferries, had one puncture, countless bruises, gained three kilos in weight (muscle I assume!), spent £1017, pushed up five hills, fell off the bike three times (once hitting a speed hump wrong, once slipping over in the rain, and once gracefully falling out of the pedals!), took six swims in the sea, and paddled nine times. I met so many people who cycled with me or talked to me or welcomed me into their homes. I met three other round-Britain cyclists and hope to meet many more now I'm back. I had good times, bad times, cried from exhaustion, self-doubt and frustration, but also felt deliriously happy, content and ridiculously strong. Many of the experiences I had are indescribable, and unforgettable. The whole thing was an incredible adventure.

I stayed in eleven hostels and four guesthouses, arranged seventeen nights' accommodation through Sustrans, fourteen through friends and family, four through the Green Party and eleven through warmshowers.com.

I haven't been asked too many times how it was. I don't think I'd be able to answer anyway. The only people who can truly know how it was are the people who've done it. What was my favourite part? The incredible wild beauty of Western Scotland and North Devon, the amazing sunshine that greeted me in Cornwall, reaching my first milestone at John o' Groats, sitting on the edge of Britain at Cape Wrath, experiencing the changing yet ever-constant sea day in and day out, seeing the sun setting and rising, making it through the extreme weather in Scotland, not having to worry about a job or appointments or catching the bus (although missing the ferry was a worry on a few occasions!), or simply having nothing to do all day except for ride my bike, and not having anything to think about except for where I was going that night.

It was utterly brilliant. What an experience, and one that will stay with me for a very long time.

Me, 4030 miles ago

Day seventy two - Whitstable to London

Click here for a map of today's route

It was the final day.

Looking forward to my final day

When I first started, people asked me what I was looking forward to most. I would say "finishing" - not because I wasn't looking forward to any other part, or that I wanted it to be over, but because I knew the feeling I would have when I got home, having cycled round the entire coast of Britain, would be amazing. I couldn't wait to see Tower Bridge or trace the snaking Thames back into London as I had done in the opposite direction on the opposite bank all those weeks ago.

And, finally, it would happen. Today. I'd stuck to my schedule with amazing accuracy - nothing disastrous had happened, and the days off I'd built in had been great for allowing me a bit of leeway for things to go wrong (illness, hurricanes etc). My final week had been very chilled out - reasonably steady mileage, a couple of days off, slowly inching my way to the finishing line, knowing I was nearly there but suddenly not wanting to get there. What will I do when I don't have to pedal every day anymore? I've loved the simplicity of my journey - everything I've needed has been in my three bags, and having no concept of time, dates or even what day it is has been so liberating - all I need to consider each day is where I'm aiming to get to that night.

Polly looks excited
to be going home

And arriving in each place with people to greet me and welcome me into their home has been a privilege; being fed, watered and bathed, then uploading my pictures and writing my blog. It has all been part of my wonderful adventure and now it would all be over. Back to real life.

But I was really looking forward to getting back - seeing friends and family, feeling that sense of achievement, having the welcome home party that I'd been planning ever since I set off (all that thinking time while cycling needs to be spent doing something). This was it. Day 72, and my final one on the road.

The whole day was brilliant - I was in such high spirits even though there was a pretty hefty headwind, and for the first time in weeks I was anxious to reach my destination: I'd timed my arrival at Tower Bridge and didn't want to be late. There had only been a few times on the trip that I'd needed to stick to a schedule, to meet friends or catch ferries, and for the majority of the time it had been blissful just arriving when I arrived and not worrying about what the time was. This was different though as I had arranged for people to come to the bridge at 6pm to meet me. We should have plenty of time to get there, and I hoped we might even arrive a bit early and be able to have a cup of tea round the corner from Tower Bridge while we waited for the allotted time. The anxiety was still there though, although luckily this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the ride.

The send-off party in Whitstable

My colleague and host David had arranged for a photo call that morning, and a few local cyclists came out to wish us well and ride with us for a little while. The route took us in turn through the beautiful Kent countryside and the rough industrial areas of places like Sittingbourne. The coast of the Thames on both sides of the river is marshy and jagged and difficult to get close to, but we were able occasionally to follow the coastal path along its banks, with views across to the islands that line the river on both sides - Sheppey, St Mary's, and over the water, Canvey. Past the towering chimneys of Kingsnorth Power Station with the Tilbury oil refineries in the distance, we cycled through Rainham, Kent, a lovely symmetry to the fact that I'd cycled through Rainham, Essex on my first day.

Approaching the Dartford bridge

A quick lunch in Chatham then up a hill out of Rochester, where we could see, from the top, the Queen Elizabeth II bridge at Dartford, and lurking on the horizon, the towers of Canary Wharf. I was so excited. It was all coming together - I vividly remembered taking this picture of the bridge as I approached it from the other direction on the opposite bank 10 weeks ago, then looking back to Canary Wharf fading into the distance as I cycled away from London into the unknown (my first blog entry with that picture is here).

We rode close to the banks of the Thames for almost the rest of the journey, central London slowly revealing itself as we followed the twists and turns of the river. It gradually opened up before us, Canary Wharf ever constant in the centre, then the O2 coming into view, Beckton, Thamesmead, the Shard at London Bridge, City Airport, the Gherkin, and eventually the Thames Barrier. By this point we were racing along the Thames Path, with less than an hour to go before the due time, and still 15 miles from the target. I was running on pure adrenaline, David forced to keep up with me as we hurtled along.

The Thames barrier, O2 arena and Canary Wharf

At Woolwich we decided to cut off the corner and go straight to Greenwich - it was a bit of a shame given that I had loyally followed the coast of the Thames on the way out, and wouldn't quite be doing it on the way in, but people were waiting and three miles extra was something we couldn't really stretch to. Then, past Greenwich and along the banks of the Thames once again as it curved north around the Isle of Dogs. It was now past 6pm and I was trying to go as fast as possible, having phoned my sister Sarah to say I was nearly there.

1 mile to Tower Bridge

But the cycle route was a bit convoluted, and the Thames Path wasn't always cycleable, and cobbles got in the way. I whacked my hip on a post as I took a corner too fast - typical - over 4000 miles under my belt and it all starts to go wrong when the end is in sight. Suddenly, the path plopped us onto the river and there it was - Tower Bridge. My ultimate destination, my objective for the past two months, my terminus. I didn't know how to feel - it was all too much.

Back onto the road and zooming along Jamaica Street, Tooley Street, then finally Tower Bridge road, where I hopped up onto the pavement to arrive at my finishing line - the pedestrian recess under the tower, on the other side of the bridge to where my journey had begun over two months previously.

My sister handed me a glass of champagne and there I was - exhausted, overwhelmed, and happy to be home.

It took a while for it all to sink in, and after standing on the bridge greeting everyone and looking over to where it had all began, I made my way with the welcome home party to Most Cafe Bar under the bridge, who had kindly provided two bottles of champagne for my return. It was great to see friends and family, talk about the ride, and relax knowing that I'd done it.

A brilliant end to a brilliant day, and a brilliant journey to have finished.

Day seventy one - Rye to Whitstable

Click here to see a map of today's route

My penultimate day. This would be the last day cycling by myself. Of the 70 days I've been on the road so far, 39 of them have been unaccompanied. I have enjoyed cycling alone, relying only on myself, able to make snap decisions about where I was going, cycling fast when I wanted to and slow if I felt like it, getting to know myself and having the freedom to do my ride my way. But occasionally I've got lonely, or bored, and it's been great having people join me on the way, encouraging me, sharing my experience with me, and giving me something to look forward to.

(Cycling with other people also means I get to be in the photos. Unless I use my self-timer on my camera, which I used to take this one of me riding along the seafront at St Mary's Bay. This was the fourth attempt.)

I set off back to the lovely town of Rye, making my way out to the power station at Dungeness - my last nuclear power station of the trip. I soon passed into Kent - my final county. It was a day of lasts. I really enjoyed the ride - lovely bright sunshine, a tailwind for a good part of the day, and another corner of the country to go round. I followed the National Cycle Network for almost the entire day: Route 2 from Rye to Dover, Route 1 from Dover to Sandwich, then Route 15 from Sandwich to Whitstable. It was great: leading me right next to the coast on traffic-free cycle ways with nothing but the sound of the waves breaking on the sea wall for company, or taking me high onto cliffs with magnificent views across the wide English Channel to the ships that sat on the horizon.

Lunch at Dover castle

I ate my lunch at Dover castle and watched the ferries come in and out of the dock with the frequency of buses. NCN Route 1 starts here, and runs 1194 miles to Inverness according to the milestone on top of the White Cliffs. It was almost seven weeks ago that I was in Inverness following Route 1, having only just started out on my journey.

I followed the cycle route north through Ramsgate and towards Margate where I turned my final corner. Over the past ten weeks I'd travelled in every direction, to all points of the compass in Britain, and now I was on the final stretch. It was quite moving, and as I looked northwards to where my journey had started over two months ago, I was overcome with a mixture of excitement and sadness. What an amazing thing I'd been doing, and what a great time I'd had doing it. But I was happy to be going home, and looking forward to completing my journey.

After the welcome tailwinds of the south coast, I now had a battle ahead. The headwind that greeted me once I'd turned west was ferocious, and I was tired from the 70 miles I'd already cycled. I was due to meet my colleague and host David in Herne Bay, along with another colleague Lucie, and by the time I got there I was exhausted. We stopped and refuelled with tea and cake before continuing along the coast to Whitstable, enjoying a beautiful sunset as we went.

Lucie and David cycling into the sunset

David had cooked up an amazing meal and I ate my standard two portions. It was a lovely evening and a great way to finish my ride, with friends, and excited about the day ahead.

Day seventy - Brighton to Rye

Click here for a map of today's route

It's been great only having to rely on myself for getting around (ferry timetables aside) and not worrying about public transport. Today, two of my friends from London came to Brighton to ride with me, but they weren't so lucky. One broken down train and two bike rides across London later, my friends arrived. Plus Natalia had picked up a puncture on the way! So I fixed it - only my second puncture fix of the trip - and we were on our way.

Katie and Natalia

Brighton seafront was full of motorbikes and quadbikes for the Brightona festival which we had to fight our way through, but it was gorgeous and quiet on the seafront once we'd reached the cycle route, with the waves breaking against the sea wall and the sunlight reflecting off the bright white cliffs and concrete cycle track.

I'd promised the girls a flat ride and the cycle route obliged for a while, leading us past Brighton Marina and along the sea wall, through the docks at Newhaven and to the beach at Seaford where we stopped for lunch and for a paddle in the sea. Kite surfers were taking advantage of the strong wind, which was thankfully blowing in our favour.

Beachy Head

From Seaford the cycle route hit the hills, taking us right up to cliff level at Beachy Head - the highest chalk sea cliff in Britain. It was scarily high, with nothing to protect you from the sheer drop and the rocks below - not surprisingly, it's a notorious suicide spot.

Then came the long descent into Eastbourne where we had a tea break before my friends made their way back to the station and home and I continued along the seafront to my home for the night, Rye.

I cycled through Pevensey Bay through to Bexhill, pushing along the shingle beach for a while (I don't think the cycle route intended me to go that way..) then followed the seafront round to Hastings. It was getting late and the sky turned a fiery red as it sank below the horizon, framing the burnt-out pier that had caught fire for real a year ago. The local council is 'using its [magic?] powers to stabilise the structure', according to a sign on the pier. Thank goodness for that.

Sunset over Hastings pier

By the time I'd got to Winchlesea I was cycling in the dark. I still haven't got used to the seasons changing, but I quite liked the peace and stillness of the dusk and the dark. That is until the last two miles, where I found myself zooming downhill on unlit country lanes, feeling very nervous as I tried not to hit any potholes or trees. I am staying with a colleague's parents for my penultimate night away from home, and tomorrow will be the last day I cycle by myself. We spent some time looking at pictures from the beginning of my ride. It felt so long ago, like it was part of a different trip. I can't believe it's almost over.

Day sixty eight - Hayling Island to Brighton

Click here to see a map of today's route

What a lovely day for a cycle ride. It wasn't very warm or sunny, but the road was flat and the wind blew me in the right direction. My route took me through Chichester and down to the seafront at Bognor Regis - I don't think I've ever been here before but now I know why it's not got much of a reputation - it had that abandoned seaside feel to it that so many of the places I've passed through have had. It's been an interesting experience seeing holiday destinations out-of-season; and my bike ride has also doubled as a recce of retirement venues!

Chocolate break with Ben

I was due to meet my colleague Ben en route, the Bike It officer for Brighton. I met up with him on the delightful A259 at Littlehampton and we made our way down to the seafront at Worthing. I was now riding the exact route that I had done on my previous Penzance to Brighton trip - a ride that Ben has also previously done - in 24 hours!! I was a little apprehensive that I wouldn't be able to keep up!

The NCN route 2 led us all the way through Shoreham to Brighton along the seafront, with the white cliffs of Beachy Head and seafront piers of Brighton growing steadily closer as we swept round the bay.

We passed Palace Pier - the epic finish of my previous bike ride and I remembered the emotions I felt at reaching the pier and flopping on the floor with exhaustion. Now we were zooming past on just another part of my cycle ride, 200 miles away from the finishing line. I was starting to anticipate how I would feel when I reached Tower Bridge, now a mere few days away. It seemed unreal. London was tangibly close - and the signs were now pointing there with increased frequency - 59 miles from Worthing to London! It seemed impossible that I had cycled nearly 4000 miles since I'd last been there.

Which one's Polly?! (She's a bit more weathered)

I went to Ben's house briefly where Polly met her twin (Ben's daughter's playmobil cyclist), then rode to my friend Hannah's house, where I would be staying two nights. I don't need a rest day, but now I'm this close to home, I don't want my adventure to end.

Day sixty seven - Lymington to Hayling Island

Click here to see a map of today's route

The plan for the day had been to sail to Hayling Island on my friend Nick's boat, but the strong winds the previous day had meant that he hadn't been able to get the boat out of Chichester harbour. So instead, I cycled round the Isle of Wight.

Polly at The Needles

I crossed on the excessively expensive ferry to the Isle of Wight then pedalled out to The Needles. They look so small from up above! I got into the Old Battery for free as a National Trust member (the first time I've used my membership card on the entire trip!) and enjoyed looking around before heading south. I really enjoyed going round the island - it was a good mixture of cliff-top views and pretty little villages, with descriptive names of roads such as 'Steephill Road' and 'Zigzag Road' - very literal.

After a few hours on the island I arrived in Rye to get the return ferry to the mainland where I cycled along the seafront as the sun went down over Portsmouth. My final ferry of the day was from Southsea to Hayling Island - an hourly ferry service that I had to wait 25 minutes for and that lasted 2 minutes. Perhaps that was the most expensive one of the whole trip going by time spent on the boat. It was also the thirteenth ferry I'd taken since I'd reached the south coast just one week ago - compared to the zero ferries I'd taken in Wales! It's certainly a very jagged coast down here.

Waiting for the last ferry

By the time I got to Hayling Island the sun had disappeared, so I had to cycle the last few miles in the dark. It felt late even though it wasn't really - strangely, even though I've been outside every day so should be used to the changing seasons, I'm still running on August time, and expect it to get dark at around 9pm. It feels weird that I've been cycling non-stop since August, and now it's October!

Day sixty six - Weymouth to Lymington

Click here for a map of today's route

Today I reached the end of the South West Coast Path, and the end of the hills (well, the steep ones at least). It felt amazing to cycle along flat roads for a change in a strong tailwind - I think I've earned it.

Weymouth and Portland

I started the day travelling south to Portland where I got a great view of the sandbar that connects the island with the mainland. It was quite exposed and windy though so I decided not to go right out to Portland Bill, but followed the Rodwell Trail along the old railway track back into Weymouth.

I had wanted to go along the Purbeck Hills to get to Swanage - I'd been unable to go there on my previous bike ride because the MOD were using it as a firing range, and the road had been closed. Unfortunately it was closed today as well, but hearing the gun fire as I went the long way round, I didn't mind so much.

I crossed from the Isle of Purbeck to Poole on the Sandbank Ferry - the chain ferry that goes back and forth across the harbour mouth. Even in the grey day, Poole harbour was an impressive sight - the second largest natural harbour in the world, with golden sand lining its mouth and grand and extremely expensive properties on the shore.

Jason on Bournemouth seafront

The cycle route followed the seafront all the way from Sandbanks to Bournemouth and the wind blew me along the wide sweeping bay to Boscombe pier where I met my colleague Jason for a cup of tea. Then across the mouth of Christchurch harbour on a tiny ferry and along the edge of the New Forest to Lymington.

It had been quite a long ride but the tailwind and the early start meant I arrived in Lymington before 4pm, so could relax for a change and have a very chilled out evening.