Ok, until we have a better connection I'll have to post the updates to the blog and tell you all when there's a new one.

So, er, I've posted an update on the blog, and that's here...

:D uve put it on 3 times !!

heres 2days  ;)

Quoted Text

Update: Saturday/Sunday
After a great response to our fancy dress at work on Friday, we were ready to leave before 0700 on Saturday morning.

Progress was good for the most part, the slowest part being the 18 miles of the M42 and our new route through Bristol City centre (best described by saying it in a Sean Connery accent).

After a few funny looks, particularly when stopping at a Bus cafe and a Burger King, we were well on our way and aside from a low point through tiredness at about 1500 we managed to get to the camp site at Westward Ho! At almost exactly 1700.

Our fancy dress and Dennis' new look also seemed to go down well with our fellow LEJOGers, quite a few of which had already arrived and set up.

We decided on a spot to pitch, got set up and after a bit of a meet and greet we were ready to head off to the barbeque hosted by previous LEJOGers Alison and Ian.

A thoroughly good evening ensued, and after all the food was gone and all the available wood was burnt in the chimnea we said our goodbyes
and headed back to the campsite.

As luck would have it, Braddick's was still open so some of us nipped in for a "swift pint" - of course such a thing doesn't exist and with there being a buffet on, we stayed for a bit longer...

This morning I wished I hadn't had quite so much of the cheesecake - Braddick's facilities were sorely tested, though some of up have
theories that my gut rot may have been caused by the amounts of Tribute consumed. I couldn't possibly comment...

So off to the Children's Hospice for some of us to wash the mini buses and for others to have their own cars fettled: Baz with his anti handbrake exhaust and Team Jellybean with their borrowed Charlie Brown radio. there was nothing to do but whip out my tools and lend a hand...

Once the quick tour and the excellent cream tea were polished off, and some of us had tanked up our minis we headed back to the campsite for Terry's pre-run briefing. The usual things were covered, a few route updates (for those of us who'd been allowed routes again) and it was time for tea at the Sunshine cafe.

Following fish and chips (and Michelle's anti pea rhetoric) we settled down outside Terry's tent for a chat and a beer or two.

Once the conversation had gone through running down the locals in the Galapagos with horses and Terry talking of toilet-based budgie disposal, we all drifted back to our tents. Some kip is needed before we tackle the drive to Lands End tomorrow 8-)

darn Google email app...

:D if u wanna e-mail me any pics send them to kevin@beer5798.freeserve.co.uk

Quoted Text

Update: Monday

As you may have guessed, Monday's update is a bit late. In fact due to one thing and several others it will probably end up being lumped together with tomorrow's update from the relative comfort of a motorway hotel...

In the meantime, amuse yourselves with the following question, which is not mistyped: what is LEGOG?

Legendary Elephant Got Outsized Gonads ??  

Quoted from mabel

Legendary Elephant Got Outsized Gonads ??  

:D

Could it be "LEGO Gamers" or a place in Indonesia??

All (well, some) is revealed below...

OK, so now we're in Charnock Richard, it's about time to do a proper blog post. This one will be for Monday and Tuesday, but first as bit that got missed from Sunday.

It appears that the bloke who does the LEJOG stickers for the windows had fat fingers when making them - this year we mostly all have stickers saying "LEGOG 2009". So, any ideas for what this actually means?

Anyway, up early on Monday as usual, woken by a combination of baking heat in the tent, and manic seagulls outside. Threats of shotguns and other surface to air weapons failed to shut them up so the decision was taken to get up and get ready for Lands End.

Off to Dartington Crystal for breakfast as usual, typical fare which set us up for the day and after official photos we were off down through Devon and Cornwall - unsurprisingly the usual way to get to Lands End.

A fairly quiet run down left us at the entrance, with the jobsworth bod on the gate sending us into the car park whilst John went to find someone who knew what they were doing. Eventually we got to our usual parking spot by the cliff, with plenty of tourists wondering what all these strange people dressed in Hippy costumes were doing there.

Many photos were taken, and a few of us managed to get our cars (and in some cases, trailers) in front of the signpost for "official" photos with the professional photographer who at one point was asking Tony for hints...

After pasties, loo breaks, hunts for forms for the End to End club and a bit of a chill out in the sun we set off again - although through a breakdown in communication we didn't get photos at the start line, despite the best efforts of one third of Team Jellybean.

Big delays getting back were caused by an accident involving a cyclist - though thankfully not involving any of the LEJOGgers. An enjoyable but long and otherwise uneventful drive found us back in Devon, with some filling up or shopping at Morrisons and some heading straight for the campsite, tired and ready for food and more chilling out.

Baz came up with a solution to the seagulls - peanut butter and alka seltzer. 10 points for guessing how that works.

After grub at the Sunshine Cafe, a bit more "cheesecake" and attempts to load up as much as we could before the early start the next day it was bedtime - hoping for uninterrupted sleep - ready for the long drive up to Charnock Richard.

The morning came a little too early. Cloud had stopped the sun heating the tents up, but the rude awakening was actually Tony setting off the alarm on Dennis trying to pack. At least it wasn't the seagulls.

Throwing the rest of the kit in the car, packing away the tents and heading away from the campsite, we went to Morrisons for breakfast - as usual. Myself and Tony got the rough end of the service from the staff, getting our food after some who ordered after had finished theirs. At least no-one went for the two breakfast option...

And so, after tanking up again, we were off over Exmoor (where we got to see some of the equine wildlife on the road) and the fun that was Lynton and Lynmouth. The downward stretches weren't too bad, having plenty of braking performance at the bottom, but Countisbury Hill proved difficult as I mistimed a change from 1st to 2nd and ended up holding the rest of the convoy back. Sorry!

Porlock Hill was a bit rough, using first for a good chunk of it. At least the rebuilt gearbox could take it this year, although the brakes were in a poor state at the bottom of the hill.

The run up and out of Devon went well, and £5.40 later we were soon over the old Severn Bridge and spending a bit of time in Wales. Apart from the odd set of lights splitting us up we were as a convoy for much of the way. No breakdowns, no-one getting lost, no emergency cleanups to do... bliss...

Running up the borders and into Herefordshire the weather was mostly with us - cloud was welcome at times but even with the cover it was getting hot and muggy. A few idiots on the road - as usual - but they passed without incident. Some of the hills proved troublesome with slow trucks in the way but without much stirring of the gearstick we managed to cope.

Into Shropshire, the only trouble so far was the tip of my Charlie Brown aerial disappearing somewhere between Bristol and Craven Arms, where we stopped for the loo, some grub and a leg stretch. Forging on through into Cheshire, luckily without a low loader this year, and we eventually got to the motorway.

Rumours were about that some of the services on the motorway might sell CB equipment, so just off the M56 and before the M6 proper, I announced (over the fairly useless Charlie Brown) that I was going to the first services on the M6, and would meet everyone at Charnock Richard.

Unfortunately my message didn't get through, so I ended up leading a confused bunch of LEJOGgers off the motorway, round a couple of roundabouts and into the services. Handily for some of my temporary followers, the loo stop helped with the 20 miles of traffic on the M6 before we got to Charnock Richard...

After unpacking the essentials and booking in to our room with unfinished paintwork and complimentary mouldy windowframe, I had chance to borrow Lottie's magmount aerial, which was luckily the same make and model as mine. Lastly, after fixing my horn and headlamp flashers with another quick tweak (this time of the power feed to the fusebox), we all broke up for food. One Burger King later and I'm sat putting this together with a Guinness and a story or two about Neil's ablutionary habits whilst the fog rolls in like the film. Bliss.

Early start tomorrow - the "short" run up to Moffat. Rumour has it that the weather's going to be good, so we might get to see the view over Shap Fell. We shall see.

Thank you for keeping us up to date.

Andrew and I have done 2 Lejogs and know where you are. Moffat tonight is good with a nice meal at The Star Hotel.......the narrowest in the country?

Heidi found a boyfriend dog in Moffat who lived in a kennel in his front garden. Regardless of how poorly she was feeling on our second trip she took us to find him and I'm sure they remembered each other.

Gretna Green tomorrow. any weddings in the air?

They're at Inverness tonight with a return journey to John O'Groats tomorrow . The weather looks to have been really kind to them all.

:) Thanks for all the updates Siddarz  :) sounds like great fun  :) take care everyone  :)

OK, it's late again, but here's Wednesday and Thursday's updates:

Yes, once again this is a double post for two days worth.

Wednesday

The morning found us all packed and ready to leave Charnock Richasrd services, for a short trip up the M6 and on to the A6 heading for breakfast at Kendal. Morrisons were a bit more efficient than yesterday, getting our breakfasts ready in time this time.

By the time we'd got to Morrisons it was obvious that the combination of my gutter mount and Lotty's  aerial was not enough for me to be heard or for others to hear us. At the retail park where Morrisons is situated, myself and Tony tried Halfords for Charlie Brown gear. Fail. Nothing at all we could use to fix or replace it.

A tiny amount of the conversation involved the disappearance of Mr T (the plastic "in your pocket" type with 6 well known sayings) from outside the hotel. No leads on this one, though it does sound similar to Teef and Moo last year and occasionally he could be heard on the Charlie Browns.

So we left Kendal after tanking up and headed north, strangely enough. I was trying to make sure I stayed close enough to Carol and Michelle as the lead cars to make sure I heard instructions.

And yes, we actually saw Shap Fell this year - and it was definitely worth it. Having seen only rain - or fog - or mist - or drizzle - the last two times I've been up there, it was a welcome change to be able to see the road, let alone the view.

We had the usual 5-way split in Carlisle due to the traffic lights, but Carnforth this year was much better as we pretty much stayed together and before we knew it, our passports had been checked and we were officially visitors to Scottishland.

Our next stop was the usual lunchbreak at Gretna Green. One of the first jobs after scoffing a ridiculously overpriced sandwich and a curiously reasonable ice cream, was to put Lotty's aerial back together. To make sure we could hear and be heard,  I decided there was nothing else to do but use the magmount.

I grabbed some speciality beers and we headed off to Moffat, which handily on this shortest of our days was only a short distance away.

We arrived at Moffat camp site by 1500 and it was pretty much as it has been for the past couple of years: the average age of the LEJOGgers was less than a 3rd of the apparent average age of the other campers/caravanners, and they stuck us at the side under the midge filled trees.

But the wee beasties were out in force - after several days of warmth and clear skies, they were all out and hungry as soon as we arrived.

So, tents up, keep moving so they don't work out you're there and edible, and take a walk round the town trying to find some Lego. Unfortunately Moffat's "summer opening hours" hadn't kicked in yet, so half day closing on Wednesdays is still the norm. The only toy shop also didn't see real Lego.

Somewhat dejected, I walked back to the camp with Tony and Team Jellybean (aka the students with Steve the Pirate, "Yaaar!") for a quick beer before heading for the Star Inn. This, as previous readers will remember, is the narrowest hotel in the UK, and is the usual haunt for us to eat in Moffat. One rather nice meal and a dessert later (and the sight of Baz and the Queen sharing a dessert) we spent some more time in the lower floor getting to know each other a bit better.

Heading back to the tents, the midges were in attack mode. Several made their way into my tent, though leaving my little LED light on kept them attracted enough to let me sleep.

Thursday

Morning, as has typically been the case, came earlier than anticipated so I thought the best thing was to get up and pack away with more than enough time left. Then I saw the massed forces of the Revolutionary Midge Army around the tent door. Nothing for it than to charge out and get the tent folded up quick in an effort to not be bitten too badly. This year they seem to have developed a taste for me, though I've not reacted to them.

The A-series (and diesel) dawn chorus coughed into life at 0700 on the dot (camp rules and all that) and we were off on our way to breakfast at Dumbarton. Tony and John went ahead to try getting some photos as we were descending to cross the motorway but the long grass defeated the best of efforts.

Better news was Strathaven - we didn't get lost and we all stuck together (apart from the early morning idiots on the roads). This meant we were actually ahead of time, so we managed to hit the rush hour for every place we went through. We had some bad splits in the convoy but eventually we arrived at Morrisons.

The cafe was much more efficient today, although the service wasn't fantastic and the ordering system was different to every other Morrisons we'd been in. After fuelling both ourselves and our cars we headed off again over the Erskine Bridge and on to Loch Lomond.

Our usual stopping point on the Loch was busy with those darned tourists, so we pressed on. Loch Lomond went by quickly and before we knew it we were enjoying fantastic views of Glencoe and the surrounding area - although a few impatient drivers started to spoli things for us.

Fort William was next, with the usual interest in the Minis from the tourists, this year even more so because of the way they're decorated. A slightly less overpriced sandwich later, with a top up of Neil's clutch fluid, we set off along the lochs to Inverness.

John and Tony went ahead again to the Commando memorial, ready to take photos of the convoy as we came up the hill - though we were again split into two groups. A stop at the memorial found Michelle had yanked too hard on her handbrake once too often, with the result that it was no longer braking by hand. A quick fix by John and we were ready to go again.

Steadily cruising along Loch Ness, we encountered roadworks - surface dressing which was appalling. Driving over the recently laid chippings, our tyres were completely coated with tar, and now have chips all over the place - even around the boot of the minibum. We were not happy.

We stopped as usual at Uquhart Castle for photos - including a young American tourist asking my permission for him to take pictures of my car, then with chips flying we ran down into Inverness.

Tents were set up quickly, with other campers very interested in the cars and what we were doing. A few of us nipped to Morrisons, then food from our regular takeaway was ordered and eaten. Best thing to do with it, of course.

Chris suggested that Inverness at night is light enough that you don't need a torch to go to the loo - though a steady aim is also required to avoid the other tents. Other suggestions included the streetlights, though this was "misunderstood" to mean that Chris was actually a volunteer fireman who didn't need a tender behind.

And apparently, Neil had a hand in Barry's pocket, fiddling with something which made a mess in his hand. All quite innocent, apparently.

And so the night drew to a close. Couple more bottles to be drunk before we all retire, lie in in the morning and hit John O'Groats tomorrow. Nite all!

thanks for the updates  ;D

im realy missing being on LEJOG now  :-/

think i might have to do it again next year  ;D

Another great report ;D ;D ;D ;D It makes you feel like you are there.......Well almost. I did start itching with the midgies :D :D

I still am 8-(

They've been much worse this year for some reason. Still, only got to survive one more night after tonight 8-)

They should be at John O'Groats about now. Forecast showed some sunshine which is a bonus and temperature at Inverness 21 degrees.

Quoted from Chief Engineer

thanks for the updates  ;D

im realy missing being on LEJOG now  :-/

think i might have to do it again next year  ;D

ditto. this past week doesnt feel right :D

Had a text from PR at about half two saying they'd all made it with no breakdowns!!

Well done all you Lejog nutters!!!!!

Quoted from mabel

Had a text from PR at about half two saying they'd all made it with no breakdowns!!

Well done all you Lejog nutters!!!!!

:) Yep WELL DONE EVERYONE


(clap)(clap)  (bravo)(bravo)(cheer)(cheer)(cheer)

Well done everyone,  :) :) :) :), already planning for next year, as we wished we had done it this year, have a safe trip back, dont worry its all downhill on the way back :D :D :D :D :D

steve

My final blog update will be done when I get back to Leeds - after all I've been doing 2 days worth of posts all the way through, why break with tradition now ;)

well we have arrived home this afternoon at 4.30ish after a breakfast stop several fuels stops cant remember now and to sit in the sun at Tiverton Canal before getting home to unpack and dry out the tent

The only time Ian has done the journey home with out a hangover (luckily rain on Fri curtailed any serious Sherry drinking!!!!!) and we couldnt see much because of the low cloud and a very brief shower which was just as well as one of the wiper blades is less than perfect

Tomorrow will involve clearing out the rest of the bits that are all over the various pockets in the Mini and washing off the hundreds of flies that have stuck to the front of grill bonnet etc

but all in all and despite the mijies it was a lovely week the weather was surperb an i for one missed our little scenic tour

THANKS EVERYONE  ;D  ;D 8)

Better late than never again and all that...

As I write this I'm a bit tired, having still not recovered, so please forgive its tardiness and any spelung mistaxes...

Friday
The last part of our journey started, as usual, with the morning. This was a slightly later morning than previously; the run today was not the longest, and was probably one of the most straightforward so we got to have a lie in for 15minutes or so.

While I'd been writing the Wednesday/Thursday blog post, Julie and Gerry had been hard at work blowing up (and occasionally popping) balloons to decorate Jane's tent, as it was her birthday on Friday. They seemed to go down well when Jane got up, but there was more to come.

First stop was Morrisons for breakfast. Whilst we were eating (and after I'd managed to get a refund after being charged for two breakfasts) the shop's tannoy announced that it was Jane's birthday. Naturally we all had to burst into a rendition of "Happy Birthday" which, although possibly a bit embarrassing, also seemed to go down well.

Fuelled for the day, we set off for John O'Groats accompanied on the Charlie Browns by a trio of sweary Scotsmen. Their accents were so strong that the only recogniseable words all began with f, but that didn't help as they were every second word.

We lost them fairly soon though, so we could carry on listening to Carol's excellent route guiding and, following a flypast from several Tornados, a good description of what Carol and Michelle's plans were for the following week. Before we knew it we were past Dun[Batman and]Robin Castle, motoring up the coast.

We found some more cheaply surfaced roads on the way up, similar to our experiences along the loch roads but thankfully the tar had set and there were much fewer loose chippings to contend with. The recent improvements to much of the A9 were still going on in places and where the roads had been replaced the surfaces were much better. Unfortunately, we found we'd lost some of the best parts of the route. Some of the steep hills and switchbacks we'd encountered on previous runs have now gone, and the original road blocked off. A great disappointment to all of us who had done them before, and something missed for the newbies. Oh well.

Of course, the run up to John O'Groats also involves an incline in a hamlet called Berriedale. This incline is known to 2008 LEJOGgers as "Jay's Hill" and as the only BINI driver, Chris had been a little nervous. However, once we got to the top of the hill, Chris came on the Charlie Brown and informed us that he had actually got up the hill without issue, except for choking on Nessie's smoke. Not bad for a German tractor 8-)

Our run continued up the coast, at times with the nutty drivers we've come to expect on this road. One old gent decided to try getting past the whole convoy, and I'm still not sure whether, when passing us as car 2, waved or shook his fist. If it was frustration, he found plenty more as Michelle left him on one of the larger hills, even with Mini Jock in tow. He eventually turned off, so we could carry on in relative peace.

We arrived in Wick soon after, with plenty of people pointing and looking as we drove through, then on to our usual toilet stop at Lybster - welcomed by everyone. Chris and Tony went ahead down to the harbour, and with Tony in place for more hilly convoy pictures, we all descended.

After parking up for photos we took the opportunity for a cup of coffee/slice of cake at the Waterpoint cafe on the harbour, and Steve the Pirate - amongst others - took the opportunity to take to his natural habitat for a paddle.

Well rested, we left for the last bit of our northbound run and hit John O'Groats soon after. The usual photos at the roundabout and of course for some at the signpost, souvenir buying and so on, then we were back on our way to Inverness.

On the way back, we heard a French gentleman on the Charlie Browns. My french isn't great, but I did manage to respond by asking for a cherry ice cream. Something garbled followed from him (perhaps something impolite about English Charlie Brown users), and then he went quiet.

We stopped off just after Keiss, at Keiss beach, on Chris' recommendation. Unfortunately though it may have been an out of date brochure, as it whiffed a bit and wasn't quite the golden miles we'd expected. There were rumours it might also have been radioactive, but I didn't notice anyone glowing on Friday night, so it must have been OK.

A nice leisurely run brought us to our new toilet stop at Golspie at some of the best public toilets I've ever seen. Think that'll be a regular stop from now on.

And so we returned to Inverness, many of us stocking up on nibbles from Morrisons, of course. Half a chicken and a bit of sausage later - and of course some of Jane's birthday cake - the heavens decided to open for a short but heavy shower which largely brought the party to a close until it stopped. By this time people had begun to disperse to tents, getting ready for their drives home in the morning. Some of us said our goodbyes, knowing that they would be leaving before others, and all of us had thankful words for Terry.

A beer or two later and it was time to try getting some sleep, a long day - and a long week - mostly over.

Saturday
Well, it may be that the seagulls from Westward Ho! had followed us to Inverness. I was woken at about 0500 as some people were packing up to leave and as the seagulls were begging me to have at them with artillery. Grr.

I managed to get a wave off to Lotty and the Queen, though I missed Neil and Andrea. Terry was taking his tent down at this point but, feeling absolutely shattered, I dropped off again.

I woke up again at 0630 to find that only Barry, Carol and Michelle and of course myself and Tony were left. We broke camp fairly quickly, waiting a little for Barry who had decided to head back with us. We'd tanked up at Morrisons so we could get straight off and head down the A9.

It was a very good idea to convoy down with Barry. Setting TomTom to take us down the A9 and finding the next instruction was in 127 miles made us realise how long a drive it is when there's only two very tired people in the car, and how cool an invention the Charlie Brown was.

We made fairly good time considering our limited speed, the rather wet weather and the nutty drivers, managed to get over the Forth Road Bridge and round Edinburgh and at this point we went our separate ways. Barry decided it would be more sensible for him to take the motorways back, whilst me and Tony carried on down the A68.

With the drizzle continuing (and a lack of a passenger side wiper arm due to worn splines) we kept on going on the A68, including a slightly hairy but ultimately enjoyable moment over a blind summit when it felt like we were taking off. Switching to what's left of the Great North Road, we made it back to Leeds and to the front door at work at 1745, earlier than expected.

After unloading the trailer of Tony's gear, it was time to head home for a jolly good kip. This year has to have been the best LEJOG I've been on, yet I think mainly due to the heat it was also by far the most tiring. But that doesn't mean I won't be back for another.

And Tony? Well, after a week of driving Dennis, his reaction to his own car was little different to Paul's the years before: "It's HUGE! and I can't hear the engine!"

LEGOG 2009 is officially ended - Car number 1 arrived back on the planet exactly 15 hours after departing Aberchirder at 5.30am this morning :B I shall be heading for bed very soon, but PR is heading out to meet up with Lisa (Mini-mack) to help celebrate her birthday  ;D

Nice to know you made it home safe.