On the second day of this journey in the south of England, I stopped for the umpteenth time and stared at the sign posts pointing down winding lanes to names of villages I didn’t recognize. The tiny lanes zigged and zagged between tall hedges. A woman, taking a break on her porch, cigarette in hand, called out in response to my “good morning and we are lost!: “Dear, this isn’t Route 66, you know!” and she was right. We haven’t had a straight road in about 1000 miles—until today! Our penultimate day, we pulled out of Lairg (a town about 50 miles from the north coast), pointed our bikes north on a single lane path, and besides pulling over for the occasional car, truck, and motorcycle and work crew, we enjoyed wide open vistas for nearly 45 miles and didn’t turn again until shortly before we reached our inn, located on the dunes of the North Sea.
One more day pedaling along the north coast to our final destination in John O’Groats. Happiness is seeing this part of the world (and straight roads).
annedoylebiking 
Congrats Anne! A long, crazy journey and you prevailed once again. With a sense of humor, and a big heaping of commitment and perseverance, you checked another box off of the bucket list! Can’t wait to see you here. We leave in a few hours for Portugal. See you when we get back! XO
Anne, it makes me teary! You are unstoppable. I can’t believe that truck road. Oh my.
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Thank you dear friend. And now the beloved queen has died. Stunning to be here as the country- the world- mourns.
Amazing that I was there for the Jubilee in May and you were there for her passing just a few months later. She was a remarkable women, leading legions of men with grace and character. When do you return?
Wahoo, go Anne!!! I’ve had such a blast binge-reading through your journey, signs, views, rain, and humor. Here’s hoping you get to dip those wheels in to the ocean here on the other end. Extra love with Queen Elizabeth II’s passing today – there’s something poetic about that in the sadness.