Athlete Profile
Ralph Cox•Follow
Ride
September 3, 2022

Corner to Corner, Day 34, Part 1: Thurso to Duncansby Head via John o'Groats

https://www.cycling4charity.org.uk Good route. Wind blasting towards us at 1 o'clock almost the whole way. There via the southerly B road. Back via the more direct A836. Only saw one cyclist, who had his photo at the post, halfway round NC500. Less celebratory than at Land’s End. Got the photos and receipt for End to End Club then onto Duncansby Head.
Distance
24.5 mi
Elev Gain
1,946 ft
Time
3h 12m
Going south east on Mount Pleasant Road out of Thurso along NCN Route 1, just after Duncanshill towards Mayfield, Weydale (a crofting settlement to the right on the hilltop), Hilliclay. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weydale
0:22
0:30
George, a farmer in Thurdistoff, explained that RAF Castletown airfield had been in the locality during WW2. Spitfires patrolling the Orkneys and Scappa Flow where the British fleet were based flew from it. This was a target for practice. OS Maps show that the runways had been in the field opposite the end of the road we are on, for a few hundred yards both ways. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Castletown
The building with the chimney was a decontamination facility in case of chemical warfare. It was never used in anger.
0:30
End-to-End record
Duncansby Head about half a mile away, 0.65 by road.
Photos at the real corner: Duncansby Head
Atlantic
North Sea with the conical Duncansby Stacks off the coast. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stack_(geology)
0:28
2 kudos
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