Day 5 - It really rains up here....I mean really rains HARD!

Jedburgh to Edinburgh - 50 miles, 5 hours in the saddle, 6:00 hour journey time. Total distance to date 276.5 miles

From the moment I woke up to the top of the Soutra Hill (the last big hill to the south of Edinburgh on the A68) it has rained hard all day, and with the cold northerly wind, I have only just been warm enough to be in a fair cheer. This is good practice for Iceland as it will be colder and wetter there and I can replace gear in Edinburgh based on my experiences on this leg. New waterproof gloves are the first on the list as well as sturdier over shoes (cycling galoshes), a few new long sleeve cycling tops will help replace the useless short sleeve ones - what was I thinking, short sleeves!

Despite the rain and cold, I had no aches and pains and my legs felt strong and managed a steady 10mph the whole way, the hills were long and winding but not overly steep, as long as I maintained a steady pace they passed with out difficulty. I can't comment on the scenery as it was head down into the wind and to keep the rain out of my face all day.

I decided the counting of RK was too macabre a past time for an educated person like me and focused instead on the new feeling I have found in enjoying the harsh conditions of the road, not in a masochistic way, well OK in part, but I didn't see one other cyclist all day and people would look at me with such surprise "Who is this nutter towing a trailer on a bike in this weather?" Also for the first time I learnt not to count miles, look at the map (it helped it was covered in large rain droplets so impossible to read!) or constantly measure my progress, 50 miles out of a few '000 - it doesn't really matter if I am cycling at 9mph or 12mph. This mental shift in how I spend my time thinking about the journey will be key for me to deal with the miles and conditions that lay ahead.

I am still towing too much gear - not sure how I can lighten the load, I'll just have to take it easier and pick my routes more carefully - good training however for towing the sled across Greenland in August. This fact does help in my motivation to complete this journey, as I need to be fit for the next trip or I would not be allowed to partake in the icecap crossing.

From the top of Soutra Hill, I can see the skies clearing over Edinburgh and I can see the blue of the Firth of Forth and feel motivated to complete the last 17 miles into town.

On arriving in the centre of Edinburgh at the Smart City hostel, I find that the place is very bike friendly, with "bikeports" and a courtyard to wash and service my bike tomorrow on my day off. Also there is free Inet access to update the blogs, book onward hostels and catchup with friends. Looking forward to a rest day before attacking the Grampian Mountains on Wednesday - not complaining but my left knee is quite sore and could do with the rest.

A great journey so far, I have seen parts of the UK I have never visited and whilst bleak and desolate, the Dales are a really wonderful place and definitely the most picturesque place I have cycled through in the UK.