 Friday 13th didn't bode well at the
beginning and nearly lived up to its reputation. As I was
packing the bikes into the car the Friday morning I found a
broken spoke on the rear wheel chain/drive side.
Thankfully Jackie at Beyond Mountain Bikes at Smithbrook
Kilns (about 10 miles from Guildford) casually said 'bring it
down' - they repaired it whilst Jillian, (my wonderful wife who
took the bike down there at a moment's notice) waited! What a
star - don't know what I'd have done without this level of
service from “Beyond”.
Jillian and my two little boys Fergal & Aidan left Guildford
after school and met me at my work in Bracknell. 20 of my
colleagues were preparing for their own challenge of London to
Brighton on the Sunday and were beginning to feel for what I was
probably going to go through. They gave me a great send-off from
the office! Leitch not only sponsored the event but has been a
great support for my ride all the way.
We left Bracknell at about 4pm and got to the Old Manor Hotel
at Sennan (1mile before LandsEnd) at 11pm - in bed immediately
as a 5AM rise was needed for a 6AM start. I was impressed with
the hotel not being bothered either by our late arrival time or
the early departure – they had a guest the previous week who
wanted to depart at 4AM for a great walk around the tip of
England ! Jim Gallacher a good old friend was with us the first
night and was my support car driver throughout the route being
joined by Ken Blair, a long-time friend way back to University
days, from the middle of the second day. Everyone was really
excited but we slept well.
Day 1
Original plan was to leave Lands End at 0600 but with all the
excitement of the boys taking photos and wanting to video my
departure themselves I set off on the dot of 0630 on Saturday
14th June 2003. I was quite excited too and would like to have
spent a little more time taking in the view at the tip of
England. After several hundred miles I finally crossed the
finish line at 2203 on Wednesday 18th June 2003. A total of 111
hours and 33 minutes with approximately 50 hours 33 minutes in
the saddle – and no saddle sore !!!
Never having been to either place before it was quite funny
to see a great white line across the road, which said START in
one direction and FINISH when you looked from the other
direction. Seemingly several thousand tread the route each year
using various forms of transport. In fact the night porter at
The Lands End Hotel told us there were hundreds per day setting
off at this time of year. Strange that I should be the only one
there mad enough to depart at 6AM. He kindly gave us the
official ‘Stamp Sheet’ that we should get stamped at
post-offices or other official establishments every 50 miles or
so along the route to prove your route and time. This is a very
nice memento & souvenir of all the places we stopped at and who
looked at us in stunned amazement asking if “you really left
Lands End yesterday morning – and this is Tarporley?!”
The closer you get to John O'Groats the fewer roads there are
to use, so when you see someone on a bike or walking with a
rucksack (or in flippers, wetsuit or something equally bizarre)
the chances are high that they have either travelled all the way
from Lands End and desperate for support to the finish or are
just at the beginning and have little idea of the pain facing
them in their long journey south.
There's something quite magnificent about travelling from end
to end. We don't often take the opportunity to see our own
country and travelling at even 20mph from one end to the other
was, for me, quite an experience. Seeing the many sights along
the way and taking in some of the breathtaking views was
something I’ll never forget. Doing it for a charity I feel
passionately about meant that every one of those gruelling miles
meant another pound or penny toward changing someone’s life more
than I can personally imagine.
My first day was tough. After starting all guns blazing I
settled into a pace that was perhaps a little too fast. They
built the hills in Cornwall & Devon perpendicular to the roads
so the route was a constant and relentless series of long steady
climbs and then swift downhills (the downhills were never
normally long enough to recover from the uphill and I'm certain
I was gaining significant altitude rapidly !). After about 70 of
these climbs I became quite weary and it wasn't until we passed
Taunton that the route became flatter. As I approached Bristol
Airport with only 10 miles to go to my scheduled first stop (on
the northern side of Bristol) I couldn't face the last hill into
Bristol itself so called it a’day 10 miles short of target.
That night we stayed in a place called Wickwar with two very
kindly and generous people who are friends of the charity.
Pauline & Chris Bolton welcomed us with open arms. I arrived
later than expected and they had lovingly tolerated my
boisterous two boys for the previous few hours allowing them the
run of their wonderfully rambling house and exquisite gardens.
After a good hot bath (two, in fact since I was caked in a layer
of sun cream and road grime!!) I was well fed and slept soundly.
Day 2
Day 2 was nicer. After another great send-off from Jillian,
Fergal & Aidan along with Pauline & Chris, Jim and I made our
way back to exactly where I left off the night before. Being
fresh and well rested I easily managed the short climbs into
Bristol. From there I followed the Severn valley up through
Gloucester, Worcester, Kidderminster and on to Telford &
Whitchurch. We stopped for lunch in Tewksbury a lovely old town
and in the Sunday afternoon was quite peaceful – it really
demanded stopping for Sunday Lunch. I hadn’t done this on day
one, thinking instead I should survive on baked beans and rice
pudding – great carbohydrates but no substitute for a good hot
lasagne and the rest that goes with a sit-down meal.
The route then led me to Tarporley where I finished for the
night. Another 10 miles short of target, making me 20 miles
below schedule in total. I wasn't disappointed though as I had
had a very good day cycling and met my sister Maire & her
husband Vincent, children Gareth, Siobhan & Ciara (all of whom
were jumping & cheering when I arrived but none of whom would
hug the sweaty, greasy cyclist when he stopped!) at Whitchurch.
Meeting them all was great encouragement indeed.
Vincent told me of the football match he was holding in
support of the charity – and has since raised more than £200 -
fantastic !
Ken Blair a very close friend for nearly 20 years joined Jim
half way through day 2 and it was so reassuring to have him
along at this point. Ken took over camera duty and got some
great shots of me (amongst many other things I think he wants in
the final video too, like sheep & cows etc!). Ken was a great
support to both Jim and me and every time I got off the bike my
glasses were cleaned immediately and without me really knowing.
Their humour was great and they never once stopped cheering me
on and supporting me when I was down – when I was going well, it
was great to surprise them by flying past the car as they were
chatting and unaware I’d arrived so quickly; this alone gave me
good support.
Day 3
Day 3 started at Tarporley 20 miles south of the M56 where I
was supposed to start. This day was an absolute joy to ride.
We’d stayed with Eric Hayward and his family in Runcorn –
again about 20 miles off the route, but worth it – who to our
amazement had everything prepared for our arrival, despite us
not being able to easily predict when we’d be there. A full meal
laid out like the best restaurant – couldn’t eat enough of the
delicious lasagne – pasta fuels cycling and this was great.
Up reasonably early, Ken & Jim had already re-packed the car
and were ready for the off as soon as breakfast was over. I
really thought this part of the country would be worst for
traffic but getting back to the start was quick and clocking up
the first 30 miles was easy – here I took more B class roads
than anywhere else and it was nice to ride without the
relentless whirr of traffic trying to knock me off.
Although the first two days were hot, the third day was a
scorcher - approaching nearly 30 degrees C - but I was prepared
with all the sunblock creams and plenty of hydration. Warrington
came quickly and then through Wigan, Preston stopping for lunch
on the north side of Lancaster. I expected this part of the
country to be a lot more difficult than it was. I expected a lot
more heavy traffic given that it was Monday morning - a pleasant
surprise to find things easier going.
Cycling through towns close together was good as it drew away
some of the monotony and made the miles go by more easily. After
Lancaster we got to Kendall quite quickly and I took a wrong
turning.
Fortunately I stopped before climbing a great hill - thought
it better to check rather than do an unnecessary climb. It was
just after lunchtime. I asked an old lady whether this was the
way to Shap. Oh no she replied, go back into town and turn left
at the lights. “You’re not going to try to make it to Shap
tonight” she enquired. To her relief I said no, I wasn’t going
to try to get to Shap. When I said I was aiming for Gretna she
nearly died on the spot !!! I was giggling all the way up Shap
on this encounter.
The climb to Shap summit was great. There were several small
hills in advance of Shap summit and I even took a phone call
with my hands-free adaptor from someone at work – what
commitment to the job I thought ! I deserved the fantastic
downhill all the way to Penrith. Shap was super and very
memorable indeed. Getting to Carlisle was easy enough since much
of this terrain is rolling hills - great for the long distance
cyclist - easy to pick up speed on the downhill that would get
me most of the way up the next and so on. Only 6 miles from
Carlisle to the Scottish border - the A74 is a terribly
dangerous road, don't ever take it on a bicycle ! I arrived in
Gretna at 8pm and kissed that wonderful sign that said "Welcome
To Scotland" !
Gosh, did I really get to Scotland in 3 days?
Day 4
Day 4 started at where we left off, the Welcome to Scotland
sign in Gretna. Funny how Gretna is well known but seems to have
become a bit of a sad and dire place since all the traffic is
diverted onto the bypass.
We stayed with the-wonderful-Bridie on night 3. Bridie must
live in one of the most remote parts of this country I’ve ever
had the pleasure of visiting. Her cottage is set right in the
middle of the mountains about 30 miles from Hawick
(pronunciation of which I’ll never get right) and we all joke
that being so remote she must be either married to Rob-Roy or
just doesn’t want to pay the TV licence!
Leaving Gretna I was in good shape and easily got through
Lockerbie to Moffat and then on to the long climb of the
Beattock summit. I had a rest in Moffat and when I moved off
thought the climb would be OK. The climb was about 5 miles long
and about half way up I simply 'bonked’, (technical term in
cycling – honest) lost all energy - this can happen within about
60 seconds, going from feeling fine and strong to feeling
absolutely terrible and out of energy. The only thing to do is
get some water, sugar, salt into your body and lie flat & rest.
After this I thought I was OK until I was on the following
downhill and nearly fell asleep at the handlebars whilst doing
30mph ! What? Yes I fell asleep !
The bike went into the shallow gutter at the side of the
road, which brought me to my senses rather quickly indeed. I
could still cycle in the gutter narrowly avoiding landing in the
ditch a metre below. Scary. At the bottom I had to rest for a
while to get my strength back.
Edinburgh was only 25miles away and I cycled into the centre
to a bike shop to get some new gloves since the ones I started
with ended up ripped - probably after all the sweat I put
through them during the first few days.
We stopped at Inverkeithing for lunch in a pub where someone
came up to me with a fiver for the charity when he found out
what we were doing. It was things like this that really moved me
- some stranger giving money having been touched by the cause,
fantastic.
Leaving Inverkeithing up through Kelty (where I was told
‘don’t stop on the way through), and on to Kinross and then
Perth. Perth was lovely. After Perth we took the A9 past Dunkeld
on the bypass, past Pitlochry - stunning sight from the bypass -
and on to Blair Atholl to the guest house, where Dolina
MacLennan was eagerly waiting for us. This was the first time
since we left LandsEnd that I was to stay the night only metres
from the route. All the other times there was about a 45min
drive to where we were staying and then a 45min drive back to
the start in the morning.
Day 5
Day 5 was fantastic. We left Blair Atholl where we stayed
with Dolina McClennan, a well known Scottish theatre &
television actress and quite a character indeed. We had such a
welcome and a super time with Dolly. What an evening we had
there, along with two other guests Yonnie & Joanna who were
doing theatre workshops at Pitlochry theatre for the week.
The 50 miles up to Aviemore was good and even though the
heavens opened and it rained really heavily, I was in a great
spirit (or fine-feckle as they said there) since I'd had a great
nights sleep, it was the last day, and I could feel a wind
picking up.
At Aviemore I met a guy called Simon Legg who had cycled up
from London and was heading for the music festival on Orkney.
Simon was only going to go a further 30 miles but when we set
off together it was great fun to have company to keep the pace
fast and when the wind picked up to near gale force we were
doing more than 20mph even up some of the inclines!
Simon stayed with me for more than 80 miles as we took in the
road past Inverness, over the Moray Firth, across the Black
Isle, over the Cromarty Firth, Dornoch Firth – all places I’ve
only ever heard of on the radio 4 shipping forecast. After
leaving Simon at Golspie I had only 80 miles to go to John
O'Groats. Ha, I thought, only 80 miles. By now the text messages
were coming in thick and fast from family, friends and all my
friends at Leitch, with support for me on the last few miles.
The wind was stronger than ever and my friends in the support
car Jim & Ken just couldn't believe how fast my legs were going
after nearly 200 miles. I couldn’t believe my legs were still
going at all. The adrenalin was pumping and someone said that I
looked like I’d ‘been on Red-Bull all day long’.
At about 50 miles to go the two big climbs at Helmsdale and
Berrydale took quite a lot of effort but I knew that after these
the hills were nothing by comparison to what had gone before. In
fact, even these last two big ones were nothing to what I
encountered in Cornwall, Devon and at Shap.
I sailed through Wick with only 17miles to go and heard a
wonderful Pipe Band practicing in a hall on the way through. The
wind was still strong and the light just as bright even at
9.15pm
I heard the Scottish pipe-band in my head from that point
onward. Over the last hill after Everley I could see the Orkney
Islands, Stroma, Stormness, Hoy, again those places we normally
only hear of on the shipping forecast.
To see John O'Groats in the distance made me cry, it was
literally downhill from here and I knew it would soon all be
over and I could rest.
Arrival
I Arrived at John O'Groats at 2203 to the welcome of my
wonderful friends who were ready with the champagne, cameras and
cheers. A fabulous ride, a superb last day with such a high wind
behind me and despite what everyone said, I didn't even have
saddle-sore !
If you’ve stayed awake to this point then perhaps you’re as
mad as me for cycling these last 5 pages worth of distance. I
saw some wonderful places and met some really lovely people. At
least once in our lives we should all do something a little bit
crazy for a cause that we believe in passionately.
I must say a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who sponsored the
charity through this ride. The money raised is not yet fully
counted and I probably won’t close the books until the end of
September as this will give us a further opportunity to raise
awareness of the cause through publicity. I expect the total
raised to be somewhere in the region of £11,000, well above my
original target. This is a superb amount of money that will be
put to very good use in the projects in the Highfeld region of
South Africa.
Thank you to *everyone* who supported me in all the many
different ways - I felt very supported all the way and have an
experience I will treasure for the rest of my life. If you ever
get the chance to cycle this well trodden route, don't pass it
by, you'll love it.
The Race Against Time was the name given to this single event
as it encapsulates the spirit of what projects like those of The
Bishop Simeon Trust are trying to achieve in the province of the Highfeld in South Africa. This is a race to reduce the rate at
which HIV infections increase in young people throughout the
world, but especially in sub-Saharan Africa where the situation
is a pandemic.
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