Ciaran's Story - June 2003
Ciaran Doran was the first to undertake riding from End-to-End for the Bishop Simeon Trust. He did the 874 mile ride solo in just 5 days back in 2003. His story is below.
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.