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The First Week
Phil and Steve's daily blog from the saddle!!
Day 1 - Monday: Land's End Start
A wet start and we had to wait until 10am for the official Land's End sign to be put out!! Slogged on through showers all day, but beautiful Cornish countryside, though some of the hills were bigger than expected. Clocked up 85miles and stayed the night in Camelford.
Day 2 - Tuesday: A Day of 2 Counties
Another wet start and more hills. But clocked up our first 100miles and crossed our first county border into Devon! No let up on the hills. Made 65 miles and stayed near Cullumpton.
Day 3 - Wednesday: Bad Weather Day!
Set off in rain and it stayed like that for most of the day (isn't August supposed to sunny?!!). We had a brief spell of sunshine as we crossed the Somerset border and stopped in Wellington. Steve picked up the first puncture of the trip, well in fact 3 punctures in 1 with the 4" nail that went through his inner tube! Ploughed on through the heavy rain until we threw the towel in at Street, where we opted for a dry out and warm beds!!
Day 4 - Thursday: Fair Weather Day
We set off early from Street and actually had the sun and wind on our backs nearly all day. Glastonbury Tor looked magnificent as we went past. Some very big hills before and after Bath, which was also our lunch stop. One of Phil's gyres decided to disintegrate/delaminate, so after a pit stop and tyre change. We made good use of the sunshine, clocking 90 miles in total and going from Somerset, passing through Gloucestershire and ending up in Herefordshire. Our night was spent in Ledbury after initially not being able to find a room for the night!!
Day 5 - Friday: Another Fair Day
The sun started to shine as we left Ledbury and pretty much stayed that way all day! Not too many big hills, but a fairly up and down day through rolling hills and beautiful English countryside. Everyone has been so friendly, with people waving & wishing us luck in the street. Lunch in Ludlow, a stop later in Shrewsbury before we decided to crack on until Ellesmere, where we stayed at the fantastic Red Lion Coaching Inn, run by Mike & his team. A perfect place for a hard earned Friday night!
Day 6 - Saturday: A Day of 2 Countries
A bit of a late start after a few extra pints in Ellesmere!! We left England, headed into Wales (without our passports!), then back into England again in Cheshire. Headed north on quiet country lanes until we got to Chester in brilliant sunshine. A quick tour of the city centre, then back on the road north again heading to Runcorn and Widnes, crossing the Mersey on the busy Runcorn Bridge. We ploughed on past Prescot, Wigan and stopped for the day in Eccleston near Leyland. 70 miles in total.
Day 7 - Sunday: Halfway Sunday
Another a good evening sampling the local hospitality, so we didn't get going until 10:30 (well it is the weekend!!). The light rain soon turned to sunshine as we rode past Preston and wound our way through country lanes. By the time we stopped for lunch in Lancaster the scenery had definitely changed, as we headed for the Lakes. A few hill climbs brought us to the beautiful Lake Windermere for the evening. 70 miles in total.
Land's End to John O'Groats. After a few smaller cycles (Guildford to Brighton, The Devon Coast to Coast & Whitehaven to Newcastle sea to sea (The C2C)), we've decided to dive straight into the deep end and take on the Daddy of all UK pedals - End to End, The Land's End to John O'Groats (LEJOG) cycle. 1000 miles in the saddle, with only some Lycra and a little bit of padding for comfort!!!
We've set a date of heading off from the far bottom tip of the country in Cornwall on Monday 11th August this year, peddling north up through the country and finally arriving at the very top tip of the mainland in Scotland sometime later!!!
Just to note, we're doing this ride with no support - so no van or car following us, so everything we need to take with us, we carry on the bikes.
If we're doing this mad attempt at cycling the length of the country, we thought we'd raise some money for charity. So we sat down and went through the options of who we could raise money for. The list is almost endless - with all of us knowing someone who has been affected in some way by something. But we've finally chosen 2 charities that we're raising for.
They are: NACC - The National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease. Phil's nephew Aiden and a few of our close friends suffer from Crohn's Disease. It's a horrible condition and one that stays with you all your life with no real cure. So the funds raised will help to improve the quality of life for sufferers. MIND - the leading mental health charity. They work to create a better life for everyone experiencing mental health problems. One in four of us will experience a mental health problem at some point in our lives and the money raised will help
MIND help those that need support at those times. The money raised will be split 50/50 between the two charities. So please give what you can and think of us pedaling our way up the country! Please dig deep and sponsor us online. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: NACC & MIND will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.