Leaving Lands End 9a.m. Tues. 20th May
Leaving Lands End 9a.m. Tues. 20th May
Just finished packing the panniers for my 2500 mile end to end round the Orkneys along north coast of Scotland and back again-with Alison travelling up by train and cycling home with me. Friends think we've taken on a bit much -they could be right.
Travelling up to Cheddar, through Cotswolds-Peak District-Dales-Edinburgh-Inverness-Bettyhill and probably back a similar route although last year we went the Arran route and that was so good it's tempting to do it again-we'll think about that later. As well as the Orkneys (6/9th June ) we're going to stay on the Black Isle for 2 nights to see if we can see the Dolphins. That'll be around 12/13th June. We're doing it all using a 99p atlas.
Got a Cornish flag on the back of my bike so keep your eyes open if you live anywhere near our routes-be brilliant to meet one or two.
Been asked to meet someone at Lostwithiel so will be going the Gunnislake/Tavistock route-shame Micks already off.
As a matter of interest my panniers loaded weigh 4.2kg (9lbs) each and I think I've got enough for 5/6 weeks-was Mick serious when he said he was carrying 50lbs!
www.justgiving.com/petermaddern
Travelling up to Cheddar, through Cotswolds-Peak District-Dales-Edinburgh-Inverness-Bettyhill and probably back a similar route although last year we went the Arran route and that was so good it's tempting to do it again-we'll think about that later. As well as the Orkneys (6/9th June ) we're going to stay on the Black Isle for 2 nights to see if we can see the Dolphins. That'll be around 12/13th June. We're doing it all using a 99p atlas.
Got a Cornish flag on the back of my bike so keep your eyes open if you live anywhere near our routes-be brilliant to meet one or two.
Been asked to meet someone at Lostwithiel so will be going the Gunnislake/Tavistock route-shame Micks already off.
As a matter of interest my panniers loaded weigh 4.2kg (9lbs) each and I think I've got enough for 5/6 weeks-was Mick serious when he said he was carrying 50lbs!
www.justgiving.com/petermaddern
Sorry to have missed your off!
Wishing you all the best of luck and I really hope you have a fab time. Im jealous of your fitness and ability!
Hope you didnt forget the camera.
Dont suppose your anywhere near Cumbria in July? Im cycling with my Manx Flag! Funny how patriotic one becomes when on a bike.
Good luck and see you on here at some time in the future, and bloomin' well done on the frugal packing! Cannot believe how light your bags are.
Mary
Wishing you all the best of luck and I really hope you have a fab time. Im jealous of your fitness and ability!
Hope you didnt forget the camera.
Dont suppose your anywhere near Cumbria in July? Im cycling with my Manx Flag! Funny how patriotic one becomes when on a bike.
Good luck and see you on here at some time in the future, and bloomin' well done on the frugal packing! Cannot believe how light your bags are.
Mary
Thanks Manx Cat-the only people to recognise my flag outside Cornwall were 2 Americans.
Alison and I got back to Lands End yesterday evening. We had a brilliant time and met some lovely people-and a few not so nice. Plenty of wind-the weather sort-but no mechanical problems or punctures. I covered a few miles under 2500 and Alison 1300- we never thought we'd be able to do that a couple of years ago.
A full report to follow when I can stop myself eating-when I packed up teaching I was over 13stone by yesterday I was just under 11.
It's now looking like we will break £3000 for the new children's hospice in Cornwall.
Just one of the beautiful sites we saw on our travels.
Alison and I got back to Lands End yesterday evening. We had a brilliant time and met some lovely people-and a few not so nice. Plenty of wind-the weather sort-but no mechanical problems or punctures. I covered a few miles under 2500 and Alison 1300- we never thought we'd be able to do that a couple of years ago.
A full report to follow when I can stop myself eating-when I packed up teaching I was over 13stone by yesterday I was just under 11.
It's now looking like we will break £3000 for the new children's hospice in Cornwall.
Just one of the beautiful sites we saw on our travels.
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The picture is of the Italian Chapel on the Orkneys-built by Italian POWs who were there helping to build the Churchill Barriers to protect Scapa Flow-the inside is amazing.
Have had a quick skim through yours Mick-will have a good read later- and see our routes crossed several times-Pitlochry,Drumochter etc and also Middleton -I stayed in a lovely B&B in Cothelstone near Middleton- before going over the hills to Stanhope and Blanchland.
This is the inside of the chapel.
Have had a quick skim through yours Mick-will have a good read later- and see our routes crossed several times-Pitlochry,Drumochter etc and also Middleton -I stayed in a lovely B&B in Cothelstone near Middleton- before going over the hills to Stanhope and Blanchland.
This is the inside of the chapel.
Apart from strong winds and just starting off each morning very few really.
You get the occassional day when you meet someone who's not so nice or the usual boy racers screaming at you out of their car windows but then you get a real boost when something really good happens.
Nearly got myself into serious trouble one day high up in the Yorkshire Dales when the weather closed in-details to follow in my diary later.
I got to a beautiful touristy village called Bibery in the Cotswolds on Bank Holiday weekend and all the normal B&Bs were full. The only vacancy was in an up market pub which was £60 single. Tried to negotiate a discount by telling manager I was cycling for a children's hospice but he said he didn't have the authority to cut the price-so decided I would have to bite the bullet and pay.
Later the manager came to me and said all the young staff had got together and paid for my room because of what I was doing. Brought tears to my eyes-and then they spent the evening collecting money from the customers for the hospice.
We had no mechanical problems and no punctures for the second year running.
Alison in the rain and wind at the Slochd Summit south of Inverness.
You get the occassional day when you meet someone who's not so nice or the usual boy racers screaming at you out of their car windows but then you get a real boost when something really good happens.
Nearly got myself into serious trouble one day high up in the Yorkshire Dales when the weather closed in-details to follow in my diary later.
I got to a beautiful touristy village called Bibery in the Cotswolds on Bank Holiday weekend and all the normal B&Bs were full. The only vacancy was in an up market pub which was £60 single. Tried to negotiate a discount by telling manager I was cycling for a children's hospice but he said he didn't have the authority to cut the price-so decided I would have to bite the bullet and pay.
Later the manager came to me and said all the young staff had got together and paid for my room because of what I was doing. Brought tears to my eyes-and then they spent the evening collecting money from the customers for the hospice.
We had no mechanical problems and no punctures for the second year running.
Alison in the rain and wind at the Slochd Summit south of Inverness.
peterm wrote:I got to a beautiful touristy village called Bibery in the Cotswolds on Bank Holiday weekend and all the normal B&Bs were full. The only vacancy was in an up market pub which was £60 single. Tried to negotiate a discount by telling manager I was cycling for a children's hospice but he said he didn't have the authority to cut the price-so decided I would have to bite the bullet and pay.
Later the manager came to me and said all the young staff had got together and paid for my room because of what I was doing. Brought tears to my eyes-and then they spent the evening collecting money from the customers for the hospice.
We had no mechanical problems and no punctures for the second year running.
How heart-warming is this?
Well done! And well done on 'no mechanical problems/punctures' ride!
Dee