Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
This year brings the double milestone of my 60th birthday and retirement from my work as a teacher of outdoor education at Pendarren House. My cycling buddies were looking for a project and we decided on Lands End to John O'Groats ( Le Jog ), the ultimate challenge for British cyclists. A group of nine will be setting out at the end of August, hoping to complete the ride in 13 days. Fundraising is not the primary objective but it is an opportunity to benefit good causes as we celebrate significant moments in our lives. I have chosen to support the Bendrigg Trust, a charity which provides outdoor activites for disabled and disadvantaged young people. Its residential centre, Bendrigg Lodge is situated on the edge of the Lake District, near to where I grew up. My target of £1,000 is approximately £1 for every mile cycled.
The Ride
Well we made it, but only just. The weather nearly did for us. It rained on 11 of the13 days of our trip, with the penultimate day seeing us at Inverness as a months' rain fell in 24 hours. Flooding in nearby Elgin made the national news. To add insult to injury, not a drop of rain has fallen in the fortnight since we returned!
It was however a great trip. The route was fantastic: hostels varied and interesting: food substantial and people hospitable,considering the chaos 9 soaking cyclists can cause. Being a large group created some logistic and organisational problems but these were far outweighed by the mutual support and humour which kept us going through the wind and rain.
We had organised everything ourselves and it was satisfying to see the planning come to fruition without any major hitches. The trip would not have happened without the generousity of Graham, who lent us the van,and our 3 support teams of Callum, Vanessa & Matt and Gavin, who drove ( and much more ) Many thanks to them.
Some Statistics
Training before the ride 3,263 miles
The ride itself 1,026 miles over 13 days
Average 79 miles/day at 13 mph
Longest day Carlisle - Ayr 98 miles
Calories burned whilst riding 53,029
Calorific value of cake eaten 53,029
There were many highlights on the ride. Crossing Dartmoor; riding up a deserted Cheddar Gorge at 8-30 in the morning; the Severn bridge in high winds; the forest of Bowland, Lancashire; Gretna Green in the pouring rain; the Galloway hills; riding down Glencoe on the morning the schools started back in England and Wales; eventually reaching John O'Groats and stopping!
Finally a big "thank you" to everyone who sponsored me. Your generosity will enable others to enjoy similar challenges and to experience living and working together at Bendrigg Lodge.