UPDATE: 25 SEPTEMBER 09. PHOTOSTREAM LINK IS NOW LIVE. CLICK HERE

1. What's all this then?
[to be read with your best movie trailer voice] In late September 2009, one man will don padded lycra shorts and ride over 350 miles in a charity event of truly EPIC proportions. From Lundy Island in darkest Devon he will journey the length of the south coast, arriving battered and bruised -- but mercifully free of saddle sore -- in London after just 5 days. This gruelling endeavour will see him ascend 6000 metres, higher than the UK's tallest mountain. Steve Rocliffe in a charity event about Lundy, London and...[that's quite enough movie voiceover guy now]...


2. That's crazy talk! Why would you want to do something like that?
The seas around our island nation could be some of the most productive and wildlife rich on earth. Beneath the waves are landscapes as awe-inspiring as those we see on land, with undersea cliffs, caves, chasms, mountains, dunes and plains.

Colourful reefs, meadows of seagrass and other extraordinary habitats are home to many thousands of plants and animals, from tiny corals to the massive basking shark, the world’s second largest fish.

Yet our seas are in trouble. For centuries we have taken their riches for granted. Fragile habitats have been destroyed, whether ripped up by fishing gear or contaminated by industry.  And less than a thousandth of 1% (0.001%) of the UK's sea area is fully protected from all damaging activities.

Numbers of basking sharks have dropped by more than 95%, while the common skate, once abundant throughout UK seas, is on the brink of extinction. Corals, seahorses, whales, dolphins and seals – all have been affected. Fish stocks have collapsed and marine resources are depleted. It's a great environmental tragedy, but one that has received little attention: out of sight, out of mind.


3. Okay, okay. I'm sold. Now how do I donate?
I'm raising money for both the Marine Conservation Society and Dorset Wildlife Trust's Living Seas Programme. So if DWT gets your vote, click on the big blue Donate button below and follow the handy instructions. If MCS is more your thing, click here and you'll soon be parted with your hard-earned cash!

Whichever charity you choose, know that donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Plus your details are safe and they'll never spam you.

And because this ride is as much about raising awareness of the issues as raising money to help overcome them, I'll be photoblogging the entire journey right here.

So please donate whatever you can now. As our favourite supermarket is fond of saying, every little helps.