More donations still coming in - many thanks Andy F for yours! - and have passed my target and getting close to £5,500. Keep it coming!!
Held a 'guess the mileage' competition at Horningsham village fayre a few weekends back, which raised a bit more for the cause. Total mileage was 986.3 - congratulations to Mrs. Carver, who was closest and won the token from John's Bikes in Bath (who helped with all my kit for the trip). Also thanks to Frome Collegians football club, whose donation over the weekend has pushed me past my fundraising target - fantastic!
Many thanks to Katy Simpson and friends who held a clothes swap party and raised over £140! That and other offline donations have now pushed us well past the £4,000 mark - many thanks to everyone!
New photo uploaded left, to prove I made it - This photo also made the front page of the local rag, The Somerset Standard! Many thanks again to all of you who continue to donate, it really is fantastic to have passed the £3.500 mark.
Day Ten: St. Austell to Land's End. Awoke to persistent drizzle/rain, the first of the entire trip, so can't complain. Set of in full wet weather gear, which works a treat. A couple of tough climbs to start with, but then got into a rhythm. Through Truro and Redruth (and eventually found the back road I was searching for) to Penzance, via Leedstown. At Penzance, first signs to Land's End! 10 miles later I had arrived - I can't quite believe I have made it! Total time 9 days, 4 hours and 19 mins. Left knee and achilles tendon a bit sore, but an overwhelming sense of achievement. Even better, I see as I do this edit that I have now passed the £3,000 mark, so many thanks to everyone who has donated. It's still not too late to donate though, if you want to! Gilly had tipped off the local radio station in Frome about what I was up to and they phoned for an interview as I was relaxing at Land's End. Then cycled back to Penzance and took a train to Liskeard where my sister picked me up. Staying overnight here, and then Gilly and the Girls are picking me up tomorrow.
I'll try and update the photo for a Land's End version as soon as I can get somewhere to download the photo files.
Day 9: Physically the hardest day yet, by a considerable margin! Fairly easy ride from Dunkeswell to Exeter, but from then on it got tougher and tougher. One particular hill up from Gunnislake to St. Ann's will remain etched in my mind for a while - a real lung burster! But there were plenty of others. To give an idea of the steepness going up, I achieved a maximum speed down the other side of one hill of 48.5mph (with the brakes on!) Got as far as St Austell, where I managed to get one of the last rooms available in a B&B, and collapsed into bed exhausted. Tomorrow will be at Lands End!
Day Eight: Monmouth to Dunkeswell. A nice downhill start from Monmouth, through the Wye Valley and then a few climbs. Through Tintern and past the abbey. On to Chepstow and across the Severn Bridge! A bit of a nightmare getting through Avonmouth and finding the cycle path for the avonmouth bridge, but eventually across. Met up with the rest of my family for lunch at a garden centre near Brent Knoll - good to see them all again! Long lunch (1 1/2 hours) and then on through Bridgewater, Taunton and Wellington, cutting south to spend the night with Andy (surf buddy of old) and his wife Maria in Dunkeswell. A couple of big hills in the last few miles made the waiting beer most welcome - thanks Andy!
Day Seven: Whitchurch to Monmouth. A good start in bright sunshine, through Wem and on to Shrewsbury. Stopped at Stan Jones Cycles to ask directions to Bishops Castle and was offerred tea and all sorts of hospitality - thanks guys! Bought a rear light as weather forecast for afternoon not so hot... Then big climb (I reckon about 7 miles) up to lovely Bishops Castle, where I got a sandwich. Cycled on and ate lunch eventually by the bridge over the river at Leintwardine. Lots more climbs in the afternoon, including one particularly large one in the last 5 miles.Puncture just south of Hereford (swapped it out with a new inner) and 2 showers to ride through. No B&Bs or places in the YHA at Monmouth, so stayed in a 'cheap hotel' - a bit grotty but the most poweful shower yet (by far!) made up for shortcomings elsewhere. total miles today: 102.5
Day Six: Sedbergh to Whitchurch. A longer day, to make up for the shorter one yesterday! following a good breakfast with Jim & jane, off down some lovely back lanes to Kirby Lonsdale. Then on to Lancaster. Started to have problems with the rear derailleur, but sorted with a drop of oil on the brake/change lever. Then more back roads to Preston, which has hopeless signage - if you want the A6 or M6, lots of signs; if you want the A49 to Warrington, tough luck, mate you're on your own! Fortunately very friendly locals who showed me the way. Rolling countryside after Warrington, last 10 miles to Whitchurch seemed interminably uphill!! Lots of Caterham Sevens around Oulton Park area, but resisted temptation to go to circuit. Total miles today: 114.
Day Five: Good B road out of Dumfries in bright sunshine - a good start! Got to Gretna Green at 0930 and has an ice cream to celebrate. Crossed the border back into England at about 1100 and off the bottom of my second map. On to Carlisle via Longtown, then to Penrith, where I had a good sandwich. then up into the north side of the Lake district, up some steep slopes, but with good downhill bits the other side. Came across the european distributor for Airstream caravans (its an architect thing...) and spent about 1/2 an hour looking at new and old versions! Then on via hilly A685 ans B625 to relatives in Sedbergh for an overnight stop. Beer waiting on my arrival (first for 6 weeks-I've been trying to be good whilst training!). total miles today: 88
Day Four: Dunoon to Dumfries. Tracked down the coast as far as Irvine and then inland. got a spare chain and got the front derailleur sorted out at a cycle shop in Irvine, so more confident with the bike again. Wind on the nose all day, so 40 miles flat slog, followed by 30 miles uphill slog then 30 miles downhill to dumfries, but never quite steep enough to freewheel and headwind pushing back, so I've pedalled every mile today! Total miles today: 102
Day three: Early start in clear skies, but very chilly. This bit of the route is amazingly beautiful, so didn't make much progress, as constantly stopping to take photos! At one photo stop had my photo taken by a very kind lady, who was about to go off on a 120 mile walk - good luck with that! Cycled off the bottom of the first of my 5 maps at 0930! Inverary full of motorbikes out enjoying the sunshine. First bike problem at Strachur, when the chain got itself caught between the cogs and frame. A very friendly local helped out with pliers and screwdriver. I didn't get your name, but 'many thanks!' - you know who you are! Arrived in Dunoon at 1830ish and got a very nice room in a B&B overlooking the ferry which I'll be taking tomorrow. Total miles today:115
Day two: An easy-ish day with a north east wind pushing me along for most of the time. An easy 20 mins to start and then the road went up, and up, and up! A total climb of just over 1/2 hour and then downhill towards Dingwall. Cycled for 10 mins or so with a lady training for London-Paris bike ride later this year - Good luck to you! A quick stop at the Loch Ness Monster museum (!) and then a leisurely sandwich at Fort Augustus, by the lock gates, before cycling on to Fort William. Stayed at the Glen Nevis in the youth hostel, sharing a dormitory with 20 other people... ! View of Ben Nevis over the road compensated somewhat. Total miles today: 104
Day one: Quick photos at John O'Groats (not a soul about) and then off in the drizzle along the north coast. Rain soon stopped and then overcast and cool for the rest of the day - perfect as not too hot. Through Thurso, Reay (home of nuclear plant), Bettyhill and then took a left just before Tongue and followed a lovely valley route - lots of people fly fishing - and then Loch Naver. Stopped for a bite at Lairg and then on to overnight stop at Bonar Bridge. Total miles today:107.
Day zero: My bike and me were transported from Inverness to John O'Groats by Geordie from Ross Tours - many thanks, Geordie! A great way to get there. He also helped me put the bike back together after its trip in a box on the plane.
Tom's Trust was set up after the death of my cousin Tom ap Rhys Pryce, who was robbed of his mobile phone and Oyster card and then stabbed to death in January 2006. the objectives of Tom's Trust are explained in the panel below my photo - or you can find out more by logging onto www.tomaprhyspryce.com
The Trust has already raised a substantial amount of money and is helping support a wide variety of causes, but I want to make my contribution. I have therefore (rather rashly!) decided to cycle from 'end to end' to help raise more funds. However, to make it more of a challenge, I am doing it the 'wrong way', from John O'Groats to Lands end, into the prevailing winds, on my own and unsupported (ie no back-up van!) - I feel a bit like Chay Blythe on a bike!
Please support me as much as you can - thanks!!
