Over the course of two to three weeks I aim to follow in the tracks of the Royal Scots Greys, using the wartime diaries of Lt Col Aidan Sprot MC, as they advanced from the D-Day beaches to Wismar on the Baltic sea. Unlike them I shall be on a bicycle (and there hopefully won't be any Germans shooting at me!)
Overall I expect the route to be approximately 1000 miles long and I am hoping to complete it before I start my new job in September!
I am raising money for the Chelsea Pensioner's appeal. A number of the Regiment's pensioners fought all the way across Europe and I have been lucky enough to meet with them on a number of occasions and hear their stories. The sacrifices that they and countless others have made for their country through the centuries mean that they deserve to be looked after in the very best conditions - the new infirmary will ensure that this is the case.
Day 1 Sunday Aug 12
Very glad that I didn´t complete any training or preparation for this trip otherwise i would never have set off! 38 kms completed from Winchester to just outside Portsmouth where i made the brilliant decision to camp quite close to what i think may have been a gay dogging site!
Day 9 Monday Aug 20
I am currently in Mechelen in Belgium having cycled the first 763 kilometres through France. It has been an emotional journey so far, averaging about 6 hours in the saddle every day to achieve my target of 100 kms per day. I have only fallen over 5 times (the bike is surprisingly heavy!) and been hit once by a piece of gravel from a passing car - luckily it hit me on the ear rather than anywhere that would really have hurt!
Day 11 Wednesday Aug 22
I can not even begin to describe how much fun this morning has been - it has rained solidly since I started from Weert and I am currently in Venlo (a distance of 93 KM). I was drenched within 10 minutes and had to cycle 4 hours this morning. It doesn't look like getting any better this afternoon - which is fantastic news. Morale couldn't be higher and little is likely to make things worse...(?)
Day 12 Thursday Aug 23
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I had a massive day today: 7 ½ hours in the saddle and 161 km (100 miles) travelled! Had to be done to get in range of Fallingbostel tomorrow.
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Day 13 Friday Aug 24
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Had a dreadful nights sleep last night in a wood by the side of the road in torrential rain. Made even better by the fact that having cycled just 5 km this morning I passed a B&B and a campsite – neither of which were marked on my rubbish1:350,000 map! Breakfast of a coffee and 2 doughnuts from a petrol station has made things better - just what top nutritionists and Tour de France Champions recommend! Just setting off again now and will hopefully reach Fallingbostel by this evening… I finally reached Falli just before 8 in the evening having cycled 189 kms - way more than i had anticipated and as you can imagine i was pretty tired! My dear old friend Joe Toward had a cold can of Fosters waiting for me which was a godsend (and got me more or less instantly drunk!)
Day 15 Sunday Aug 26
After a lovely day off yesterday (less commitments with the media obviously!) I am once again raring to go. Following a huge 'fat boy's breakfast' i shall be mounting up and heading for Bremen on the final leg of my journey. I hope to be finished by Tuesday evening and have just realised that i'm not quite sure how to get back to the UK! Better check out some ferry websites! Thanks for all the support so far, it has meant a great deal to me.
Day 16 Monday Aug 27
Today was muck spreading Monday in Germany which made my rural route the more memorable. I am now in Luneburg, poised to pedal to the Baltic tomorrow and end my journey. I met my first other long distance cyclists today, a charming couple from Gothenbourg. They had very smart waterproof map boards on their handlebars (which would have been nice to know about 2 weeks ago). I went off them when I caught them laughing at the list of villages wrttten on my arm which was completley unreadable thanks to the ligth drizzle! About 120 kms to do tomorrow and then the train and ferry lottery begins...
Day 17 Tuesday Aug 28
FINISHED! 136 kms today into a blistering headwind and I finally arrived in Wismar at just after 1830 Hrs. My trip total is 1751.7 kms (1094.8 miles) and just over 16 days pedalling. It has been exactly the mental and physical challenge that I had hoped for and any money raised is an enormous bonus. It will take me the next couple of days to get back to Britain and I should be having morning coffee with the Regimental Pensioners at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on Thursday morning...
