As it turns out it wasn't downhill at all. Quite the opposite in fact. Could it really have been all uphill, it certainly felt like it. But now it's done. 934 miles all told. And to be honest, that was quite enough. Despite mother natures best efforts, Toby's dodgy knees, Jules's 4 puncture a day habit and the incessant rain in our faces we completed the gruelling mission at 3.45 pm on Saturday 18th August. We spent a grand total of 76 hrs 15 mins in the saddle, peddling for all our worth and 10 nights under canvas...sleeping in the clothes we cycled in...which was nice!
It was truly an amazing trip, hugely fun and rewarding, with a whole heap of satisfaction waiting at the finish line. We met some awesome characters along the way, getting given everything from bottles of water, a "tea and a pee", cash for the charity and rounds of pints in the pub. It was really refreshing to find out how many people were willing to help when they found out what we were up to and there's really no greater feeling than being given a 6 pack of Snickers for brekkie (thank you Stuart and Tinker). Special thanks go to:
- Dave at the London Inn for the use of his beer garden
- Mike and Fiona at England's Gate pub for use of their barn
- The landlord at the Red Lion who donated a fiver then suggested we cycle over the never-ending hills of Dartmoor
- Jackass T-Shirt man who donated a fiver, hope you enjoyed your festival
- Stuart and Tinker for use of their back garden, hot showers and African spears.
- Rebecca for her kind donation
- John Barry-Simons, of the velvet baritone voice, for the compass and support
- Hazel at The Old Stables for the best late night jacket spud we've ever eaten
We saw some incredible beauty in the Lake District, Dartmoor and Glen Coe and some of the spectacular Dual Carriageways of our country which offer their own peculiar wonders; lorries hurtling past without imparting physical injury were probably the best. And of course we saw hills, big ones, small ones, long ones, short ones and, our personal favorites, the really, really steep ones. (a special mention to Cornwall which really is in a league of it's own). The possibility of Holland for our next trip was discussed at length!!
So, a huge thank you to all who sponsored us, your generosity for a great cause has been amazing and really helped us complete our mission.
Cheers
Toby & Jules
