LeJoG 2010 1100 Mile Challenge
Wednesday 26th May 2010
Having looked at the map, I realised that to meet the lads, I'd have to cycle back south down the valley. Whereas my destination lay north.
I had forgotten to take my sun cream with me when I had hurriedly setup my panniers to ride to Llanthony (pronounced Clan Tony). So, I contemplated going back. But decided I could either meet the lads in Hay-on-Wye and get my cream or if not just buy some. It sounds petty but I've only found one sun cream that I'm not allergic too - Boots Kids Factor 50. Bound to be a Boots Pharmacy in Hay.
So, earliest start yet, I went off to up to Hay - after a lovely breakfast - ovee the top of the Brecons - quite stunning! And then a long, incredible descent into Hay-on-Wye.
There had been no mobile phone reception whatsoever in Llanthony, but I'd borrowed the hotel phone to let the lads know my change of plan. So, we agreed to meet at 9-930am in Hay.
By 930am I hadn't heard from them despite texts & voicemails, so I decided to buy some sun cream and then head off.
First problem was no Boots - so I went to the only pharmacy there. They were very helpful. I bought another brand of factor 50 hypo-allergenic suncream. Put it on & hoped for the best.
The last time I did this my face swoll up for days & I looked quite scary for weeks afterwards. Still, I didn't want to get burned.
I planned out a route up through the boarders of England & Wales - the road weaved in & out. So, you never really knew which side of the boarder you were. Parts were very hilly but the conditions were perfect & I made good progress. I stopped for lunch in Leinwardine - about 47 miles from Llanathony. There was a petrol station there but I had packed some food from the hotel & made a flask of tea. So, I knew I still had a long way to go, so decided to crack on. I cycled up through Chirbury - then switched on the Garmin for Peckforton Castle - it took me down through Shrewsbury. Just into Shrewsbury, Ian passed with the car so we stopped and had a chat a quick snack - I grabbed some more food to carry with me.
Then at about 530pm the rain started. Luckily, I had my rain jacket with me so stopped and changed. But within 1 hour of torrential rain it didn't matter. I was soaked through & still had 28 miles to go at 630pm.
I was on the B5476 between Wem and Witchurch when the others caught me up & flew past in a train of speed. All kitted up in wet weather gear - Ian had obviuosly found them. I tried to keep up but just too fast so I went at my own pace.
Reaching Whitchurch, I saw they had stopped to look at the map. So' as I had the Garmin on, I cruised past. I felt like a rabbit at the Greyhounds going through Whitchurch as I weaved through the one way system chased by the greyhounds. As soon as they found the exit, they were off speeding down the road to Peckforton Castle.
The rain had eased so I just took my time not wanting to tear any muscles as John O'Groats was still a long way off.
I arrived at Peckforton Castle at 730pm - 111 miles from Llanathony.
The Castle is stunning - voted best hotel 2009 by the Hotel & Caterer Magazine, it wasn't difficult to see why.
We all ate together and mulled over the route. It sounded as if the lads had taken the same route as me. What happened to them was that Jorrin had 2 punctures coming up through Llanthony and Cape-le-Ffyn before Hay where there is no mobile phone reception.
Off for breakfast now & to get ready for another day - en route to Arnside in Cumbria - about 90 miles.
Thursday 27 May 2010
Wednesday 26 May 2010
First post of trip
leJoG blog Challenge 2010
Sunday 23rd May 2010
I am writing this 2 days after the event as time has just been completely absorbed with cycling.
On the positive - the weather has been glorious - the scenery magnificent - the company inspiring. On the negative, the organisation could have been better - the timing quite Latin for 5 northern europeans - the rides absolutely gruelling - the hills through Cornwall so steep that you struggle to cycle down them yet alone find that last drop of energy to go up them - only to find that you've covered 20 miles instead of 50 with still 70 to go.
We set off from our Lands End Youth Hostel - finally at 12pm - we were ready at 8am but in the name of team we waited for Jorrin to sort out his bike - he rebuilt his bike from Ian's as his wheels had been crushed en route. This after having arrived the night before because of a combination of car troubles - yes Ollie's Saab decided not to start - unheard of - and having to visit PC World for SD cards for the cameras - very late at 10pm. So, no time but to eat quickly then sleep.
Andrea & I had travelled down on Friday morning - deciding wisely to drive rather than catch the train. We had a lovely time. My cousin Tony offered us his house in Falmouth for the night even though he was away. We managed to catch up with his sister Pam and her daughter Angela who made tea and Cornish saffron buns - yum! Then on Friday evening we met up with my other cousin John and his charming wife Lisa. We all jelled well and had a very tasty fish meal down in Falmouth. On Saturday we had a leisurely day buying last minute things before trotting off to St Just near Lands End Youth Hostel. We checked out Lands End visitors centre as we couldn't check in before 5pm. Then we had Spag Bol - perfect before a long cycle ride. And waited - watched the sun go down - and waited - and waited some more - then got ready for bed. Then just as I had given up they arrived.
Its a miracle that 4 people plus 4 bikes and all the kit & food managed to squeeze into Ollie's Saab. Aparently, this was another reason for delay.
Anyway - once we said our goodbyes to Andrea - who'd decided as it was so late now not to visit the Eden Project but just go straight home to London. We set off & at the first junction the Garmin disagreed with Jorrin's route. He complained but Ollie & Dirk followed me.
Later in Penzance we bumped into Jorrin. He then tried to manipulate us into going to the Eden Project but we knew that this would add 30 miles onto an already long journey to Tintagel plus EP closes at 6pm & we wouldn't make it - so we made our excuses & cycled off to Tintagel via St Ives (lunch in pub) & Newquay - absolutely stunning. Jorrin meanwhile had decided to stick to his plan & he & Ian went round EP & met the MD - but in so doing didn't turn up at Tintagel until 10pm by which time having all of our clothes, food & equipment in the car meant that we had to beg, borrow, steal to have a shower, keep warm & feed ourselves - all of which was possible thanks to two lovely volouteer workers at Tintagel.
Mileage 98 but felt like 150.
Predictably, having arrived late - jorrin was once again last up the next morning & we were all ready to leave at 8am but stood around while he made us feel guilty for waiting despite us all having cleaned the kitchen, emptied our rooms, packed the car - he still wasn't ready to leave unti 10am by which time our patience ran out. So, we just left again.
Monday turned out even more gruelling than Sunday with us covering 130 miles from Tintagel in Cornwall to Street, near Glastonbury.
Again to be part of the team we stopped off at Witherton to meet Tom an amazing para-olympian cyclist. But it did make us really late arriving into Street at 10pm. Ian had come up trumps - made dinner - all really appreciated. 130 miles that day - Dirk got saddle sore.
Clearly, the next day we didn't want a repeat of Monday so having been joined by Deuan from London - Ollie, Deuan & I set off at just after 8am. Dirk had injured himself so had decided not to participate that day.
Just after 9am we received a call to say that Jorrin & Ian had decided to go home to London. With Ollies car! Ollie was outraged.
Ollie went his own way to try & meet them & we agreed to rendez-vous in Winford just South of Bristol - worthy mention here is the Waterloo Pub where they do a mean breakfast - Deuan & I both concurr.
Anyway, we finally all met up in Chepstow (lunch in Limetree by St Marys Church) where Jorrin & I had a big show down. He accusing me of not being a team player while me accsing him of simply not being ready early enough. They had come in the car.
Then we decided to re-convene in Abergeveny. When I finally composed myself to cycle, Ollie &a Deuan had disappeared. So, I cycled alone up through the Pen-y-cae mawr moutainous woods. By the time I arrived they had all decided to stay, continue & go camping..
Thank fully I was booked in to the Llanthony Priory Hotel. Where I am now having washed & dinned superbly ready for what tomorrow brings. Notable mention here are Jeff & Harri (Female) who run the Priory - very friendly - locked my bike up & are coming in early to make me breakfast.
Mileage 98.
Sunday 23rd May 2010
I am writing this 2 days after the event as time has just been completely absorbed with cycling.
On the positive - the weather has been glorious - the scenery magnificent - the company inspiring. On the negative, the organisation could have been better - the timing quite Latin for 5 northern europeans - the rides absolutely gruelling - the hills through Cornwall so steep that you struggle to cycle down them yet alone find that last drop of energy to go up them - only to find that you've covered 20 miles instead of 50 with still 70 to go.
We set off from our Lands End Youth Hostel - finally at 12pm - we were ready at 8am but in the name of team we waited for Jorrin to sort out his bike - he rebuilt his bike from Ian's as his wheels had been crushed en route. This after having arrived the night before because of a combination of car troubles - yes Ollie's Saab decided not to start - unheard of - and having to visit PC World for SD cards for the cameras - very late at 10pm. So, no time but to eat quickly then sleep.
Andrea & I had travelled down on Friday morning - deciding wisely to drive rather than catch the train. We had a lovely time. My cousin Tony offered us his house in Falmouth for the night even though he was away. We managed to catch up with his sister Pam and her daughter Angela who made tea and Cornish saffron buns - yum! Then on Friday evening we met up with my other cousin John and his charming wife Lisa. We all jelled well and had a very tasty fish meal down in Falmouth. On Saturday we had a leisurely day buying last minute things before trotting off to St Just near Lands End Youth Hostel. We checked out Lands End visitors centre as we couldn't check in before 5pm. Then we had Spag Bol - perfect before a long cycle ride. And waited - watched the sun go down - and waited - and waited some more - then got ready for bed. Then just as I had given up they arrived.
Its a miracle that 4 people plus 4 bikes and all the kit & food managed to squeeze into Ollie's Saab. Aparently, this was another reason for delay.
Anyway - once we said our goodbyes to Andrea - who'd decided as it was so late now not to visit the Eden Project but just go straight home to London. We set off & at the first junction the Garmin disagreed with Jorrin's route. He complained but Ollie & Dirk followed me.
Later in Penzance we bumped into Jorrin. He then tried to manipulate us into going to the Eden Project but we knew that this would add 30 miles onto an already long journey to Tintagel plus EP closes at 6pm & we wouldn't make it - so we made our excuses & cycled off to Tintagel via St Ives (lunch in pub) & Newquay - absolutely stunning. Jorrin meanwhile had decided to stick to his plan & he & Ian went round EP & met the MD - but in so doing didn't turn up at Tintagel until 10pm by which time having all of our clothes, food & equipment in the car meant that we had to beg, borrow, steal to have a shower, keep warm & feed ourselves - all of which was possible thanks to two lovely volouteer workers at Tintagel.
Mileage 98 but felt like 150.
Predictably, having arrived late - jorrin was once again last up the next morning & we were all ready to leave at 8am but stood around while he made us feel guilty for waiting despite us all having cleaned the kitchen, emptied our rooms, packed the car - he still wasn't ready to leave unti 10am by which time our patience ran out. So, we just left again.
Monday turned out even more gruelling than Sunday with us covering 130 miles from Tintagel in Cornwall to Street, near Glastonbury.
Again to be part of the team we stopped off at Witherton to meet Tom an amazing para-olympian cyclist. But it did make us really late arriving into Street at 10pm. Ian had come up trumps - made dinner - all really appreciated. 130 miles that day - Dirk got saddle sore.
Clearly, the next day we didn't want a repeat of Monday so having been joined by Deuan from London - Ollie, Deuan & I set off at just after 8am. Dirk had injured himself so had decided not to participate that day.
Just after 9am we received a call to say that Jorrin & Ian had decided to go home to London. With Ollies car! Ollie was outraged.
Ollie went his own way to try & meet them & we agreed to rendez-vous in Winford just South of Bristol - worthy mention here is the Waterloo Pub where they do a mean breakfast - Deuan & I both concurr.
Anyway, we finally all met up in Chepstow (lunch in Limetree by St Marys Church) where Jorrin & I had a big show down. He accusing me of not being a team player while me accsing him of simply not being ready early enough. They had come in the car.
Then we decided to re-convene in Abergeveny. When I finally composed myself to cycle, Ollie &a Deuan had disappeared. So, I cycled alone up through the Pen-y-cae mawr moutainous woods. By the time I arrived they had all decided to stay, continue & go camping..
Thank fully I was booked in to the Llanthony Priory Hotel. Where I am now having washed & dinned superbly ready for what tomorrow brings. Notable mention here are Jeff & Harri (Female) who run the Priory - very friendly - locked my bike up & are coming in early to make me breakfast.
Mileage 98.
Monday 17 May 2010
Dear All,
We, Jorrin, Dirk, Ollie and Damian with Ian in support start our epic cycle ride on Sunday 23rd May 2010 – leaving around 9am towards Tintagel in North West Cornwall for the 1st Night of our 10 day trip from Lands End to John O’Groats – 1,100 miles. The objective, apart from completing the gruelling ride, is to raise money for our chosen charity Project Peru.
“Project Peru runs a children's refuge in the shanty towns near Lima, caring for over 30 children; entirely funded through voluntary effort, Project Peru is a small, lively, totally voluntary UK-based charity offering food, clothes, education, shelter and fun to those in need in a country where nearly half the population exists on less than one dollar a day! see http://www.projectperu.org.uk.” http://www.projectperu.org.uk/
For all of you who have already supported us – a huge THANK YOU – there has been an enormous amount of preparation gone into the planning and funding of this ride. So, we all now have to do our bit and complete. However, we are still some way off our target of £25K – having collectively raised around £2K with Ollie having raised £1,125 for his charity http://www.arc.org.uk/.
Many of you who I have spoken to have pledged to donate so if you still intend to here’s how you can do it.
1. Visit my just giving page - http://www.justgiving.com/LEJOG-DamianBell
2. Or you can sponsor me on the form when I see you next.
3. Or you can send a cheque to Carole Hudson at Project Peru. Cheques made payable to Project Peru and send them to
Charity no. 1049413
Carole Hudson
Hudson, Project Peru, 1, St. Catherine's Hill, Guildford , Surrey GU2 4EF
or easiest maybe to pay into the Charity’s account - a/c direct Project Peru; Lloyds TSB,
Guildford ; sort code 77-95-02; a/c number 16368265.
We have been working with various sponsors and doing all the training we can manage. If you would like to follow our blogs then please sign up – they are listed below.
http://piperbell-1100milechallenge.blogspot.com/
http://ericjorrin.blogspot.com/
http://1000mileschallenge.blogspot.com/
We will be updating our blogs along the route – but we’ve already had some quite dramatic moments that almost de-railed the whole ride – read http://1000mileschallenge.blogspot.com/ for the full story.
If any of you are keen cyclists – I have posted the overnight stops on my blog - http://piperbell-1100milechallenge.blogspot.com/. If you feel you might like to ride 1 or more days with us, just book into the hostel then we will see you there for the next day’s ride.
Many thanks again for all your support.
Best wishes
Damian Bell
We, Jorrin, Dirk, Ollie and Damian with Ian in support start our epic cycle ride on Sunday 23rd May 2010 – leaving around 9am towards Tintagel in North West Cornwall for the 1st Night of our 10 day trip from Lands End to John O’Groats – 1,100 miles. The objective, apart from completing the gruelling ride, is to raise money for our chosen charity Project Peru.
“Project Peru runs a children's refuge in the shanty towns near Lima, caring for over 30 children; entirely funded through voluntary effort, Project Peru is a small, lively, totally voluntary UK-based charity offering food, clothes, education, shelter and fun to those in need in a country where nearly half the population exists on less than one dollar a day! see http://www.projectperu.org.uk.” http://www.projectperu.org.uk/
For all of you who have already supported us – a huge THANK YOU – there has been an enormous amount of preparation gone into the planning and funding of this ride. So, we all now have to do our bit and complete. However, we are still some way off our target of £25K – having collectively raised around £2K with Ollie having raised £1,125 for his charity http://www.arc.org.uk/.
Many of you who I have spoken to have pledged to donate so if you still intend to here’s how you can do it.
1. Visit my just giving page - http://www.justgiving.com/LEJOG-DamianBell
2. Or you can sponsor me on the form when I see you next.
3. Or you can send a cheque to Carole Hudson at Project Peru. Cheques made payable to Project Peru and send them to
Charity no. 1049413
Carole Hudson
Hudson, Project Peru, 1, St. Catherine's Hill, Guildford , Surrey GU2 4EF
or easiest maybe to pay into the Charity’s account - a/c direct Project Peru; Lloyds TSB,
Guildford ; sort code 77-95-02; a/c number 16368265.
We have been working with various sponsors and doing all the training we can manage. If you would like to follow our blogs then please sign up – they are listed below.
http://piperbell-1100milechallenge.blogspot.com/
http://ericjorrin.blogspot.com/
http://1000mileschallenge.blogspot.com/
We will be updating our blogs along the route – but we’ve already had some quite dramatic moments that almost de-railed the whole ride – read http://1000mileschallenge.blogspot.com/ for the full story.
If any of you are keen cyclists – I have posted the overnight stops on my blog - http://piperbell-1100milechallenge.blogspot.com/. If you feel you might like to ride 1 or more days with us, just book into the hostel then we will see you there for the next day’s ride.
Many thanks again for all your support.
Best wishes
Damian Bell
Sunday 9 May 2010
The Latest
Update on what's happening - I am now going with Jorrin's route - planning the same start date 23rd May - I've updated the accommodation plan with where we will be. unfortunately, Deuan has decided he can't commit to 10 - 12 days out of his charity business as its a crucial fund raising stage. But he has said that he will join us on the leg from Street near Glastonbury to Wales and perhaps back into England.
Janine has had to return to Germany so we still don't have a driver. But I think Dirk is sorting one out. So, we seem to be all on track.
This last week, I haven't trained as I was away piping all week in Holland. Just back in GB now & off to Cornwall to my Aunt's funeral - aunty Jean was 90.
Janine has had to return to Germany so we still don't have a driver. But I think Dirk is sorting one out. So, we seem to be all on track.
This last week, I haven't trained as I was away piping all week in Holland. Just back in GB now & off to Cornwall to my Aunt's funeral - aunty Jean was 90.
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