From San Sebastien to Iuretta (46.2 miles)
At last, we´re grudgingly leaving San Sebastien! After sad fairwell to both Ben and Libby we set off into a drizzly day and a STEEP climb out of San Sebastien, over Mount Igaldo. Adding salt to the wound, we had to pay 1.8 euros each for the privilege! However, a whitey came free for Chris as he emptied his breakfast onto the roadside!
Throughout the day Char adjusted to Ben´s bike and eventually got comfortable. The knee was a touch sore today but seems to have recovered well and will hopefully hold out for the rest of the journey.
From the sea at Deba we climbed a tough 250 meters to Mallabia. After the strain of the climb, however, Chris´ gears packed in and we decided to call it a night. Asking at a nearby house in Iuretta whether we could camp nearby resulted in blank looks as our collective knowledge of Spanish is shady at best. It was getting dark and still raining so the best option for the night was a delightful spot next to a roundabout and behind a disused building...very scenic!
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Days 19 - 25 San Sebastien
It´s been a long time since the last blog and a lot of ups and downs have been had along the way. The day after the last blog I (Donnie) managed to find Libby (Matty´s friend from home) who lives in San Sebastien and offered to put the team up for a few days. That evening, whilst I was sitting on the laptop in Libby´s flat, Matty messaged me on facebook...they had already arrived in San Sebastien! Myself and Libby went to meet the team on one of the many bridges of San Sebastien...resulting in a welcome scene which would not be out of place in a dramatic rom-com.
Massive celebrations that night in the bar where Libby works, Zibbibo´s. The next few days were spent discovering San Sebastien and fully relaxing whilst I spent a lot of time resting the leg and trying to get back on form for the rest of the journey.
Some of the highlights from our stay included: Swimming to Santa Clara island in the bay of San Sebstien, jumping into the clear blue waters off the pier, pintxos, walking up to the big jesus hill, relaxing beers on the jesus hill at a reggae bar and Matty and Chris getting friendly with some local (recently unemployed) goat herders!
We hadn´t planned on staying in San Sebastien for longer than two days but meeting a bunch of great folk and the prospect of a free Jazz Festival on the beach and piers made it almost impossible to leave. We managed to catch BB King, Aloe Blacc and Cut Copy. Splendid!
Throughout our stay Libby was the best host and tourguide we could have asked for and, along with her friends Steffy and Femke, made our extended stay in San Sebastien unforgetable.
Unfortunately on the morning of our departure from San Sebastien we discovered that the two bike locks securing Char´s bike had been cut and her bike was missing. This was obviously a massive shock for Char and the team and it took a long time to sort a plan for the remainder of the trip. However, Ben, our fifth team member, was a total gentleman and offered to lend Char his bike and other gear in order for Char to carry on. Having cut his holiday plans short to give Char this opportunity the team would like to send a massive thanks to Ben who I´m sure we will remain in touch with next year when he moves to Glasgow.
Massive celebrations that night in the bar where Libby works, Zibbibo´s. The next few days were spent discovering San Sebastien and fully relaxing whilst I spent a lot of time resting the leg and trying to get back on form for the rest of the journey.
Some of the highlights from our stay included: Swimming to Santa Clara island in the bay of San Sebstien, jumping into the clear blue waters off the pier, pintxos, walking up to the big jesus hill, relaxing beers on the jesus hill at a reggae bar and Matty and Chris getting friendly with some local (recently unemployed) goat herders!
Throughout our stay Libby was the best host and tourguide we could have asked for and, along with her friends Steffy and Femke, made our extended stay in San Sebastien unforgetable.
Unfortunately on the morning of our departure from San Sebastien we discovered that the two bike locks securing Char´s bike had been cut and her bike was missing. This was obviously a massive shock for Char and the team and it took a long time to sort a plan for the remainder of the trip. However, Ben, our fifth team member, was a total gentleman and offered to lend Char his bike and other gear in order for Char to carry on. Having cut his holiday plans short to give Char this opportunity the team would like to send a massive thanks to Ben who I´m sure we will remain in touch with next year when he moves to Glasgow.
Day 19 - ´Top Boys, Breakages & Beverages´
We rushed to get through the rest of Southern France and into San Sebastian to reunite the team. Hugging the coast South we bumped into two Super cyclists, Cedrick & Nicholas, who joined us and were superb tour guides. They showed us an alternative route over the cliff tops with spectacular views of the ocean and the Pyrenees Mountains taking us right to the border of Spain.
--> Nicholas was out on his first major bike ride with his Dad and we hope that our brief encounter may inspire you to do something like this one day too! Keep up the great work : )
Once back under Matty´s naviagation we quickly fired up onto a 6-lane motorway (highly illegal for bicycles) to avoid the fast flowing, heavy weight, death defying traffic 3 of the team opted for a high speed manouvre straight on to the kerb. Matty´s 1970 model Peugot escaped unscathed, while Char and Ben´s top of the range touring bike´s buckled under the pressure and had to be quickly whisked off to a bike shop. Meanwhile Chris, having braved the traffic, had continued through tunnels and up on to the motorway, only to be constantly threatened and abused by angry Spanish motorists.
After these trials and tribulations we finally made it to San Sebastien and arrived to a hero´s welcome from Donnie and Libs. The welcome party continued into the early hours of Tuesday morning (the next week).
--> Nicholas was out on his first major bike ride with his Dad and we hope that our brief encounter may inspire you to do something like this one day too! Keep up the great work : )
Once back under Matty´s naviagation we quickly fired up onto a 6-lane motorway (highly illegal for bicycles) to avoid the fast flowing, heavy weight, death defying traffic 3 of the team opted for a high speed manouvre straight on to the kerb. Matty´s 1970 model Peugot escaped unscathed, while Char and Ben´s top of the range touring bike´s buckled under the pressure and had to be quickly whisked off to a bike shop. Meanwhile Chris, having braved the traffic, had continued through tunnels and up on to the motorway, only to be constantly threatened and abused by angry Spanish motorists.
After these trials and tribulations we finally made it to San Sebastien and arrived to a hero´s welcome from Donnie and Libs. The welcome party continued into the early hours of Tuesday morning (the next week).
Day 18 - ´100 Mile Barrier - Destroyed´
We aimed for a big day today and really pushed ourselves. The roads were flat, the sun was out and it was almost perfect cycling conditions. We powered through the morning managing 40 miles by lunch, stopping at the side of the road for a bite to eat and to check the maps. We used a local (old) cyclist as our pace setter knowing when we needed to up the pace in order to always stay ahead of him. A tough task indeed.
The wind picked up in the afternoon so we slip streamed for 10 miles or so, however, unluckily Char cycled into the back of Matty sending her flying off her bike. A quick recovery from Char´s grazed knee, elbow and shoulder and we were back on the road again.
Time was slipping away as we approached the 70 mile mark and before long one of the team members was lagging: Matty had hit a wall, not literally, but was beggining to feel the strain from all the miles in the heat . Luckily enough Chris was on hand with a well received emergency Mars Bar and rallied the troops for a motivational speach quoting just about every Rocky movie.
At mile 90 the pace had slowed and it was getting darker by the minute. Now it was Ben´s chance to lead the team as we hit our highest speed of the day, flying through some small French villages and smashing the 100 mile barrier for the first time.
At mile 100.03 we pulled over, set up tent and were asleep before our heads hit the pillows/rolled up towels.
The wind picked up in the afternoon so we slip streamed for 10 miles or so, however, unluckily Char cycled into the back of Matty sending her flying off her bike. A quick recovery from Char´s grazed knee, elbow and shoulder and we were back on the road again.
Time was slipping away as we approached the 70 mile mark and before long one of the team members was lagging: Matty had hit a wall, not literally, but was beggining to feel the strain from all the miles in the heat . Luckily enough Chris was on hand with a well received emergency Mars Bar and rallied the troops for a motivational speach quoting just about every Rocky movie.
At mile 90 the pace had slowed and it was getting darker by the minute. Now it was Ben´s chance to lead the team as we hit our highest speed of the day, flying through some small French villages and smashing the 100 mile barrier for the first time.
At mile 100.03 we pulled over, set up tent and were asleep before our heads hit the pillows/rolled up towels.
Day 17 - Donnie´s Departure
Char, Chris, Matty and our new found fifth team member Ben waved Donnie off at Verdun Sur Mer train station. Matty took over the navigation and led us through some very flat, forested countryside to the west of Bordeaux. Having lost our practiced navigator Donnie, Matty took over...taking us through some great scenic "detours". In fairness it was only the day before Matty had told us "im not sure I even know how to read a map" and getting lost was only really straying a few kilometers in the wrong direction.
The day was very windy so we all quickly put in to practice 'slip streaming' to make our day a bit easier. The odd game of "what do yout think Donnie´s doing now¨ later turned out to be fairly accurate (chilling on the beach, having a few beers and relaxing the leg).
We cycled late into the night finding a spot in the trees by a river where we quickly chowed down then hit the hay. Ben was an absoloute hero - having already changed his plans to continue cycling South with us he kindly let Char stay in his tent. What a bloke.
The day was very windy so we all quickly put in to practice 'slip streaming' to make our day a bit easier. The odd game of "what do yout think Donnie´s doing now¨ later turned out to be fairly accurate (chilling on the beach, having a few beers and relaxing the leg).
We cycled late into the night finding a spot in the trees by a river where we quickly chowed down then hit the hay. Ben was an absoloute hero - having already changed his plans to continue cycling South with us he kindly let Char stay in his tent. What a bloke.
Sunday, 17 July 2011
Day 17 - Plan B
From St Vivien to Verdon Sur Mer (42.2 miles) for the first half of the day.
Matty managed to secure us a camping spot on the village green in a small town Called St Vivien after a short cycle from Aytre last night. We woke up to a bit of a drizzle which persisted throughout the day. For this reason you can't quite make out the cool platform in this photo that took us over the river Charente. It's apparently a bridge that is unique to Rochefort and the excitement of this fact was certainly not lost on the team! Not only has the invalid got a gammy knee, I also now need to see a dentist sharpish due to a broken tooth keeping me up for most of last night. It was a tough decision to make but in order for the team to carry on the cycle with any chance of reaching Morocco we decided that I should travel to San Sebastien (Spain) by train to try to get the tooth sorted and to give the leg a rest before tackling Spain and Morocco. It's a shame that I won't be able to finish cycling the next half of France but it seems the only option after a few days of struggling along. Since we have a limited amount of time to finish the cycle (flights are booked back to the UK from Marrakesh on the 1st of September) it makes sense for me not to hold the rest of the team up.
Sitting in San Sebastien in a hostel on the seafront right now after having taken the train via Bordeaux. I had a couple of hours to spare in Bordeaux but it seems unless you are looking for an African style haircut or a sex shop you are likely to be disappointed by the parts of Bordeaux that I managed to see in that time!
As for the rest of the team we will edit this to add in what they got up to after we parted.
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Day 15 + 16 - mmmmm Charal
From Machecoul to La Rochelle (Aytre) (84.9 miles)
The team fell asleep last night to the smooth grooves of some old school Craig David, courtesy of Matty's ipod. This must have settled us well as we got up and off to an early start this morning. As could be expected, the knee is just not holding together due to the repetitive cycling and began to hurt within the first few miles but, so far, is not sore enough for me (Donnie) to call it a day. Due to the fact we're crossing fairly flat ground there hasn't been a huge amount of strain on it yet but once we hit Spain the hills may become a problemo.
After sitting in the square in Lucon, taking in some of the national day celebrations we headed out across flat fields towards La Rochelle. On paper this should have been an easy cycle but due to the strong headwinds it took a lot more effort than expected.
The team arrived in La Rochelle to find a music festival was setting up there for the week. This might have been a good thing if all the campsites in the area were not fully booked by people attending the festival. This meant that, instead of having a well deserved night out in La Rochelle for our day off, we instead had to head round the coast to a small town called Aytre, where we camped for the night and had a lie in the next day.
My day off consisted of sitting in a cafe on the Quay with ice on the knee and writing the blog but the rest of the team headed off for a tour of La Rochelle. I'm writing this just now whilst sitting in a hostel in San Sebastien whilst the team cycle here from Bordeaux (long story) so they could probably tell you more about what they got up to once they catch up with me! However, I can tell you that Chris and Matty dressed up as cows and ran an assault course to get a free burger and came back with a buzzer that shouts "mmmm Charal" (the name of the burger comapany) whenever it tips on it's side...with Matty carrying this in his panniers it probably won't take long before the buzzer ends up under a lorry!
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
The team fell asleep last night to the smooth grooves of some old school Craig David, courtesy of Matty's ipod. This must have settled us well as we got up and off to an early start this morning. As could be expected, the knee is just not holding together due to the repetitive cycling and began to hurt within the first few miles but, so far, is not sore enough for me (Donnie) to call it a day. Due to the fact we're crossing fairly flat ground there hasn't been a huge amount of strain on it yet but once we hit Spain the hills may become a problemo.
After sitting in the square in Lucon, taking in some of the national day celebrations we headed out across flat fields towards La Rochelle. On paper this should have been an easy cycle but due to the strong headwinds it took a lot more effort than expected.
(La Rochelle) and a video of Ben navigating his way through La Rochelle, really beautiful old town...
The team arrived in La Rochelle to find a music festival was setting up there for the week. This might have been a good thing if all the campsites in the area were not fully booked by people attending the festival. This meant that, instead of having a well deserved night out in La Rochelle for our day off, we instead had to head round the coast to a small town called Aytre, where we camped for the night and had a lie in the next day.
My day off consisted of sitting in a cafe on the Quay with ice on the knee and writing the blog but the rest of the team headed off for a tour of La Rochelle. I'm writing this just now whilst sitting in a hostel in San Sebastien whilst the team cycle here from Bordeaux (long story) so they could probably tell you more about what they got up to once they catch up with me! However, I can tell you that Chris and Matty dressed up as cows and ran an assault course to get a free burger and came back with a buzzer that shouts "mmmm Charal" (the name of the burger comapany) whenever it tips on it's side...with Matty carrying this in his panniers it probably won't take long before the buzzer ends up under a lorry!
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Day 14 - Ain't no bridge high enough
From Guer to Machecoul (86.26 Miles)
We all woke up a bit late after making up for sleep lost on the ferry last night. However, the sun was shining and we had a relatively easy day of cycling ahead of us, allowing us to bash out the furthest cycle so far. The only real obstacle we met throughout the day was the Saint Nazaire bridge; 68 metres high, spanning the Loire river.
The lads stopped at the top for a gander at the view but Char was on a mission to cross the Loire so shot by without stopping for a cheeky touristy photo...
Just after the bridge we stopped to catch our breathe and to decide whether it was worth sticking to the main road and dodge some heavy roadworks that were happening at the time. Right at this moment we noticed a cyclist with panniers attached just going for it down the main road so we followed suit. We caught up him down the road and had a bit of a chat. It turned out that he (Ben) was heading in the same direction as us so we headed off in the direction of La Rochelle, which was recommended to us by Professor John Briggs of Glasgow University geography department. We'd like to thank John for his advice and guidance on some of the crucial geographical aspects of our cycle.
Ben turned out to be the right person to bump into as he informed us that tomorrow is Bastille Day in France, which basically means nothing will be open so we stocked up on food for tomorrow and set up camp just south of Machecoul.
After two consecutive long days of cycling Donnie's knee has taken a turn for the worse again. However, with a bit stretching and massaging it will hopefully hold out until we have a proper break in San Sebastien, Spain.
Friday, 15 July 2011
Day 9 + 10 - A party in the City
The team head into London for the start of the weekend. When the boys finally stir from the glorious comfort of the guest beds at Char's mum's we get breakfast and head to Paddington on the train. Our first stop is the map shop 'Standords' in Covent Garden which John Briggs, Glasgow University's Head of Geography had highly recommended to us for European O.S maps. It turned out to be a very helpful store and we were quickly supplied with maps for France, Spain and Morocco by the shops's expert and very knowledgable staff. Thank you Standfords!
The rest of the afternoon was spent showing Chris the sights of London. This is the first time he's been to London so the tourist sights were a must see. Donnie gave us a very detailed tour along The Mall from Trafalga Square to Buckingham Palace. We ate lunch in Hyde Park and passed some time in Harrods before heading to meet Matty, our 4th team member in Tooting.
(photo coming soon)
Friday night was the party Matty had been promising us the whole week running up to arriving in London. The hot tub in the garden, DJ and completly relaxed neighbours meant the party carried on till all hours of the morning. We woke up after 3 hours of sleep to the dull sounds of drum and bass coming from the living room - thankfully we had no cycling to do that day! We sorted out Matty's kit in the afternoon and headed back to Oxfordshire.
The evening before Matty's first day cycling with the team was a late one. We stayed up till midnight to make a much need 'cull' of everyone's equipment. Over the 450 odd miles cycled through Britain we unanimously decided we needed to carry less weight. The boys had been kind and taken Charlotte's sleeping bag and matt to give her a fighting chance up hills but it wasnt enough. We all cut out the non-essentials and ended up with panniers weighing shy of 1 stone each.
With everything organised to a 'T', a good nights sleep was in order. We had an 80 mile day to tackle to make it to Portsmouth for the Sunday night ferry.
The rest of the afternoon was spent showing Chris the sights of London. This is the first time he's been to London so the tourist sights were a must see. Donnie gave us a very detailed tour along The Mall from Trafalga Square to Buckingham Palace. We ate lunch in Hyde Park and passed some time in Harrods before heading to meet Matty, our 4th team member in Tooting.
(photo coming soon)
Friday night was the party Matty had been promising us the whole week running up to arriving in London. The hot tub in the garden, DJ and completly relaxed neighbours meant the party carried on till all hours of the morning. We woke up after 3 hours of sleep to the dull sounds of drum and bass coming from the living room - thankfully we had no cycling to do that day! We sorted out Matty's kit in the afternoon and headed back to Oxfordshire.
The evening before Matty's first day cycling with the team was a late one. We stayed up till midnight to make a much need 'cull' of everyone's equipment. Over the 450 odd miles cycled through Britain we unanimously decided we needed to carry less weight. The boys had been kind and taken Charlotte's sleeping bag and matt to give her a fighting chance up hills but it wasnt enough. We all cut out the non-essentials and ended up with panniers weighing shy of 1 stone each.
With everything organised to a 'T', a good nights sleep was in order. We had an 80 mile day to tackle to make it to Portsmouth for the Sunday night ferry.
Day 13 - "Morale boosting fall"
From St Malo to just south of Guer (65 miles)
Chris volunteered to ask the nearest farmer, who didn't speak a word of English, whether we could set up tent in a corner of his field. After plenty of hand gestures and cave drawings, we got the thumbs up and set up camp...
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Day 12 - The old switcheroo
Portsmouth to St Malo, France by ferry
The verdict form the nurse at St Mary's in Portsmouth was that, aside from having very loose knees, no ligaments were damaged in my knee and that it was most likely due to straining with the weight of the panniers in too high a gear. Got it all strapped up again and bought a load of ibuprofen for the next week. Hopefully it'll hold out long enough for us to rest it and let it properly heal.
The team got packed up and ready to hit the ferry tonight from Portsmouth to St Malo, which should get us to France in time for breakfast. Top notch entertainment on the ferry was provided by the resident magician. According to Matty the acts included; "the disappearing banana" "the one with the changey dress thing" and "the old switcheroo"....classics!
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Day 11 - Man's best friend
From Char's mum's house Uffington to Gosport (83 miles)
A great send off with banner and all from Char's mum, Elizabeth, set us up well for the day ahead. Matty's first day of cycling started off with a gentle 15 % incline on our way out of Uffington...ouch. However, the real problems started after about 10 miles when my (Donnie) knee injury (from tackling the Cotswolds in too high a gear) worsened. Just as well we picked up a handy physio in London! Matty got to work and quickly sorted out a makeshift strap to try and correct a shift in my knee due to tight muscles on one side. This worked for a large stretch of the day but after 50 miles of repetitive cycling it was clear that no amount of strapping was going to lessen the pain. It's amazing how morale sapping this injury was for me today; the thought of having to stop so early was truly gutting. However, the team pulled together and Chris managed to contact his cousin who kindly offered to put us up for the night in Gosport; a 7 minute ferry from Portsmouth. A flat cycle to Gosport and a bed for the night was clearly too much good news for one day as we encountered a boxer dog on the loose. As I cycled past the dog my panniers bounced which startled the dog and sent it into a bit a of rage as it went for the next thing that it could get at....Matty and his bike! A couple of superficial scratches later and a slightly chewed tire and we were back on track, arriving at Chris' cousin's flat right next to the quay. Never the ones to miss a good photo opportunity we lined up and took a snap then quickly got down to ordering an Indian for tea.
Even this proved to be a bit of a task as there was a severe language barrier between Char and the takeaway as both sides struggled to communicate her bank card number. In the end, Christine, Chris' cousin's fiancee couldn't handle any more and decided to drive us down to the takeaway to pick it up instead of having to endure another twenty minutes of torture. It was worth it in the end as we all destroyed a vast amount of curry. On that note, it's amazing how much we eat whilst cycling and even on the days off; all that food and no love handles at the end of it...can't complain!
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Day 8 - A laugh, a chat
From Brummy Suburbia to Uffington (Oxfordshire)
The team left the Smyth's after a fantastic fry up and a great night's sleep followed by a tour of surburbia's hotspots in Robbo's neighbourhood.
The weather hit us pretty hard again as we were plagued by showers throughout the day. However, we managed a quick 40 miles before stopping in the beautiful town of Winchombe to enjoy our pasta tuna, made two days before...waste not, want not! All accompanied by some freshly picked plums and tay berries bought at the side of road in the village before Winchombe.
The afternoon gave us a taste of the Cotswold Hills - more than 10% inclines and rolling hills for many miles. A couple of the hills got the better of the team at times, forcing us to dismount and walk the bikes up the hill to give the legs a break. The weather improved along with the roads. A good 32 miles later, after some very affluent, chocolate box villages in Gloustershire we arrived in Coln-St Aldwyns. Chris chose this small village as the setting for a tasteful photograph and would like to think the bench sums up his character...
We arrived in Uffington after 78.67miles to Char's dogs and Mum, Elizabeth.
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Wednesday, 6 July 2011
Day 7 - Donnie goes Darko
From Sandbach to Rubery (Birmingham)
Today was never going to be an easy one, the attempt at route planning yesterday was entirely scrapped due to the sheer amount of junctions and roundabouts we would have to navigate in order to avoid primary routes. Reading the map from my (Donnie) handlebars whilst on the move is tough work considering it rarely sits still so we decided that we would brave taking mostly primary roads. This route turned out to be a lot less heartstopping than Monday's attempts at primary routes and most likely saved us a lot of time and effort throughout the day as we completed our longest leg yet, 63.2 miles.
Just before lunch we experienced the first major downpour followed by hail and strong winds. For unkown reasons this proved a hilarious occassion to the team and we must have looked a right sight grinning from ear to ear whilst battling through the storm. It was a welcome perk up for me as I had a wee meltdown earlier in the day whilst attempting to pump up my tyres; resulting in one bike pump down as it got launched into the nearest field...deep breaths!
Photo opportunity with one of the Right to Play banners in Wolverhampton
We arrived at the Smyth household in Rubery after our toughest cycle yet. Chris knows Robyn Smyth from charity volunteering a few years ago and she kindly offered to put us up for the night before we travel on to Char's mum's house in Oxfordshire tomorrow. From the second we arrived the Smyth's were the perfect hosts, having prepared a splendid pork roast for dinner. Many thanks to Chris & Sally Smyth : )
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Tuesday, 5 July 2011
Day 5 + 6
From Chorley to Sandbach and rest day
Nothing much to report from the fifth day of cycling. We managed 54 miles from near Chorley to Char's step-mum, Ellie's, home in Sandbach, Cheshire. The journey was fairly flat but the route we took involved a couple of stretches of busy primary roads that were, at times, a bit intimidating but we're slowly getting used to our bikes and cycling safely with traffic. We stayed the night in Sanbach and took a rest day for Char to spend a bit of time with her brother, Will, who she's not seen for a while.
Many thanks to Ellie and Will for feeding and entertaining us for our time in Sandbach and for putting up with the initial stench of us walking through the door!
Before I forget forever, Chris delivered on his promise that he would fall off his bike due to wearing clip in shoes for the first time. Not only that but he managed it three times in one day (day 3)...once right in the centre of town for all the people of Penrith to have a good chuckle at his expense!
Off to have some home-made pizza at Ellie's Italian Cafe, Fragola's, in Sandbach.
Peace out for now.
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Nothing much to report from the fifth day of cycling. We managed 54 miles from near Chorley to Char's step-mum, Ellie's, home in Sandbach, Cheshire. The journey was fairly flat but the route we took involved a couple of stretches of busy primary roads that were, at times, a bit intimidating but we're slowly getting used to our bikes and cycling safely with traffic. We stayed the night in Sanbach and took a rest day for Char to spend a bit of time with her brother, Will, who she's not seen for a while.
Many thanks to Ellie and Will for feeding and entertaining us for our time in Sandbach and for putting up with the initial stench of us walking through the door!
Before I forget forever, Chris delivered on his promise that he would fall off his bike due to wearing clip in shoes for the first time. Not only that but he managed it three times in one day (day 3)...once right in the centre of town for all the people of Penrith to have a good chuckle at his expense!
Off to have some home-made pizza at Ellie's Italian Cafe, Fragola's, in Sandbach.
Peace out for now.
(For more info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Day 4 - Horan Hospitality!
From Kendal to near Chorley
After the shocking news that George was putting his career on the line to put us up for the night we tried to make a swift exit! In reality, we ended up having to make a stop off at Halfords for 10am in Kendal to sort out Chris' gears, which had been playing up yesterday. The journey that followed was described by Charlotte as "scenic." This has now become synonymous with "a bloody hard days cycle with lots of hills and sweltering heat."
During the "scenic" route we managed to avoid majors towns and cities for most of the day until we reached Preston. By this point we had already hit 50 miles, a lot of which were uphill so we did what any self-respecting student would do...headed to pub to re-group and do some thinking/drinking!
We eventually plumped for getting as far past Preston as we could manage then look for a field to set up camp. With the light failing Chris decided to ask at the nearest house whether we could camp in the field next to their home. What we didn't expect was the overwhelming hospitality that the Horan family offered us. John showed us a great spot in their garden to pitch our tents and Eileen brewed us up some tea whilst we sorted our kit out. After tea we got a tour of the stables from their grandaughter, Taige, who was a really chatty, bright, young girl. She kindly gave us a Spanish phrasebook to help us on our journey :-)
We're really greatfull to the Horan family and hope to meet similar, kind people along the way.
(For background info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Day 3 - Living life on the edge in Kendal
From Dalston to Kendal
Tough day of rolling hills and problems with Chris' gears contributed to the lack of mileage today (42 miles). However, we made up for it with a beautiful campsite just outside Kendal, slap up meal of reduced, cooked chicken on the banks of the river in Kendal and joined the locals to watch the Haye vs Klitscho fight. However, the locals were on their own when the nazi chants came out...during the Ukranian national anthem (awkward!). We've had a few problems with the GoPro camera that Donnie brought along so we haven't managed to take many videos. However, for your enjoyment...here's a video of Char struggling against the odds to conquer the mountain between Shap and Kendal....
Sitting writing this on our day off (day 6) I can still say this has been the toughest part of the journey so far; a long and steep slog to the top. However, the blast down the other side of the mountain down into Kendal was well worth the climb.
The couple who ran the campsite we stayed in were lovely and were obviously experts at running the campsite with smooth grass and a warm welcome. George was even willing to let us in on his big secret...the campsite had a capacity of 50 but with us arriving out of the blue he had 53 on the books. They are truly living life on the edge on the slopes of Kendal!
(For background info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Day 2 - Hungry midges to friendly cows
From Abington to a field near Dalston
Great mornings cycle from Abington down to Lockerbie for lunch; straight roads and downhill the whole way certainly helped us go 64.2 miles today to our destination, near Dalston. Chris hit 35mph down the cycle path...LAD!
Although the route from Lockerbie to Gretna was up and down, it was a beautiful day's cycling for our final day in Scotland. We passed the Gretna Green blacksmith's, famous for runaway marriages and home to 1 in 6 Scottish marriages.
Before we crossed into England Chris and Donnie needed a pint to steady the nerves so we stopped at the Crossways Inn to check the maps and have a quick pint.
Chris savoured the last morsel of Scotland as we set off in the unkown...
(For background info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Day 1 - Gears fixed by Gears
From outside Glasgow University to Abington
First of all, a massive thanks to all who came down to see us off on Thursday morning especially Chris' Nana. The team trip to Ashton Lane the night before for leaving drinks quickly escalated into a leaving night out in Viper for Charlotte. Post Viper packing of the bags was dodgy at best but most essential items found their way into the bags!
After this setback we managed to pull it together and get back on track, saying goodbye to rainy Glasgow as we raced towards midge-infested Abington (the highest village in Scotland). We set up camp in a field just off the main cycle route where we were quickly set upon by the local midge population. A cold sleep after 48.5 miles in the afternoon wasn't ideal but day 1 complete.
Lowest point of the day for Donnie...getting both bumcheeks zapped by the electric fence around the field (rookie, cityboy error). Coincidently, this was the highest point of the day for Chris and Char!
(For background info on our journey check out http://www.cycle-to-sahara.co.uk/)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)