plug for a friend of mine, taking on a two month, 4000ish mile ride round our coast.
the original route plan seems to have him north of Edinburgh today, but FB has him a little north of Hull.
Sat here with a broken leg, I will be watching with a slightly jealous eye.
If anyone here lives near the coast and could cheer him on or offer a brew, it would be most appreciated im sure.
That schedule looks to slipping at quite a rate!
I'm on the route, dropped him a line with an offer of a place to stay.
agree on the slipping... but im not sure if it was maybe a delayed start (recent storm?) or something else.... I need to trawl FB to know. edit: looks like early days ridden distances are in KM when the plan is in Miles! might be out there a long time!
v. kind Robola!
so he's somewhere in the north york moors area tonight, campsite owners have let him use a hobbits camping pod!
looks to be very welcome following a tough day in grim weather.
hope tomorrows storm provides a little tail wind
From FB:
If you want to add some tunes to my playlist please do so! It's a communal playlist on Spotify and it's call "Cycle For Change"
There is also a link to add tunes which should be:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/22ftdNkoWW8ERae7e0rdMV...
day out yesterday to let storm barra blow through, currently somewhere north of Robin Hoods Bay on "something called the cindertrack".... hoping the tourer is upto some mild, wet, offroad.
the Cinder Track is the old railway line from Scarborough to Whitby. It's pretty gentle but in this weather it'll be a lot harder !
I'd have done it in summer!
agree with you there weeksy, that'd be my choice too!
looks like yesterday was an enforced rest and mechanicals day, for any of you around Hartlepool, the LBS WetRockNRide very kindly helped out, including the somewhat concerning phrase
"they then gave me heaps of useful andvice and also went through a size/fit check to make sure I was riding in correct position."
but MrsAlias thinks that great and is now much more interested because "....he doesnt know what he's doing!".... have to agree im pretty stunned someone can set out on a round the country ride and not be confident of their bike fit, but takes all sorts..... and at least he's doing it (while i sit here feeling sorry for myself)
If you are north of Hartelepool today, keep an eye out for James!
I'm on the route on Sw Scotland again happy to host
Msged an offer of accommodation and sent a link to here and got this back!
Haha, just read the thread on singletrack, does make it all sound pretty crazy! (I'm unable to reply to it though),
Yes, planned schedule has slipped massively, largely due to horrendous weather but the schedule was always a very optimistic plan. It was taken from an organised coastline cycling tour which I think was aimed a road cyclists not carrying full touring packs. Little did I know cycletouring is tough going, slow and a lot of faff with kit!
Bike "fit" was a precautionary check yesterday. I had a proper fit before leaving home but wasn't sure about it as the fitter wasn't interested in touring. I was struggling with knee pain but after a visit to physio yesterday I was told this was just body getting used to the repetitive motion.
And yes, completely new to touring, never done it before, had to learn lots and learn fast! All part of the adventure, what can go wrong haha! Getting better as I go and having an amazing journey. All support very welcome but most importantly sharing and raising awareness of the charity side if it. Www.justgiving.com/fundraising/cycleforchangejames
Hope that is helpful 👍
Ooft - he's going the wrong way!
Will be battling a headwind all the way down the west coast.
That and it's dark before 4 in Scotland (if he gets that far north).
Good luck to him, but ooft.
looks like he's overnight in Dunfermline!
rip from FB, where there are pics too.
Day 21, done!
Dunfermline to Kinross, 24km
A short but simply stunning day!
As you can see by the photos, today's weather was definitely on side. This was an absolute pleasure too because I planned to have an easy going, slow day. After all, I had a meeting booked later on
My morning began at Fordell Firs Scout campsite where I had kindly heen given a pitch for the night.
Waking to a chilly and very damp tent my journey for the day first took me along a short ride to Lochore Coutry Park where I had been offered a shower at the @outdooredfife centre. This awesomely located centre was brilliant and very supportive of my challenge.
Not only was the shower good, the sun was shining and the lake was as still as a millpond.
From here I had a short but sunny ride to my meeting at the offices of Cycle For Change partner, @marloewatchco.
This was quite a special meeting as Marloe have been a part of my project since day one and have supported me through the whole journey.
Not only have they provided me with a beautiful watch for me to wear but they have also set up a competition for those who donate to be entered into a prize draw to win a Marloe watch just like mine.
Marloe's ethos of creating their own unique watches based on an event or story, plus their attention to detail and environmental ethics echo everything my project stands for.
It was brilliant to meet Steph and Gordon who came out into the cold to greet me and the Noble Steed, they even gave me a gift bag full of goodies to help make my camping evenings more homely!
A huge thank you to the whole Marloe team, I'm so proud to have you on this journey with me.
To finish the day, while looking for a campsite I was greeted with the most incredible misty sunset. After setting up my tent I was then greeted by a lovely couple named Sue and Woody who are living in a caravan near my pitch. They kindly charged my power-pack for me, we chatted about my challenge and Woody told me of when he once cycled from Scotland to Munich! Amazing stuff! Yet again, Scottish hospitality knows no bounds.
Tomorrow sees a new chapter in my adventure, I'll update in the morning.
James
following a little route adjustment to account for realism, James turned left after Edinburgh and then left again at Glasgow. Apols to the crowds of Scots STWrs who were lining the streets...
next week sees James somewhere between Carlisle and Ellesmere Port, any recommendations for camping spots down that side of the country much appreciated
From Facebook:
Todays weather was horrendously wet. So bad in fact that I actually stopped short of my destination to pitch my tent so that I could get warm. If I'd have carried on I risked getting hypothermia.
Fortunately I have accommodation sorted for the next 2 nights but after that (Boxing Day onwards) I'm back in England with no accommodation booked and no wildcamping allowed.
I had a few offers for the west coast but many of them have now got in touch and said that because of covid they can't offer a place to stay, which I totally understand.
With the forecast looking so wet and with wildcamping not an option I'm going to really struggle staying warm and dry without accommodation options.
I always knew this would be a potential problem but with the unforeseen covid issue and the awful qeather conditions it is becoming a real problem.
If you know anyone along the West coast between Carlisle and Ellesmere Port that may be able to offer accommodation between Christmas and New Year please let me know, it would be massively appreciated.
You can reach out either via DM on here, messenger on Facebook or email on cycleforchangejames@outlook.com
Thank you everyone.
James 🚴♂️
#cycleforchangejames @worldlandtrust #howhardcanitbe
Jeez bump this when hes in Hampshire
He can stay at mine and use the washer - drier.
Oh dear.
Yesterday (Thursday 23rd) was grim - 18mm of rain.
i just rewatched his vid piece on FB - the weather really hammered him yesterday. (a la stoicism thread)
still today should be a short day, a booster jab in carlisle and a rest day to look forward to
Hopefully sorted one night on the west coast 🤞