I’d be doing a slow Tour Divide if it were me. 100 miles a day for 27 days and then ride to Phoenix airport (400 miles) for the flight home. 3100 miles and by no means a death march.

I live in Birch Vale and I work in Stockport or Manchester most days. My commute for the last few weeks has been past New Mills Golf Club, Fox Inn and then over to Linnet Clough. I didn’t know the cross had been repaired and not that yet more ace mountain bike trails had been flattened in the area. I’ll go that way tomorrow so I can have a look.

“Near Marple here. Can use canal, TPT and Middlewood Way to get up into the Peaks with hardly any roads.”

Or you could go through Roman Lakes, Mellor T, Birch Vale and Hayfield to get up into the Peaks with hardly any roads and use a huge amount of decent mountain bike trails with hardly any roads.

Around 40 miles away from Delamere but Marple (Roman Lakes) and Mellor are ‘just’ in Cheshire and make for a kind of Peak District Light sort of ride. You’ll be going out of Cheshire and into Derbyshire on occasion but the views over Kinder Scout (you can ride over and do Middle Moor, South Head, Jacobs Ladder etc) are lovely and the terrain is very good (it used to be better though).

From what I’ve ridden at Delamere, I’d make the journey over to Marple if I was in a car.

That’s exactly what I was hoping for bigyan. Thank you very much.

Copied from the Just Giving page:

<b>More photo’s to be added here and hopefully on St Ann’s Hospice Facebook and Twitter pages.</b>

<b>Done! Set off from Blackpool Tower at 7:14am Tuesday 07/08/18. Arrived at the Eiffel Tower at 8:55am Thursday 09/08/18. 189 miles (plus 20 miles riding from home to Manchester Piccadilly to get the early morning train to Blackpool) on the first day. 181 miles on the second day. Caught the last ferry on Wednesday night and rode into Paris, 110miles during the early hours of Thursday.  The mileage was shorter as I had calculated the ferry miles as riding miles by mistake.</b>

<b>Huge thanks to everybody who donated and came out on the day(s) to cheer me on and do a few miles on the road. All of your support was fantastic.</b>

<b>The draw has taken place with the wining numbers as follows:</b>

<b>Hope 29’er MTB Wheels : Yellow 326</b>

<b>UK Bike Skills Tuition Day : Yellow 148</b>

<b>Bargain Booze 6 Bottle Box of Wine : Yellow 142</b>

<b>UB40 Double Album Vinyl : Green 483 (redonated by the winner)</b>

<b>Bicycle Smithy Free Bike Service : Green 160</b>

<b>Nando’s £30 Voucher : Green 418</b>

<b>One Month Free Membership New Bodies Gym : Yellow 68</b>

<b>Samsung 38″ Interactive TV : Green 431</b>

<b>Congratulations to the prize draw winners and thank you again to everybody who took part.</b>

The TV, Wheels and UK Bike Skills Tuition Day were won by forum members. Emails have been sent to obtain delivery addresses.

Massive thanks to everybody from here who took part. Apologies for the formatting.

Thank you very much. Some very unflattering photo’s on the St Ann’s Hospice Facebook and Twitter pages from Tuesday when I called in on the way through and more to be uploaded later from the journey.

How are you and the family getting on Gnusmas? I don’t visit this forum very much anymore but I hope you’re all doing as well as you can. Please accept my continued condolences.

Done. Just got home. Knackered and empty. Prize draw tomorrow evening. They might have to do it in my absence.

Suicide is a massively selfish act. Each time I’ve tried it, genuinely attempted, I haven’t thought for a minute about my family or the consequences to them. It’s the same when I’m super high. The consequences of my actions when I’m at either end of the bipolar scale really don’t matter to me. My family don’t matter to me. Me and the super positive and massively negative emotions and thoughts that I am having take over everything. The most dangerous part is when I’m in despair enough to have these devastating urges but I’m not catatonic anymore and I have enough energy to get on with it.

That’s something to watch for. If somebody you know has been demonstrative enough to show that they are in a deep depression and then they start to brighten up. That’s when bad things happen. One other thing, if they’re talking about doing it, they’re very unlikely to actually do it.

People with mental health issues and suicidal urges are very devious. Just ask my wife.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1141224405/the-bridge-street-saddlebag

Not long to go now.

We managed to bag a space directly opposite the Apollo underneath the fly over on Sussex Place. It’s a very small car park so maybe we just struck lucky.

An update; With almost all of the left side of her face black and purple she’s had one informal visit and an interview at another establishment. Very good vibes from the informal visit but a firm offer which has been accepted from the interview.

She decided, after reading the comments on here and her own feeling to email in advance and prepare the interview panel and the recipient at the informal visit. Both said they were grateful for the notice.

Thank again for the advice and piss taking.

Thanks for the laughs and advice. I’m laughing, the other person less so.

It’s a Band 7 or 8 level position.

Any merit in emailing in advance to advise? Her first impression is going to be poor. VERY poor. It is a proper shiner and graze. Slipped on loose sand on the concrete boat jetty. Unconscious for a few seconds as well.

I’d like to say I’m non judgemental but I was dragged up in a household of 7 children where domestic violence, child physical, mental and sexual abuse was rampant. My compass in these things is set firmly in one direction. I’m not a great help to my wife at the moment although I’m trying my best.

Thanks again for the different perspectives. It’s all helping. Nobody has said  “cancel the interview(s)” yet so that’s good.

I was so pleased that another person, being you, had turned up at Buxton to help me finish the damn thing…..and then whimpered when you wouldn’t let me go on the A6. I think I actually hated you all at that moment…..

I’ve done London Olympic Park to Manchester Velodrome. 224 miles in just over 13 hours. Loved it at the start, hated it at the end.

Stockport to Edinburgh, 225 miles. 16 hours. Wasn’t at all keen at the start, loved it in the middle, just wanted to lie down at the end.

In August, I’m doing Blackpool to Paris, 540 miles over three days. Can’t wait to get started.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/twintowers540miles

These daft rides are kind of addictive…….  “Anyone else in the Manchester area not really that good on a bike but want a pointless challenge to tick off in a few months?”

I’m in.

Thank you very much Ogg.

Thank you very much Neal. Fancy doing a few miles along the way with me?

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/twintowers540miles

Thank you very much to the anonymous donater and also to Andy Duff (your donation was in before the prize draw closed so I have some tickets for you). It’s very much appreciated.

I’ve plotted a route, very rudimentary to be honest using Google maps and it’s put me on dual carriageways for the most part. Is there a better way of doing this? I don’t have a mapping GPS and people are now asking for locations and times so they can join in for a while.

A timely reminder of this daft thing I’m doing, I hope.  Only around 8 weeks or so until the big day.  All contributions gratefully received.

Catlike Whisper helmet on road, cross and off road for me. I don’t have on or off road specific clothes either. Just tight fitting lycra kit. I only have shoes that differ. Road and off road.

2.5%? I think I’d be inclined to pay it. That’s a very small percentage increase but I’d be getting agreement in writing that if any further increases are experienced, the whole thing is off and I’d be getting a full refund, including previously paid deposits etc.

Thanks for the very helpful replies. A plan is being formulated. Andy, thanks very much for the donation. Please could you drop me a line with your contact details. I need to organise some draw tickets for you. I still need to pay the cash in so if you’ve donated cash, it will be registered on the Justgiving page in the next week or so. I think I’m up to around £1200 which is brilliant! Thanks to everybody

Thank you for the helpful replies.

My route is looking like;

Dieppe, D1314 to Forges-les-Eaux, D915 to D158 at Gisors, D174 at Montagny-en-Vexin, D43 at Commeny, D14 at Themericourt then whatever roads get me to Argenteuil and then into Paris.

Another option is a fairly cheap hotel in Paris where the can all decamp to as I’m approaching and they can spend the day and evening seeing the sights while I undoubtedly sleep for 12 hours solid.

Any recommendations for a hotel in or near Paris that includes parking?

I had a neighbour who has OCD. It was heart breaking to see him spend over an hour trying to cross a not massively busy road to get to the shops. If he couldn’t complete his backward – forward stepping motion, which was quite complex and then cross the road at the *exact* moment his compulsion dictated, he had to start again. He is a lovely but very lonely man and his OCD really has ruined his life. He’s unable to work. In fact, his compulsions are so severe, in a day,.he barely gets 200 yards from his front door. The regulars on here from the Marple area of Stockport will know of him. It’s a truly awful condition.

I’d like to apologise to the cyclists, particularly the handful of regular STW posters who pass by our house for the small, white, furry bundle of dog that goes mental every.single.time. Feel free to stop and crown in with your foot or pump!

I am both a dog owner and a dog hater.

We enjoyed it although I don’t think we’d make the journey from the very northern tip of Derbyshire again. Loads of gorgeous bikes and interesting people but we thought the venue was too small. It was packed out (Saturday) and it became quite frustrating to move around. The food on offer was extortionate. £8 for a coffee and a cake? We went to Mud Dock, instead.

My wife and I will be there on Saturday. We’re both really looking forward to it.

Hayfield. l walked our Westie along there this morning before work.

After a few disastrous weeks of injury, aches and pains and buying a new BMC road bike (it’s ace), I need to not only ramp up the training but also the fund raising.

I’m going to add prizes to the draw and post up the route with time estimates. Hopefully, I can raise some more cash and get a few people coming out on the tday to do a few miles.

“Narrow it down a bit!”

He would like some suggestions of routes in the Lake District or Peak District that avoid drop offs but can include rocky sections.

“there’s a question and too far reaching to answer properly”

It really isn’t. As evidenced above.

Your welcome……..

Thanks very much Pyro. I’ll get some tickets organised for you. I have loads of off line cash to add to the fund and prizes to be added. I’ve got so far behind with most of it but the biggest worry is my riding hours and lack of.

I think I’m going to die…………..

Time to get this thing going again. Bikes are fixed, injury has cleared up and time has flown by and I am so far behind in training and fundraising, it makes me panic.

Anybody else interested in making a contribution? £1 could get you a day learning with Tony at UK Bike Skills, a brand new, still boxed set of Hope 29’er wheels….all sorts of prizes and more to be added now I’m getting myself in to gear.

That’s a very good point actually. My Bipolar has me under the Disability Act which makes things quite difficult for my employer to get shut of me now that they’ve cottoned on to just how rubbish i am. That’s definitely worth looking into. I doubt they’ll have a complete turn around but they may pay you a few extra weeks to go quietly?

Is the Peak District too far? First day at Chatsworth. Tour of the house and then the adventure playground and animal petting area (all day in the adventure playground is easily doable as it is ace. Second day based in Castleton. Tour of the caves and then up to the castle. Might struggle to get accommodation though.

Why would you want to contact the tax office?

You need to speak to Citizens advice bureau but i think you’re pretty much sacked, sadly. I seen to have it in my mind that you don’t get full employment rights until you have been with your employer for 2 years.

Bipolar Affective Disorder. 700mg of Quetiapine daily. It’s hard to stay awake.

If you can’t speak to your family or your GP. Write it down on a piece of paper and hand it over. If you can’t do that, ask your girlfriend to go to the GP with you and let her talk for you.

You have an illness. If people disregard it, they have the problem. A part of your mind is broken. Would you try and hide a broken femur?

This https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/twintowers540miles has given me something to focus on which has helped hugely. I need to get back to it actually. I’ve had a knee injury that needed help. I was getting quite manic but now I’m back into training, I’m calming down again.

My lounge window looks out directly at Kinder. I’d say deep snow everywhere. There’s loads of snow on the paths down here in the vale. Side roads are icy but main roads are mostly clear.

If I can get the total to £750 before 11:00am tomorrow (Sunday), I’ll do a 100 mile road ride regardless of the weather conditions.

At some point over this weekend I have it get a minimum of a metric century road ride if not an imperial century road ride in. I am massively behind on my training.