|
|
 |
|
Steve "Lazarus" Hudson, Neil "The Drafter" Hudson and Robbie
"Mountain Goat" Hannah did it!!! They cycled from Land's End to John O'Groats between May 25th and June 5th
2009.
Many thanks to all those who sponsored us so far in aid of "When You Wish Upon
A Star". If anyone else would like to support us, please visit our charity web-site at www.justgiving.com/steveandneilhudson.
"When You Wish Upon A Star" aims to grant the 'Wishes' of children from the age of 2 to 16 years who are suffering from a life threatening illness.
ROUTE:
Day 1: Lands End to St Columb Major
Day 2: St Columb Major to South Molton
Day 3: South Molton to Bristol
Day 5: Ludlow to Knutsford
Day 6: Knutsford to Ingleton
Day 7: Ingleton to Langholm
Day 8: Langholm to Edinburgh
Day 9: Edinburgh to Blair Atholl
Day 10: Blair Atholl to Inverness
Day 11: Inverness to Altnaharra
Day 12: Altnaharra to John O' Groats
|
|
|
The journey was 945 miles long, mainly following B roads,
involved 55000 feet of climb, and took 11.5 days (They spent 77hours, 35mins, 23secs in the saddle). Top
speed: 48mph; bottom speed: pretty close to 0 mph.
Despite eating vast amounts of food, all 3 cyclists lost over a stone in weight - even Robbie, who didn't
appear to have any weight going spare. And, YES, it was painful for about a week to sit down unless supported by
lots of soft cushions!!!
This route was adapted from the Cyclists Touring Club recommended route, but with some minor alterations. The CTC route is 1017 miles long, and is a VERY hilly scenic route.
Some compromises were made to bring the route down to 945 miles, with just a few less hills - though still a LOT of climb,
as you can see from the table!!
The biggest change is that we used the Sustrans Routes 77 & 7 alongside the A9 between Perth & Inverness.
Training Routes
The following routes were used for general fitness training. In general, they vary in distance from about 25
to about 85 miles.
Chippenham to Cricklade
Cricklade / Bibury Circular (26 miles)
Cricklade / Lechlade Circle (30 miles)
Wiltshire Cycleway (North Section)
Cricklade (Wilts) to Cosham (Hants)
Round IOW (as best I can remember)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There were lots of highs - beautiful scenery and wildlife, great food (lots of carbs) and drink (more carbs!),
and some good company who joined for part of the ride along the way.
Alistair - great ride from you into the Lake District. Dewi - thanks for the chat and being a superb windbreak.
Richard - thanks for pointing out how many people get seriously injured or killed whilst cycling. Paul - can't believe
you were trying to alter the route just to go over the top of that big hill in Fife!!!
Special thanks must go Clara and Caroline for travelling the length of Britain to provide words of encouragement
and much needed sustenance in South West England and the North of Scotland, to Kirsten for her support through the Yorkshire
Dales and Scottish Borders, and to Fiona, Kenny, Alan, Jacqui, Ian and Jean for fabulous dinners and help along the way.
Unfortunately, there were a few low points - Cornwall & Devon (the hills are steep), the Lake District (the hills are
BIG) and the gale-force headwinds and driving rain on the final stretch into John o' Groats.
But overall, the highs far out-weighed the lows, and they're already thinking about what to do next year...
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Ashfield Practice, 22 Ashfield Road, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 1QQ
Phone: 01249 659749 Mobile: 07758 251385
|
|
|
|
