John O Groats to Lands End

The Charities we are supporting...

The Charities we are supporting...
http://www.bestchances.org.uk/
We have decided to cycle the length of the country from John O Groats to Lands End in aid of two charities that are very close to our hearts. Both charities have a similar goal to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people albeit it in very different areas of the world. The Zambia IDEALS project is dedicated to empowering young people who are living in poverty using sport as a basis and educating communities about the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. This work is carried out in one of the most socially and economically deprived areas of the world namely Lusaka, Zambia. Best Chances is a UK based charity which works in some of the most deprived areas of the country and aims to offer young people the best chances in life by breaking down financial barriers which prevent them from fulfilling their dreams. Both of these charities are currently carrying out tremendous work and have been involved in transforming the lives of many, young, deprived individuals. This work is obviously very dependent on funding and it is for this reason that we both felt we should do our bit by trying to raise some funds to allow this fantastic work to continue.

Monday 28 June 2010

England arrives

We have made it safe and sound to engalnd and now need to try to find some establishments who will take our scottish wonga - I think ull find its legal tender!!

We flew along from dumfries to carlisle this morning covering the 40 miles in just about 4 hours! During this ride we hit a massive milestone of the trip as we passed through Gretna and into ENGLAND, briefly stopping for a photo op by the sign!! We stopped for some food in carlisle and pondered the biggest climb of the trip so far into the lake district! We would be climbing for about ten miles and would reach a max height of 1100 feet!! This climb proved to be even more difficult than expected as the heavens decided to open and the wind gathered pace! The climb went on and on and we got wetter and colder, so cold that we didn't want to go to fast on the down hills to avoid the wind chill!!

The weather meant that it was difficult to enjoy what should have been some more amazing scenery! Instead it was head down, legs pumping and very little conversation!!

After stopping a few motorists to check we were headed in the right direction, we eventually found the main road to Keswick! Just as the weather cleared and we saw the 6 miles to keswick sign I managed to get stung by a bee, somehow the little guy got through my jacket and my top and got me right on the chest!! After a bit of winging and sympathy searching we continued on the final path to Keswick arriving at the Cherry Trees bed and breakfast just after 7, looking like drowned rats!!

We were greeted and shown to our amazing room by our friendly hosts! We ordered a take away to get some energy and our host Margeret very kindly took our wet clothes from us and gave them a quick wash for which we were very greatful!!

Off to bed before being joined by a special guest for the trip to Preston in the morning!!

Highlights of the day:
1. The nice flat morning in the sunshine which saw us setting new records for speeds on the trip
2. Passing through gretna and arriving back in our homeland
3. Meeting a friendly cyclist who was doing a casual 100 mile ride (he was probably triple our age)
4. Becky begging me to get married in the famous chaple in Gretna
5. Arriving at Cherry Trees and relaxing in our nice room
6. The beautiful lake district
7. Checking the weather forecast for tomorrow and expecting a brighter day!


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