Lands End to John O'Groats, Day 13 - Goodbye Nick

Day 13 Morning

We were up nice and early on Day 13 as we knew we would take a bit longer to get ready as we were expecting Danny and his fella Ben to drop Ant off with us. I was looking forward to having Ant back with us, I really enjoy chatting to him and he makes a good brew! It was good to see Danny when they arrived, I'd not seen him for a while. He tried his best to congratulate me but Danny suffers from an extreme form of lack of enthusiasm and is just as blunt as me. It was nice to get a "you're doing well." out of him! I have a lot of time for Danny, I like people who's faces can't hide what their minds are thinking! I'd not met Ben before, he seemed nice but I was a bit embarrassed shuffling about in my lycra the first time I met someone!
It wasn't long after they arrived that my dad and Elouise arrived at the campsite. Elouise was just here with us for the day, she was going to cycle the full day with me and then get a lift back to her car with Nick when his dad was taking him home. Dad was staying until the end of the challenge to share the driving with Ed so that Ed could do some cycling. When Dad and Elouise started unpacking the car I noticed there were two bikes not one. I asked dad who the other bike belonged to
"It's mine, do you like it?"
My dad has a serious damage to his back that has resulted in him having two operations on it. Some days he can't get out of bed, quite often he can't stand up straight and walks like he's crapped his pants. Here he was with his bike telling me he was going to cycle. My dad won't be told when he has an idea in his head. Luckily, with Elouise cycling I needed someone helping coordinate the other people coming to see me that day. Nick's dad was coming to pick him up, my mum was coming to see me after the push and an old running friend Vicky Breeze was also coming along to see me at the end of the day. Dad agreed to help Ed coordinate and to take some photos too. I was worried that he would hurt his cack and then not be able to drive which would hinder my progress plus I just didn't want the bloody minded old git hurting himself.
 We needed to set off to the start as I was getting an escort to Scotland by some cyclists from Carlisle Reivers Cycling Club, this was what I'd hoped every day would be like but with everything that had gone on that resulted in the date change I hadn't had time to contact cycling clubs and ask for help. This had resulted in one big advantage, I hadn't needed to stick to a time table, I could stop for a rest when I needed to and push miles further each day when I felt like it. I now know that Amanda for Carlisle Reivers had been messaging the dream team quite regularly trying to pin down when I was going to be in the area, thankfully it landed on a day she wasn't working and she was able to gather a little team to ride with me. At the start point I met the Reivers and introduced them to Bonnie and the gang. We posed for photos and then got ready to leave.

My little crew at the start.

 I let every one know all the do's and don'ts of riding near me. Don't get too close to my hands, don't stop suddenly if I am behind because I can't stop quickly and more things like that. I also warned them all that I am very slow on climbs but quite fast on downhill sections. I told them I wouldn't wait for them on the descents because they would catch me easily as soon as the downhill ended. With that we set off. I quickly learnt that I was actually further from Carlisle than I thought. I needed to push almost 10 miles to get to Carlisle. The road was an undulating one so I soon demonstrated how slow I was on the ups and how I could drop my little pack of cyclists on the downs.

Amanda waiting for me as I struggle up a hill with Nick and Elouise

We spent the morning getting to know each other. I really liked all of the cyclists from Reivers, Amanda was nuts but in a good way and she had me laughing quite a few times. There was a lad called Dan who had a stutter or another similar speech impediment, I had plenty of time to let him get his words out so that didn't matter to me. I enjoyed chatting to him. Then there were two more lads who were really interested in how the chair worked and the technical side of pushing and racing in general.
 As we started to get into a busier area I gave Amanda one of the collection tubs and she was brilliant at collecting, waving it at cars and stopping at bus stops and asking folk in a really happy, bubbly way. When we got in to Carlisle itself there were large numbers of people doing the Sunday morning walk of shame. Amanda was straight on to them and in their still drunk, bewildered state she managed to get them donating. In the busier areas of the city I had three cyclists collecting donations and another three keeping me company.

Carlisle with my crew.

 Carlisle looked like a lovely place, somewhere I'd never been before but somewhere I do want to explore again in the future. Not long after Carlisle I was pushing really well on some super smooth roads. I was really enjoying my day and showing off a little bit. I upped the pace slightly on a relatively flat road. At one stage I was flying along at almost race pace, I was at the front of the group and I missed a turn off I should have taken. I had no idea and I was pushing hard. Dan appeared at the side of me trying to talk to me, he was struggling slightly so I just carried on pushing whilst he found his words, I didn't want to put pressure on him. Eventually he said
"Wrong way"
I looked behind and it was just us two the others were at the turning waiting for us to go back. Fancy sending the lad with the speech trouble to hunt me down and stop me! It's like asking me to teach someone the Argentine Tango! What a cracking lad for actually doing it and stopping me. I could have gone miles out of my way if Dan hadn't stopped me.
With that little drama over, the local cyclists told us we were very close to the border so Ed, Ant and Dad left us to drive over the border and get ready to take photos as I crossed the border. I was really excited, I'm not sure why. I knew nothing would change over the border. It was just another big step forward and another landmark ticked off. Maybe I was excited for Nick to reach his target in memory of his son Charlie. I was really happy for Nick, cycling the whole of England with no experience and no training wasn't easy. I was relieved that I'd got him to the border but a bit upset that I knew he'd be going home in just a few hours time. We spent 10 minutes or so at the border taking photos with the various landmarks, we were a bit longer than I wanted to be as when Nick and I were posing for a photo with the way marker signpost that matched the one in Lands End and the one in John O'Groats some dizzy mare wondered into the back of shot just as My dad was about to take the photo. She was reading an information board but kept stopping to gawp at my in my wheelchair. After a few minutes I was getting bored of waiting for her to bugger off and dropped a few hints, she still didn't bloody move so after another few minutes I asked her if she was waiting to be in our photo. She tutted a walked off. There was a queue of traffic on the England-bound side of the road so just before we left Amanda ran down the traffic jam with the collection bucket, I think she got plenty of change but she did get a telling off from one guy, you always get one miserable sod.

Me and Nick at the way marker signpost.

Photo's taken, photo bombers and tight arses upset we got back on our way, passing through Gretna Green and seeing the famous buildings of the town. Nick hadn't heard of it but when we explained the history of English couples popping over the border to get married without all the English red tape he seemed to be taping note, maybe he was planning his own hasty wedding! We crossed over the motorway bridge and joined the old road that ran parallel to the motorway, it was here, not yet 2 miles inside Scotland that I was introduced to Scottish tarmac! Who knew it would be so different to the English stuff?!?! It had lots of stones in it which made the surface really rough, at the time I didn't know that most of Scotland is covered in the stuff, I thought it was just a stretch of shoddy workmanship. The stones were vibrating the whole chair and making the push uncomfortable. My bust ribs and my shins were hurting due to the vibrations and my speed dropped too.
 After 4 or 5 miles of being shook about whilst trying to climb I decided it was time to have lunch. Nick spoke to Ed, Ant and Dad as they overtook us and asked them to stop at the next available spot. When we caught them up they were in a layby busily brewing up and preparing cheese sandwiches. They were being eyeballed by some cows and half the team were straight over to the fence to pet the cows! Not me, I was gagging for a brew. With Ant being back I was handed recovery drinks, a recovery bar and a brew within seconds of finishing. Top notch service! Dad was trying to work out how many sandwiches were needed but Amanda and her team were turning back at this point. I wish they could have done more cycling with us because I'd had such a good morning with them. We said our goodbyes and waved them off back to England. Elouise, Ant, Ed, Nick, Dad and I sat down for lunch.

Amanda, Elouise and Dan petting the cows.

Day 13 Morning Stats

Miles: 23.35
Time: 2:12:30
Average Moving Speed: 10.6mph
Top Speed: 38.9mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 4 - 7:52
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 3 - 2:44
Total Ascent: 978ft
Average Heart Rate: 140bpm
Max Heart Rate: 161bpm

Day 13 Morning Progress Maps

Day 13 Afternoon

It had started to rain during lunch so we waited a while longer hoping it would dry up but it didn't. It'd been a really sunny morning so I don't think any of us expected rain. We finally plucked up the courage to go out and start the afternoon session. It felt much quieter without Amanda and gang at first, it was just Elouise, Nick and I now. They soon got chatting away and we were laughing about the conditions, it was meant to be summer!

Wet through!

 5 or 6 miles in ant the end of a dragging climb I could see a group of people stood watching me, I assumed it was just people from a layby that Ed had got out of their cars to cheer me on. I put my head down and gritted my teeth up the hill and as I got closer I could hear that it was Mother Hubbard screaming like a woman possessed. When I looked up she was waving her McLeod tartan scarf around. I pulled over for a quick chat with her and Ste my step dad. I posed for photos with mother hubbard and of course the tartan scarf.  She said she didn't think we'd stop so I think that cheered her up. I didn't know she was coming to watch me push I thought that she was just coming to the campsite after I'd finished.

Me, Mother Hubbard and the Mcleod Tartan scarf.

After a quick chat the three of us got on the road again but now with Mother Hubbard and Ste joining the motorhome bunny hopping us. Mother hubbard was screaming out of the window every time Ste drove her past us. It had Elouise and Nick in stitches.
"Your mum's nuts"
"yep I know!"
After around 10 miles the rain became very very heavy. We were soaked and cold but we had another boost to morale when at the side of the in the pouring rain my bosses wife Liz, her sister Fran and some of their friends were cheering and beeping as I passed. They were on their way back to Lancashire after a night out, I had no idea we would pass them! I would have liked to stop and chat but we were going downhill at the time and there is just no way my brakes would have stopped me in that weather so I just tried to wave whilst also trying to keep control of the chair.

 We carried on until almost 17 miles and then called it a day. Ant had a brew and my recovery stuff waiting for me, we all tried to get a little dryer before setting off. I was cold, wet, tired and hungry so I just wanted to get to the campsite. We had another free pitch this time it was at Moffat Manor Country Park which was a huge campsite, a lot of the caravans had gardens so they must have been owned and used by one family. The touring pitches were all in the centre of the park which was on a bit of a hill. When we arrived Mike, Nick's brother was stood waiting for us near reception, his dragon must have let him out for a few hours. The thing is, I think she must have dressed him too. He was wearing one of those extra long T-Shirt things. I wound the window down and asked him why he was wearing a dress. I don't think he found it funny but Nick did! Nick's dad Pete had already found out where our pitch was so Mike told us to follow him round. We parked up and Pete parked behind us followed by Ste and Vicky who had just arrived. It took a few minutes to work out what the next step was but Nick started to collect his things (and some things that weren't his the little tea-leaf took some cycling shorts and so 51 foundation kit that left us short) he packed them into his dad's car. I gave him a hug to say thanks for everything and he told me off! haha! Elouise decided to stay a bit longer and come to the bar with the rest of us... So it was time to say goodbye to Nick, he'd kept me entertained the whole way so far, saved me from rolling back down hills in Dartmoor, saved me from rolling off the edge on the old railway path, followed me around the ring roads of Gloucester and Shrewsbury, he'd kept my gloves in working order and just been a good mate. We waved them off and I went for a shower whilst the others sorted themselves out. The shower room was absolutely freezing and the shower didn't let much more than a dribble out so even after my shower I was no warmer.
When I got back to the motorhome I was met with Ed, dad and mum all trying to pack away the cakes biscuits and sweets everyone had brought with them. I'd mentioned that I had a craving for sweet things so all my visitors had brought bags of sugary, cakey, goodness with them! The only trouble was we didn't have enough cupboards to fit it all in! Elouise didn't have a change of clothes with her so she was in borrowed trackies and a T-shirt  way too big for her. I ushered us all along to get to the restaurant, I was starving!
 Elouise, Vicky, Dad, Ste, Mum, Ant, Ed and I found ourselves a table in what was the nicest campsite bar and restaurant we'd visited. We had a really good evening, lots of laughing and story telling. I had another pint to celebrate getting in to Scotland. People were making bets on the day I would reach John O'Groats. It was nice that it had gone from 'if' to 'when' now. Before too long it was time for Elouise, Vicky, Ste and mum to head off home. I tried to talk dad through the morning routine and then got in bed. It had been a long day and the weather had made it hard work but it had been a good day because of the people involved. I ended my diary for the day with:

Great Day!

Day 13 Afternoon Stats

Miles: 16.87
Time: 1:38:01
Average Moving Speed: 10.7mph
Top Speed: 28.0mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 5 - 8:34
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 8 - 3:05
Total Ascent: 697ft
Average Heart Rate: 147bpm
Max Heart Rate: 170bpm

Day 13 Afternoon Progress Maps

Total Daily Mileage: 40.22

Lands End to John O'Groats, Day 12, Shap - For Jean and Tom.

Day 12 Morning

  It felt strange not having Ant with us, I'd had to wait for my brew after we finished on day 11. I think he would have really enjoyed where we had camped, he appreciates a good view more than most his age. He was missed in the morning too, everything just seemed to take longer with only three of us. We'd had to get up earlier to get ourselves down to Kendal to the start point.
   This was it. Shap summit, the climb I had been dreading for 18 months, the climb at least six people had told me wasn't doable in a wheelchair. Because of all the horror stories I'd heard when planning my trip I had only aimed to do 16 miles on day 12. I had planned on climbing up to Shap Summit having lunch and then rolling back down the other side and not doing much else!
  I'd woke up to lots of good luck messages and bits of advice for the climb. I'd hoped to have a lot of support on this section of the challenge, with the date change and then the bigger daily mileage totals meaning I was ahead of schedule, I only had Nick and Ed with me. Making our way to the start my stomach was doing summersaults, Would I have pushed 450+ miles to mess up here and not make it to John O'Groats?

Some of the good luck messages.

Ed and Nick asked me what I wanted them to do for me as I climbed, I told them to keep talking to me, not to take any abuse I gave them to heart and if I started to fall asleep to mark the point on the road I'd got to then take me to the motorhome for some food. We also planned to stop every half hour for something to eat and drink. I was worried that running myself in to the ground on this climb might affect the following few days pushing.

Very quick photo before we set off.

 As soon as we got to the start I got in my chair and set off. I was nervous enough so didn't want to be faffing about at the start. There was no route to learn it was just a case of pushing up the bloody hill. Nick was excellent, just chatting away. Mainly talking to himself because I was too busy breathing to chat back to him. Ed was parking up at every opportunity, running back down to me and running or walking along side of me whilst shouting at me to keep pushing. I wasn't about to stop pushing or I'd find myself back down in Kendal town centre!

Just leaving Kendal.

Climbing.

My climbing had improved during the challenge, I'm never going to be as quick as some wheelchair athletes on climbs in races, my legs are still way bigger than most athletes and they weigh me down. There are plenty of wheelchair athletes who are also amputees so they have no added weight to carry. On these big climbs, the more extreme hills that you wouldn't get in races, I think I'm as good as anybody else on them. For the first couple of miles on this climb I was doing great. I was actually enjoying it. Nick stopped me after 30min as I told him to do. I was feeling perfectly ok but I ate half an energy bar and had a drink then carted on with this hill. Again we had people pulling over to cheer and donate. The higher we got the better the views were. The views gave me something else to think about other then my arms falling off at any moment.

Pretty hills.

On the climb to Shap Summit there are two or three small streams that run under the road and at these points there was a short sharp downhill which gave my arms a few seconds to recover before starting to climb again. Those few moments of rest helped me keep going at a decent speed for climbing a hill like Shap. After my second half hour stop I was starting to feel confident I would make the top. Ed had been for a drive ahead and said I was more than two thirds of the way to the top. It did get steeper but we could see the top now so I knew where I had to get to. There was nowhere for Ed to stop with the motorhome between where we made our second stop and the very top of the hill. He let us get on our way before driving past us pipping away and cheering out of the window.

One of the few rests during the climb!

This last part of the hill was steeper so I was going pretty slow, we were overtook by a couple of cyclists out training. They said hello and well done but flew past us - I'd have loved to have their gears at that point! A few minutes later we were caught by another cyclist. He stopped with us for a while, he was cycling from his home in London down to Lands End then to John O'Groats before cycling home again to London. That's some journey! I think I was as impressed with him as he was with me. It was nice to chat with him, it passed another 10 minutes of the climb for me but he was soon on his way.

Getting near to the top.

The hill had a nasty sting in the tail with the last 100m or so being much steeper. Nick hadn't had to catch me rolling backwards yet and I wanted to keep it that way until the top. So I put my head down and just tried to keep the chair moving forward. After a good few minutes of the final effort to get to the top I sat up to check how much further I had to go. As soon as I looked up I was greeted with Ed crouched in front of me in the road taking photos like the paparazzi. The photos are good ones, you can tell how hard I'm trying but it was a strange thing to see. I had no idea he was close by! That was it I was at the top. Again, I missed Ant being there because there wasn't a brew waiting for me at the motorhome. We did a quick video at the top and I posted a photo on my facebook to let everyone know I had got up Shap before lunch. I'd expected it to take hours! 8.45 miles of climbing boxed off, the bit that I'd been told I couldn't do was done.

Ed's paparazzi shot!

 Ed told us that when the cyclist doing his own challenge had got to him at the top of the hill he had stopped for a chat and the pair of them had got quite emotional over the whole thing. This lad had emptied all of the change he had on him into my collection buckets and said to Ed that seeing me taking Shap on had given him a boost on a day he'd been feeling sorry for himself. That was really touching to hear because he'd got to me just as I was starting to fade on the hill and chatting to him helped me out.

He had even messaged my page to say well done.

 After a brew, a snack and a quick stretch I decided I wasn't ready for lunch and I'd push a bit further. I did an extra 12.5 miles, almost all of it was downhill so It wasn't really working. Nick was having a hard time keeping up with me which I always enjoy. I'd already smashed my mileage target for that day so we stopped for lunch on a motorway bridge over the M6. We had beans on toast for lunch again - fast becoming my favourite!

The photo I put on Facebook showing I'd made it up the hill!

Day 12 Morning Stats

Shap Climb
Miles: 8.45
Time: 1:41:47
Average Moving Speed: 5mph
Top Speed: 37.5mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 8 - 23:53
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 5 - 5:22
Total Ascent: 1358ft
Average Heart Rate: 150bpm
Max Heart Rate: 171bpm

Remainder of Morning Push
Miles: 12.53
Time: 1:00:57
Average Moving Speed: 12.3mph
Top Speed: 31.0mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 7 - 7:03
Fastest Mile Split: mile 2 - 2:31
Total Ascent: 285ft
Average Heart Rate: 139bpm
Max Heart Rate: 160bpm

Day 12 Morning Progress Maps

Day 12 Afternoon

It absolutely pissed down during lunch so we gave it a bit longer before starting the afternoon session, we hoped the rain would pass. All three of us fell asleep whilst waiting for the rain to pass. Sleeping at lunch time was part of the original plan but it had made me feel really groggy on the first few days so I'd avoiding sleeping at lunch ever since. When I woke up the rain had eased although it hadn't dried up completely. I hadn't expected to be this far down the road today so I hadn't looked at the map. I opened it up checking what direction I would be going in and I saw a village called Plumpton on the route. It was only a mater of months since my Grandma's cousin and husband had both passed away. Jean and Tom Plumpton. It seemed right to try and push to that village and dedicate the day with my toughest climb to them. I wasn't close to Jean and Tom but I had enjoyed chatting to them whenever I met them and my Great Aunt Coleen who I love to bits was very very close to Jean. I told the lads that's where we were aiming for and asked Ed to try his best to get a photo of me next to the village signpost if there was one. I didn't want to stop and pose for a photo, like the other action shots I wanted it to be as natural as possible.

For Jean and Tom.

I was slow to get going after the break, I'm pretty sure it was the sleep that did it. The terrain had returned to rolling hills which were pretty difficult after climbing Shap. Also I was back to pushing in damp gloves again so slipping away. Nick had been whinging for a couple of miles about his new waterproof jacket not being waterproof. On and on he went. I'm taking this back to Halfords, it's false advertising... I turned around to tell him to stop moaning because we were both wet through. Then I realised this was the latest Nickism. We hadn't had one for a few days.

"Nick! Your fucking jacket is unzipped you absolute numpty, it can't keep you dry if you don't zip it up!"

"Oh Yeah!"

He'd forgot to zip it up and not even noticed when he was soaking wet that his jacket was flapping around his armpits. I told him he should take it back to the Halfords at Styves but to watch out for the bears in the area!

Day 12

We ended the day about 6 miles away from Carlisle, Almost 20 miles over my target distance which meant we would definitely cross the border the next day and I would get my favourite southern goon to Scotland. We stopped at Dalston Hall Holiday Park our 12th free site in a row. it was in the grounds of an old mansion house and had its own golf course. I think it would have been a very posh place at one time. The family that ran it were really friendly, they told us that there was a restaurant in the old social club and we decided to have food there as it was Nicks last night with us. The other campers in the restaurant were really friendly, we collected some sponsorship off them. The food was Nicks dream, not the best. Things like bangers and mash, chicken nuggets and chips, fish and chips - it was edible and Nick enjoyed it, I guess that was the main thing as it was his treat. We all had a pint as we chatted about Shap, about crossing over into Scotland the next day and how it would be hard to see Nick go. Who would keep us entertained? 

Day 12 Afternoon Stats

Miles: 14.63
Time: 1:35:29
Average Moving Speed: 9.2mph
Top Speed: 33.2mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 14 - !3:02
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 2 - 4:22
Total Ascent: 762ft
Average Heart Rate: 139bpm
Max Heart Rate: 159bpm

Day 12 Afternoon Progress Maps

Total Daily Mileage: 35.61

Lands End to John O'Groats, Day 11 - A Helpful Farmer.

Day 11 Morning

Politics Bit (scroll past if you're not interested)

After a hot and sticky night I woke up on the morning of the 24th and checked my phone like normal. Only I had to do a double take, the votes had been counted and we were coming out of the European Union. This isn't a political blog, I struggled deciding if I should write about the referendum but it was something extremely important that happened during my challenge and I think it's important to show that best mates can have opposing views.... I wasn't sure how to feel about it, it was the first time I'd ever not voted. Both Ed and I had decided that as we would have voted the opposite way to each other we wouldn't bother driving all the way home to vote. It still didn't sit right with either of us, I feel pretty strongly about voting. I would rather somebody vote for the polar opposite to what I want to vote for than have them not vote at all. Me and Ed were the first two up like normal and my first question was had he seen the news, he had and I could see he was upset about it. Ed loves to travel, he likes meeting new people, he speaks Spanish and has plenty of other reasons to vote remain. I'd sat on the fence for much of the referendum campaign but eventually fell on the leave side. Not because of the silly bus that everyone seems to think is the only reason other than racism that people voted leave, the first thing that started to sway me was Cameron telling us all that ISIS wants us to vote leave, really? Threatening us with terrorism if we don't vote remain? After that stupid comment I started to open up to the leave arguments and thought it was ridiculous that a career criminal with no qualifications from Europe could move to the UK far easier than a consultant brain surgeon from Canada, Australia or India could. I resented being called racist for wanting some sort of control on immigration from Europe, even though the vast majority of Europe is actually the same race as myself. I didn't want a stop on immigration, I just wanted us to have some sort of control on it. I'd encourage more immigration for highly skilled job posts that need filling and I don't care what colour or nationality these people are. When it came to the trade arguments I also thought that trading on better terms with American, China, India and other enormous and growing markets seemed a better idea than solely focusing on a block of countries that had shot themselves in the foot by setting up a single currency for countries with very different economies. I just couldn't find an argument for remain that I was happy with, when I vote for my MP I am voting for someone to represent me, I want that person and their colleagues to run the country, that way my vote really counts and if I don't like how they work I can vote against them next time. That's not quite how the EU works, the elected representatives represent huge numbers of people so they are too far detached from your average voter. Worse than that for me is the large number of unelected officials that run the EU.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the vote to leave I was really conscious that I didn't want to gloat, I knew there would be a lot of people feeling scared for their futures - there had been a lot of horror stories of what could happen if leave won. I didn't want to celebrate when Ed was so pissed by the result. Ant and Nick got up as myself and Ed were still talking about the vote. Ant was fuming, I'm not sure if Ed understood my thinking or not but Ant really didn't, I think it's harder to see both sides of an argument when you are younger. The older I get the less I agree with any side of any political argument, it's all about finding what closest fits your views and experiences. Nick wasn't interested at all. He came out with some sort of bullshit about voting not making a difference, that is one of my biggest triggers. I don't care who you are, voting matters and by not voting you are shitting on the graves of all those who lost their lives fighting for your right to get the vote and keep the vote. If you can't find a person, party or answer to vote for then spoil your paper but get of your arse and go to the polling station. There are still people around the world dying whilst trying to secure the vote for the citizens of their country.

Back to the challenge

We'd avoided any arguing over the referendum and talked about the plans for the day. Ant was getting the train home so he could collect some more clothes for him and Ed due to them now staying for the whole trip, He also had some other bits to sort out at home before he rejoined us. Ed also needed to take the motorhome back to the suppliers in Preston so they could check what was wrong with the fridge and the air-conditioning. This would mean Nick and I would have no support vehicle for most of the morning. We packed Nick's rucksack with extra spares that we had normally kept in the motorhome, spare tyres, first aid kit, lots more energy bars, double the drinks and lots of tools. It must have been quite a weight on his back! He was like a little pack horse but he didn't complain at all, like always he was happy to help.We were less than half a mile from the A6, I learnt the way we needed to go from the maps and once on the A6 I knew it was just a case of getting as far along it as I could.

Ready to leave on Day 11

Elouise and I had done a training session over by the A6 earlier in the year. I knew that although it is a very busy road it was a wide road so there would be plenty of room for people to overtake. There are cycle lanes for large parts of the A6 too so we wouldn't need Ed to shelter us from traffic. I was a little nervous about not having access to my full tool kit and all of my spares but it was a case of either go it alone or miss the morning push whilst the motorhome was being repaired.

On our way to the Lakes

 When we set off we immediately hit traffic, maybe I should have pushed out to Fulwood roundabout the previous day. It was road works on the roundabout that had caused all the traffic. Luckily it made crossing the roundabout much safer as the traffic was only crawling along. As soon as we'd crossed the roundabout and joined the A6 the traffic died down on our side of the road but those heading towards Preston were queuing. We were again getting lots of support, Nick was stopping to get donations from queuing cars. A few people who had over took us pulled in further down the road to encourage me as I went past and give Nick a donation. The A6 is a cracking road to push along, a good road surface, few bends and plenty of space for cars to get around you. I was batting along nicely, Nick was having to work this morning each time he stopped to accept a donation he was telling people who I was, where I had come from and where I was going to, that I had got much further than other people who had attempted it in the past and what the 53 Foundation was all about. I have to admit that every time he pulled over I was putting in a little effort, Nick was having to chase me down with added weight on his back today. He didn't have much longer on the challenge before he was leaving us so I was having a bit of fun pushing him a bit harder.
Whilst on the A6 we passed the halfway mark for the challenge, somewhere near Gisburn. That was a bit of an anti-climax. There is no big fanfare or anything to mark the spot because there is no set route for Lands End to John O'Groats so each person's half way is different. Ed wasn't back with us yet so we couldn't even have a halfway brew! Around Gisburn we had an increase in cars giving encouragement; Ed had been using his time at the motorhome place to phone radio stations in the area and they had been talking about me on the airwaves!
  We got all the way to Lancaster and Ed still hadn't got back to us, Nick phoned him from a traffic island in Lancaster's one way system. We had lost the road signs for the A6 and I knew the road we were on was heading for the coast and Morecombe. Ed managed to direct us around the one way system, over the River Lune and back to the A6. Ed was already on his way back to us but he didn't catch us until Carnforth, we decided to stop for lunch not long afterwards. There was a truck stop so we pulled in there for beans on toast.

Starting to get hilly

Day 11 Morning Stats

Miles: 28.30
Time: 2:29:27
Average Moving Speed: 11.4mph
Top Speed: 26.5mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 24 - 7:23 (by far my fastest 'slowest mile' so far)
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 25 - 3:48
Total Ascent: 826ft
Average Heart Rate: 144bpm
Max Heart Rate: 163bpm

Day 11 Morning Progress Maps

Day 11 Afternoon

Since I first decided to do Lands End to John O'Groats I had been crapping my pants about the route I should take through the Lake District.

After lunch and we are still undecided how to get through The Lakes

I'd been told over and over again by doubters that I would struggle on the climb from Kendal to Shap. I'd been up to The Lakes with Nick earlier in the year to try and find my way through the Cumbrian mountains without going over any of them. We were unsuccessful, The route we mapped was very hilly. The dream team had tried looking for a flatter route. My club at the time had also tried looking for a way through, it looked like heading for Windermere would be the best bet and even during our lunch break and start of the afternoon push the plan was head for Windermere.

County 13 Cumbria

 The afternoon push was starting to get a bit more hilly but I was better at dealing with them now so I kept good pace. At the 12 mile mark Ed had parked up and was waving at us like a mad man. We stopped to see what he wanted, one of the campsites he had tried to get us booked in to had been really interested in what I was doing, the owner was a farmer and also a life long cyclist. He had promised Ed that LEJOGers build Shap up in their minds as some sort of make or break hill. He had said it is tough and it is long but it is also the best route to take and any other route would be much longer and contain several steep hills. He was adamant we should head for Shap. The same campsite owner had found us a pitch on a chalet park where a chalet was about to be built. He had no space to put us up that night at his own campsite but his friend that owned the chalet park let us use the building plot. We found a different campsite who would let us use their showers before we headed to the chalet park. As the farmer had helped us out with the plot at the chalet park and he had excellent local knowledge I took his advice and at mile 13 I ignored the turn off for Windermere. I have to admit I kind of winced as I didn't turn, thinking what am I doing? I push to Kendal and out of the other side to the NFU building. That was it I was at the bottom of the climb that had been worrying me for 18 months.
It was time to get packed up, have my shower and then do my interview. We then headed to the farm with the chalet building plot we were stopping at. It was absolutely beautiful, each of the chalets had a view out over one of three tarns. It was a cracking setting! The farmer and his wife were really friendly too and made us feel really welcome.

Day 11 Afternoon Stats

Miles: 16.42
Time: 1:37:12
Average Moving Speed: 10.1mph
Top Speed: 29.3mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 10 - 9:19
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 9 - 4:04
Total Ascent: 790ft
Average Heart Rate: 145bpm
Max Heart Rate: 163bpm

Day 11 Afternoon Progress Maps

Total Daily Mileage: 44.72

Lands End to John O'Groats, Day 10 - Thank God There Were No Turds.

Day 10 Morning

We were up nice and early on the 10th morning and everybody got on with the morning jobs, we had almost finished everything we could get done at the campsite when Amy and Dave from The 53 Foundation arrived. I'd spoken to Dave on the phone quite a few times, even before I decided to ditch the other charity he had contacted me to ask if there was anything he could do to help. His offer of help without wanting anything in return is why, when I ditched the other lot, there wasn't a second thought about who I was going to raise money for. The 53 Foundation fits right in with what I wanted my sponsorship to go towards - getting disabled people out of the house and using the abilities they do have rather than dwelling on what they can't do. Amy had set up the foundation with an epic 53 marathon challenge so both her and Dave had expert advise to give during the planning stage of my challenge, only each time Dave phoned me I was being messed about and waiting for something from the original charity. How he never gave up trying to help I will never know! Day 10 was the first time I had met either Dave of Amy face to face. It was lovely meeting them, just having smiley happy people around in the morning was nice enough. They had brought some vests, training tops, wristbands, stickers and collection buckets and tubs so Nick thought it was Christmas day. We had a little chat at the campsite but then we drove down to the start point.
 At the start point Ant, Ed and Nick sprung into action like the finely tuned pit crew that they were. Chair and bike un-racked, wheels put on, drinks mixed, bag packed with snacks, fluids, tools etc, cameras fitted, gps unit fitted. I'm not sure what Dave and Amy thought but I was pretty impressed.

Getting ready for the off!

Whilst all this was going on I was busy plastering my ribs in painkilling cream and changing in to our new 53 Foundation kit whilst talking to Dave and Amy about everything that had happened so far. Amy was made up that Shropshire had been so kind to us, it's her home county. Both Nick and I told her about the man with the water and the ladies giving us money on the dual carriageway, you could tell she was as touched as we were because she has done her own mad challenges. To anybody that hasn't done something similar it must seem odd that a man buying you a bottle of water makes you well up but if you know, you know. We posed for some pictures with Dave and Amy, Dave took the first picture of all of my little team and I together - the first one of the trip! Then it was time to set off. It would have been nice if Dave or Amy could have cycled with me for a while but Amy had run 49 miles the day before and the logistics of getting them back to their car after cycling were not easy. They bunny hopped us for a few miles, pipping and cheering as they passed.

Me and my crew!

Dave, Amy, Ant, Nick and me

Nick was cycling in a 53 Foundation top and carrying the donation box on his handle bars but we didn't get a single donation in Cheshire - the rich don't get rich by giving their money away!

  It wasn't long before we were in County number 11 Merseyside, we crossed the River Mersey at the Runcorn/Widnes Bridge which had major road works going on. We slightly held up the traffic here just as I climbed on to the bridge. This was the first time in the entire trip so far where we didn't let drivers pass. It wasn't far, probably only 300m or so but I did feel guilty. It wouldn't have been safe to let drivers try to squeeze alongside me. The road cones made it impossible to get out of the road. Straight after the bridge the road became two lanes again. Ed stayed behind me with his hazards on and the traffic streamed past us. We had lots of encouragement and even people handing cash to Nick for his collection box, whilst moving. All of Nicks practice of riding hands free for the photos came in handy as car passengers were handing him money out of the car windows whilst still driving along the dual carriageway. We even had a police car come past us, I was convinced it was gonna pull us over and ask us to leave the road but as they passed the lady copper in the passenger seat was clapping away at us and the driver gave us the thumbs up. Like on other fast busy roads that I had used I pushed as hard and as fast as I could just to get out of danger as soon as possible.

 That fast pace to get off the duel carriageway set the tempo for the morning, my pace was quick, almost race pace. I was enjoying the most comfortable day with my ribs since Bristol. The sun was out and I was already in the old county of Lancashire and not far from crossing the border in to the modern county of Lancashire. I'm a proud Lancastrian and I felt like I wanted to be in my home county as soon as possible.

Coming home.

Nothing actually changed when I crossed the border, I felt great to be home but it felt odd I wasn't actually going to see my house or even my hometown. At about 24 miles I started to feel like I was going to bonk again. We had a quick break for me to take on something other than energy gels. Of course a brew was needed, a couple of energy bars, a handful of jelly sweets and an electrolyte drink seemed to work together to perk me up. If I'd have been thinking straight I would have stopped there for lunch but I didn't think 24 miles was enough so I got back on the road. At about 25.5 miles we left the main road on to a country lane. It looked a normal lane at first but it soon turned into a tiny one track lane. I was trying to push myself to keep the traffic moving but I was what's technically known as fucked. Nick dropped back to tell the lads in the motorhome that I needed to stop ASAP and for them to overtake us so they could find a layby and also the other people stuck behind us could start to filter past us. This single track lane went on and on and on. I was starting to get into real trouble when the lane gave us something else to tackle; three humpback bridges. I swore my way up each of them.
 It was over 30 miles before we got to Ed and Ant in the motorhome. They'd started making lunch and already had a brew waiting for me! I needed help to get out of the race chair again. Ed and Nick lifted me whilst Ant pulled the chair away from me and replaced it with a deckchair. I was numb from the effort I put in. I didn't even have the energy to make much conversation but I was happy and content that I was in Lancashire.

On the way towards Southport

Dinner stop

Day 10 Morning Stats

Miles: 30.28
Time: 2:31:26
Average Moving Speed: 12.0mph
Top Speed: 32.2mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 4 - 8:51
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 6 - 3:01
Total Ascent: 964ft
Average Heart Rate: 143bpm
Max Heart Rate: 170bpm

Day 10 Morning Progress Maps

Day 10 Afternoon

In the afternoon I was a bit slow to get going, if you bonk as a runner in a race you would take a minimum of two days off - most would take longer. Without doubt you would never go out for a run an hour and a half after you'd bonked. I had to get back out there to get Nick to Scotland. I started off slow not because I was trying to be sensible and not cause myself anymore damage.

It was a roasting hot day, there were lots of people out on the streets and many of them were stopping us to make donations. I stopped for the first few to say thanks and talk to them about the challenge. Each time I stopped I found it hard to get going again. With that in mind Nick and I decided I would just shout thanks or cheers from now on but he would stop to tell them about the 53 Foundation and what I was doing to raise money for them. I think Nick enjoyed chatting to people donating, especially one little lad of about 5 who put all of his pocket money in the box. When Nick caught me up after that I could tell it had made his day meeting and chatting to this little lad.

Nick being Nick

When we travelled through Much Hoole Ed had been to a pub to ask some witnesses to sign to say they have seen me pushing. The people in the beer garden all shouted me on as I passed. I felt like a rock star. The people in the pub had made some large donations too.

On the approach to Preston a woman shouted out of her car
"I follow you on Facebook"
I loved that, it felt like I was starting to get somewhere with letting people know what I was doing. Also on the approach to Preston I had a little race with a couple of school lads on bikes, they stuck with me or a couple of hundred meters but then started to fade. The shouted to me that I was quick and then asked how far I'd been, I told them it was around 400 miles. They were pretty shocked and started cheering me on, calling me a legend. I probably shouldn't have got into that race with them, I do it all the time when I see a cyclist travelling at a similar speed to me I like to hunt them down. Overtaking people using their legs to power a vehicle that has gears shouldn't really be possible in a wheelchair without gears powered by arms on the flat so it feels great when you do it. Myself and Nick decided the next time Ed was taking a photo we would do a superman pose just for a laugh, it became one of the most shared photos of the challenge.

Supermen

 As we got to Preston I started to feel a bit crappy again, I'd been pushing hard all day. The hot weather and hundreds of people supporting me had got me all fired up but now I was feeling it. I had a pain in my wrist and I was just generally shattered.

In Preston

I crossed the River Ribble in Preston, I think that was the point I was closest to home during the push. Ant and Ed did a brilliant job of directing Nick and I through the centre, Ant was jumping out of the motorhome at points Ed couldn't park and he'd then point us in the right direction before running back to the motorhome. In Preston I met my first hills of the day. They weren't anything spectacular but it was enough to finish me off for the day. I did make my way through Preston before stopping, I didn't fancy pushing through the centre during the morning rush the next day. I quit for the day at a pub just on the north side of the city centre and we made our way to the camp for the night.
  Ed had found a campsite  with a Preston postcode, unfortunately it was bloody miles from Preston. It was actually quite close to Blackpool Zoo. It took a while to get there but it was a cracking little site once we arrived the receptionist called the owner who drove down to the site to meet me and have a few photos taken. I had to get back in my chair and do my interview with Ed, which was slightly easier today, I knew where I had been because we were in places I had been to before. Video boxed off we made our way to our pitch which was close to a Lynx helicopter! How cool! You could spend a night in a Lynx helicopter instead of a caravan at this site. The site was a lovely one, really well kept and with great facilities. The staff were really friendly, even opening the laundry room up late so we had time to wash and dry our kit. Ream Hills Holiday Park is definitely worth considering if you are looking for a site near Blackpool.

Campsite owner.

Fancy a night in a Lynx anyone?

 When hooked up we started to clean the bathroom which had started to smell really bad. We'd not really used the bathroom because we'd been using the facilities at the campsites. We'd mainly used the bathroom for storage, cleaning our teeth and a quick pee when we weren't on site. We cleaned the bathroom but it still smelt like a lift in a multi-storey carpark. Who is it that pisses in those lifts? - I've always wondered that! Anyway Ed and Nick went to investigate and opened the hatch that was used to get to the piss collection box. When the fella at the motorhome place had showed us how to empty it he hadn't reattached it and our piss had been leaking everywhere! 10 days worth of piss. It stunk! Ed bit the bullet and cleaned it all up, what a star! I don't think my stomach would have been strong enough to be cleaning up my mates stale piss! Thank god there were no turds!
 Nick's mum and dad came to visit us at the campsite,  they stayed for a while and chatted with us sat out in the sun outside the motorhome. You could see how proud they were of Nick for cycling most of England already and even better to see was that Nick was proud of himself. He reverted back to a little kid telling them all about his journey so far. I was dead chuffed for the lad, going from never cycling more than 15 miles before to cycling over 400miles is impressive stuff. We had a laugh with his parents before they left and then got on with the evening jobs. Food, wheel and glove repairs, laundry and the like. We had carbonara for tea, made by Ed, I was a little worried about what Nick would eat, his dad had told me to keep nagging him to eat properly, I even had parental permission to give him a slap if he didn't eat what the rest of us were eating. Nick shocked me by saying he would try it! We were definitely making progress with his eating.... but then again carbonara and spaghetti are both beige so they fitted in to his colourless diet haha!
After tea, all three lads went to walk Bonnie whilst I got on with transferring some of the GPS and heart rate data onto my external hard drive so I had copies in case anything went wrong. When they got back they sat down with me and said they'd been a bit worried that after day 14 all of them were due to leave me and that would have just left me pushing with no cyclist and my dad joining me to drive the motorhome. Nick had to go back to work or risk losing his job. Ed and Ant had decided they were staying with me for the full trip. I was fighting the tears! Two lads giving a months wages up just to keep me safe and get me to John O'Groats. I was worried about their finances and if they would both keep their jobs but they assured me they would be fine and that they wanted to stay. Nick also wanted to stay and was a bit upset that he couldn't. Ant would need to go back home the next day and spend the night there to sort a few things out and bring some more clothes etc for himself and Ed, he would get a lift back with our other mate Danny.
The night wasn't the most comfortable of the trip as both the fridge and the air-conditioning had stopped working. The motorhome was very warm that night making sleeping difficult.

Day 10 Afternoon Stats

Miles: 14.77
Time: 1:22:12
Average Moving Speed: 10.8mph
Top Speed: 25.4mph
Slowest Mile Split: Mile 13 - 8:04
Fastest Mile Split: Mile 2 - 4:40
Total Ascent: 397ft
Average Heart Rate: 142bpm
Max Heart Rate: 157bpm

Day 10 Afternoon Progress Maps

Total Daily Mileage: 45.05