Day 8 - The end

Having discovered the real flatlands of the fens yesterday, todays going was a lot easier. This was a blessing as I found I had a constant cramp in my left thigh. I was quite keen to put Wisbech behind us and complete the final days ride. We were soon out of the town. The roads for the day were fairly quiet and we didnt see many people. Within a couple of hours we reached the outskirts of King's Lynn. We got an idea of the locals when we passed 3 girls of about 16 chatting on the cycleway each with a baby in a pram. Passing a large industrial building and several sluice systems we got to King's Lynn's busy one way system. Reaching the final B&B we just collapsed for an hour or so in our room before braving the somewhat chavvy town for dinner. Now I just want to get home to my girl and spend the night in my own home.

Day 7 - Almost there

Today we finally reached the fens and all the flat ground that people talk about. Lots of very long straight stretches. The view went on for miles. The flat lands meant lots of wind turbines which looked very impressive or 'fans' as Steve keeps calling them (see photo). Up close they are huge. Several times we crossed decommissioned railway lines and even a station which Steve got many pictures of (see photo). Through the town of March which was a bit rundown and on to Wisbech which was only a bit better. Wisbech seems to have multiple buildings that have suffered from fire "accidents". King's Lynn is now only about 20 miles away so final goal saturday and then travel home sunday. Followed by hobbling into work on monday.

Day 6 - Finally getting flatter

The marina by the Premier Inn was vey quiet & peaceful and relaxing after a long ride (see photo). Today was an early start as the Premier Inn staff clear away the food at 9am so we had to be all finished by then. However, the cycling started with us following the Ouse out of Bedford which was very pretty,fairly straight and nice and flat. A nice gentle start to the day (see 2 photos). We had to deviate from plan once more to avoid cycling through fields. We paused at St Neots which was very pretty and had an early lunch and then pushed on along a fast B road as the only alternative to a bunch of farmers muddy fields. Eventually we made it to Huntingdon which is just a couple of miles south of Kings Ripton which was our final destintion for the day. Steve popped in a chinese takeaway to find out if they did deliveries as Kings Ripton looked quite small on the map and may not have had anywhere we could get dinner. When walked out the shop and closed the door I saw a hand appear in the shop window and turn the open sign to closed. I guess they didnt want customers today. When we reached the B&B "Glebe House" the nice lady suggested since we were cycling for charity she could run us back to Huntingdon where we could find somewhere to eat and pick us up afterwards. Got a lift in to St Ives and had dinner there. found a veryimpressive old bridge which Steve got many photos of. The bikes are still going strong and there are only 2 days left to reach King's Lynn. Unfortunately our legs arent going so well. Hills are getting harder & harder and each morning gets harder to get back in the saddle. The landlady was saying how Wisbech is not a very nice place & thats where our next B&B is :( Just 2 more days to get through.

Day 5 - Navigating Milton Keyes

We were up early and went for a wander in Winslow. Found the old disused train line but it was very overgrown. We set off a little early as we had to tangle with Milton Keynes today. On top of that we had to replan the route because NCN seems to have developed a taste for horribly boggy bridleways so we are being forced to come up with alternatives. Navigating MK proved tricky and it took us an hour to find our way through it. Once through we pushed on to Cranfield where we found a nice quiet spot for lunch (see 2 photos). It was at lunch that I realised I'm so weary that I forgot to activate the Sports Tracker in the morning so no route for today. Eventually we reached Bedford and the river is lovely. Cycling along it was a nice relaxing wind down to a long day (see 2 photos). Our bikes are now stashed in a Premier Inn laundry room whilst we stay the night. More replanning tomorrow to avoid NCN boggy bridleways and farmers fields. Still, on the bright side 5 days down & just 3 to go...just as well, my legs are getting so tired.

Day 4 - Weariness sets in

Phil, my brother wasnt too far away from our B&B in the morning so I had arranged with him that if we couldnt get the part we needed he would come and get us and drive us to the nearest halfords. This was an invaluable lifeline. First thing this morning Steve & I went to the local bike store and he had the part we needed. Hurrah! Phoned Phil to let him know problem solved and he suggested meeting that evening for a drink as we would still be near his place. Fixed Steve's brake cable and set off. Today got quite hilly and our progress slowed again but after what felt like a really long day we finally reached Winslow. Had trouble finding the B&B so the sports tracker shows us going backwards & forwards a bit at the end. Checked in got cleaned up and then Phil picked us up. Ran us into Milton Keynes to get some chain cleaner and fresh grease as my bike is getting clogged and then drove us to a nice pub he knows where we had a slap up dinner in a nice garden (see photo). After dinner he ran us back to the B&B and also took my dirty washing to lighten my bags (thanks Phil, might make things a little easier from here on). Ironically after running us home we are going to have to get up tomorrow morning & cycle all the way back in to Milton Keynes again :) The legs are starting to feel weary now so I'm glad we've done half the distance. I can see more hills coming up on the OS maps, what happened to this part of the country being flat?

Day 3 - Lull before the storm

Most of the day was fairly quiet. The only tricky part was navigating some of the bigger towns, although some of the cycleways were nice and scenic (see photo). However, on a couple of occasions we followed the now infamous NCN and on both occasions found ourselves on bridleways thick with mud and definately not suitable for bikes. We have decided to avoid anything less than a proper tarmaced road as it impacts our mileage heavily,improvising routes seperate from NCN. Having eventually reached our B&B Steve pointed out the his rear brake cable was fraying. Tomorrow morning we have to try and find a new cable and repair it. There was a bike shop around the corner from the B&B but being a bank holiday it was shut (check out the bike parts at each end of the sign in the photo). Having failed to get a part tonight we consoled ourselves with pizza in the nice B&B garden (see photo).

Day 2 - The traditional farm

After lunch today we stayed mostly on country lanes where it was relatively quiet and nice and flat so we made excellant time and reached our next B&B at 3:20pm. The only event along the way was an incredibly gaudy driveway up to a mansion that we passed (check out the photo of the gold statues). The B&B was a real working farm by the look of it and we left the bikes in a barn with some farming machinery. We ate dinner at the only place which is apparently open on a sunday. Heres hoping we can find somewhere to have dinner tomorrow on a bank holiday.

Day 2 - No hills, yay

A good hearty breakfast from Chris and Brenda set us up for the day. They were both very interested in our charity trek and had some useful advice. They even took details of our charity and blog web pages and said they would try and muster some more support! As we were getting ready to leave they even offered to be our support team if we needed help between Sherston and our next stop Fairford. Got our bikes and spotted Chris had a classic Scott motorbike he was working on (see photo). Had to weave through lots of runners in the road as we found ourselves in the middle of a triathlon around Malmesbury. Through Malmesbury where there was a nice abbey (see picture) and they were having a carnival (see photo of the band). Had a bit of rain midday but it cleared up. Cycled through scenic Cotswald Water Park and having lunch in an angling reservoir.

Day 1 - We made it

Turns out there were a lot more rotten hills after Pucklechurch, which we found out later is the home to a prison for all sorts of sex offenders, eek. Not many highlights in the afternoon other than having to run the bike across a 70mph A road, and a cyclist asking directions as he had no map, turns out he was about 10 miles off his route. Eventually reached Carriers Farm just outside Sherston and the owners, Brenda & Chris (see photo) were lovely and welcoming and made us tea as we sat and chatted. Brenda has even offered to make us sandwiches for tomorrow from their farm produce. As if that wasnt enough they are even giving us some money towards our charities! Had yummy dinner and Steve sampled a couple of local bitters. Ready for day 2.

First leg achieved

We were up at seven and on a train from Walton by 8:10. This meant we were at waterloo by 8:45 giving us plenty of time to get to paddington. We went via Horse Guards Parade and through the parks. You can see in the photo how nice and quiet and tourist free it is at that time. We caught our Bristol train in plenty of time. First mini incident occured as we left the station as we realised Steves real light bracket had fallen off. Soon had it repaired and under way. Followed an old disused rail line and got to cycle a huge rail tunnel. Passed an old mine beside the line too. Encountered our first bloomin hill as we entered Pucklechurch where I am now sitting having lunch in a pretty churchyard.

I have started using 'Sports Tracker' which plots details of our journey using GPS. You can see the various stages by going to www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/Gebbly/

Last preparations

Steve & I are back at my place for the night and doing last minute packing into panniers and backpacks. You can see my load in the photo where I have laid it all out ready to pack. The butterflies are really fluttering in the stomach now and I'm rather nervous. I think I will settle down once we reach bristol and are on the bikes.

I need a centrally heated garage

Took my 2 new tyres home last night but by the time i got home it was about 9pm, very cold and dark. So I ended up putting a dust sheet down in the front room and working on the bike there. Surprisingly easy when you have lots of light and are warm.

Turns out the old tyres and inner tubes were all mismatched so I ended up putting on new tyres and inner tubes. This meant I got to test out the new pump I bought which worked a treat and gets my thumbs up. It was a "Lezyne Micro Floor Drive HPG". It is small enough to attach to the bike frame in transit but is designed as a floor pump which means you can push against the floor whilst pumping giving you more oomf. Another couple of nice features are the pressure gauge and the cap screws on to the valve so you can get a tight seal.

I've picked up another couple of inner tubes to replace the ones I used last night and I think I'll take the bike for a quick spin tonight to make sure all is well.

Bike grease under the fingernails is starting to become a regular look for me :)

Clean and shiny but not for long

Steve and I spent the evening cleaning up the bikes, degreasing the chain and gears and applying clean grease. Of course as soon as we start the trek on all those muddy tow paths and fields they will get dirty again. It was quite a faff to clean them using a bowl of soapy water, rags, brushes, degreaser, grease. Not sure i want to lug all of that with me.

I managed to pick up a new bike pump and a spare folding tyre to take with me yesterday but what i was really after were 2 new ordinary tyres to put on the bike. After phoning around many stores and having no luck I had to put in an order and hope they arrive at a store in time for the trip. I shall be chasing up the store today as they reckon they get deliveries every day. i also bought OS maps for the whole route which gives me a bit more confidence with the navigation.

Only 4 days to go and I'm getting a bit nervous now. Once the trek starts I'll start making blog posts which include photos to liven it up a bit.

Last pratice and more repairs

Steve and I went out on our last practice run last saturday and Steve brought along a friend of his, Rob. Rob was convinced we should be able to do the entire ride in 3 hours and that we were taking it far too easy. 5 hours later when we got back I think he was a bit surprised. I found that when building up to the last trek there would be a few people that didnt think it sounded like much of a challenge and surely if they can do their weekly 5 mile ride in 30mins on nice smooth roads then surely that just multiplies up and 30 miles is doable in 3hours. It was nice for one of the doubters to see the reality. It takes a lot longer when on rough hilly towpaths, dodging walkers and trying to navigate at the same time. Trip computer showed our average speed to be about 14mph which I thought was pretty good for all day. On top of which its a lot more tiring than 5 miles and you have to get up the next day and do it all over again for 8 days. Getting on a bike in the morning with a sore backside isnt much fun.

At one point we went past a large group of cyclists just setting off who, a short while later, went whizzing past us. Then we caught up at a junction where they were unsure of the route. I think they were following NCN route 4 same as us. This happened a couple of times until we stopped at our usual rest point to take on water.

Just about to set off from our pit stop Rob noticed our now had a flat. After a little close examination I found a rather large thorn that had embedded in the tyre and pushed through to the inner tube. Fortunately I had a spare but it prompted me to get a couple of much more resilient tyres for the trek which I will have to fit tonight.

I'm hoping all the rain we are having will be over by the end of this week and give us a few days dry riding during the trek next week, fingers crossed.

Mobile blogging

I'm just trying to remember how I made blog entries on the move during the last trek. I think I have it figured now and this posting is from my phone using one of bloggers handy features.

Getting nervous

Steve and I have one more practice run this weekend and then next weekend we set off. Its close enough that I'm starting to get a little nervous now but also excited about the adventure. I suspect our practice ride this saturday could get rather wet given the weather prediction but I guess we ought to get used to it :)

All quiet on the western front

Steve and I took the bikes out for a little 9 mile bike ride to test out the work we did on Steve's bike. All seemed to go well and Steve noticed an improvement in smoothness and gearing which is a big relief this close to setting off. I plan on getting as much of the rest of the navigation sorted today and start laying out all the equipment I need to take tonight.

The navigation is in several parts. I have pieces of map from www.gmaps-pedometer.com with the planned route which I have placed in a document to print. I have written directions for the entire trip and I have every junction of the trip plotted into the satnav which runs on my phone.

"She canna take it captain..."

After work yesterday I figured out exactly what spare parts we needed and Steve picked them up. We then rushed to screwfix before it shut to buy some more tools including a huge adjustable spanner. I find using tools like this always makes me feel like my dad. :) kinda cool

Well after working into the dark we finally had the old broken parts out, the frame cleaned and the new parts in. Steve gave some test rides up and down the close and after a few tweaks and some fine tuning the pedals seem to run nice and smoothly and the gears have had their performance improved too. So far this looks like a good job.

I also took the opportunity to attach my rack to my bike whilst the tools were out and also figure out the little trip computer I bought (it was a shiny gadget in the bike shop and I couldnt resist). Hopefully the trip computer will help us keep track of our distances each day.

Steve and I plan to take the bikes for a short ride tonight to see how they behave so fingers crossed...

That'll teach me to speak too soon

Just when i think everything is sorted something happens.
Steve and I got together this past weekend for another practice run and when we set out we noticed some unpleasant metal on metal rubbing noises coming from his bike. After riding a little further we decided it was best to head home and fix whatever the problem was. By the time we got back Steve was pretty sure the noise was coming from the pedals or the bottom bracket (the mechanics inside the frame that the pedals attach to).
We decided the best action was to completely disassemble that section and check everything over. Once I had taken it all apart we saw that a section of the mechanics (a ball racer) had almost completely disintegrated and the bearings were certainly not spherical anymore. This was quite a major repair. We spent the rest of the day removing all the parts and cleaning everything up.
Steve now needs to buy a completely new bottom bracket unit for about £15.
Hopefully we can have it all rebuilt this week in time for one last practice run at the weekend. Fingers crossed the repair goes well.

I suppose one thing to be grateful for was that this didnt happen after we had set off on the trek or it would have been really bad stuck in the middle of nowhere with no way of repairing.

I love it when a plan comes together

Things are mostly all organised at last. I have train tickets booked for out to Bristol and back from Kings Lynn. Accomodation has been sorted for the entire journey.
The bikes went through some more maintenance work again last night and we made some adjustments to Steve's including tightening the bottom bracket as the peddles rattled from side to side a little. I've bought a couple of extra small containers that attach to the frame in the hope that I have to carry less on my back this time. I've got a couple of NCN (National Cycle Network) maps for parts of the route and I've almost finished writing up directions for the entire journey.

Steve has also set up his donation webpage over at http://www.justgiving.com/StevesCoastToCoast as he will be cycling for a different charity, Amnesty International.

Faster generosity than expected

Sent around some emails last night detailing the charity ride to colleagues and friends and I have already started receiving donations. Thanks to those who have already donated so quickly. I hope the blog proves interesting reading for you all.

I'll have to spend some time this evening reminding myself how I made blog postings on the move last time. Dont think it was too tricky.

No turning back now

Today I've booked the train tickets to Bristol and also the return tickets back to London Kings Cross. I've got almost everything sorted now, I just need to finish drawing up maps and writing directions.
I'm still doing the bike practice and did 5.5miles this morning and have another 5.5miles to get home tonight.
Stopped by Decathlon yesterday to get myself some lightweight Tshirts to keep cool on the ride. Found some nice bright colours so I'll be visible on the roads which made my work colleagues laugh. Well at least drivers should see me coming in my bright orange, lime green or lemon yellow. Just call me the citrus rider :)
Had another colleague ask if I would be sending the charity details around so I think I'll start sending out emails this week and see if we can start increasing awareness and getting some money in.

Getting consistent

Yet again this weekend just gone Steve and I did our practice route and covered the 34 mile circuit in 5 hours which includes an hour to stop for lunch. I'm feeling quite comfortable on the bike now and hopefully a little more practice and i shall be prepared for the trek. My bike is running fairly smoothly and Steve needs to make a small adjustment to his bottom bracket which should only take an hour or so.
I've managed to get most of the route drawn out and it is currently at 223miles. My next step is to get some NCN maps and ordnance survey maps of the areas we will be cycling through. I'll see if I can borrow from a few people. There seem to be different types of ordnance survey with different levels of detail and I'm unsure just what I need.
Only 3 weeks of preparation to go, its getting close now.

Getting fitter and the importance of maintenance

For the last few days I have started cycling part way in to work each day which means a 5.5 mile ride each morning and evening to up the fitness levels. The first few days were hard work first thing in the morning and as well as cars whizzing by I was being passed by lots of cyclists too. The tables are slowly turning and yesterday and today I have started being the one going past other cyclists so the training is starting to pay off, hurrah.

I noticed the chain wasn't running quite as smoothly today as it has done recently and upon inspection realised it had started to get dust and dirt in amongst the chain grease. This weekend I'll have to do some bike maintenance and clean and re-grease the parts to get things running smoothly. This is after just a few weekends and a week or so of riding. I think perhaps when I pack for the trek this time I might include a little bike maintenance kit with a rag, some degreaser and some chain grease just to keep things running smoothly.

Now that I think about it I remember on the last trek the gearing mechanisms slowly getting more and more clogged up and each day I would lose access to some gears until by the last day I had maybe 3 gears available. Better maintenance as we go this time I think.

Support from NSE

A very helpful chap from the NSE has been in touch with some charity raising advice and has sent out a pack of thing including foldable collection boxes and a couple of nice t-shirts. It took a few minutes before I could figure the origami of folding the money boxes but its quite clever as they fold down again easily. That should help make things look a little more official this time round. I can put the little money boxes out wherever I stop each night.
Thanks Mike

Training begins

So a few weeks ago Steve and I got back on the bikes and started doing a practice route each weekend which follows part of NCN route 4 along the river Thames. It works out at about 34miles which is a reasonable practice circuit. The first ride was hard work but we soon got back into the swing of things and the second time we went out we deliberately pushed harder to see what sort of time we could do. We completed the route in about 4 hours but by the end of it we were exhausted and trying to walk upstairs when we got home was a real challenge.

For a while now I had been remembering enjoying cycling but my heart wasnt really into it. However once I got back in the saddle and we were cruising along the river bank in lovely weather, rowers passing by and the dappled shade from trees as we ate a sandwich at a break point it all came back to me. I'm now really looking forward to the next trek.

First to repair the bikes

The first thing that needed to be done was some maintenance on the bikes. The trickiest of which was after the bike had been completely cleaned and the chain and cogs re-greased I realised the chain was a bit slack. So with a now nicely greased chain I had to remove some links and put it back together. After much wrestling with chain links and getting caked in grease the job was done.

Various other bits and pieces needed doing but the bikes are now running smoothly again and I actually have access to all the gears. For those of you that remember the last trek over time more and more gears were becoming inaccessible. Its certainly nice to have a fully functioning bike again.

Web sites are setup

I finished setting up the charity page and have put some details in there. Online donations can now be made at

http://www.justgiving.com/PaulsCoastToCoast

I've also been busy looking at maps and working out routes. I think i have figured out where we will be going and once finalised I will provide a link to the route on google maps.

Having plotted all the way from Bristol to Kings Lynn it starts to look a bit daunting but we'll persevere.

Here we go again. Bristol to kings Lynn.

So its been almost 2 years and enough time to forget all the pains of the last cycle trek, the hills, the punctures the camping rough and only remember the good times...there were some, honest. Great adventure, great people willing to help, visiting lovely villages and towns.

So I have decided to do it again. The plan is to link up the last trek (Bristol to Land's End) with this one and get a little further up the british isles. We will again be doing the trek for charity and as last time I shall be cycling for the National Society for Epilepsy. I shall shortly be creating a new charity donation page over at http://www.justgiving.com/ and post here when all set for all you lovely people to help the charity.

On 28th August Steve and I will set off from Bristol on the west coast and in 8 days go coast to coast and end up at Kings Lynn.

and so the story begins...