Muscular Distrophy Research Charity Fundraiser Journey

I've been training for a while now and regularly do 30 mile runs. It's time to start increasing the distances as I'm hoping to get in around 70 miles a day on the end to end. The closer it gets the more I realise just how much is involved in doing this run. I've never had to deal with sponsors before but a number of firms have offered to help out so far and we hope more will soon. All of the sponsors will be linked from the links page and I hope anyone reading this will show there support and visit the sites involved.

Thanks must go to my brother in law for helping get this website online and providing the hosting and E-mail accounts. So if you live in the Stockport area and have a computer problem, give him a call or click here to see his website. Mind you, he won't be available for a week in May as he's offered to act as support driver for the first week of my journey. At present I plan on camping overnight wherever I stop and Kevin will arrange that and set up/take down camp before moving on to the next stop. It also means he'll be around should I have any problems and will be able to carry the equipment making life that much easier for me.

After the first week though it looks like I'll be on my own. Mind you, by that time I will hopefully have got into a good routine and will be more settled on the ride. Hopefully I'll be able to persuade someone to take over from Kevin for the second half of the ride. It's not easy of course, work, kids, work and work mean that it's hard to commit the time needed.

I'll try to add to this page as the day gets closer and of course I will be adding news from the bike ride during and after. Kevin will take his laptop and so hopefully we can update the site on a daily basis for at least the first week into the ride and we'll try to get the obligatory pictures on route.

Now I'm getting worried as the ride gets closer. Just what have I let myself in for? Originally when the idea of this ride first came about, there were 5 people going to be doing it and all have dropped out except me! Physically I'm not too worried as the training has been going well. 10 pints a night 4 kebabs and 2 packets of crisps (only joking). In fact I'm training 5 nights and 2 days a week. doing 30 miles a night and doing round about 55 miles per day at weekends. When not out on the bike I'm at the gym building up stamina. It's just everything else that needs to be done and sorted for the ride, something I'm not familiar with having to do. Not only that, there is of course a cost implication as well. I'm having to take the time off work to do the ride and that of course is a big chunk of holiday entitlement gone. Equipment and other gear I need to take needs to finalised and bought and of course petrol needs to be paid for in the support car.

The support car (OK, so we suckered my brother in law into doing it) can only be with me for a week. After that I'm going to be totally on my own. I am hoping to get as much as possible done in that first 7 days so I won't have too much to do when I'm on my own. We hope to be able to send in reports and pictures of the first week, almost on a daily basis. Provided of course we can plug the laptop into a phone point that is!

I need to say a few big THANK YOU's to some people. They have all helped out in a big way and I'm really grateful to them all, so here goes. (links to these kind folks can be found on the links page so please show your support for their support!)

Les and everybody at the North Ormesby Working Mens Club, for organising a charity night and for your excellent support through it all. We thank you for everything you've done and for being a tower of support to us.

Castle Building Services, for helping with the bike.

Cycle World Shop, for all the help and information in the past 10 months and also for lending me a sat nav.

Jarvis PLC, for free use of the gym and swimming pool for the last 10 months (I really needed it!)

Sun FM, for helping to publicise the ride and raise awareness off MD.

The Sunderland Echo, again for publicity and support that is invaluable to raising as much as possible.

Only a few hours to go before I catch the train to head south. Right now I'm wishing I'd never had this stupid idea and just want it to be over with. There has been a lot of confusion this week as to if I'm going to be completely alone or not. Basically it all comes down to cost and originally I had offered to pay the petrol for the brother in laws car. The cost of everything I've needed and had to do has grown though and I had said it would be cheaper for me just to go it alone. At tea time tonight though, Kevin decided he would come down anyway and make his way back up to Cheshire or a bit further north and pay all the fuel. At least that means I've got some support, especially as I get used to the routine I need to try and get into in order to complete the journey.

While I'm not on my own, we hope to upload daily reports to this page and hopefully some small photos as well. Let's hope we can plug the laptop in somewhere along the way. After that, I'll send reports in over the phone and Kev will upload them to this page from his nice, comfy, warm, dry office (git lol).

Speaking of dry, the weather has been really bad the last few days with very heavy downpours and strong winds. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed that the weather gives me a break as riding in the weather we've had this week will be no fun at all. Oh well, if the tents don't get blown away, we hope to have an update from somewhere around Penzance tomorrow night. Wish my luck!

My god! I spent a long train journey from Sunderland to Penzance which was a real drag. On arriving I cycled to where we had arranged to camp for the first night, just outside St Just. The weather is totally appalling! It's hissing down none stop and in parts visibility is down to a couple of hundred yards, this really doesn't bode well at all and I couldn't have asked for a worst start top the trip. The wind was blowing a good un and the turbines at the wind farm I passed were spinning far too fast for my liking.

Kevin had a horrendous trip down as well. He left Stockport at 11 am this morning and didn't arrive until after 7,30! The air in the car was blue according to my nephew as they sat on that on that long car park called the A30. We managed to get the tent up pretty soon in a brief let up in the rain and then it was out to find some food.

Originally I had hoped to get down to Lands End and start the journey by cycling back to camp. Because of the time to actually get here though it was out of the question. None of us had eaten much at all day so we got in the car and drove towards Lands End. As I'm typing this we're sat in a pub called the First and Last, where we've just a really nice meal and one of us (lucky sod) was able to sample a pint or two!

07:30 Only one of us got any proper sleep last night, the lasagne king as pictured above. The wind has blown the tent so badly we were really worried and the rain was coming down sideways, sounding like a permanent thunder clap on the sides of the tent. In fact Ben is still sleeping while his dad and I have been up since 6:15. I'm still trying to dry some of my gear that got soaked yesterday before I put it back on to get soaked again. Maybe the pub from last night would have been the best place stay...... for the next couple of weeks! It really is horrendous weather at the moment. Kev has offered to run me over in the car, break a leg or two and give me a good excuse to stay in a nice warm hospital bed and I have to say it sounds very tempting right about now.

08:30ish, Many Many thanks to Mr & Mrs Grose at KELYNACK CARAVAN & CAMPING PARK, St Just, TR19 7RE, telephone 01736 787633. They donated the cost of our stay for the night back to the charity, very good of them indeed.

09:00ish Arrived at Lands End. At least it's stopped raining now but the wind is fierce. Luckily it should be on my back for most of the day and help me out a bit. Met a few other nutters that were setting off on the same trip, although we all picked slightly different routes, good luck to them all!

12:30ish, Kevin and Ben passed me and pulled in a lay by to wait for me to catch up. I pulled in and forgot my feet were still clipped into the pedals and promptly fell over!!!! DOH

13:30ish, Stopped at the local Morisons in Bodmin and met Ben and Kev for somthing to eat in the cafe. Kev is now heading striaght for our next stop at Bridestow. My sister has phoned and booked us in and Kev and Ben will have everything ready for when I arrive. (unless he's found the local pub before the camp site).

18:30ish Arrived at camp site at Bridestow. The trip computer shows 98 miles. This includes the quick detour into Bodmin for dinner and from the A30 to the camp site. The AutoRoute gives the distance as 95.7 but I'm not splitting hairs over a few hundred yards. Some of the hills we're hell to climb and in a couple of cases were hell to come back down. At times I was going so fast it was scary but it wasn't until I checked the trip computer when I found my maximum speed was 56.2mph!!!!! On top of that, I had to brake as frankly my bottle went. It had to be fast as I was keeping up with white van man at the time lol. Time for a brew now and something to eat. I have a feeling that it doesn't matter what happens to weather tonight..... I'm going to sleep through anything.

09:00ish, It's been persisting down since the early hours and at the moment there seems no sign of it stopping yet. I'm getting ready now to set off and not looking forward to it at all. Kev can't even move camp until the rain stops because of how the trailer tent gets put away, the inside of the awning would get wet. He's going to have to wait for a break in the weather before he can break camp. Today's route isn't as straight forward as yesterdays and given that my map reading skills are poor to say the least, I could end up doing far more miles than needed today. I'm aiming to get to just outside a place called Winscombe on the A38, a short distance NNW from Cheddar. We're not planning to meet up on route today because of the weather so next we meet up it should be at the next camp.

17:00ish, (by Kevin) Ben and I have made camp at Sidcot on the A38, not too far south of Bristol. Nobody has heard from Paul on the bike yet today so starting to get a bit worried. Phone reception has been a real pain wherever we've been so far but is proving even worse right now. Last we saw of Paul was as he left from where he finished last night on the A30. The weather was so bad this morning we just couldn't get the tent down. When we did eventually get a break in the rain it started up again before the canvas was away so the tent and us we're soaked. Many thanks again however to GLEBE PARK, Bridestowe Caravan Park, Bridestow, Nr Oakhampton, Devon, EX20 4ER tel. 01837 861261, who were not only very welcoming but also only charged us a fiver to stay (and the shower was worth every penny of that I can tell you).

On top of that, when we arrived here at NETHERDALE Caravan & Camping Park, Sidcot, Winscombe BS25 1NH, They too only asked us for a fiver for the night as this is of course, all in aid of MD research. It just goes to show that despite many of us (me included I suppose), getting a bit fed up of constantly being asked to put hand in pocket, there are still plenty of good people out there willing to just that little bit and help out a good cause.

I don't want to embarrass anyone but I must also give a big shout of thanks to my 'amigo' Tony and the rest of the boys in the Tartan Army, an online gaming clan who play COD UO. Way to go all of you and typically, Tony does it in style!!! (or he put the decimal point in the wrong place LOL).

17:50ish, Heard from Paul now via his sister. He says he's approximately 20 miles from here. At least we know where he is now and that's a relief. I bet he's absolutely wrecked and totally soaked to the skin.

18:45ish, Paul arrives. He's dried out a bit now but his socks should carry a government health warning. The AutoRoute gives today's distance as 82.2 miles. Given the really terrible rain and wind, I think that was a good run. I know I had enough just sorting the camps out in the rain! Apparently Paul managed to fall off again, only about 1/4 of mile from here at camp. It wouldn't normally be a problem but he forgets his feet are clipped in and simply tips off.... embarrassing or what?

Paul would also like to thank the 2 lady drivers that both had a really good go at killing him today. One started to reverse in front of him then changed her mind and shot forward again, right at him and the other didn't bother to stop at a roundabout and as Paul said, you could see the look of fear in her face as she slapped the brakes on to get the car stopped when she realised.

We drove to a local pub for dinner only to find that the chef had taken tonight off and there was no food on. We then drove into cheddar and found a little Chinese take away in one of the back streets. Obviously the Owner, Henry, has missed his vocation and should have been on stage. The guy is totally mad. Sorry there are no photo's from today but it really hasn't been the weather for stopping for a scenic photo. Let's hope the weather is better tomorrow as I'm starting to wonder what Paul did in a past life that's now coming back to get him.

07:30ish, Not slept much again. All you can hear is the sound of pouring rain on the tent. I can't believe the weather still isn't giving us a break. It's pretty demoralising and I know that given a bit better weather I could easily go 100+ miles a day at present. I'm looking at 95 + today anyway and want to stop somewhere in the area between Kidderminster and Dudley. I'm suffering a bit too today, legs, arms and even my neck but again, it's been made worse by being constantly soaked through.

Can I also say a thank you to the people who keep texting me, especially Dale. I do apologise for not replying but I'm sure you'll appreciate that I just want to keep going and plodding onto the next stop. The messages however very welcome and it's nice to know so many people are supporting me. (it also doesn't help that I can't text to save my life LOL).

09:00ish. Getting a wash and preparing to leave again. It seems we have a small break in the weather at the minute although the clouds all around look very threatening. I really need a break today so I'm keeping everything crossed that the rain holds off for a while. With a bit of luck, Kevin and Ben might be able to break camp before the next lot of rain hits. I think I would already be really big trouble without their help. I would have to carry more weight with tent, sleeping bag and the other things I need but even then, I don't even have a way of making a brew or something to eat, not that I could carry all that stuff anyway.

2 + 3; Moving out for the third days riding in an unusual break in the weather.

18:15ish, Not heard from Paul for the last few hours but have texted him the final directions from the A449 to the camp site at Wolverton. A big boo hiss for this campsite however as they charged us over £18 for 1 night, charity ride or not!!!

Ben has been very patient the last few days and spent a lot of time either trapped in the car or trapped in a tent with the rain coming down. I will ring Paul and see where he is but I think Ben deserves to get out so I think I'll take him out for dinner rather than sit in the tent waiting for Paul.

Tomorrow should be good anyway as wherever Paul gets to, it's close enough to where Ben and I live for me to go out, pick him up and bring him back for a good nights sleep and some proper food. I'll drop him back where he finishes the next morning but that may well be my last night with him. Unfortunately other things have to be done and I really can't spare much more time to go much further. Thanks to my own customers who have been very patient waiting while I'm away for me to come back and fix their computers for them. Will try to update again later or if not it can be done on a proper internet connection from my house tomorrow!

05:30ish, Woken by guess what?...... RAIN beating down on the tent yet again. Turn over and go back to sleep!

07:30ish, Ben is awake first today which is big change but makes sure he makes just enough noise to wake us up too. In the words of Victor Meldrew, 'I don't believe it!' The rain has stopped and the sun is trying to break through the cloud. Fingers crossed we have a better day today. I think Kev is looking forward to his own bed, he's started packing even before I've got ready to leave.

Carried on past Stafford on A34 couldn't believe it sun still shining, journey a lot better today even had time to stop for an ice cream just outside of Knutsford. I knew didn't have far to go as I could see planes taking off from Manchester Airport. Carried on to the Swan at Bucklow Hill where Kev met me to take me back to his house. I think he's glad to back at home and in his own bed tonight. I bet the trailer had been bouncing everywhere today as no doubt he didn't hang about getting home.

19:30ish, I've had a few embarrassing moments this week when I forgot to take my foot out of pedals, a miracle happened today, I didn't fall off once!. Roads today were about the flattest so far, I would even go so far as to say I enjoyed today and looking forward to a decent sleep tonight in a decent bed. Dunno why Kev has put my kip sack and a pillow in his garden shed though?

20:50ish,We're going to work out tomorrows route soon and then Kev will drop me back of at the Swan where he picked me up tonight. It's pouring down yet again but for once I don't care... well not for tonight anyway.

09:00ish Well after this I'm going to be on my own. Just about to leave Kev's and go back to Bucklow Hill, where I finished last night. The weather doesn't look too bad but I have a feeling I might hit a few showers on the way. I'm heading for Kendal in the lakes and I think I might have a bit of head wind to contend with as well. I'll be letting Kev know where I'm up to by phone and he can update this page each night for me. I won't have any way of sending in any pictures either now, that's if I get chance to stop and take any anyway. If I do take some we'll have to add them to the site when I finish. I'm certainly not lumping Kev's laptop with me as well.... not that I know how to use all his gadgets LOL.

Kev has really helped me this last few days and made the first parts of the journey go well despite lousy weather. Unfortunately he has to get back to his family and his business now but his continuing support and help are invaluable. So if you need a computer problem fixed and you are in the Stockport area, please give him a call on 0161 485 8509 or visit his website www.kjtech.com

Thank you so very much to whoever has made such a generous donation on the Just Giving site. All donations really mean a lot to myself and my family and more importantly to MD Research. We really are very grateful for all the support but this latest donation has really given me a boost and our target is now very much in reach,

20:00ish, Paul now regrets not trying to put his tent up before this point, it's never been out of it's bag before now. It appears after a little head scratching, he finally managed to make camp (ohh the puns I could have used in that last sentence). Let's hope he doesn't get too scared being his 1st night on his own.

Reports he was up very early this morning and on his way. Blames me for making him cups of tea and breakfast for not leaving until later the last few days. (there's gratitude for you). It seems the weather is better, dry, light winds only and sunny spells. This should help keep his spirits up on today's route. The plan is to for him to be at Innerleithen tonight. We've managed to get him a site for tonight but because of bank holiday weekend, so far we can't get him in anywhere the night after. I can't believe that the sites we tried couldn't fit in a single man tent for one night under these circumstances, but they say they cant. Keep it quiet but unless we can find something he's planning on nipping into a suitable field wherever he can find one in the area. Let's face it, he has to be able to stop. I'll try to give another update on how today went when we've heard from him this evening.

It was quite late last when we finally heard from Paul. It seems that now he is on his own, he just kept pedalling and didn't stop as arranged. Sunny all day with the wind behind, which is why he kept going, being on his own he cycled until about 9 pm. He says he had a good day. In fact he went straight past the camp site we had booked him into and carried on to Peebles! Unfortunately though, he couldn't find anywhere to stay and ended up in a field on his lonesome.

Again, it was late before we heard anything tonight. He's having to keep his phone switched off to preserve the battery so we have to wait for him to call us.

Today was OK, started cycling at 7ish and finished around 7.30 pm. Drizzly showers most of the day but windy. Still warm though. Stopped at a garage to fill up on drinks and snacks. Cycled further than route again, this time to Killiecrankie approx 5 miles further on. Sleeping in field on edge of forest as nowhere to camp again, everywhere full up because of bank holiday. He will ring us again tomorrow night.

We got a call about 21:30 from Paul who said today’s been a tough day, the toughest so far. The weather has been really weird, bright sunshine one minute downpour of showers the next. Sometimes the winds were only light or he was sheltered from them by the mountains and at other times it was really windy. He didn’t quite make it to where he should have done and only got as far as Inverness. Booked into a B & B to get good nights kip, hopefully his muscles will stop hurting by morning. There were a few hills that I could not get up and had to get off and walk a while. "My body was screaming at me today". Hoping to finish tomorrow as his train back is 06.22 am Monday, otherwise he will have to wait until Tuesday to get home and that's along journey in itself. Can’t believe there is only one train a day from Wick.

Early start today, set out at 6 am from Inverness after good night’s sleep. Weather quite warm, few clouds about but no rain. Knowing it was the last day today really spurred me on. Arrived at John O’ Groats at 8.25 pm, everywhere deserted and locked up only one person and her dog about to take picture, hope its good enough. Set off back to Wick (all downhill thank god) and stayed in B&B, didn’t sleep very much and I had to get up at 5 am for train back to Sunderland.

Send mail to paul@longroad.org.uk with questions or comments about this web site. Copyright © 2004-2006 KJTechnical. Last modified: 05/02/06

Send mail to paul@longroad.org.uk with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2004-2006 KJTechnical.
Last modified: 05/02/06