Day Seven

 

Day Seven

Monday September 17th 2012

Garstang to Patterdale

Mileage today - 58

Total mileage so far - 496

After a lovely night at home (best b&b so far on this trip), I had a great send off from the Square in Garstang. The Mayor, Mayoress, Town Crier, friends and family, and fellow members of Garstang Cycling Club all gathered to cheer me on my way, very touching! It was good to have four of my clubmates join me for the first few miles up to Lancaster and on to Morecambe. We had a coffee stop then rode along the prom, stopping for a photo call with Eric, Morecambe's best known son.(statue of!). The lads left me at Hest Bank to head back to Garstang into a strong headwind. That same wind was in my favour as I 'sped' along up the A6 to Kendal. The rain had held off so far, but showers were forecast and it looked like the heavens were about to open. A good time for a lunch stop and wait it out in the centre of Kendal. It did rain a little but I was not in a hurry today so waited for it to clear before continuing on my way. I called at the home of a couple from our cycling club who live in Bowston, in the hope of a coffee, but there was nobody there - unless they were hiding behind the curtains! After a quick visit to Britain's biggest bike shop (so they claim) at Staveley, all that remained for me to do today was ride over Kirkstone Pass to the Youth Hostel at Patterdale. Thank goodness for 'granny gears', it's a long climb up there on a heavy touring bike! The rain was holding off but everything around was grey and misty. After passing the summit, the long, twisting descent to Brothers Water was a pleasure until reaching the valley bottom when the heavens opened. I wasn't bothered by that time, hot showers and a drying room were only a couple of miles away. I had intended self catering tonight but there is nowhere to buy provisions here, so I'm at the pub again! I forgot to bring the cable to transfer photos from my camera, so it will have to be double photos tomorrow. Carlisle tomorrow night, not far as the crow flies, and another night with Joanna so hoping to get there mid afternoon.

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Please go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate to the British Heart Foundation, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you! 

My Virgin Money Giving page is at:

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran

 

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Day Six

 

Day Six

 Sunday September 16th 2012

 Heswall to Garstang

Mileage today -78

Total mileage so far - 434

I got soaked with rain today, and guess what? It was back home in Lancashire! I left my sister's house near Heswall and rode back down to the Wirral Way, a cycle/walkers route along the Dee estuary avoiding roads all the way to Hoylake. it then follows quiet roads around the coast passing through New Brighton and to the ferry terminal at Seacombe. I arrived just as the 0930 ferry was leaving! The next one was not for another hour so I rode on to Birkenhead ferry terminal and had a coffee whilst waiting. I also had a quick peek at a couple of German U-Boats...in the museum next door. It's only ten minutes or so across the river to Liverpool Pierhead so I stayed up on deck taking in the views. Just as we were arriving at the other side a lady gave me £2 for the BHF, quickly followed by another old lady giving me £2, then another....same thing. So, another six quid in the bag! Being a Sunday, Liverpool was quiet so I had no problem navigating out of the city. I noticed in the streets behind the Liver Buildings there were a lot of men in yellow reflective jackets on street corners. Curiosity got the better of me and I asked one of them what was going on. It turns out they were closing all the streets around there for a film crew to come in. They were going to remove the street signs and put up Russian ones, it was a film set in Moscow!  My route took me along the Leeds to Liverpool canal for quite a few miles before joining the Trans Pennine Trail to Southport, a good 25 mile off road route. I didn't linger in Southport but stopped for a sandwich a few miles on, where the rain began. Gently at first, but it soon turned into steady, heavy rain which, despite my waterproofs, found its way in. A night at home though and a marvelous wife who had everything in the wash and a bath run for me in no time at all!  I had trouble uploading my blog last night in deepest Wirral, maybe I will have more trouble further up the country, but don't worry, you will here from me! Not many photos tonight I'm afraid - combination of familiar scenes and poor weather. I'm sure there will be many photos towards the end of my trip!

 

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Please go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate to the British Heart Foundation, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you! 

My Virgin Money Giving page is at:

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran

 

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Day Five

Saturday September 15th 2012

Shrewsbury to Heswall

Mileage today - 84

Total mileage so far - 356

Last night Joanna and I were picked up by our friend Wendy who kindly took us down into Shrewsbury for a lovely meal, thank you Wendy! I said goodbye for now to Joanna at 8-30 this morning and headed off the seven or so miles to Shrewsbury in cool but sunny conditions. It had warmed up by the time I passed thought the town centre, but I took the wrong road and ended up having to divert across country to get back on track - an extra ten miles or so! Heading north all the way to Chester it was through pleasant, flat country. With high hedges lining the lanes there was not much to see, so I plodded on to Chester where I ended up spending more time than anticipated. The city centre was too crowded so I headed down to the river where I enjoyed a tray of chips followed by an ice cream whilst watching the boats in the sunshine. I then headed up the road and ended up watching the horse racing Chester racecourse of free! Outside the course of course. I wasn't sure how to get out of the city towards the Wirral without going on very busy main roads so I asked a couple of cyclists who were also watching the racing. What a stroke of luck! They were from the Wirral and were just about to head home. We hardly touched a road as they led me along canal towpaths and well surfaced tracks all the way to my destination. Steve and Linda were interesting company too! Thank you both. My sister Valerie was on her driveway to meet me and after showering and changing, Valerie, Syd and I went off for a very good meal at a local restaurant, joining up with other friends there. Although a day of mostly flat cycling, with 84 miles done, I was ready for my bed. Many thanks to my lovely big sis and brother-in-law for great hospitality.

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Please go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate to the British Heart Foundation, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you! 

My Virgin Money Giving page is at:

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran

 

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Day Four

 

Day Four

Friday September 14th 2012

Ledbury to Shrewsbury

Mileage today - 72

Total mileage so far - 278

I got off to a nice early start this morning, 7.30am, into quite a cool brisk headwind. Herefordshire has some lovely countryside and I was passing apple orchards, soon to be followed by fields of hops. The countryside smelled like a brewery! The sun came out and it warmed up a bit, but the wind was picking up stronger all the time. It was either in front of me or to the side - never behind me! At first the roads were genty rolling with good views of the Malvern Hills on my right. A brief foray back into Gloucestershire was soon followed by a brief foray into Worcestershire, before reaching Shropshire and the hills. My first real stop was at Ledbury, which was very busy being market day there. A wander around the town, before an early lunch at 11-30. Then it was off into the Shropshire Hills. Not big hills compared to the Lakes or Dales, but lots of short steep ascents which slow the pace down considerably. It was beautiful countryside though and well worth the effort - much better than main roads! A final stop at Church Stretton to take on some liquid.....and chocolate, before the last ten miles or so to my farmhouse b&b. A great welcome awaited me there by a beautiful blonde lady with a smile to die for who flung her arms around me and gave me a kiss! Lovely to have My darling wife, Joanna, join me for a night!

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Please go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate to the British Heart Foundation, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you! 

My Virgin Money Giving page is at:

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran

 

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Day Three

 

Day Three

Thursday September 13th 2012

Malmesbury to Ledbury 

Mileage today - 67

Total mileage so far - 206

I could call today's ride 'The Three Counties Ride'. I crossed the border from Wiltshire into Gloucestershire soon after leaving Malmesbury, then on through Gloucestershire into Herefordshire. I was well set up for a good day''s cycling having enjoyed a great meal of roast duck followed by homemade apple pie and custard, all for just £5! That was last night, not breakfast - that was a delicious full English, my first! After ten or so miles I was  in Prince Charles country, Tetbury, and well and truly into the Cotswolds with it's beautiful yellow stone buildings everywhere. A fairly busy B road took me to Avening where I went cross-country on very minor, winding lanes through some very pretty villages. Route finding was challenging on these lanes, but I was soon back to reality on arrival in Stroud, or should it be Shroud? Apologies to anyone from that town, but it didn't do a lot for me. I was soon in beautiful country agin heading up the Slad valley and to the stunningly pretty town of Painswick. Heading out of Painswick on the  B road to Gloucester, there is one long drag of a hill to get over. I was fortunate in having a police escort on that stretch! A very friendly local cyclist by the name of Gerry McGrath rode with me all the way to the outskirts of Gloucester, which made the hill much more bearable. I must have appeared to be going at a snails pace, as Gerry was riding a full carbon, Italian beauty of a bike, AND, he was a national police time trial champion! thanks for slowing down for me Gerry! Into Gloucester and time for a spot of lunch. I had set off from Malmesbury at 8am and had got the bulk, and hilliest, of my miles in for the day by lunchtime. It was sunny when I started but a little cool. Now it was sunny and very warm, lovely to sit out and eat lunch. A leisurely wander around the cathedral grounds, and a look at Gloucester docks (yes, they are England's most inland docks, 16 miles from the sea). There are good cycle tracks in and out of Gloucester and the one that I took followed the river for a few miles before heading north west and into Herefordshire. The architecture has changed to black and white now, and more lovely villages to ride through. One thing I didn't expect was riding through a vineyard! But I did divert a little to look at the 'Three Choirs' vineyard, not far out of Ledbury. In the warm sunshine it was like being back cycling in France! Arrived at b&b to find nobody around. I was earlier than I said I would be so it was no problem sitting in the orchard sunning myself for an hour! Off into town now to find something to eat.

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Please go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate to the British Heart Foundation, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you! 

My Virgin Money Giving page is at:

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran

 

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Day Two

 

Day Two

Wednesday September 12th 2012

  Salisbury to Malmesbury

Mileage today - 71

Total mileage so far - 139

After yesterday's battle against a strong headwind, today was a breeze!(Pun intended)

Woke up early to see the sun shining and not a movement amongst the trees outside my bedroom window. Simon soon had breakfast on the go and, suitably fuelled up I was on the road by 8-15. Taking a canny route out of the city that Simon had shown me last night, I was soon easily passing Old Sarum and up the beautiful Woodford Valley, 

alongside the River Avon. At Upavon I decided to take a chance and see if I could get on the cycle way which crosses Salisbury Plain. It is occasionally closed for military purposes, but I had been told that was not often. I was looking forward to that traffic free few miles, but I should have known when I heard the sounds of heavy artillery in the distance. Sure enough I was turned away by an armed soldier when I got the the start of the trail. That meant an extra ten miles extra on the days total. But what the heck! I passed a pub further down the road which almost summed up what I though about being turned back. It was called 'The Bustard'!

I managed to keep to very quiet back lanes through lovely Wiltshire villages up to the outskirts of Devizes. It was lunchtime and I was getting hungry, but I had to wait another hour until I got to Calne to find a cafe. There is a great shortage of country cafes/tearooms in this part of the world.

From Calne it was an easy 20 miles to Malmesbury, where I arrived about 3-30. After a coffee there and a walk around the Abbey grounds, I rode the final two miles to my b&b. A warm welcome, a hot bath, and a double bed in a lovely old farmhouse - just the ticket! Evening meal at 6-30.

I have been trying to upload some photos on here but am having trouble integrating them with the text. I will try to put some below but I

cant put captions on them for some reason. So if they are below, you will just have to guess where they are! Back tomorrow.

I pp

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Please go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate to the British Heart Foundation, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you! 

My Virgin Money Giving page is at:

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran

 

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Day One

 

Day One

Tuesday September 11th 2012

Sandown  to Salisbury

Mileage today - 68

Total mileage so far - 68

After a good night out in Shanklin last night with Robbie (Finlay Mackenzie's son), and Moris (Finlay's brother), both of whom I had never met before, I woke with just a slightly fuzzy head which was soon clear by the time I had to set off. I was down by Sandown pier in brilliant, warm sunshine to be waved of on my first day's ride. And what a ride it was! Although the sun was shining most of the day, there was also a very strong headwind to slow me down and sap the energy! It was a battle all along the twenty or so miles of the south coastal road of the island, known locally as the Military Road.
I eventually made it to Yarmouth and onto the 12-45pm ferry to Lymington. (ferry number three of the trip, six more to go!)
Once back on the mainland it was more of the same riding over the exposed heathlands of the beautiful New Forest. Not many ponies on the road today but I did come across about a dozen donkeys blocking one main road. Wearing a t-shirt with Isle of Wight to Isle of Lewis on the back is doing the trick. On the ferry one driver jumped out of his car just  before disembarking to give me a fiver and wish me a safe journey. In the New Forest a man in a flashy Mercedes stopped me to tell me he was from the Isle of Lewis and wanted to know all about what I am up to. He didn't get his wallet out though!
I arrived in Salisbury about half four, just enough time to have a quick look around this old, attractive city before heading to Simon and Marg's house where they were very kindly putting me up for the night. Great hospitality, and a great barbeque! I think an early night is a good idea tonight. Simon and Marg are flying off to Jersey in the morning, and I am peddling off to Malmesbury, sixty something miles north of here! I am just hoping the wind has dropped by then.

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Please go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate to the British Heart Foundation, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you! 

My Virgin Money Giving page is at:

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran

 

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Day Zero 

Travelling today, start the ride tomorrow.

 Monday September 10th 2012

  

Well, the time has come! All the planning and waiting is over and I'm on my way to the start line. As I type this I am somewhere south of Birmingham on a Cross Country train heading for Southampton. I was hoping to catch the 2pm ferry from Southampton to Cowes but this train is running about five minutes late and won't get in to Southampton until 1-45 ...ish. Looks like it will have to be the 3pm boat instead....we'll see!
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Got into Cowes about 3-15 so had plenty of time to work my way slowly across the island. I had a moochy around my old haunts in Newport and had a peek at Her Majesty's big 
house....just for old times sake! I wasn't tempted to go back working there! There is a nice, easy offroad track to Sandown so I took that easy option, arriving at my overnight stop about5-30. Moris and Robbie had already gone down to the pub to suss out the food. So that's where I'm off to right now. Not going to have a late night though, tomorrow I start what I have come down here for!



Despite an awkward young 'lady' at Southampton station demanding I show my ticket on the way out (just me!), I made it onto the 2pm ferry! My luck was in as it was after two when I got to the slipway, but the ferry was running late and didn't leave until 3-15. Anyway, I'm chilling on the ferry now and enjoying my little sea voyage to Cowes. Weather warm but slight drizzle.
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Please go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate to the British Heart Foundation, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you! 

My Virgin Money Giving page is at:

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran

 

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Two weeks to go!

 

Just a couple of weeks to go and I am well on target for my very modest target of £500 for the Britsh Heart Foundation. I'm sure I will pass my target before I start the ride on September 11th!
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Please go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate to the British Heart Foundation, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you! 

My Virgin Money Giving page is at:

 http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran

 

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Six weeks to go...update.

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With just six weeks to go to the start of the ride I'm now really looking forward to getting

going.

I have been getting plenty of miles training in, mainly on my road racing bike. At just over

7kg it is about half the weight of my touring bike which I will be using for the ride, so I think

I had better get some practice on that now!

The route is fully sorted but, as I said in an earlier post, I may deviate from it slightly as the

mood takes me. I intend to enjoy this ride to the full and not be a slave to it. Some parts of

the route I am fairly familiar with, such as the beautiful Isle of Wight roads that I knew like

the back of my hand many years ago, but there are many areas which will be new to me -

especially the Outer Hebrides which I can't wait to see (my fingers are crossed for some

good weather on that final stretch!)

I have got tickets for my train journeys, Preston to Southampton £28, not bad for over 250

miles of rail travel. And coming back, Inverness to Lancaster, an even longer journey, for

an unbelievable £12.55! I do like a bargain.

When I started the planning I thought I would just slip away quietly and unnoticed from the

Isle of Wight, but that (thankfully) is not to be! I managed to make contact with friends and

family of Finlay and they have been fantastic in their support and interest in what I am

doing. Some of them live on the Island and some, including Finlay's son and brother on

the mainland, but they are all making the effort to be there when I set off from Sandown.

And hopefully I will get the chance to meet them all for a drink the night before. (not much

drink for me mind, I have a long way to go the following day!) I also hope to meet Finlay's

brother who still lives on Lewis when I get to the end of the trip.

I had originally thought of taking my tent to use a few nights along the way, but I changed

my mind over that when I realised it would only get used two or three nights. It just would

not be worth carrying the extra weight. That's my excuse anyway! Maybe I'm just getting

soft in my old age?

On the Isle of Wight I will be staying at a b&b just outside Sandown, handy for a nine o'clock start the following morning. Friends are very kindly putting me up for the night in Salisbury. Joanna is meeting me in Shrewsbury for a night, then I am staying with my

sister and her husband on the Wirral on the Saturday night before spending a night at

home on Sunday. Northwards from Garstang, Joanna is joining me in Carlisle then I'm on

my own, staying mainly in hostels.

Fundraising is going a bit slow, but I am confident I will reach my £500 target. You never

know, I may even get some donations along the way.

And don't forget, I will be doing a daily update whilst I am on the ride so you can keep up to date on where I am and what my days ride has been like.

Let's not forget the two men who I am doing this ride in memory of

 Finlay, a friend and colleague who gave me the idea for the ride many years ago. Finlay died suddenly last year of a heart problem.

Finlay Mackenzie

And many years ago Keith, my brother died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart problem at the age of just thirty-eight.

Keith Coleran

I'm sure that most people reading this will have known someone affected by heart disease. The British Heart Foundation says -

 

'Our vision couldn’t be much more ambitious - a world where people no longer die prematurely from heart disease.' - British Heart Foundation.

 

By sponsoring me on this ride you will be helping the British Heart Foundation achieve that vision! They rely totally on the generosity of the great British public.

Go to my Virgin Money Giving page to donate, and please Gift Aid if you can, it means an extra 25% from the taxman to the BHF at no extra cost to you!
My

Virgin Money Giving page is at:http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MichaelColeran

 

 

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The Cause

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I'm doing it for the

British Heart Foundation

I now know that the man who inspired me to do this ride, my old friend and colleague Finlay Mackenzie, died last year of heart disease.

Finlay Mackenzie

 Many years ago my own brother, Keith, died at the age of just 38 of undiagnosed heart problems, and I have had numerous friends and colleagues over the years who have had heart attacks - some survived, others were not so lucky.

Keith Coleran

I'm sure we all know someone who has been affected by heart problems, whether it be a heart attack, or more chronic heart disease. 
That is why I have chosen the British Heart Foundation as my charity for this cycling challenge. It is in memory of Finlay, Keith, and everyone I have known who has suffered from heart problems.

'Our vision couldn’t be much more ambitious - a world where people no longer die prematurely from heart disease.' - British Heart Foundation.

I have set a modest target of just £500 - please help me reach, or better still, pass that target. Please give as much as you can.

You can donate in person to me, I have sponsor forms, or online at:

Sandown to Stornoway Fundraising Page

I have chosen Virgin Money Giving as, unlike some other well known online charity giving sites, they do not make any profit for themselves out of what you donate. They do charge 2% administration costs to the charity, where others charge 10%, so more (almost all of what you give will go to the British Heart Foundation). And, if you Gift aid your donation they will get even more without costing you any extra. So, even with the 2% admin charge the BHF will get substantially more than what it will cost you.

All money that I raise will go to BHF, absolutely nothing will come out of it for my expenses.

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