I'm sitting by Perranporth beach eating fish and chips as the sun goes down. Time is slowing right down - it runs so fast in London, and sodo I. At Penzance youth hostel, a minibus arrived at 7am to take the other cyclists' luggage to their next destination. I huffed in the way I imagine Mariah Carey might if I offered her one of my chips, and Iwent down to breakfast. Youth hostel breakfasts can be overpriced and bad but this one was made with a little more indifference than usual. The English breakfast was scrambled egg and sausages and... that's it. I'm not sure how my brain would look or taste, but I think this egg would be close, although it did have a bit of salt in it. There were no veg sausages so I had the brain with a bit of toast and lots of cereal.I packed my luggage on my bike, including tent and sleeping bag, making it very heavy again, and after some faffing about, set off. The hills began immediately. The first was called Mount Misery, although Ithink that an exaggeration; Mount Mild Vexation would have beenbetter. The first few hills were hard work but then I got used to thebike and the ride out to Lands End was a doddle - a beautiful ride inthe morning sunshine with vast views of the same sea that was here before we were and will be here when we've gone. It shrinks my worries into nothing. There's a theme park at Lands End these days. You can find out about Doctor Who and watch a time-lapse video of the journey from Lands Endto John o'Groats in 8 minutes. You also learn that it would take agarden snail 3 years and 4 months to complete the voyage, assuming I suppose that it stayed off the road and didn't stop to eat. A group of four other end-to-enders, raising money for Wateraid, were just setting off. We took each other's photos by the Lands End signpost. They went off in the rational direction - down the southcoast. Being perverse, I'm taking the north coast clifftop road withit's crazy hills. At the top of the steep hill out of Zennor, I met aGerman woman coming the other way. She had luggage hanging off every part of her bike - it looked like a rag 'n bone man's wagon after a good day. And she was really big as well (she was just very heavily built, I suppose). She had come down from John o'Groats, she said. It didn't seem possible and yet I couldn't argue either so I just looked stupefied and nodded inanely while I thought of something to say. I came up with, 'But you don't look tired enough.' Whoops. I should have taken my hat off in a gesture of respect but it took me 8 hours to think of it.
It was a magnificent day's riding today - the sea always on my left, dark blue and peaceful and the wind at my back. Mad hills, though. My body is enjoying its aches.
David
From End to End - over £3,000 raised to reduce carbon emissions
So I rode a bicycle from Land's End to John o'Groats between mid-July and mid-August 2007 because I wanted to and also to raise money to reduce carbon emissions.
Thanks to everyone who preferred to sponsor the trip for this mighty cause rather than wring their hands in despair. May the wind not be in your face, the rain not run down your neck, and the sun not burn your skin. Sponsorship as of 16 October 2007: £3,213 (92 sponsors).
The trip blog appears below, most recent posting first (i.e. start at the bottom and work up!).
Thanks to everyone who preferred to sponsor the trip for this mighty cause rather than wring their hands in despair. May the wind not be in your face, the rain not run down your neck, and the sun not burn your skin. Sponsorship as of 16 October 2007: £3,213 (92 sponsors).
The trip blog appears below, most recent posting first (i.e. start at the bottom and work up!).
Where the money has gone
The money raised will help to cut the carbon emissions of the organisation that I worked for and admire – British Quakers. If you’re not a Quaker (nor am I), then please take my word for it that they are worthy recipients of the money.
Simple, contemporary, radical: Quakers were instrumental in setting up Greenpeace, Oxfam, Amnesty, Campaign Against Arms Trade and others, and were also pioneers in the abolition of the slave trade. They've never made oats (that's true). Find out more about Quakers.
The money will help to buy a glamourous new combined heat and power boiler for the Quaker central office, Friends House - these boilers are ecologically responsible, shiny and horribly expensive. Yes, it's a bit boring but it will cut carbon emissions. Find out more about CHP boilers (oh go on!).
Simple, contemporary, radical: Quakers were instrumental in setting up Greenpeace, Oxfam, Amnesty, Campaign Against Arms Trade and others, and were also pioneers in the abolition of the slave trade. They've never made oats (that's true). Find out more about Quakers.
The money will help to buy a glamourous new combined heat and power boiler for the Quaker central office, Friends House - these boilers are ecologically responsible, shiny and horribly expensive. Yes, it's a bit boring but it will cut carbon emissions. Find out more about CHP boilers (oh go on!).
14 July 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Hi David,
No comments yet?! Here you go: comments from an experienced Dutch biker ;o):
- Have you seen any nice Dutch clouds yet? How worthy they are of their name, having been invented by the Great painters (yes, you taught me something new today)!
- Lifetime tip from a long distance biker (ah well, distances added up from 25 years of daily cycling routine...): get a bicycle basket ;o)! Very handy to carry the groceries along the way... if it was you who recently dared to make a remark about the silly looks of bycicle baskets: you'll change your mind.
- We missed you swinging at Bomb the Bank today! It was the most stuffy and hot dance ever, even though it was in the open air. And a big audience too which made me a bit nervous.
I wish you the best of luck with the continuation of your trip and look forward to seeing you in your very best shape on the dancefloor in August again. As we say in Dutch: Fietse!
Great work.
Post a Comment