Counting down

Departure day, which is 09:00 12 July, is rapidly approaching. The nerves are now starting to become more apparent and the scale of the ride seems longer every day. We have been making last minute plans for accommodation. For the first three nights we will be in hotels/houses but after that we'll be camping under the stars and trying to stay dry. We can expect busy roads for the first 3-4 days as we pass over the top of London and cross a few of the busiest motorways in Europe. After that, the rolling hills and farms of the West Country start to fall into view as the lanes clear of commuter traffic and we settle into our more familiar rural riding.

I have been making a few modifications to my bike. Over the summer, it's stripped down to bare minimum, to save weight and increase speed. Now I have added full fenders, an extra bottle cage, a mirror, a bar bag and map case. It's having to become a bit of a tourer now, after a former life as a tri-bike and road racer. I'll be looking not to add to much weight as the bike isn't the lightest anyway, not as light as Steve's. Just time left for a few test runs.

The map above was put together by Steve's son John and clearly shows our waypoints. For those interested here are the details:

A Lowestoft, Suffolk, Start Point

B Haverhill, Suffolk, 70 miles (110 km)

C Aylesbury/Tring, Buckinghamshire, 70 miles (110 km)

D Lambourn, Berkshire 50 miles (80 km)

E Glastonbury, Somerset 70 miles (110 km)

F Crediton, Devon, 60 miles (100 km)

G Bodmin, Cornwall, 60 miles (100 km)

H Land's End, Cornwall, Collapse Point 60 miles (100 km)

Total estimate 430 miles (700 km)

You know, looking at that map, Paris doesn't look that far away, hmmmmmm.

Chuck

p.s. Halfway to £1000! Thanks to all who donated. To those who haven't, time to get busy, we certainly are!