We made it home!

Denise clocked up 1,004 miles as we rolled into Mile Oak at 6pm on Friday evening. Me, because I had driven a van for the first few days, only managed a mere 860 miles. Despite being exhausted, we were both a little pleased with ourselves. The day had been what I expected, given that once we reached Ashdown Forest I knew every hill that lay behind every corner - given my experience marking 'sportives' around this area recently.
My temporary repair on the trailer seemed to work well and it behaved itself and we clocked up 69 miles for the day and seemed to spend most of it cycling in the rain, which topped up my 'rusty' complexion which now also doubles as a sun tan. Guy - many thanks for the loan of the trailer and I promise I will repair it!
I spoke to Jack last night, who arrived home by plane from Newcastle late on Friday afternoon, to be greeted by a champagne celebration from his wife Julie and the girls and he is justifiably proud of what he has achieved, despite his disability and the fact he has raised what I estimate to be just over £3k.
Now Jack has to return to the normality of everyday life - watching cricket, the olympics, oh and then the football season starts and he can start enjoying the roller coaster ride of supporting Newcastle United - not a bad life.....
I have so many people to thank for making this whole adventure possible.The team for starters who gave up their holiday and stayed with Jack during the ride to keep him safe and to all those generous people out there who put their hands in their pockets during what are really tough times at the moment, to sponsor Jack and the team and raise so much money for the Huntingtons Disease Association. In particular, I would like to thank my wife Denise for her work during the ride and Simon and Jane, who managed to collect nearly £400 from their contacts.
We met some amazing people on our travels, who were so supportive and helpful, which made the ride all that more fun and helped us out in times of a mini crisis. Take Neil and Sue from the Newtonmore hostel. Not only did they give Jack free accommodation and do our laundry free of charge, they ran Rob down to the station so he could be with his mum who was seriously ill. They also arranged for his bike to be couriered back to Brighton.
Also, David and Gillian Mclaren deserve a special mention, because not only did David give us a guided tour of Edinburgh, he delivered us safely into our hotels, after inviting us into their home and feeding us with cake and tea/coffee.
Once we arrived in Newcastle, we were treated royally and many thanks to Tom and Carole for their hospitality for the the night and looking after Jack so well the following week. I would also like to give a special mention to Alan, Brian and everyone at the Blakelaw club who were absolutely amazing too. Alan organised us to use his mobile home in Creswell (an area we were struggling to find affordable accommodation) which was gratefully received and despite the horrendous thunder storm that took out all power to the area for 24 hours, we were able to feed ourselves, thanks to the food and drink they had left for us in the fridge - I do hope we did not leave too much of a damp mess!
At the club in the evening, Jack and our team were again treated like royalty and the club generously donated £480 towards the cause and it was a privilege to see first hand the good work a 'working men's' club, does in the local community, although I will have to practice trying to understand the broad Geordie accent.
And the list goes on, thanks to my brother Nick and sister-in-law Helen, who put us up in Swainby (I still can't quite believe I managed to miss that right turn which resulted in me going through the worse experience I have ever had on a bicycle!
And there are so many other people, too numerous to mention, but you know who you are. But apart from the experience, the challenge and the money raised. I would like to think that we have raised the profile of Huntington's Disease to our friends and strangers we have met on the way. Many when looking at Jack's condition did not believe what Jack was doing.
Jack, you not only proved what we are all capable of if we try, you proved that having a disability does not mean that life has to stop - more importantly you proved something to yourself.
Well done mate - everyone is so proud of you.

Howie

One wheel on my wagon!

Thursday, 5th July, 2012
Little Abbingdon to Gravesend 75 miles.
Despite the flat fenland terrain, cycling in Lincolnshire and Cambridgshire had been tough, because of the constant battle of cycling into a headwind and sometimes it was a relief when a road turned a corner or there was a slight incline.
Today, we entered Essex, the land of Essex girls and..errr...West Ham United and if i am honest the cycling was amazing as we skirted the M11 on minor country roads and sped past Stanstead airport with the wind on our backs. It was like being back in Sussex, with gorgeous country villages around each corner - then we reached Billericay!
Huge black 4x4s driven by smart upwardly mobile young men with pea sized brains passed uncomfortably close and at silly speeds just to let us know they were there - then it all started to go wrong.
As we approached a roundabout on the edge of the aptly named town of Stanford le Hope, the rear right wheel of my trolley srarted to fall off, its contents wobbling and tilting uncomfortably near passing traffic.
Apart from panic (because problems at this stage could result in us missing the Tilbury ferry to Gravesend) i was at a loss what to do!
I certainly did not want to cycle over the Dartford bridge or stay in Tilbury (i mean no offence if you were born in this part of Thurrock - but by comparison this place made Gainsborough look like Windsor)
But, fortunately thanks to a 'Howie. bodge' we managed to wobble onto the ferry and into Gravesend to live another day.
Gravesend was much better than expected and even had its own 'Heritage quarter', although i guess it depends on how you define heritage!
As i look out the window this morning it is pouring with rain - i can always implement plan b, if the trolley breaks and get a train home today ;)
However, Mrs Blanks aka the 'silent assassin' is on 940 miles and wants to break 1k for the trip - so i guess i would be on my own, reading a daily paper and drinking a cold beer- its tempting!

Wednesday, 4th July

Holbeach to Saffron Walden: 64 miles
We must be in the balmy south as Denise wore a pair of shorts today and i got slightly sun burnt and it was the first time i had seen the sun in two weeks!
As we left Holbeach they were setting up the hotdog stands ready for the Olympic flame, that was due to arrive later that morning.
This was ironic, given it was in Inverness when we started our journey and we have followed it down south. The strange thing is they transport it in a car between towns - hardly the Olympic spirit! I could have done a job with it on the back of my trailer, if they had asked me nicely and saved a few bob too.
Again we encountered our customery head wind along the long narrow straight fenland roads that went on for miles - no wonder they used to think the world was flat around these parts.
I actually felt quite strong today, despite the wind and 'the silent assasin' aka Mrs Blanks seemed to struggle without any hills.
Once we reached Cambridge, it felt like we were back in the south of England. I have to say i was very impressed with the place.
I had been warned by an elderly gentleman to be careful about visiting Cambridge, because there are thousands of bikes and you can't hear them coming.
He was very kind and printed me a route map of how best to get there. Only problem was that it included going on the M11. Silly bugger - i'll take my chances with the bicycles!
The place was cycling heaven and the bicycle is king with fantastic brand new cycle paths everywhere and a place i will definately visit again - probably without the bike.

Tuesday, 3rd July

Gainsborough to Holbeach (Lincs) 75 miles
Today we got back on track despite the weather and we are only 50 miles north of Cambridge and ready to enter the south of England tomorrow.
We struggled to get out of the hotel in Gainsborough this morning when we realised our bikes were locked in and the owners had gone out! Fortunately, i managed to break them free. As someone said in Lincoln later that day, most people round here come from Gainsborough, they never go back - perhaps this was a plot to keep us there?
Once we had escaped and reached Lincoln we enjoyed a fantastic ride along the no 1 cycle route which ran for over 10 miles alongside a river and canal and it was like being on holiday. Then the rain came again - i must come back in the summer.
Despite the gloomy weather and headwind, we cracked on and put in a 75 miler to get back on schedule and look to be n Gravesend on Thursday night via the Tilbury ferry and cycle into Brighton early on Friday evening to complete the challenge.
Tonight we are staying the night in Holbeach, where they celebrate the passing of the olympic torch tomorrow morning.

Monday, 2nd July

York to Gainsborough 61 miles
Today we had a morning free of rain and started earlier to try and take advantage of the brief rain free interlude - unfortunately, the headwind was still relentless.
The cycle down route 65 to Selby took us down a former railway line, presumably a former pit line and the terrain has now turned flat as we navigated one former pit town after another - the landscape scarred with the remnants of the former coal industry and towering power stations, spewing smoke high into the air.
At Selby, i thought it best to buy a map to make navigation easier, but no sooner had we done so, the rain came down in bucket loads and everytime the map came out, it was reduced to a soggy mess.
However, there is something quite invigerating about navigating with a compass and we headed southish until we could stand the rain no more.
At 4pm, enough was enough and we holed up in a pub in Gainsborough, a place that comes close to the worst place i have visited in the last couple of weeks. The worst place is Blyth, near Newcastle, a place that makes the London Road in Brighton look like Mayfair.
The justgiving page is going from strength to strength and with gift aid and some off line donations still to be added, i am hopeful we will reach our 3k target.
Our schedule, subject to the summer weather wll be Spalding, southish of Cambridge, Gravesend and home on Friday.

Jack celebrates with his family

Our Jackie celebrates an amazing achievement