The White Horse (Cilcain)
Druid Inn (Llanferres)
Sun Trevor (Sun Bank)
The Bluebell (Halkyn)

Halfords (Wrexham for staff only)
Alf Jones Cycles (Rhosnesni Lane, Wrexham)
Grosvenor Hotel Pulford (Leisere Club)
Aruna School of Yoga

Reflections on the Challenge

On reflection, overall I didn't particularly enjoy a lot of the time in the saddle, with the odd exception you are riding single file focused on navigating and keeping safe. We conversed at the end of the day, breaks were usually spent laughing at each other's ailments, stretching our muscles to give relief and filling ourselves with food.

There were plenty good times, we met people along the way who would support us during the ride by flashing lights, sounding their horn or waving when they next passed us, messages from Becky, friends and team members would keep our spirits high for a few hours, steep hills always cheered us up it was a great feeling to get up them.

I feel proud to have completed this challenge cycling every inch of the journey. I am thankful that Ann and I made it safely to the end, sad that Carol wasn't there with us at John O Groats; we all trained long and hard in all weather conditions for this challenge. Glad its all over!!!

Thank you very much to all who have kindly sponsord or raised money for this challenge in aid of NEWSAR and to those who have taken an interest along the way. I am looking forward to finding out the grand total so we can purchase the radios in the near future.

Heather

I am pleased to have completed the challenge, but give me a mountain any day rather than a cycle!!

I would like to thank all the drivers who were patient and courteous, and advise all the ones who nearly knocked us off our bikes to go and get some advanced lessons!

Ann

Day 14 - Helmsdale to John O' Groats - 54 miles (1008 miles)

After a good nights sleep followed by a peek out of the window first thing, as I expected from the top of the country, it would be a windy day. We were aprehensive about the potential big hill, but were informed we would be ok as it was only 13% gradient with breaks, so that made me feel happier. Just like Ironbridge there was a long gradual ascent (fine), after a few hours we got an eyeful of what must have been the big one whilst free wheeling down the opposite side. Oh my god! no way! amongst other phrases I won't mention just kept coming out of my mouth, I was laughing with nervous excitment. As usual, it looks worse than it actaully is, there were breaks with the odd testing section we were up there without problems.

Arriving at John O Groat's was lesiurely, a smooth flat road surface, the sun was shining and we almost colided into each other after 1008 miles without an accident! We had a hand shake, a celebratory hug and a bit of a jump around, challenge complete!!!

After photos, and a hot chocolate, we were ready to get back on the bikes to cycle another 15 miles to Dunnet Head, the most Northerly point of Britain. That leg to complete our challenge properly was worth the effort in the cold windy driving rain, we felt really proud when we got to the light house and saw the stone marker, at last we could get the bikes and ourselves in the warm dry car, challenge complete our way!!

Heather

The final day, for me it was a relief to get started, but the wind was worse than I expected, then the rain started and both stayed with us most of the day, but it didn’t dampen our determination!

When we were really close to John o'Groats, another group of cyclists passed us going the opposite direction, they had a vehicle carrying all their gear. We all passed each other smiling and waving and I must admit that was the most emotional moment on the trip (apart from Carol's departure). I hoped that when I reached the end, I wouldn’t start crying!!

Thankfully at the end I didn’t cry, we were so happy to get off the saddle that we hugged each other. We then did the photo bit then went the extra 15 miles to Dunnet Head which is the most northern point in Britain. I thought the extra miles might test our friendship, but apart from one little outburst from Heather, she was smiling at the end!

Ann

Day 14 - Helmsdale to John O' Groats - 54 miles (1008 miles)

Congratulations to Heather and Ann who have arrived in a wet and windy John o Groats this afternoon.

Day 13 - Dingwall to Helmsdale - 57 miles (954 miles)

It was downhill most of the way today which was enjoyable, lots of freewheeling! We have been told that tomorrow is going to be a bit of a shock though. Apparently there is a hill with a 30% gradient but we got up the one yesterday so I'm sure we'll tackle the one tomorrow.

Heather is back on form, both mentally and physically and seems to have recovered from her depression earlier in the week

What might have helped is the fact that the midges have taken quite a fancy to me but are leaving her alone!!

Ann

Downhills again - more time for recovery. Ann seems to have been a bit tired these past couple of days though. We both feel strong spirited for tomorrow and know that the finish is close.

More interesting accommodation tonight. Tonight we're in a bed and breakfast in the middle of an estate but when we arrived and were being shown where to leave our bikes we went into a shed where a couple were cooking langoustines in an urn. Having never seen unshelled prawns that close before (they've usually been on someone else's table) it was interesting to find out more. While we were chatting and having a drink with the couple who owned the B&B, a man came in with half a dozen of the cooked prawns and showed us how to shell them. We've also been invited back for drinks later!!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow and feeling strong, With porridge for breakfast, I'm sure I'll get over that hill and once that's done, it's nearly the end!

Heather

Day 12 - Spean to Bridge Dingwall - 64 miles (897 miles)

Being mostly downhill, today was a good day. We had a hill with a 15% gradient in the afternoon but we got up that quite well. We cycled up it together and were able to gee each other on.

We've been quite lucky with the weather, its fine in the morning, rainy in the afternoon but stops just in time for us to dry out so that we don't look like drowned rats when we get to the accommodation.

The accommodation we stayed in was interesting. We were looking forward to having a hot bath but as it was a very old house, the bath was more like a washing up bowl with a seat in it. We're convinced that it was haunted as well and fortunately Heather and I shared a room. Simon, a friend who had joined us here, got the single room. He woke in the middle of the night to the sound of laughter but was too frightened to open his eyes!

Ann

Today was the best day of the challenge. Although the first few miles were difficult, it was cold, miserable and windy and the road surface was poor, we were heading for Tyndrum. This was a place Ann and I visited when we completed the West Highland Way last year and it held many memories for me. It was a favourite place and had lovely big scones!!

After Tyndrum, the road surface improved slightly and I passed the time by trying to find the best line – for half a mile of cycling, I focussed on an 8” wide piece of road!

We had intended to take a break at Loch Tulla but feeling enthused, we only stopped to take photos.

For most of the journey to and across Rannoch Moor I was quite tearful. I love this part of the country and had been looking forward to it. I was relieved that I had made it here and was quite emotional. Rannoch Moor always touches my soul but today, it touched my heart.

I feel great today and have been singing and enjoying myself. Even though it rained, I felt like I was in heaven.

I will finish this challenge regardless!!

Heather

It was so good to see Heather back to her old self!!

Today was a much easier cycle - it’s amazing what difference the road surface makes.

Whilst we were going over Rannoch Moor we had a text telling us about the messages of support posted on the website from people we had met on the way and that really gee’d us up too.

From the top of Glencoe though, it rained and I got really cold. When we stopped for a break I had difficulty undoing my buttons but after a change of clothes and a bowl of hot soup I felt ready to go again. Donations for passers by also helped. Thank you!

The challenge is going well and I feel both mentally and physically strong and fit – we only have three days left and we are going to finish.

Ann

I had an excellent night’s sleep in Cumnock and felt better when I woke up. Wyn had printed a 1:25,000 copy of the route so we were able to review it and identify cross country lanes that would bring us out on the A59 nearer to Kilmarnock. Sounded like a good plan.

And it was, apart from the t-junction that I missed!! It sort of worked in our favour though even if it did mean more hills for me. The ‘intentional’ navigational error meant that we ended up in Barhead which was miles ahead of where we had intended.

The route to and across Erskine Bridge has always been a ‘shall we / shan’t we’ point. It is quite a busy route and we were worried about crossing the bridge but as it was Sunday we thought it would be quieter and decided to press ahead. The traffic lights leading up to the bridge gave us little breaks and there was a cycle lane across the bridge. We even took photos!

After we cam off the bridge it was downhill heaven, all the way to that evening’s accommodation!! It wasn’t necessarily easy though, the road surface was rough which meant that we had to carry on pedalling.

By the end of the day I was in an improved state of mind. I rang another Team member Clive who helped encourage me and I felt that I was coming through a barrier.

Heather

When we set off in the morning, it was quite hilly and I knew that Heather wasn’t happy. She had even suggested taking a rest day and finishing the challenge a day later.

Although I didn’t say anything, to me that would have meant failing. We would have taken 15 days to do something that we planned to do in 14, the banner would have been wrong and I probably would have stopped there and then.

I kept quiet though and by the time we had gotten over the Erskine Bridge and were heading into Ardlui, Heather’s mood was changing and by the end of the day, she was back to her old self.

The last couple of days had given me two big shocks – seeing Heather like this and having to face the possibility that she may not finish the challenge.

Ann

We decided to amend our route from Gretna onwards to try and cut out as many miles as we could. Days were long and we just wanted to finish the day’s cycling as soon as possible.

The morning’s stint went OK and we stopped off in Dumfries for a break and to visit Parker Bikes there. We had a bit of trouble parking our bikes in the shopping centre car park as the security guard wouldn’t let us. After a bit of discussion though, we managed find somewhere else to park them safely.

We had to visit the public loos whilst in Dumfries and even managed to collect some money while spending a penny – thanks very much to those who donated!!

I always leave it until the last break of the afternoon to find out about the evening’s accommodation. Sometimes it’s a nice surprise, sometimes it isn’t. Today it wasn’t!

It was wet and windy in the afternoon and I found it a very hilly day. The constant uphills and downhills were fun to start with but after a while I ran out of energy and was very fed up - I began to think that there was a real chance I may not complete this challenge after all.

When I feel low I think about Ellen MacArthur who inspires me - she has faced many difficult challenges and has always got through them. I was also thinking about Ann having to complete the challenge on her own and I wasn’t having that.

Both of these got me through the rest of the day and when sitting down to a lovely meal with Ann and Wyn I owned up to how I had been feeling and shocked Ann.

Heather

Both mentally and physically I have been fine. After getting over the loneliness in the first few days I’ve managed to get myself through the day singing to myself and dreaming about bikers and opera singers … don’t ask. The constant uphills and downhills don’t bother me that much but the rain has made it miserable.

So, it was a terrible shock to hear Heather say that she had thought that she may not finish the challenge and that she was unhappy, I’ve never known her to be like that. If she had given up I would have carried on but I don’t think I’d have let her, chaining her to her bike if I had to! I knew though that if she did stop, she would regret it after a while.

Ann

On leaving Kirkby Lonsdale, we cycled on the planned route, a scenic one, for a couple of hours, only it was too hilly so we moved onto A roads and managed to cover a fair bit of mileage.

The A74 towards Gretna caused us a few problems. There were roadworks for about 6 miles and the carriageways narrowed, leaving us little space when cars overtook. It was quite hairy. After a while though we noticed that there was no traffic overtaking us and I looked in my mirror to see that a motorway maintenance vehicle with its yellow beacons flashing was holding back the traffic! When we pulled over at the end of the roadworks to say thanks, the driver asked us whether we’d seen the sign. The answer was no – the sign said NO CYCLISTS! We should have pulled over and rang the driver for an alternative route!!! Oops. Being serious though, this was quite traumatic for both of us and we were in dire need of a drink when we finished for the day.

Team member Wyn planned to join us today had passed us in the roadworks and ‘dragged’ us off to the pub in Gretna to calm down.

I managed to get my photo taken with some bikers so I’ve managed to tick one ‘port’ off!

Ann

Day 7 - Warrington to Kirkby Lonsdale - 82 miles (total 510)

We left Warrington in busy traffic which prompted Heather to indulge in some road rage incidents – I need to teach her to stay calm.

Once we left the built up areas though and headed into the Lake District, the countryside opened up and the views were absolutely beautiful. It has been nice to get away from busy towns and we are able to hear birds sing and enjoy the scenery.

Ann

Day 6 - Telford to Warrington - 62 miles (total 428 miles)

I'm a keen cyclist myself and have undertaken three to four day cycle trips in the past. When I got the chance to join Heather and Ann today, I jumped at it.

I joined them in Ironbridge this morning in glorious sunshine (with the sun always shining on the righteous, I knew I was there for a reason)! After the obligatory photo by the famous Iron Bridge we set off up the first hill of the day (2+ miles long - they didn't know that at the time). I thoroughly enjoyed my day cycling with them today, particularly when I managed to get them to stop at a favourite place of mine for a pub lunch! After a few late finishes over the last few days, I think they were both relieved to be at the B&B in Warrington by 5.30pm so they could relax this evening.

Once again, people were donating money whilst we were en-route, so I would like to thank them for their generosity.

Having considered doing the challenge myself both last year and this, I take my hat off to Heather and Ann for having the drive and determination to take on a cycle ride of this magnitude.

Paul K (Team Member)

PS - With Ann confessing on the way down to Lands End last week, I wish her luck in finding a biker in every port!

The first hill of the day from Ironbridge certainly woke the legs up and the head winds to Warrington made it quite a hard day.

But, having company en route certainly makes the day more enjoyable – not only did Paul join us today but we even got an escort from a herd of cows that followed us up a field as we cycled on the road alongside!

Ann

Day 5 - Stroud to Telford - 85 miles (total 366 miles)

Chris, a friend Ann and I made whilst on Kilimanjaro met us in Stroud today and joined us for the Stroud - Ironbridge leg. It is his territory so he was able to take us on an alternative and easier route. Although it was a longer day, the cycling was much nicer.

We had a bit of an adventure in Kidderminster with all four of us ending up in four different locations in the town. Not quite sure how we managed that one. (Ann, I won't forget you for making me climb up that hill when I could have turned left and met you at the bottom of the hill that you were on)!

Better weather this afternoon meant I was able to cycle without a waterproof jacket!!

Unfortunately although we had a better day cycling, it ended with Carol having to pull out due to an injury and she has now gone home. She did manage to get as far as Ironbridge, so finished the day with us. We're sorry to see her go.

Heather

I've spoken to Carol who has said that she is absolutely gutted about having to pull out at this stage but felt she had to as the injury was slowing her up and meant that Heather and Ann were having to wait for her.

On behalf of the Team I would like to thank Carol for attempting this challenge and for someone who only took up cycling seriously for this event, to manage 366 miles in 5 days is something to be proud of. Thanks Carol.

Becky

Day 1 - Lands End to Par - 67 Miles

End of Day 1 and we're all quite tired. In taking the scenic route, we've cycled 67 miles, working hard but we haven't really been challenged. From what people are saying though, we will be tomorrow but we're trying not to think of that at the moment.

The main difficulty has been getting used to cycling as a group of 3 as most of our training was done either alone or in pairs. But by the end of the day, we were ok.

Both Ann and I think that this challenge is different from other challenges as those were in the mountains where we could chat and enjoy the scenery. We can't do that whilst cycling as most of the time, we're concentrating on the traffic.

When we're having breaks, people have been coming to chat to us to see what we doing and are kindly donating money to the Team. Thank you very much.

The three of us are now ready for (and looking forward to) a good night's sleep.

Heather

We have had an e-mail from Peter who "met our three intrepid girls entering St Austell looking well and not even tired!" wishing them every success. Thanks Peter!

Becky

We've had a long day's travel down to Cornwall today, thanks to Paul and Kate for taking the time out to drive us here.

The three of us have put the training in, feel ready for the Challenge and are raring to go, (Heather wants to start tomorrow instead of Friday).

The rest of this evening will be spent enjoying the sea view with a glass of wine!

I'd just like to thank NEWSAR for the time and effort they have also put into the Challenge

Ann

Well, for the past week or so I have felt quite excited that the time for the challenge is just around the corner, it began after a short training session having a go at some hills near my home that used to be unachievable riding my bike. I planned to try a couple to see how I got on and ended up doing four, (with empty panniers though) those daunting hills turned out to be no problem at all. Just to make sure I repeated the one that makes me feel nervous with fully laden panniers at the end of a 70 mile ride, I achieved it easily again! so yes I am very excited at what my legs are capable of.

On a more serious note, in the past couple of weeks there has been a lot of preparations to get through. Proof reading our detailed route plan on memory map and transferring it to a mini road map took hours, kit and equipment checks, repairs and replacements (just one replacement nut to purchase tomorrow). Finalising arrangements from driver insurance to pet sitters and with NEWSAR team members who have worked hard over the past few months giving their valuable time to promote and support the challenge. I would like to take this opportunity to give special thanks our team Leader Iain Ashcroft, Deputy Team Leader Becky Waudby, and Wyn Rowlands.

I have to finish on a less serious note, Ann and I are so excited that our friend Chris Heath from Bromsgrove will be joining us for a couple of days cycling, thankyou Chris, we cant wait to see you!

We would love to have other cycle supporters along the route, so if any of you are tempted, come and join us for a few miles.

Thanks to all who have kindly sponsored the challenge/our team NEWSAR.

That’s it from me.

Heather

Day 4

Day 3

Another day of heavy rain.
The cycling was much easier today, the hills were far less in numbers and only up to 60 meter climbs at the outside, it was such a relief after the previous day. South of Fishguard the rain gave way to head on winds which slowed me down further which again was frustrating looking at the odometer.

Day 2

Day 1

Training ride to Pembroke 24-27th July

Perfect riding conditions
It didn't take long to realise that I would have to be ruthless with weight as originally planned, my progress was slow through out the 4 day journey. I became used to the extra weight by the end of day 1, but remained frustrated by my average speed of just 8mph.
Once I left the A5 behind at Corwen, I felt that I was on my way, I could now explore away from familiar cycle routes. I had a great time climbing a couple of mountain passes East of Bala Lake to and from Lake Vyrnwy.

After 5 weeks of recovering from an over use injury, a cold and lack of motivation I began to turn a corner. I decided to abandon triathlon training, do a bit mountain walking and slowly build up the cycling regime again. I started with just 1-2 hours cycling per day, I was surprised that hill work on the bike was pain free, by the end of my first week back on the bike my mental attitude had grown in confidence so I added the odd 30 mile day, increasing to 50 miles.

Typical training areas have been out towards Llangollen, Ruthin, Denbighshire, Halkyn, Cilcain, Cheshire, to name a few. I explore a lot of routes to places we use for training, and get in as much hill work as poss when I do shorter routes of say up to 50 miles. I have to admit that I have tired of doing circular routes with no purpose other than getting the miles under my belt, the majority of my training is done solo as my times don't fit in with Ann and Carol that often.