Day 1: Liverpool-Calais

Day 1: Liverpool-Calais

Last night John & I met in Liverpool and spent the evening with a good friend of mine, Danny. Plenty to catch up on as we have all been away doing various exciting 'things' through the summer. A big thanks to Danny & Emma for kindly letting us crash at their house last night. 

We set off early this morning and made our way to Liverpool Lime Street station and jumped on the 1148 Virgin Train to London and then onwards to Dover. 

  John happy to finally be at the docks        after a long day of public transport. 

Coming off the ferry in Calais was an adventure in itself,lots of lorries and cars!! 

We have got to our hotel safe and sound and excited to start cycling tomorrow. 

Lessons Learnt today:

1. London train staff are helpful. 

2. Dover ferry staff are not. 

Ross & John

Mini-Tour du Lake District

The time came that I had a couple of days off.  Thoughts were thought, decisions decided and reneged on, and a full-morning lie-in was had.  And Lo!  I found myself on the bicycle hereby known as 'Sally' trundling down the drive of the Castle (my most recent abode).  We were part loaded with panniers on the back and a bag on the handlebars.  Our aim was threefold;

1. Test how Sally coped with a lump like me and some baggage
2. Assess my ability to keep touring pace
3. Purchase a set of front panniers from Ghyllside Cycles in Ambleside.

The day was just right, with warm sun (but not too warm), a cooling breeze (but not too cool) and no pressure (except that in the tires).  As we wound through the rolling countryside surrounding Cockermouth, I realised it had been a long time since I had lifted my head and really took in what was around me.  Moving out of the National Park has shown me just how beautiful it is.  Being able to gaze upon the Northern Fells from a country lane felt like I was getting a wider view than possible before.

Looking towards Skiddaw

All feelings of grandeur were diminished soon after, as I realised a wrong turn had been taken and added about 3 miles before we'd even started properly!  We found the correct road and enjoyed almost traffic-free rolling most of the way towards Keswick.

I became aware of dropping energy levels as we passed through the busy town centre and I resolved to have a food stop soon.  However my need for food conflicted with my usual bullet-headed compulsion to go just-a-bit-farther.  A mile of 13% uphill and a few more of steep undulations found me in a layby pleasant enough to dismount and have a chew.

Giving the UK2Africa jersey a run out

The continuing 13 miles to Ambleside were without incident, some gentle but long climbs and an increase in traffic levels the only discussion points.

So!  Sally and myself had arrived on our inaugural tour.  Now it was time to refuel.  We gathered a gang and tucked into a carvery in Windermere.

Time off in Ambleside

Next morning I visited the cycle shop.  Unfortunately they didn't have the panniers I wanted so I'll have to return next week.  Still, they're a great shop so call in if you're ever about (http://www.ghyllside.co.uk/).

The return journey to the castle was straightforward and gave me plenty of time to practice my camerawork while pedalling...

Heading back past Skiddaw

The path less travelled?

Rollercoaster road

From the Fells to the Sea

Mini-Tour complete!

And the aims?  Sally coped well with the weight, even feeling more settled when loaded and I managed to keep within the pace relatively well.  No panniers yet though!

We're still collecting money for Alzheimer Scotland via JustGiving.

See www.justgiving.com/uk2africa2013 for how you can donate too.

John

Final Push

Hi All,

It's been a busy, busy, busy summer so far for John and I. John has been spending the majority of his time working on the water in the Lake District and loving it. I am still out west working on a beautiful island known as Ru'a Fiola where we teach kids some basic survival skills. 

Another amazing sunset I witnessed from the island. 

I took a bit of time off work earlier this month to allow me to attend my graduation and summer camp with 2 Highlanders ACF. Graduation was fantastic but opened my eyes to the fact that that is it, the start of the real world (well after I have ventured off to Africa). 

John managed to come down to Liverpool the evening before grad where we both discussed out excitement to just get on with it.

Preparation for the trip is still on going. John's bike is looking well and almost ready to hit the road-his training is going well and tan is coming along nicely. My bike is almost ready to go, training is unfortunately non excitant and my tan is awesome. 

 John's bike looking ready for take off. 

Thanks for reading folks. As we said this blog will be updated far more when we actually leave the UK. 

Please keep donating what you can on our just giving page. 

Cheers,

R&J

 

News Update

We have both started full-time work now so our preparations have changed levels.  Ross and Demi had some swanky cycling jerseys made, which will hopefully motivate us to train!

Our new cycling jersey

I finally picked up a bike in Edinburgh thanks to Winsome, and have been spending my free time bringing it back into top condition.  It's a Dawes Galaxy, which were the top bikes in touring for many years.  Recently the trend has been moving towards off-road capable bikes but for our plans the Dawes is perfect.

Dull times; cleaning, polishing and waterproofing a leather saddle

All it needed were new tires and inner tubes and a good clean, so I stripped it down to the bearings and built it back up with new grease and adjustments.  It was good to have a project for the evenings to take my mind off work and to mark the change from the last 3 years of reading and typing.  I have a better idea of how the bike works now too!  Hopefully that means I'll be able to fix most things on the road.

I managed to get out for a super-quick ride before the downpour started.  It's a fantastic bike, not twitchy and speedy like a racer but not as 'stuck in the mud' as a mountain bike.  It just wanted to get moving and keep going!  I'm very excited to take it on a longer run.

The nearly-finished product!

There are still a few things to do, like re-tape the handlebars and get a set of front racks and panniers.  For now the bike is just right, so I'll be cycling the 20 miles to and from work from now on...  As long as it doesn't rain!

Now that I've got a bike and I'm earning some money it feels like everything is coming together.  It's a great feeling, and there's still 3 or 4 months left before we leave!  I don't think I've ever felt as prepared for a trip this early.  We're on the crest of the wave!

P.S.

OBLIGATORY JUSTGIVING CHARITY LINK

http://www.justgiving.com/uk2africa2013

Let's go to work folks.

John

The Next Step

We are now less than 5 months away from setting off.  It's starting to feel more real now, probably because there is nothing to distract us.  After 3 years of effort, boredom, annoyance and hard work we have both finished our Degrees!

The title of this post refers to us taking the next step in life by leaving full-time education, but also in preparing for the expedition.  I start full-time work on Monday 29th April and Ross starts soon after.  I'm working as a Watersports Instructor on Derwentwater and Ross is a climbing/multi-activity instructor in Scotland for the summer.  Hopefully we'll earn enough to make the trip quite comfortable!

Over the last 2 months I've not been out training much due to having lots of essays and a dissertation to write.  I think I've typed 20-30,000 words in the last 8 weeks.  That might not be much compared to someone on an English or History course but it will do me fine thanks!  Ross has been out fairly regularly in Liverpool on his shiny new bike, and seems to be enjoying the challenge.  Our JustGiving page hasn't had much traffic in the last while, probably because we have been so busy.  If you can spare a few pounds we would appreciate any donations towards Alzheimer Scotland, as it's such a good cause.

Ross about to start an evening training ride (Photo thanks to Chris Dean)

I still haven't got a proper bike yet, but I managed to borrow one (thanks Remy!) for 2 days of training with Ross here in the Lakes.  We did a 30 mile loop of Windermere and followed that with a hill-climb session, covering 13 miles and going up to the Kirkstone Pass at 468 metres.  The descent was memorable as we flew down a road called 'The Struggle' with a gradient of 1 in 4, which is extremely steep!  The pass is the highest in the Lake District open to motor traffic also.

Thankfully, since I handed in my Dissertation I've managed to get away from the computer a while and had some fun.  I ended up doing something called Ghyll Scrambling, which involves finding a large stream/small river and walking, climbing and swimming up it.  We found some pools to jump into, which is actually safer than you might think!

I didn't hit the tree and the water was deep, but icy!

So!  School's out and summer is here.  I can't wait to start work, go climbing in sun, and cycle on bright, clear mornings.  IT WILL BE SUNNY ALL SUMMER.  You heard it here first...  Just no more snow please!

Climbing isn't fun when you can't feel your fingers or toes!

I'm going to have a look at a bike this weekend so hopefully I'll have one by next week.  Then training can really start!  We're still looking for information about good routes and places to stay throughout France, Spain and Morocco so if anyone has any information please contact us.

Cheerio!

John

Dr. Pressure

Hi Everyone,

Well both John & I are still under P with the dreaded Dissertation. As soon as its done we will be able to get on with the planning.

Our justgiving page has became dormant at the moment and threatening to close our page within the next week.

If you want to help us out by donating some money to the page then please do so at:

http://www.justgiving.com/UK2Africa2013

Thanks Everyone,

R&J

Happy New Year!

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick post to say thanks for the continued support throughout the initial stages of planning & to share my news that I am sadly selling my mountain bike, a Giant 29er, to help fund the trip.

The bike is currently on ebay and getting a lot of views, check it out at : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mens-Giant-29er-Mountain-Bike-/221176263811?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item337f21f483

Both myself & John are currently under the hectic pressures of final year so putting the planning aspect of the trip on hold until mid Feb but we will be straight back into it ASAP.

Remember you can still donate on our JustGiving page.

Thanks again,

R&J