Day 4: Abbeville-Amiens (50 km)

Day 4: Abbeville-Amiens (50 Km)

Quite a short day today but to be honest, I needed it. My legs are starting to get tired so I'm happy with the afternoons rest. 

We left Abbeville this morning and made our way towards Amiens on a lovely quiet country road. We have also found a petrol station that's happy to fill up our fuel bottles for our stoves YIPPEEE!!

We came across Couy (?) British Cemetery. I think that's what it was called but maybe someone more knowledgable will know. This was my first time in a cemetery like this and it shocked me as I always had imagined it would. 

Couy Cemetery. 'We will remember them'

We are now on a train to Paris to meet Demi & Chloe and looking forward to a massive dinner & a goods night sleep. 

John sorting his kit out on the train. 

I think the plan is now to head towards Font and spend a few days bouldering there. 

Ross & John

Day 3: Condette-Abbeville (85km)

Day 3: Condette-Abbeville (85km)

Thankfully the rain has stopped today & the sun has came out. 

Day 3 of our expedition has been good fun & quite challenging in places. We left our campsite at around 1000 this morning and continued to make our way south following beautiful country roads & cycle paths through forests, small French towns and countryside. The roads have been a lot flatter today and with no crazy winds we managed to travel quite far. 

We are now in a campsite just outside Abbeville. We are both pretty tired and looking forward to a goods night sleep. 

Out campsite for the night. 

Ross & John. 

Day 2: Calais-Condette (65 Km)

Day 2: Calais-Condette (65 Km)

What a first day, it's been manic but very enjoyable. 

We left Calais this morning after getting a few groceries & maps and headed along a beautiful coast road (D940) towards Boulogne Sur Mer.  The weather has been variable to say the least. Our morning session started off very warm but REALLY windy, gusting 85kph according to the local weather forecast so as you can imagine a nice easy cycle to warm up with. 

A nice view looking towards the white cliffs of Dover. 

We stopped for some lunch in a small remote French town called Ambeltouse & had a bit of a break before carrying onwards to Boulogne. 

The weather changed as we arrived in Boulogne & we were greeted with persistent heavy rain for the last 15 Km's to Condette. 

First puncture award goes to me. 

We are now in a lovely campsite just outside Condette & looking forward to a sunny day tomorrow. 

Ross & John

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