Preparing for Coast to Coast

We all prepare for challenges in different ways!

Boo’s preparations for riding 140 miles Coast2Coast so far this month have included joining in with a 30-day photo challenge. This shot was for the ‘Alone’ day:

And she has also been busy kayaking with a fabulous trip to Matlock, managing the Eskimo-rescue that has eluded her so far this year, and finally shooting the weir in Leamington not once but three times. She even had a smile on her face when we watched her third attempt.

   

Now she has conquered those gremlins she feels ready for anything, which is probably just as well considering the route elevations. Day Two out of Penrith will start with a rather long and steep ascent and then continue with some challenging climbs. The good thing is that Day Three is almost completely downhill.

We have just received our Sustrans paper map of the route which is exactly what we need as it includes contact details for bike shops and, some might say more importantly, cafes and tearooms suitable for cyclists. Boo likes the mile counters on the map as it is a really good visual prompt of the distances between sections, and the length of the ascents. Some sections of the route are off-road so we now need to decide if we want to stick to roads or vary the road surfaces. This will determine the wheels and spares required so we’ll be poring over the map and then translating it into a Garmin route for our bike computers. We’re hoping time spent with the map, loading the route on our computers, and cycle route signage will ensure we don’t take any unplanned detours.

Whatever happens with the route there is no doubt in our minds that Boo is going to need to channel her hero Jens Voight as we pedal over the Pennines. It is a good job she will have his, and now her, mantra “Shut Up Legs” to look at on Charlie’s headset.

There were a couple of ideas that we did not manage to act on in our preparations for last year’s LEJOG ride, so we’re working hard to make these happen for this month’s Coast2Coast. One of these was to have a map that could be viewed in real time and allow our supporters to follow our ride. We have found an app that we think will make this possible and Mark rode a test ride yesterday. He lost signal shortly after taking a photograph of the view so we will continue our testing. Meanwhile you can take a look at the interactive map:

Boo’s ‘fingercam’ last year was somewhat limited so we were delighted this morning with the arrival of an early Christmas present for the two riders to share; although we are well aware that Boo feels she does more interesting activities and therefore the gift is likely to be hogged by her.

We’re going to experiment with the ActionCam over the weekend and on some test rides in the week. We were delighted to see that the Tree House Bookshop in Kenilworth is hosting a video workshop for youngsters led by Sally Evans Photography in the week before our Coast2Coast ride so Boo has a place booked and we’re looking forward to the footage of her hilly descents.

We’ve been introduced to the joys of Airbnb and have been lucky to find accommodation on the route. One of our hosts has worked with people walking or cycling from coast to coast before.

Our ‘to do’ list is reducing:

• energy gels for Boo as she is still rather particular about the flavours available
• finalise the route and put it on the Garmins
• organise appropriate bike carrier for the roof rack

Please do support Boo’s efforts for her Scout Troop. Thank you.

What Boo Did Next

We still find it hard to believe that more than a year has passed since we completed our LEJOG ride, but enough people ask us “What’s next?” that we’re starting to think about what our next challenge should be.

Boo remembers how she felt when she first experienced the joys of velodrome riding so it won’t be a surprise to anyone that she has taken full advantage of the opening of the Derby Velodrome to make monthly visits for training sessions.

 

She doesn’t seem to have lost any of the joy or excitement of riding on a velodrome track and is enjoying sharing the experience with her Stratford Juniors friends.

Mark also responded to the visit to the Manchester Velodrome by promising to complete his track accreditation. He was set to do so until he had an accident on the Kenilworth Greenway. Breaking his thumb, and needing an overnight in hospital to pin the bone, has had an impact on his cycling summer.

The good news is that he has worked on his physio and is heading back to full use of his thumb and the pair of them are back on their bikes, and on Double Trouble. Boo has utilised the non-cycling time to work on one of her other loves – paddling, and we have even adapted the tandem roof rack to transport her kayak ‘Dyno’.

Weekends for cycling as a pair are proving harder to find in the diary as Boo is now a Sea Scout and thoroughly enjoying learning to sail and preparing for camp.

She is also keen to gain some badges and quickly identified the Cyclist badge as one to work towards. Mark is happy to support this aim as she has had to take more responsibility for her bike mechanics, which is quite timely as they have been building her latest bike. Another challenge the badge sets is to plan and ride a 25 mile ride. Last year when preparing for our LEJOG ride we talked about riding the Coast-to-Coast route from Workington to Whitley Bay as a training ride but timings meant we never quite managed it. Mark’s broken thumb has prevented them from riding any sportives of similar organised rides so we’ve decided to go for the Coast to Coast ride this summer.

Originally Mark suggested they could complete the 140(ish) miles over two days on Double Trouble but Boo is determined to ride on her own bike (that she has named Charlie). After much debate, and a realistic look at the diary, we have decided to take three days to complete the route as Boo hasn’t ridden more than 40 miles in one day on her own bike. In order to complete her scout badge Boo is responsible for planning at least one day of the route.

Just before Christmas we attended a Sustrans ‘Long Distance Cycling’ evening when we were inspired to look a little further afield for our next big challenge. After much discussion we have agreed that we will target a route following the River Rhine from source to sea. This will take us through 4 countries over 765 miles. Since it isn’t anywhere near the distance we rode last year we are considering leaving Double Trouble at home and riding on our own individual bikes. We will make the final decision on this whilst completing the Coast to Coast ride later this summer. Whatever we decide, Boo would like to use the River Rhine challenge to raise funds for the new HQ her scouts are planning to build 2nd Warwick New HQ. We’ll update you soon with our new training plans. Meanwhile we’ll keep preparing to ride across Britain via the Lake District and Pennines.

Two Weeks To Go – Route Overview

 

Two weeks today we will start our 13 day journey pedalling from Land’s End to John O’Groats so this seems a good time to pull together all the information about our planned route.

Fri 30/5	Day 1	Land’s End to Tavistock (Dartmoor Cycles)	OS Map Day One	92.78 miles
Sat 31/5	Day 2	Tavistock to Bridgwater (SJS Cycles)	OS Map Day Two	78.62 miles
Elevations and details of first two days
Sun 1/6	Day 3	Bridgwater to Monmouth (Monmouth Leisure Centre) via Newport Velodrome	OS Map Day Three	69.27 miles
Mon 2/6	Day 4	Monmouth to Shrewsbury (Dave Mellor Cycles)	OS Map Day Four	76.09 miles
Tue 3/6	Day 5	Shrewsbury to National Cycle Centre Manchester	OS Map Day Five	68.5 miles
Elevations and details from Bridgewater to Manchester
Wed 4/6	Day 6	NCC Manchester to Kendal (Wheelbase Lakeland Limited)	OS Map Day Six	79.57 miles
Thu 5/6	Day 7	Kendal to Dumfries (Kirkpatrick Cycles)	OS Map Day Seven	81.32 miles
Elevations and details of route into Scotland
Fri 6/6	Day 8	Dumfries to Glasgow (Emirates Arena)	OS Map Day Eight	73.7 miles
Sat 7/6	Day 9	Glasgow to Crianlarich Youth Hostel	OS Map Day Nine	53.55 miles
Sun 8/6 Mark’s 40th birthday	Day 10	Crianlarich to Invergarry Lodge	OS Map Day Ten	75.34 miles
Mon 9/6	Day 11	Invergarry to Bonar Bridge	OS Map Day Eleven	75.6 miles
Tue 10/6	Day 12	Bonar Bridge to Tongue	OS Map Day Twelve	47.78 miles
Elevations and details of route to Tongue
Wed 11/6	Day 13	Tongue to John O’Groats	OS Map Final Day	63 miles
Elevation and details of final day
Average daily mileage 71.93 miles

Finalising the Route – Final Day Planned!

It has taken us longer than expected to complete the detailed OS maps of our route but we have finally reached John O’Groats – at least on paper!

Day Thirteen is a 63 mile bumpy route with about 1100 metres of vertical ascent; luckily with plenty of downhills to enjoy, and the final miles are relatively flat. Boo is excited about the coastal views and is hopeful of seeing marine birds and mammals as we travel.

We estimate that it will take us about five and a half hours in the saddle so will leave Tongue at 8am and try to limit our food stops en route in order to have a celebration lunch at 2pm when we reach John O’Groats.

Once we reach John O’Groats, we will have pedalled a minimum total of 935.12 miles. We are assuming it will be nearer 950 miles once we have added in the mileage for route diversions, pedalling to accommodation, and we accept the possibility that we might even make errors occasionally!

It will be wonderful to take some time to explore John O’Groats before finally putting Double Trouble, our Dawes Galaxy Twin, onto the roof rack ready to begin the long drive back home. Mark thinks he might even enjoy driving for a stretch as a change from all that pedalling.

Two weeks today we drive from home to Land’s End ready for 13 days of cycling. Please support our ride by donating to our charities:

Cancer Research UK and Zoe’s Place Childrens Hospice in Coventry.

Thank you for your support.

Finalising the Route – Through the Lakes into Scotland

Day Six takes us out of Manchester into the beautiful Lake District (with a 160 metre climb to end the day). At least our stopping point at Wheelbase Lakeland Limited  in Stavely  is near the Hawkshead Brewery so we can celebrate the end of the day with a local beer.

Looking at the elevation of our 79.57 mile route it does appear that we will be bookending the ride with hilly sections, with a more restful ride from Preston to Lancaster. Boo is hoping for some coastal views at Calnforth.

We estimate that the two sets of hills add up to about half a mile of climbing giving us about six and a quarter hours in the saddle. With so much scenic and geocaching potential we are leaving a little extra travel time. We will leave the National Cycling Centre at 8am and enjoy the advantages of two wheeled transport out of the city of Manchester so will look to see our Support Vehicle by second breakfast.  We should all be just north of Kendal by 4pm.

Day Seven takes us through the scenic Lake District halfway to John O’Groats and into Scotland ending at the 100 year old Kirkpatrick Cycles in Dumfries.

We start our route with a 400 metre vertical ascent in our first twelve and a half miles out of the Lake District. Maths suggests this will only add 15 minutes to the ride. But we’ve seen other cyclists take on the route to Shap and think it will take us a lot longer to drag ourselves to the top. At least it is then a long steady flat run across the border into Scotland. So we are hoping for nothing but tailwinds.

We aim to leave Wheelbase at 8am, have our second breakfast at the top of our climb (a little early but we will want the sustenance so we can make the most of the downhill reward), and reach Kirkpatrick Cycles for 4pm.

Who fancies joining us for our hilly Lake District adventure?

Finalising the Route – Days One and Two

Yes really, there are only 30 days to go, and so much still to prepare.

Top of the preparation list is finalising the route to identify stopping points, refueling options, support vehicle parking areas, roadside geocaches accessible in cycling shoes, bicycle shops in case of mechanical emergencies, and place to restock the food and drink supplies.

Whilst going over day one in detail we made an interesting discovery……

What looked like a bridge on the original planning map turns out to be a chain ferry across the River Fal! The King Harry Ferry runs every 20 minutes and takes 10 minutes to cover the 300 metre journey, so that will prove to be a good food and drinks break.

As well as discovering missing bridges, we generated an online OS map. This splendid elevation diagram for day one gives us an overview of those contours. Please take a look at the map, especially if you are considering joining us to ride a section of the route or to wave as we peddle past.

We’re looking at a total of 92.78 miles (don’t you just love the accuracy of the Ordnance Survey?) on day one – Friday 30th May. This includes a generous estimate of 2 miles of  vertical ascent to take into account, but at least there are some good descents to the rivers! With an average speed of 13mph, and an extra one and a quarter hours in the saddle for the climbs, we believe that we’re looking at eight and a quarter hours in the saddle on day one.

This is our longest day, so we thought it wise to fit the miles in whilst we’re at our freshest. You do not need to know what our Support Vehicle said when we pointed out that we’re aiming to start peddling at 7am; but it did include the suggestion that we wouldn’t notice a few extra miles from our hostel to the start point whilst she had a lie-in/packed the car!

If all goes to plan we will arrive at Dartmoor Cycles in Tavistock at 5pm to meet the friendly and helpful team, and shake buckets for Cancer Research UK and Zoe’s Place children’s hospice.

By the end of Day One we will have travelled through Cornwall into Devon. On Day Two we make it into Somerset with the day ending at SJS Cycles in Bridgewater

There is a bit of a slog through Dartmoor at the beginning, with Boo holding high hopes of spotting some ponies, but overall this is a more level day, and a mere 78.62 miles. We believe that with less than a mile of vertical ascent, and less speedy descents we’re looking at seven hours in the saddle so can have a more leisurely start time of 8am on Saturday 31st May. Do join us at Dartmoor Cycles if you are interested in a fun early morning ride through the scenic Dartmoor National Park. You can view the detailed OS map online to help you decide where best to join our ride if you would rather pick a section further through Devon.

Allowing for food and geocaching breaks we believe we will be at SJS Cycles in Bridgewater at 4:30 pm with a fairly flat ride for the last 20 miles (hour and a half).

We’re looking forward to being joined en route by fellow cyclists and will add the rest of our route over the next few days to help you plan your cycling too.

Icy Hatton Locks

We decided to get a few miles in on Boo’s bike so headed to Hatton Locks on quiet country roads. It took us a while to decide on our route, and do the normal Saturday morning family stuff, so our original planned route to Meriden seemed a bit too much in the cold clear afternoon where it had seemed perfect earlier in the day.

Considering the weather we layered up with our warmest clothes, and gloves, and ensured we had lights and a head torch. We had not gone far before I realised that my bike has felt the toll of my Rapha Festive 500 attempts on the cold salty roads. It was making some interesting noises and is clearly in need of some mechanical TLC. The weather forecast for Sunday looked less attractive for cycling as a pair so is perfect for a spot of TLC.

As we were nearing Hatton, cycling uphill, I heard a bird call (it had a hoarse cry and reminded me of a pheasant). We cycled a bit further and discovered a garden with a surprising number of peacocks. They were a mixture of colours; white, silver grey, and the conventional blue green. They were all peacocks so Boo suggested we have a drinks stop (coincidentally we had reached the top of the hill) and investigate the birds further. We saw that there was an aviary in the corner and there were even more peacocks, including one doing the full fantail display with bobbing head.

When we finally reached throwing distance of the Hatton Locks Café we hit the main Warwick Road and I realised that I had not researched the crossing properly. I made a mistake and took us downhill which meant rectifying my error involved an uphill pedal. Boo insisted on us picking our way up the footpath instead, as she realises that she is inclined to weaving when peddling uphill, and was understandably concerned about the weight of traffic.

We had planned a spot of geocaching on the canal towpath. Once we reached the café we realised that the cache we particularly wanted to find was about 600m away so decided to find it and then reward ourselves with a visit to the café. We quickly realised that using our road bikes on road tyres on a slimy canal towpath was challenging and a little worrying at times with the shear drop into the chilly drink on one side! At one point a couple were cycling towards us. Boo tried to move out of the speeding male’s path; there was a bank that his knobbly tyres would have handled fine but he insisted on holding his line meaning that they met as Boo was trying to negotiate her way around a metal mooring ring. Boo came within a gnat’s whisker of catching his handlebars but luckily managed to hold her nerve through the encounter. Thankfully his partner was a more considerate path sharer and the rest of our towpath cycle was pleasant. Unsurprisingly there were no passing boats but we enjoyed the colours of the moored boats and the dragonfly statue in the balancing pond. We grubbed around for a few minutes hunting for the cache and I made the mistake of sticking my hand into the top of a stump filled with liquid and rotting leaf litter! Once we looked in the right place it was an easy find.

The Hatton Locks Café was well worth the ride over. It is an excellent café and was a wonderful warm refuge from the chilly day. We consumed toasted teacakes, hot chocolate (Boo) and coffee (and a good hand wash!).  They also were kind enough to give us some stale bread to feed the ducks which we duly did; because it was dropping dark it took a while for the ducks to realise we had food to offer so we kept a little bread for a trip to Abbey Fields on Sunday.

Refreshed and watered we sorted out our lights and headed home. The return journey was less pleasant for Boo as she is not used to night time road cycling and therefore found the puddles and potholes hard to avoid. She hit one particularly large pothole with a bit of a bang which concerned me but fortunately we avoided any punctures. The return journey was predominantly downhill so, despite our icy fingers and chilly cheeks, we made good time. Boo was missing her overshoes so her toes were numbing therefore it was a relief all round to reach home for hot chocolate (again) and jacket potatoes.

It was interesting for us both to note just how puffed Boo was by the end of the ride compared to our tandem trips. She agreed that it will be good for us to mix up our tandem training rides with ones on our individual bikes so that she becomes more aware of her own strength and capabilities and is better able to be a stoker than a passenger on our LEJOG adventure.

Whilst we were in the café we saw a map and souvenir mugs for the Warwickshire Ring – a 100 mile loop around the canals in Warwickshire. The Hatton Locks Cafe is on the southernmost section of a route that goes to Warwick, Birmingham, Atherstone and Rugby. We decided that this would be a suitable challenge for our training ride plans as it is not too far from home at any point, will be relatively quiet at this time of year, and will be manageable on our personal bikes over two days with appropriate tyres! We are going to negotiate with our Support Vehicle to allow us to change onto the tandem for suitable sections of the route.

We’ve Planned the Route

We’ve finally planned our route with a daily breakdown. In theory we have lower mileage on the hillier days and we have looked at a number of blogs and books outlining the routes others have used.

Our route detours to the three velodromes in Newport, Manchester and Glasgow and the intention is to celebrate with a family session at the Glasgow Velodrome on the 7th June.

If you’d like to follow our route (or better still, join us for a section) then the details are below:

Fri 30/5	Day 1	Land’s End to Tavistock	http://goo.gl/maps/kfebR	95mi
Sat 31/5	Day 2	Tavistock to Bridgwater	http://goo.gl/maps/tZx3	76mi
Sun 1/6	Day 3	Bridgwater to Monmouth via Newport Velodrome	http://goo.gl/maps/MS61d	82.5mi
Mon 2/6	Day 4	Monmouth to Shrewsbury	http://goo.gl/maps/XytMV	70mi
Tue 3/6	Day 5	Shrewsbury to NCC Manchester	http://goo.gl/maps/rlo6L	70mi
Wed 4/6	Day 6	NCC Manchester to Kendal	http://goo.gl/maps/4GQNK	76.5mi
Thu 5/6	Day 7	Kendal to Lockerbie	http://goo.gl/maps/mhujw	70.5mi
Fri 6/6	Day 8	Lockerbie to Glasgow	http://goo.gl/maps/wO4Hw	72.5mi
Sat 7/6	Day 9	Glasgow to Glencoe	http://goo.gl/maps/sNBlv	86mi
Sun 8/6	Day 10	Glencoe to Drumnadrochit	http://goo.gl/maps/dqvsg	66.5mi
Mon 9/6	Day 11	Drumnadrochit to Lairg	http://goo.gl/maps/Zmy9u	62.5mi
Tue 10/6	Day 12	Lairg to Thurso	http://goo.gl/maps/WRp2D	75mi
Wed 11/6	Day 13	Thurso to John O’Groats	http://goo.gl/maps/qMBCs	19.5mi

According to Google Maps this comes to a total of 922.5 miles. But we’re sure there will be detours, road changes, and the occasional error to deal with once we actually start to cycle.

The final short day is to give us the option to explore John O’Groats a little, and to start the car journey south whilst our Support Vehicle is feeling fresh.