Lichfield to Holland for Air Ambulance

Finished

2010-08-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well the journey has now ended, I caught the Ferry from the Hook of Holland and arrived back in Harwich at 20:35 and had a small ride to meet my father who had come to pick me up. I would have liked to continue for another day or so but after the torrential rain i had endured for the best part of 5 hours whilst getting to port had done me in and I was ready for home.

Day 7

2010-08-07T01:30:00.000-07:00

It's 1:15am and I've just arrived in Hook van Holland having left Retranchment at about 11am, today was a tough one first I got lost in Middelberg and it seemed to take forever to get on the right path, then as I was approaching Veere the heavens opened up, I tried to take shelter but with no joy so I decided to carry on after about 5hrs of solid rain the waterproofs i'd bought wasn't waterproof anymore and I, and everything in my trailer was soaked. I managed to stop at a service station on the N57 heading toward Rotterdam and get into some dry cloths but realised setting up camp would be useless because everything was soaked so set about getting to my final destination. I had to get a ferry from Rozenburg to Maassluis and whilst on a cycle path in Rozenburg which is a complete shit hole, it was about 10:30pm and a group of about 5 lads tried to pull me up so I toed it straight the middle of them. Riding from Maassluis to Hook it rained again but only for about an hour, then managed to get lost again in Hook van Holland on some industrial estate but soon got back on track. Now I've just got a 6hr wait for the ferry but I would do it all again for sure. Total miles for the ride 424.

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Day 6

2010-08-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

After the quick stop for lunch I decided with a belly full of energy I would press on to see how far i could get. Riding through Belgium was more scenic than northern France but didn't really stop to get any snaps as I was in the zone. It was getting to late afternoon and I realised the time had flown by but new I wasnt far away from Holland. This spurred me on to smash through Belgium in a day and thats exactly what I did.
Not far over the Border was a small town called Retranchement. I eventually found a campsite not far out of this town and settled down for the evening. Today was a good day!!!

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Dinner

2010-08-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

Seeing as I have stopped for a proper lunch I thought I'd give a quick update and let you all know I'm Ostende already. Thought I'd take a quick snap of this statue, apparently its of King Leopold II

Day 5

2010-08-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

Still cant believe that I've got so far in so little time but today is the day I crossed the Channel.

Set of from Stanford for the relatively short ride to Dover to catch the earliest Ferry i could

Got the 14:00 Ferry across from Dover to Dunkerque and arrived in France at 16:00. I decided to stay in France for this evening so I could blitz through Belgium tomorrow and eventually found a campsite at Bray-Dunes. Pitched up by 20:00 ready for a good nights sleep.

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Day 4

2010-08-04T16:56:00.000-07:00

Having had a great rest and nights sleep its onwards and upwards as they say.

Not wanting to cross London with a MTB and trailor I decided to use the train for this part of the journey. So I got to St Albans City train station and boarded ready to arrive at Sevenoaks slightly later on.

Since getting off the train the skies were relatively good but I could see a dark patch looking so I headed straight off.

A field with a big white cross in it.

First sign for Dover!!!!!

Unknown to me at the time but as I've now found out, I think I have a rain magnet on my bike somewhere as this patch followed me all the way to the campsite for tonight..

The campsite was beautiful though, based at the Drum Inn at Stanford. Really friendly place and they even gave me dinner for free. Amazing generosity!!

All things being well I hope to be in France by tomorrow afternoon and maybe even manage to reach Belgium...we shall see.

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Day 3

2010-08-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

Not exactly the longest day i've had in the saddle but I put that down to the excellent progress so far.

Yet more exploring of this wonderful country, sadly let down by a fair bit of riding down the A5.

Random Layby heading towards St Albans

Just as I got to St Albans

A relatively short ride from last nights campsite over to St Albans where I have the pleasure of staying at a friends house, so i'm looking forward to a decent bed and proper home cooked food.

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Day 2

2010-08-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

Another great day of riding, the weather is holding out and if it stays like this for the whole trip I'll consider myself very lucky. As you can see I'm progressing down the UK nicely and I hope you like the day to day maps showing where I have ridden.

Towcester Race course

Woburn Abbey

Woburn High Street

Today I made my way from Long Itchington down to Woburn. Found a nice campsite and pitched up just after 6pm. Ready for some dinner and get my head down for a good nights sleep. The legs are slightly achey but nothing a good 8 hours wont fix. Roll on tomorrow!!!

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Update

2010-08-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

Well I've just managed the first leg with no dramas. Cycled 46 miles and pitched the tent just behind the superb little pub, The Green Man, Long Itchington

Leaving Birmingham

The Green Man Pub

Pitched up for my first night

Perfect setting for my first night and cant wait to get a good nights sleep and start all over again with the exploring of this magnificent country. Also added a couple of pics of the journey so far and a map of my progress today.

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Day 1

2010-08-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

So here I am, just about to set off into the sunshine and start my amazing journey. I have a short first day to get to one of the many campsites across the UK before getting to Calais and then the fun really begins. As soon as I get t site i will be uploading a small map to show my daily locations. Please feel free to keep donating as i get further down the country as every penny raised is goin to such an awesome Charity.

So it begins!!!

2010-07-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Well I've now got all the funding I need and so first thing Sunday morning I will be setting off to Amsterdam. A little later in the year than originally planned but this being the first year for this ride I overlooked a few things. This has now all been sorted and so I can make my way on the 1st August and you will have daily updates(as long as i find internet) of the upcoming ride.

Funds slowly coming in.

2010-07-17T03:14:00.000-07:00

Recently i've had some work come my way which means my original plans seem to be back in play, the ride will take place as soon as all the work is complete and i have the funds to leave, roughly 2 weeks from today. I'm determined to make this ride a succsess dispite a run of bad luck, mainly my tent being faulty which meant i had to leave bike radar early, and a couple of issues with my bike. I beg people who are following this blog to bear with me. my last post with a change of route was put in place in case funds didn't come in and i couldn't afford to do a ride abroad. Keep watching this space.

With Regret!!

2010-07-14T12:18:00.000-07:00

With regret I have had to postpone my ride due to circumstances out of my control. Due to difficult times I have been unable to raise the funds I need to take on the ride, however there will still be a ride, just be it in this country. On the 24th of july I will ride from Dover to Falmouth over a 12 day ride. The ride is about 200 mile shorter, but no less difficult due to the terrain I will be crossing. I hope this will come as some consulation to the people who have so kindly donated sponsorship toward my original ride. As for the original ride I will have to postpone this untill next year, this will give me 12 months to raise the funds I need and plan it out a little more and hopefully get a few more riders to come along. Please continue to follow this blog as the new ride will still be fully covered!

Weekend Fund Raising!

2010-07-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend was all about raising sponsorship, so with my bike, trailer and an A-board off I went on a mission. On Saturday I pitched up over Cannock Chase and with the help of my girlfriend and her children we managed to raise about £100. Then today we pitched up over Beacon park where they had the 'Cars in the Park' rally where we raised around £300, giving a total of £400 over the weekend. We had a really good weekend doing it and I'd like to say thank you to my girlfriend Sonia and her children for there fantastic efforts and a big thank you to all those who donated, job well done!!

Funding WORRIES!!!

2010-06-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

Due to the fact I've gone back into full time education studing a carpentry diploma, i get very little income, I've managed to get most of the kit I need for this ride but I still need to raise about £600 to cover the cost of the trip. This will cover my ferry tickets, travel insurance, camping fee's, food and any repairs I may face on the way! I'm not looking to make anything for myself, just cover the cost of the trip! I'm trying my up most to raise this money but due to difficult times its hard to raise and without it, it could put the ride in doubt! This would be devestating due to all the hard work thats gone into this event. If there's anyone out there who can help, please, please come forward as any help would be greatly appriciated!

The Chase again

2010-06-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

As is the norm nowadays, I'm training everyday doing various mileages but mainly getting used to being in the saddle for long periods. Here's another quick snap of me enjoying the wondeful countryside we have to offer. This is at the top of 'Lower Cliff' descent on the almost famous Monkey Trail. Without doubt one of my favourite sections up there but also on fraught with danger. In fact this exact section has taken more than a couple victims in the few months its been open. Its a nice feeling to know i will be helping some of the unfortunate visitors who get ot ride these amazinf routes.

Training

2010-06-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Its long days like today that make me smile. Glorious sunshine and no wind. If only everyday was like today.
Instead of the usual road training, today I focussed on off road.
These trails are what really got me into Mountain biking. Cannock Chase is right on my door step and has some of the best flowing Singletrack in the country. Its always great fun to ride up here and with the company i keep it makes these trails go even faster. Today we didnt worry about how far or how fast, it was a get back to basics and have some fun. Which we certainly did. Even if one of us fell off.
Also met Dave Buchannan whilst up there, an inspiration to all. If you dont know him or havent heard of him then check out his webiste:
Dave Buchanan and read all about his adventures

Stickertastic

2010-06-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

Not much to add really but wanted to share the new stickers on the bike with you all. Showing off my name and country and more importantly it has the website address of my

Just Giving website

Would like to thank Artall Signage for the stickering of the bike. Once again proving that there is people out there willing to help good causes.

Tentriffic

2010-06-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well my luxurious 5* accomodation has arrived and as with anything new it has to be played with immediately.

SatMap Active

2010-06-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

We all love toys and I love them as much as the next person, so when the SatMap Active 10 got delivered I was like the proverbial kid at Christmas.Stunning piece of GPS mapping that allows me to see, plan and save my routes.

It maps everything from current and average speed to the altitude of the ride. Something all us bikers love is knowing how far we have climbed in a ride. I shall now be taking this everywhere with me so i can get used to all of its clever functions and how i can get the best from this quite awesome gizmo.

Helmet Fantastic

2010-05-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

The chosen lid for this years ride was kindly donated by Freedom Cycles in Lichfield. The Uvex XP-100 is without doubt a lifesaver. A helmet is often over looked regarding kit, so now I have one of the best trail helmets to protect my noggin if the worst should happen.

Local Papers

2010-05-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Today was the day the local paper came and took some snaps of me in front of what I class as the best bike shop in the world. Sanders Cycles in Burntwood has bent over backwards to help me get everything i need to complete this ride. They have gone beyond the call of duty on many occasions for me and to have them on board for this ride puts my mind at ease regarding the equipment they have provided.

How it all began!

2009-07-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

This is how it all started, spending a day over Cannock Chase with my daughter, and witnessing the work of the air ambulance in action, being called to a fallen rider with a broken leg. My daughter and i watched as they circuled and landed on a clearing close to where we were sat in which this picture was taken, my daughter 2yrs old watched with amazment as they came to get "the poorly man" as she was saying. It was then i knew i wanted to do something for these guys, in return for the great work they do!