During September, a four man team from Wirral Autistic Society are going on a mammoth bike ride from Lands’ End to John O’Groats in aid of the Lifetime Appeal and Chicks Cancer Support Group.
The team, all from our Health and Well-being department, comprises of Kevin Mulligan, Neil Murphy, Michael Howard and Tom Harbour who have been in training for the past twelve months and aim to complete the marathon ride within ten days – UNSUPPORTED. They intend to ride 80-100 miles per day carrying all equipment tents, sleeping bags, food, clothing etc strapped to their bikes. The team will have NO vehicle support or back up to turn to if difficulties arise.
Our best wishes go with the team and we will give you regular updates of where they are up to.
If you are interested in donating please click here.
UPDATES BELOW
John O’Groats, Mission Accomplished – Thursday 19th September 2013
The group, tired and weary, but understandably very satisfied with their achievement, have finally arrived at their target destination, John O’Groats.
South to North, First and Last, End to End, whatever you prefer to call it, a truly fantastic effort. Well done to the group, you deserve some well earned respect.
The guys will now enjoy a much needed rest before returning to Wirral on Saturday. We’re sure they will be relishing the prospect of a long soak and their own beds after such a physically – and at times mentally – demanding test of the will and endurance.
We will catch up with them on their return, when we’re sure they will have many a tale to share of their amazing journey.
19/09/2013 – Newsflash – 1.30pm Thursday 19th September 2013
We have just had word from the group that they have arrived in Thurso for lunch. This is last place resembling anything that may be considered large enough to be called town between the gang and John O’Groats.
They expect to complete the 20 miles or so remaining to their final stop of the whole challenge at around tea-time today.
Not far now lads. Keep going!
18/09/2013 – Crask, Loch Shin
No word has been received from the group since the last update from Inverness. One can only assume that they have their heads down and are pushing on to complete their journey.
Their planned stop over point for the night was in a remote bunkhouse in Crask, close to the village of Lairg, at the south-eastern end of Loch Shin. The remote location may be a reason for a lack of contact, due to mobile network coverage, as in this area there is little more than the bunkhouse and a pub – what more does any group of men on bikes need!
The ride from Crask to John O’Groats is 85 miles, with the lads hoping to complete this on the Thursday. We hope that the next news we get from them is to say that they have reached the end of their trip and of course, are enjoying well-earned rest.
17/09/13 – Inverness
The gang have endured an 80 mile monster of a ride today, pedalling along the banks of Loch Ness.
Set in the Great Glen, the Loch forms a huge part of the Caledonian Canal, which bisects Scotland into North and South, running on its course from the East to the West coast. This most atmospheric of places is steeped in myth and legend, and is a truly fitting backdrop as the lads continue on this most ambitious of challenges.
The day has not been without its frustrations, with the guys falling foul to no less than 4 separate punctures – and all this after they had called in earlier in the day to the cycle repair shop to ensure their bikes were in good order! All the delays led to them not completing their days work until nearly 9.00pm, with darkness well and truly set in.
The gang however, are now settled into the guest house that will be their home for the night in Inverness. By the time they have eaten, it will be time to turn into their beds in readiness for another early start on Wednesday. They are now daring to believe that the end is in sight.
16/09/13 – Glencoe
The 3 remaining guys have battled hard today through some pretty awful weather and arrived safely at their hostel for the night in historic Glencoe, set in the breathtaking Scottish Highlands. It’s no place for the faint hearted.
The bikes in for much needed maintenance in the shop in Fort William.
First stop on Tuesday will be after the relatively short ride of just over 16 miles to Fort William, set at the foot of the mighty Ben Nevis. At 4,409ft, it is the highest point in The British Isles, and hopefully this spectacular sight will be one of the inspirational moments to spur the lads on. The main reason for a stop at Fort William however, is to call in at the local repair shop for much needed TLC for their trusty bikes – just another indicator of what a hard trek this has been.
The group predict that another 3 days should see them through to the end of their journey. With The Highlands behind them and a change in the weather, it will hopefully be a less arduous end to their adventure.
15/09/13 – Loch Lomond – A really tough day for the lads.
Today has been the toughest day so far for team for variety of reasons. They have been forced through necessity to push on much further than they had planned to, with the group currently finding themselves nestled on the shores of Loch Lomond, after covering a staggering 85 miles during the day. Failure to take this action would have seen them running the risk of becoming ‘hemmed in’ by some seriously foul weather, and hopefully this mammoth effort will prove to be ultimately worth while.
Sadly, after many days suffering badly with a knee injury, one of the team, Tom, has had to return home. Tom is bitterly disappointed with having to pull out at this late stage. He does need to know however, that all the people who have been following the team, and more importantly the team themselves, are hugely proud of his bravery and effort. We are all aware that it became simply impossible for Tom to continue any further. This only serves to demonstrate what a tough and physically demanding challenge the team had taken on.
The remaining guys are now more determined than ever to push on to the finish as a mark of their true admiration for their team mate. Well done Tom. The lads will miss your company over the last few days of the journey.
14/09/13 – Moffat – Scotland
The lads have arrived in Scotland – well done!
The team are currently making fantastic progress and have completed their journey through the beautiful Lake District.
They peddled from there onwards, and through the last English city of Carlisle en route to the Scottish Border. They aim to finish today’s leg in Moffat, just North of the world famous Gretna Green.
With England and Wales now conquered, just Scotland stands between them and the completion of their epic journey.
12/09/13 – Blackburn
After a good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast, the guys set off on the next leg of the journey. Last contact with them was at around 3.00pm, when they were in the Blackburn area and not too far from their stopover point for that night. Now that the comfort of the hotel last night seems like a distant memory, they are down to the hard slog of Northern England and towards the Scottish Borders. Dry weather for the North is forecast for Friday, so that’s one bonus for the team at least.
11/09/13 – Runcorn
Are those hills getting bigger?
The group ended their days cycling just outside Runcorn, meeting up with friends, family and colleagues at the Daresbury Park Hotel. As a small reward for their efforts so far, they are staying in the hotel tonight instead of under canvas, and are very much looking forward to a hot bath, a comfortable bed and a cooked breakfast before setting off for the South Lakes in the morning. Everyone seemed to be really lifted by those who came to show their support and the group seemed to be in fine spirits as they approach the halfway point of their epic journey.
09/09/2013 – Shrewsbury
The gang are now in Shrewsbury. They have a 70 mile ride tomorrow to get to Frodsham, where the band of intrepid travellers will receive a warm welcome from a group of family and friends who will rendezvous with them there and offer some moral support.
Just hope none of them plead to go back home with their mums!
08/09/2013 – Hereford
The guys are feeling the aches and pains of their arduous trek, but are all in good spirits. Up and over Dartmoor was a gruelling challenge by all accounts and Bristol a bit of a challenge to get through, but I think the next couple of days are in a less demanding terrain, so hopefully an opportunity to recharge their batteries.
