The Participation Ride 2007

Luke & Simon get emotional send off

Drew & Trina's wedding was a two-day emotional roller coaster - an amazing family occassion where we met and had time to get to know Trina's family from Australia and all the friends she has spoken so affectionally about since we first met her. A fantastic celebration in amazing surroundings - Symondsbury Manor and Church.
Then it was 5pm and time for Luke and I to leave for St Just on our bikes. We took the train from Axminster (a tough 12 ride) to Exeter St Davids. We are now on the train from Exeter to Penzance. Ian has called and apparently our hosts are not very happy that we are arriving at 11:30 :-|
Tomorrow the challenge begins.

Packed!

Here it is, my bike all packed up for 12 consecutive days on the road. Now off to a wedding for the weekend before the trip down to Penzance on Sunday. Looking forward to meeting up with James and Ian for the first time . . .

BBC Breakfast, the wrong Whitchurch and some the women in my life

Tricia called this morning after I published the accommodation list on this blog to say that we'd booked our B&B on the 3rd night in the wrong Whitchurch!! Anyway, Tricia has now sorted this and we are staying at the farm to the left which is conveniently located in the right Whitchurch. I have corrected the accommodation list here.

Ellie, of UKVillages, also called. She has been doing a bit of publicity and we 'are booked in for Monday' on BBC Breakfast!! Whether this happens or not we will see! But it's probably worth having the TV on!

Meanwhile, another woman, Jane, has been keeping me calm and helping me get an awful lot of 'stuff' on a very small bike.

Thanks girls!!

(Can't wait to start pedalling now . . . but got my brother-in-law's wedding to attend to first).

Where we are staying

This is where we are staying in case you want to join us at the beginning of a day or meet up with us at the end of one. Most of them have websites even though not all of them are given here.

PLEASE NOTE: Rob Quinn has had to cry off - he's really apologetic - he's got a new job and and his existing employer won't let him take the time off :-(

This means we have a spare bed all the way around.

Day 0: Sun - 26/8/07
26/08/07    St Just
Ian, Luke, Simon
Bosavern House
St Just-in-Penwith
Penzance
Cornwall
TR19 7RD
01736 788301
website: www.bosavern.com/index.htm

Day 1: Mon - 27/8/07
27/08/07    Bodmin
Ian, Rob, Simon
'glenview'.ruthern bridge nr bodmin - they have a website
Glenview - AC026
Ruthernbridge
BODMIN
Cornwall
PL30 5NP
Tel: +44 (0)1208 831585
Lat: 50.467799
Lng: -4.807880
E-Mail : [email protected]
website: www.glenviewb-b.co.uk

Day 2: Tue - 28/8/07
28/08/07    Barnstaple
Ian, Rob, Simon
the old vicarage'.barnstaple - they have a website
The Old Vicarage
Barbican Ter
Barnstaple, EX32 9HQ
01271 328504
51.077068
-4.054560

Day 3: Wed - 29/8/07
29/08/07    Whitchurch
Ian, Rob, Simon, Trish
www.shropshiretourism.info/accommodationdetail.cfm?EstID=1104
2 rooms booked
ASH HALL BED AND BREAKFAST
ASH MAGNA
WHITCHURCH
SHROPSHIRE
SY13 4DL
Tel:  01948 663151
52.958905
-2.636245

The above is the wrong Whitchurch! Well spotted Tricia! We are now booked here:
Swallet Farm
Old Bristol Road
East Harptree
Bristol, UK
BS40 6DQ
Tel: +44 (0)1761 221909
email: [email protected]
web: www.swallet.co.uk

Day 4: Thu - 30/8/07
30/08/07    Bromsgrove
Ian, Rob, Simon, Trish
Avonhill Lodge, Redditch
www.4hotels.co.uk/uk/hotels/avonhill.html
This place was the next best thing as there was absolutely nothing in
and around Bromsgrove. Redditch is on the route though and only 5 miles
SE of Bromsgrove. Couldn't do 2 rooms so we've 2 singles and a twin.
Avonhill Lodge
Alcester Road, Beoley, Redditch, Warwickshire, B98 9EP
Telephone: 01564 742413
52.320278
-1.866742

Day 5: Fri - 31/8/07
31/08/07    Hadfield
Ian, Rob, Simon
Peak Dale Lodge, Glossop
www.peakdalelodge.co.uk
3 single rooms
Peakdale Lodge
49-53 High Street East,
Glossop,
Derbyshire,
SK13 8PN
01457 854109
53.443433
-1.946455

Day 6: Sat - 01/9/07
01/09/07    Ingleton
Ian, Simon
'gatehouse farm' ingleton n/yorkshire - they have a website
Gatehouse Farm, Far Westhouse, Ingleton, North Yorkshire LA6 3NR
015242 41458 (+44 15242 41458)  / 015242 41307 (+44 01542 41307)
54.157939
-2.495135

Day 7: Sun - 02/9/07
02/09/07    Annan
Ian, Simon
'the old rectory' annan dumfriesshire - they have a website
The Old Rectory, 12 St Johns Road, Annan, Gretna Green, Dumfries & Galloway.  DG12 6AW  -  01461 202029
54.985273
-3.261547

Day 8: Mon - 03/9/07
03/09/07    Ayr
Ian, Simon, Adrian
Sunnyside Bed And Breakfast - B&B 4 Stars - Ayr, South Ayrshire
Mrs Malcolm
Sunnyside 26 Dunure Road
Alloway
Ayr
Ayrshire
KA7 4HR
Scotland
Telephone: +44 (1292) 441234
E-Mail: [email protected]
Triple room with Shower en-suite
55.432931
-4.653981

Day 9: Tue - 04/9/07
04/09/07    Killin
Ian, Simon, Adrian
Killin Hotel - Hotel - Killin, The Trossachs
Ms Evlyn Cherrie
Main Street
Killin
Perthshire
FK21 8TP
Great Britain
Telephone: +44 (1567) 820296
E-Mail: [email protected]
1 family room for 3 adults
56.470122
-4.317070

Day 10: Wed - 05/9/07
05/09/07    Carrbridge
Ian, Simon, Adrian
Craigellachie Guest House - Guest House 4 Stars - Carrbridge, Aviemore and  the Cairngorms
Mr Terry and Shan Dudleston
Main Street
Carrbridge
Inverness-shire
PH23 3AS
Scotland
Telephone: +44 (1479) 841641
Fax: +44 (0)1479 841415
1 twin room and 1 single room
57.282966
-3.814703

Day 11: Thu - 06/9/07
06/09/07    Tongue
Ian, Simon, Adrian
Rhian Guest House - B&B 3 Stars - Tongue, North West Sutherland area
Mrs J Anderson
Rhian Cottage
Tongue
Sutherland
IV27 4XJ
Scotland
Telephone: +44 (0) 1847 611257
Mobile: +44 (0) 7719 668149
E-Mail: [email protected]
1 Double (one person) and 1 twin
58.461311
-4.426570

Day 12: Fri - 07/9/07
07/09/07    (John o' Groats) Thurso
Simon, Adrian
Sheigra - B&B 3 Stars - Thurso, Caithness and  North Coast Sutherland area
West-Samuel
6 MacDonald Green
Thurso
Caithness
KW14 7EL
Scotland
Telephone: +44 (1847) 892559
Telephone 2: +44 (7751) 716466
Fax: +44 (0)1847 892559

1 twin room
58.589260
-3.538037

END

Instructions for last minute entrants

People are asking how they can join in at the last minute. Here's what to do:

1 Check the itinerary here and choose the place where you'd like to join in (please put you name in the text)

2 Contribute £25 to the ruralnet|uk Participation Fund here* (or bring cash!)

3 Text me on 07932 107109 and let me know where you are joining in (I will be checking for texts first thing in the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening)

4 I will text you back with an estimated time of arrival (ETA) at the joining point

If you want to 'wing it' then just guess when you think we will be passing a particular point and be there with your bike! (Hint: Overall journey speed should be about 10mph).

* I'm happy to relax this if you really are impoverished! So don't let this be a barrier to taking part but please donate something if you can.

Don't Panic!

 

With only a few days to go and with so much to do and still with no accommodation in Penzance, help(!), I am a feeling a little anxious! The ride will be easier than this!

** STOP PRESS ** Ian just called - he's found us accommodation at St Just!! Phew!!

Test post from my mobile phone.

Time to work on sponsorship

Having spent hours and hours planning the route and creating the map website here, it's about time I started trying to raise some sponsorship so here goes . . .

PLEASE, PLEASE SPONSOR ME!!

(Selling was never a strong point of mine). Please click on the button and donate as much as you can for ruralnet|uk's Participation Fund.

Many thanks.

Now we are 10!

Meet James Cooke, economist, ex-teacher, marathon runner and reluctant cyclist. James is attempting the whole ride and he's sleeping rough, no B&Bs for James!

Dave Wild has also confirmed that he is joining us on Stage 24 and very possibly Stage 25 on Saturday 01/09/07. Dave will be on his Moulton TSR 30 (like mine).

That makes four of us doing the whole route (one the wrong side of 50, another the wrong side of 40 and two the right side of 30) with seven others joining in along the way.

Welcome on board guys.

Last phase of publicity underway :-)

With just two weeks to go before the Participation Ride 2007 starts the last phase of the amazingly sophisticated publicity campaign gets underway with roadside billboards in place in North Wiltshire. See picture (hint: look carefully at the bottom left of the picture).

I also spoke to Ellie Stoneleigh of UKVillages who is going to see if she can get some media interest . . . note to self: I need to send her some stuff.

HELP! A cry for help to the people of Penzance

Arrangements are coming on very well with all our accommodation now booked EXCEPT for the first night near Penzance on Sunday night, 26/8/07.

Ian must have made 40 calls. Places are either booked or are not interested in 4 people wanting accommodation just for one night of the Bank Holiday Weekend.

Can anyone help? All we need is a dry place to sleep. We will consider anything. An outbuilding? A barn? As a last resort we could bring tents that we would pack up and post back home the next day. We would find ourselves a place to have breakfast in the morning. We'd be grateful of any offer of help.

Photo: Penzance Promenade by chris_l - www.cornwalls.co.uk