Cheryl’s Story

I wanted to take on the cycling challenge with Beth and Ian as it would be a fun
adventure and it would raise funds for our club.
Leading up to the challenge we did three months of training, where we visited
several places, including a peacock sanctuary. We also had a nice trip to Troon
beach and to finish the training off we did an alpaca walk which was fun. I was also
proud of doing my first 100 mile cycle.

The day the challenge started it was a lovely dry sunny morning where we had a tail
wind, which was needed as Cornwall and Devon were tough. As were Lake District
and parts of Scotland. The other part of the challenge I found difficult was the
mixture of accommodations – camping, Airbnb’s and Beth & Mike’s friends’ homes,
where I had to learn the layout of different places each day. The people that we met
along the way were lovely and very kind by keeping us well fed and good company.
We finished a day early due to the awful weather in Scotland. I am really proud that
we all completed it with no injuries or break downs on the tandem.
We couldn’t have done Land’s End to John O’Groats without Beth planning, Mike
and John being support for three weeks – setting up camp, cooking meals, taking
lunch orders and general help. Also want to thank Ian for his support and all the
people we meet who also donated to the club, which allowed to us to buy a bike.
Thank you.
Cheryl

Beth’s Story

After ~3 months of training, we set off from Land’s End on a beautiful sunny day with a lovely tailwind. And it pretty much stayed that way until we got to Scotland, when the arrived and didn’t stop! Despite this we pressed on and actually finished ahead of schedule. The route was challenging in places, with hilly sections in Devon and Cornwall, much of Scotland, and the Lake District. The Lake District was particularly tough. The hills in Devon and Cornwall are steep but short, the hills in Scotland are long but gentle, but the hills in the Lake District are steep and long! The most direct route would have avoided the Lake District, but I have a friend there who provided free accommodation, so the hills were just about worth it!

We spent about half the nights camping and the other half mostly in BnBs or staying with friends. I was very impressed with Cheryl, who had never really camped before, but managed superbly in some challenging conditions, and even learned how to put her tent up herself. She also coped very well with the cycling, including when we crashed when she just got back on and carried on, despite an injury to her arm. It was amazing to see her complete the challenge and see how proud she was. It was also wonderful to see all the donations coming in, and to raise enough money for the club to buy a new bike. It’s great to think that our challenge has helped provide equipment for other visually impaired riders to enjoy the fun (and sometimes challenge!) of cycling, and hopefully we have inspired other people to get out on a bike, even if it’s not cycling the length of the country! 

Many thanks to everyone who donated and everyone who helped us along the way, especially to our support crew, my husband Mike and Ian’s friend John Glancy.

Highlights of the trip included:

– gorgeous scenery and beautiful weather in Devon and Cornwall

– a delicious home-cooked meal while staying with a friend

– staying at a campsite on a cider farm with free roaming peacocks, who were very tame and ate out of our hands (and went into our tents to see if there was any more food in there!)

– staying at a BnB who brought us a box of ducklings to play with

– some other lovely accommodation, including a converted pig sty and a Tudor-style cottage

– any time we had a proper bed!

– trying the local specialty of battered chips while staying in Kingswinford (why don’t we have these in Scotland, the land of batter?!)

– an impromptu visit to Glendrick Roost Animal Sanctuary when we were passing by, where Cheryl and I went on one of our training rides, and who care for a number of blind dogs

– having the club ride with us on the day after our rest day

– Ray spotting us while driving his truck near Inverness and very excitedly honking his horn – other drivers on the road must have wondered what on earth was going on!

– the kindness of all our supporters, including several people we met along the way who gave us donations

– no punctures!

Lowlights of the trip included:

– wild camping in a thunderstorm at what appeared to be a dogging site

– a crash on the tandem (due to Beth not looking where they were going)

– setting off again after having a rest day at home (in hindsight maybe not a very good idea for a rest day location!)