Well my original target had been £150 to raise . . . it quickly became apparent this could easily be met so I upped it . . . then upped it again to £750. I am very pleased to announce so far a grand total of £1003 has been raised! Thank you very much to all those who have donated. I will, of course, continue to rally for further donations during the challenge.
Speaking of which, today is the packing / last minute adjustments day. It seems a few bits on the bike have worn a little more than expected, so some last minute tinkering has been going on. Hopefully everything is now in working order . . . they at least appear to be. I will be taking plenty of gaffer tape and WD40 . . . apparently anything can be fixed with these two items.
I'm going to attempt a 'mobile update' shortly via my phone, but I haven't got a clue what I'm doing with that really. Fingers crossed for that! I am also looking at perhaps 'Glympsing' each day, where an app on my phone allows people to monitor my progress and speed. I doubt my battery can sustain this all day, so I'll probably just 'come online' for an hour or so a day, provisionally I'll pencil in 2pm as I'm likely to be moving at that time.
Right, off to progress with yet more packing and prep work!
Friday, 30 March 2012
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Mechanical tweaks and fundraising update
Well after I was alarmed to discover I'd completely knackered the chain on the bike the other day, it now has a new chain, sprockets and a chainring, meanwhile I now have oily hands which also smell of petrol. Nice. In the process, I've tweaked the gear ratios slightly to give me a marginally lower climbing gear (every little helps) without sacrificing too much of the top end gearing.
The fundraising is going very well too; I've collared a fair number of colleagues on top of the friends and family who have already donated. A big thank you to everyone who has! I'm now over halfway to my £750 target, with £410 raised so far!
I've also discovered an interesting app, courtesy of a colleague, called 'Glympse' (the app is called this, not the colleague). This enables me to send out a signal on my mobile 'phone, allowing people to track my progress in real time (including my speed . . . so unless you enjoy watching paint dry, you might want to look at something else when I'm climbing up towards Shap). I've not yet worked out how I'll manage this, but probably set out a time each day when I'll be 'viewable' for an hour or so. I suspect the battery drain is immense so I doubt I'll get much time before the mobile dies, not to mention a lot of the places I'll be in will be fairly remote and this app will require a reasonable internet connection. More to come on that later anyway . . . .
Thursday, 8 March 2012
The charity has been selected!
After much thought, I have decided to raise money for the Mountain Rescue Organisation of England and Wales. I think the MRO are so frequently taken for granted . . . if you've ever walked in the hills, climbed a crag, even stepped off the train on Snowdon, if you had an accident then it would be the Mountain Rescue teams which would step in to help. The Police frequently rely on them in times of extreme weather too, as they are equipped to deal with some of the harshest environments. Yet despite this, they are an entirely voluntary organisation. Everyone involved volunteers in their spare time, it doesn't matter if it's a warm Sunday afternoon in July or a wet Christmas Day - they are on standby every hour of the day, every day of the year.
We are very fortunate to have these highly experienced teams on hand to help and unlike many other countries, their services are not charged to the patient. Please do your bit by sponsoring me on my mad adventure, by visiting www.justgiving.com/foldingadventure
Any donations, however small, are greatly appreciated!
Thank you.
We are very fortunate to have these highly experienced teams on hand to help and unlike many other countries, their services are not charged to the patient. Please do your bit by sponsoring me on my mad adventure, by visiting www.justgiving.com/foldingadventure
Any donations, however small, are greatly appreciated!
Thank you.
Sunday, 4 March 2012
Route Details (at last!)
OK, so this has been a long time coming . . . but I've finally got around to producing a route map. The ride will last 5 days with approximately 300 miles to cover. The 5 legs of the journey can be briefly summarised;
Day 1 - Macclesfield to Earby . This is via the city centre, but departing at about 5am to avoid the chaos. I have kevlar tyres fitted ready . . . this isn't intended to make the tyres bulletproof for the journey through the suburbs, but rather to hopefully fend off the 'Friday night fallout' which will inevitably be strewn everywhere.
Day 2 - Earby to Kendal. No doubt the promise of Lakeland ales at the terminus of this day will keep progress swift, despite the inevitable headwind.
Day 3 - Kendal to Carlisle. This will be the first (of several) big climb days, of course this means there should be some fun downhills too. Still roughly in the Lake District area so hopefully suitable liquid replenishment will be available in the evening.
Day 4 - Carlisle to Denholme. Today will be the day we sail over the border into Scotland. Of course, I say sail, but that would only be applicable if it was flat and with a tailwind . . . but it isn't, it's uphill and I expect we'll have a headwind too. I will try to appease the weather gods by sacrificing a few bottle caps from the night before, but I'm keeping my hopes fairly restrained just in case my efforts are ignored.
Day 5 - Denholme to Edinburgh. The last day will see some pretty big climbs, but what I am rather hoping will be a spectacular descent into the city. I am conscious that if my brakes fail on this descent I'll have two options; a sea estuary or take my chances with the trains by freewheeling across the Forth Rail Bridge. Let's hope the brakes work . . .
Anyway, here's the route map showing the above days:
Day 1 - Macclesfield to Earby . This is via the city centre, but departing at about 5am to avoid the chaos. I have kevlar tyres fitted ready . . . this isn't intended to make the tyres bulletproof for the journey through the suburbs, but rather to hopefully fend off the 'Friday night fallout' which will inevitably be strewn everywhere.
Day 2 - Earby to Kendal. No doubt the promise of Lakeland ales at the terminus of this day will keep progress swift, despite the inevitable headwind.
Day 3 - Kendal to Carlisle. This will be the first (of several) big climb days, of course this means there should be some fun downhills too. Still roughly in the Lake District area so hopefully suitable liquid replenishment will be available in the evening.
Day 4 - Carlisle to Denholme. Today will be the day we sail over the border into Scotland. Of course, I say sail, but that would only be applicable if it was flat and with a tailwind . . . but it isn't, it's uphill and I expect we'll have a headwind too. I will try to appease the weather gods by sacrificing a few bottle caps from the night before, but I'm keeping my hopes fairly restrained just in case my efforts are ignored.
Day 5 - Denholme to Edinburgh. The last day will see some pretty big climbs, but what I am rather hoping will be a spectacular descent into the city. I am conscious that if my brakes fail on this descent I'll have two options; a sea estuary or take my chances with the trains by freewheeling across the Forth Rail Bridge. Let's hope the brakes work . . .
Anyway, here's the route map showing the above days:
Monday, 13 February 2012
Initial route planning completed
After an intense meeting involving multiple beers, a 5-day route has been established with an estimated overall mileage of 280 miles. This will involve traversing Manchester, heading up past Pendle and onto Kirby Lonsdale, Kendal, over the steep pass between the Howgills and the southern fells before dropping down into Carlisle. The final few legs will take place over the Scottish lowlands, with a particularly hard day planned for day 4 - not by design I might add; the landscape is pretty wild and the opportunities for sleeping limited when utilising hostels and the like!
I will generate a route map soon and post it up on here.
I will generate a route map soon and post it up on here.
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Chapter 1 - Trial Time!
An ideal opportunity arose this week to actually try out the idea of loading a Brompton up (or at least trying to) and then pedal it somewhere. This would be an educational experience as I've never ridden it further than 10 miles and never carried anything more than a pizza.
So my plan was simple - carry what I need for an overnight camp (this is winter though, so a bulky winter sleeping bag needed rather than my tiny summer one) then cycle to a campsite in the Peak District, eat/drink in a pub and have breakfast in a cafe, the result would be no need to carry any cooking clutter.
I awoke yesterday to a gloriously crisp and sunny winter morning. Excellent start, the bike was carried outside and unfolded.
Then the thinking began. I am used to loading up a conventional touring bike; they're easy as you can strap stuff anywhere and everywhere. On a Brompton it's a little trickier - no front rack and the rear rack is so close to the ground, only panniers the size of a small loaf of bread would fit. Fortunately, a colleague had allowed me to borrow his wife's Brompton bag. This rather nifty luggage holder attaches to the front of the bike and is about 30L, so I reckoned on getting most of my stuff in there.
Hmm, but I still had a tent and my Thermarest to fit on. Five minutes of bungee cord lateral thinking later, I had everything on the bike.
I was quite surprised how light the bike felt and owing to the fact the front 'pannier' is attached to the frame, rather than the forks as on my conventional touring bike, the Brompton actually handled remarkably normally. One thing I did discover when trying to pilot it down the road was the bag did clash with the handlebars, limiting my steering somewhat . . . mental note to not attempt any sharp turns.
Wardlow Mires - Here I come!
My destination was the camping field behind an excellent pub, the Three Stags' Heads, at a place called Wardlow Mires in the Peak District. This is only about 25 miles cycle from Macclesfield, but as a first attempt I thought it wise to start slowly in case I encounter any major issues. My journey there would take me past the Cat & Fiddle pub on the A537 (a pretty lofty location) and across some very nice scenery to reach my destination.
Here the bike is on the long climb out of Macclesfield, with a snow capped Shining Tor in the background;
This sort of climb is not a great challenge on my 27-geared touring bike, but with just 6 speeds to play with (and bottom gear not really that low either), it was a bit of a different story this time! Let's just say even though the temperatures were sub-zero and I just had a single layer on, I was quite toasty when I arrived at the highest point of my journey.
Leaving behind many confused on-lookers, I at last had a very welcome downhill section where normally I would expect to be hitting 30mph . . . it was more like 20mph on this bike, but that's fast enough on a loaded folder! As I approached the junction where there is the option to travel over Axe Edge (a minor road and not on the gritting routes), the lane looked to be snow free so I decided to proceed with what is undoubtedly a more scenic route. Hmmm, well the bit I could see was snow free, but this wasn't the case for the whole section . . .
First lesson of the day - 16" wheels and deep snow do not mix. Not at all. Fortunately nobody was around to see my antics as I attempted to push my precariously loaded bicycle along the snowy road! I feel I should point out the above photo was taken on one of the easier sections. In the midst of a particularly snowy section, a rather nice view did open out though.
After yet another hair-raising icy descent, I rejoined the A53 having almost forgotten what it was like to cycle upright for more than 10 seconds at a time. My journey continued across Harpur Hill and then onwards through Millers Dale via a superb descent, which of course meant a gruelling climb out of the other side. After reaching the top of the hill, my home for the night was visible as I then descended the final stretch of road.
After, perhaps unsurprisingly, being listed as a lunatic by the campsite owner, I pitched my tent on the frozen ground.
Some of you may have noticed a small bear seems to be accompanying me - this has been my cycle touring mascot since last May so he was entitled to grace the Brompton on this trip.
I unpacked everything and amazingly managed to fit it into the tiny porch in my tent. Don't worry, the bear didn't sleep outside in the end.
So off it was to the pub, and following a hearty meal I managed to bag the perfect seat by a roaring fire, complete with the obligatory dog and a pint of house beer, 'Lurcher' at 8.0% abv!
And here I am enjoying said pint (rather merry by this point):
Today I returned home by a combination of train and cycling, but I'm afraid as I was suffering the after effects of the 'Lurcher' and the weather had deteriorated, I didn't take any more photos.
The trip was certainly interesting and despite a few shortcomings, I was pleasantly surprised by the Brompton in a touring capacity. There was something just that bit more entertaining riding this rather than my normal touring bike . . . so the Edinburgh tour is now very much on . . .
So my plan was simple - carry what I need for an overnight camp (this is winter though, so a bulky winter sleeping bag needed rather than my tiny summer one) then cycle to a campsite in the Peak District, eat/drink in a pub and have breakfast in a cafe, the result would be no need to carry any cooking clutter.
I awoke yesterday to a gloriously crisp and sunny winter morning. Excellent start, the bike was carried outside and unfolded.
Then the thinking began. I am used to loading up a conventional touring bike; they're easy as you can strap stuff anywhere and everywhere. On a Brompton it's a little trickier - no front rack and the rear rack is so close to the ground, only panniers the size of a small loaf of bread would fit. Fortunately, a colleague had allowed me to borrow his wife's Brompton bag. This rather nifty luggage holder attaches to the front of the bike and is about 30L, so I reckoned on getting most of my stuff in there.
Hmm, but I still had a tent and my Thermarest to fit on. Five minutes of bungee cord lateral thinking later, I had everything on the bike.
I was quite surprised how light the bike felt and owing to the fact the front 'pannier' is attached to the frame, rather than the forks as on my conventional touring bike, the Brompton actually handled remarkably normally. One thing I did discover when trying to pilot it down the road was the bag did clash with the handlebars, limiting my steering somewhat . . . mental note to not attempt any sharp turns.
Wardlow Mires - Here I come!
My destination was the camping field behind an excellent pub, the Three Stags' Heads, at a place called Wardlow Mires in the Peak District. This is only about 25 miles cycle from Macclesfield, but as a first attempt I thought it wise to start slowly in case I encounter any major issues. My journey there would take me past the Cat & Fiddle pub on the A537 (a pretty lofty location) and across some very nice scenery to reach my destination.
Here the bike is on the long climb out of Macclesfield, with a snow capped Shining Tor in the background;
This sort of climb is not a great challenge on my 27-geared touring bike, but with just 6 speeds to play with (and bottom gear not really that low either), it was a bit of a different story this time! Let's just say even though the temperatures were sub-zero and I just had a single layer on, I was quite toasty when I arrived at the highest point of my journey.
Leaving behind many confused on-lookers, I at last had a very welcome downhill section where normally I would expect to be hitting 30mph . . . it was more like 20mph on this bike, but that's fast enough on a loaded folder! As I approached the junction where there is the option to travel over Axe Edge (a minor road and not on the gritting routes), the lane looked to be snow free so I decided to proceed with what is undoubtedly a more scenic route. Hmmm, well the bit I could see was snow free, but this wasn't the case for the whole section . . .
First lesson of the day - 16" wheels and deep snow do not mix. Not at all. Fortunately nobody was around to see my antics as I attempted to push my precariously loaded bicycle along the snowy road! I feel I should point out the above photo was taken on one of the easier sections. In the midst of a particularly snowy section, a rather nice view did open out though.
After yet another hair-raising icy descent, I rejoined the A53 having almost forgotten what it was like to cycle upright for more than 10 seconds at a time. My journey continued across Harpur Hill and then onwards through Millers Dale via a superb descent, which of course meant a gruelling climb out of the other side. After reaching the top of the hill, my home for the night was visible as I then descended the final stretch of road.
After, perhaps unsurprisingly, being listed as a lunatic by the campsite owner, I pitched my tent on the frozen ground.
Some of you may have noticed a small bear seems to be accompanying me - this has been my cycle touring mascot since last May so he was entitled to grace the Brompton on this trip.
I unpacked everything and amazingly managed to fit it into the tiny porch in my tent. Don't worry, the bear didn't sleep outside in the end.
So off it was to the pub, and following a hearty meal I managed to bag the perfect seat by a roaring fire, complete with the obligatory dog and a pint of house beer, 'Lurcher' at 8.0% abv!
And here I am enjoying said pint (rather merry by this point):
Today I returned home by a combination of train and cycling, but I'm afraid as I was suffering the after effects of the 'Lurcher' and the weather had deteriorated, I didn't take any more photos.
The trip was certainly interesting and despite a few shortcomings, I was pleasantly surprised by the Brompton in a touring capacity. There was something just that bit more entertaining riding this rather than my normal touring bike . . . so the Edinburgh tour is now very much on . . .
The Folding Adventure - Inception
OK, so plenty of people have heard of folding bicycles (especially those of you in London). Many of you have probably seen them and the chances are if you have, you've seen a Brompton. These eccentric machines are typically used to travel short urban distances and this is the use mine has seen until now (apart from one frenzied ride in a storm to get to another train line as my local one was blocked . . .).
As I do annually, I am due to spend a long weekend in the Scottish Highlands at Easter and had been toying with the idea of cycling part (or all) of the outward journey. No issues, I have a touring bike and the cycle would be pleasant. However, the travel logistics cause problems for the return journey so I was a little stumped, at least until I spotted my Brompton winking at me from the corner of the room. The idea was born: Macclesfield to Edinburgh by folding bicycle! Furthermore, I reckon it is a quirky enough idea to be able to raise a few quid for charity along the way too - more on this later.
Before any of this though, there is a slight question mark hanging over this; can I actually get everything I need for a cycle tour onto a little folding bike?! There's only one way to find out . . .
OK, so plenty of people have heard of folding bicycles (especially those of you in London). Many of you have probably seen them and the chances are if you have, you've seen a Brompton. These eccentric machines are typically used to travel short urban distances and this is the use mine has seen until now (apart from one frenzied ride in a storm to get to another train line as my local one was blocked . . .).
As I do annually, I am due to spend a long weekend in the Scottish Highlands at Easter and had been toying with the idea of cycling part (or all) of the outward journey. No issues, I have a touring bike and the cycle would be pleasant. However, the travel logistics cause problems for the return journey so I was a little stumped, at least until I spotted my Brompton winking at me from the corner of the room. The idea was born: Macclesfield to Edinburgh by folding bicycle! Furthermore, I reckon it is a quirky enough idea to be able to raise a few quid for charity along the way too - more on this later.
Before any of this though, there is a slight question mark hanging over this; can I actually get everything I need for a cycle tour onto a little folding bike?! There's only one way to find out . . .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)