Paul & Richard do LEJOG

Totals so far Counties:     10 Distance:      513.63 miles Climb:           35,516 feet Fun Fact:  That's nearly 6,500 feet higher than the equivalent of cycling up  Mount Everest! At almost the halfway point of our journey, we've already cycled our furthest (Stage 4) and most climbing (Stage 7) days. A relaxing start is definitely in order following the exhilarating exhaustion of the last four days in the saddle. Thrilled that Maddie (baby Batten) and fab first aider has joined the support crew. We're off to explore the Ribble Valley, Clitheroe Castle, and sample the wares of a local food market and microbrewery.  Regular reports resume tomorro w. If you can, please sponsor our mad-cap cycling adventure in aid of   Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care . We're self-funding this  endeavour so that every pound, euro or dollar goes directly to this amazing charity. Click through to our  JustGiving page .

Climbing to Clitheroe Distance: 59.94 miles Climb: 7,064 feet        Today's the day we attempt the most climbing - 6,000 feet of it! And the forecast is for another +28-degree scorcher🌞😎😎 You know it's going to be "lumpy" when Kamoot warns that, at some point, "You may need to push your bike."   Bypassing Manchester, we go west and cross from the Derbyshire Peak District along the Ribble Valley, briefly into Cheshire, then Yorkshire and Happy Valley country, finishing in Lancashire. Fun Fact:  Clitheroe Castle is the town's most notable attraction, and is said to be one of the smallest Norman keeps in Great Britain. Post-ride Debrief People of our vintage may remember two films: Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence starring David Bowie and A Man Called Horse starring Richard Harris. In both, men are tortured by being left out in the searing sun to suffer. Our ride today was a tribute to these movies😅😅. As our LEJOG route master, Paul has done a fantastic...

Going to Glossop Distance: 72.72 miles Climb: 2,969 feet        Today sees us pedal through the Potteries and touch four counties (Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire) along the way. What seems a fairly gentle route secretly saves us a collection of climbs towards the end of the day. Fingers crossed we manage to dodge the forecast thunderstorms🤞 Fun Fact:  Glossop is a historic mill town, famous for producing and printing calico. Post-ride Debrief A ride of two parts today as we travelled almost three-quarters of our 72 miles on tracks and paths, before climbing into the Peak District. Leaving the pretty town of Newport behind, we were soon buzzing along paths, dodging the dog walkers, hikers and bikers. A mixture of packed gravel and tarmac kept us on our toes. We even managed to reclaim a couple of paths, although the formic acid from the nettles travelled with us for the rest of the ride. Our canal path led to Stone, the small part of which w...

Onwards to Newport (but which one?) Distance: 66.22 miles Climb: 3,576 feet          An early trip into Worcester before heading north into Shropshire visiting historic Bridgnorth and Telford new town. At around 60 miles, Stage Five is our shortest day distance-wise. Fun Fact: With 14 of the world's 56 places named Newport in the UK, we had to make sure we picked the right one! Post-ride Debrief Our day started with Edward Elgar and finished with Thomas Telford – taking in planes, trains, and ostriches. Today was a kind of recovery day, if cycling 65 miles is your idea of a rest. Leaving the support crew, Georgie and Steve, we began to wend our way through wonderful Worcester. Dodging the doughty park runners as we passed the beautiful cathedral, Worcester looked like an advert for itself.  Our riding today was a combination of country lanes, canal towpaths, old railway tracks, interspersed with urban trails. Note for Rich II, there were some surfaces you w...

Onwards to Worcester Distance: 107.75miles Climb: 4,715 feet After a well-earned rest day in Bridgwater, Stage Four of our ride is the big one - with over 100 miles ahead of us it's our longest ride in terms of distance. We start with an early and daunting Draycot Hill climb: over a mile long and bridging some 800 vertical feet with an average gradient of 11.3% - 25.7% at its steepest point! Sweeping through the cities of Bristol and Gloucester, we arrive in Worcester having done three counties in a day (Somerset, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire) and with 25% of our total distance in the bag. Today we're joined by more friends from Farnham, fellow cyclists and ski buddies, Steve and Georgie. Fun Fact: Known as 'The Faithful City' due to the part it played in the English Civil War, Worcester is the birthplace of Edward Elgar. Post-ride Debrief After what we thought was a well-earned rest day it was back in the saddle for the longest distance stage of the entire end-to-e...

Totals so far Counties:      3 Distance:      207 miles Climb:           17,192 feet Fun Fact: That's almost the equivalent of cycling up  Mount Kilimanjaro - Africa's tallest and the world's largest free-standing mountain, located in Tanzania.  A well-deserved leisurely start for the entire crew following the excitement and rigours of the first three days of our challenge. The consensus is that the Quantock Quads Ache is real, and Richard is enjoying NOT having flies constantly hitting his face. Off to the seaside and cream teas all round...regular reports resume tomorro w. Fancy sponsoring us?  Click through to our  JustGiving page .

Onwards into Somerset Distance: 67.91 miles Climb: 6,713 feet Day three and we head due east from Devon and into Somerset.  At over 1,500ft, our ascent onto Exmoor is the third-highest single climb on our adventure. Then, as the stage draws to a close, we tackle the Quantocks before our final descent into Bridgwater. Today we're joined by fellow Farnhamites, Jo and John, cycling out to meet and escort us to the rural village of Wembdon. Fun Fact:  Bridgwater is famous for its Guy Fawkes Carnival - the largest illuminated procession in Europe. "It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves." Apparently, when asked why he climbed Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary responded: “Because it was there”. Pretty much the same response we gave when asked why cycle up Exmoor and over the Quantocks in one day! By the way when posed the same question, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay said all his mates had climbed it, so he wanted to see what all the fuss was about. An epic third day of climbing, spe...