Why We Are Doing It

This comes to remind you (and us!) why we are doing it. Pat has had at least £6000 in sponsorship for the GRCT (http://www.grct.org.uk/) Have a look at the website of our principal beneficiary to see where much of your money goes (http://www.epapfeeding.co.za/) And we also support the Missionvale Care Centre near Port Elizabeth. Thank you for all your support - emotional and financial!

Making The Most of the Wi Fi

I thought I would use the wi fi before I leave. Who knows where I shall get connection again? Pat is getting into his gear and gearing up for some serious hills today. There is one outside of Grasmere which the book describes as a"not pleasant" pull up for 800 feet!

Last night after dinner I walked in the gloaming and took pics of Grasmere in the fading light. Such a wonderfully beautiful place. Also visited Wordsworth's grave in the little churchyard. Seems as if I am following the man what with Tintern Abbey too. The Rhodedendrons glowed jewel like alongside Grasmere.

A Much Better Day

We have been so impressed with the warmth and kindness of Lancashire people. Our B and B proprieter at Willow farm near Preston exchanged much banter with Pat about Nog Tow and gave us a donation for the GRCT. As did the retired teacher/historian who was our breakfast companion and who hails from Hampshire!

We were off to a later start than usual and Pat did 64 miles some on the Lancashire Sustrans route through narrow lanes and pretty villages and the rest through more hilly terrain in the Lake district. Being half term time, the Lake district is heaving, with much traffic and many walkers so progress was slower than expected. Pat seems quite tired tonight and is having a good soak in the bath while I am doing the blog.We were able to get a room in Becks Allan Guest House in Grasmere where the proprieter is a South African. He and his wife work ever so hard without help, running the Band B together; we have enjoyed chatting to them. The accommodation is very comfortable and our room overlooks the river.

Our picnic/meeting spot today was the car park at Levens Hall on the edge of the Lake District where Pat did a bit of carbo loading among the cars and cows and I loved seeing the Levens Hall (largest Elizabethan house in Cumbria) gardens which the Daily Telegraph in 2008 described as one of the 50 most beautiful gardens of the world ! I also had coffee and wrote my daily diary in a coffee shop in the quaint little village of Scorton which is on the Sustrans track. While there I chatted to an older man outside what was clearly a cyclists' cafe and told him my husband was doing the End to End ride. Says he "Several of the lads in there done that one." I was amused to see when some of the lads appeared , that they were as old if not older than Patrick!! Talking about age, at Manor House farm, I said to our elderly host, "Pat has done 77 today." To which she replied, "He really doesn't look it!" We have had a good chuckle about that one.

So it is on to Dumfries and Scotland with some awful hills at the start tomorrow.

Pat attributes some of his weariness tonight to not drinking enough today as he lost one of his bottles of his energy drink on the busy Preston roundabout (it fell off the holder on the bike) and it would have been suicidal to retrieve it.Maybe 550 miles of cycling has something to do with the tiredness!

No reception whatsoever in Grasmere so please forgive the lack of response to text messages and calls. Fortunately this B and B offers wi fi; hence the blog tonight

A Very Stressful Day

Leaving behind the pleasant green fields of the Cheshire countryside, Pat cycled through quite heavy rain for several hours. Even the maps in their watertight Plastic pouch, got wet. The temperature was down to 13 degrees too. Adding to the difficulties were the huge trucks that whizzed past him and then the traffic of Merseyside was, he says, "ferocious!" He describes crossing the Mersey at Runcorn as horrible. It did not help that, on the bridge there was a large sign declaring "45 casualties in 3 years." I too found the traffic and the numerous large roundabouts and Motorways quite daunting. And the shrieking sirens of several ambulances didn't help my peace of mind. So it was wonderful to spot in the streets of St Helens a familiar yellow-clad figure on a bike, consulting his map! We met up as usual for lunch and I booked in at a farm Band B near Longton slightly south of Preston. Pat continued on towards Garstang and phoned me re a pick up point - Nog Tow. Unfortunately it turned out to be virtually a non- place despite being on the map. Sat nav knew nothing of it and nor did anyone I asked. So some hours later we met and loaded the bike, I having wandered for a long time in the wilderness of frequent turning in narrow places, use of hazard lights etc etc." A Nog Tow moment " will no doubt enter the Fleming vocabulary!

You will be glad to know that we are both feeling much better after a delicious meal in Midge Hall, a delightful Lancashire country pub full of really friendly people.

I would also like to thank you all for your support: phone calls, texts, blog reading, blog commenting and prayers. So much appreciated. Please forgive the lack of personal response but I have my work cut out trying to do the blog each evening! At the moment we are sitting on the bed preparing for tomorrow. The minor roads are often not well sign posted so Pat has to be very familiar with his route each day. He rode 69 miles today and we are on track.

A Good Day- now over 400 miles!

Pat did 76 miles today making a grand total of 420 miles. He says he took the wimp's route this morning avoiding the steep Stiperstones. But the road was undulating and there was a strong headwind in the morning so cycling was hard work. We met up for bread and cheese and fruit (bought by me at Craven Arms) in a tiny village called Melverley which has the most exquisite little church. There has been a small wooden church on that site since the 11th century. It had a very welcoming feel and a little book where you could write prayer requests. I asked for prayer for the travellers and left a GRCT card! While having our picnic we met the conservative candidate for the council elections and had a chat. We swopped leaflets!!

The wind died down in the afternoon as Pat dipped in and out of various counties and rode through a short shower. We visited Shropshire , Cheshire and Wales today! I fitted in a brief visit to the Abbey in Shrewsbury where Wilfred Owen that wonderful First World War poet is remembered on the memorial in the church.

Our Band B in Bucknell was a curious place; a 15th century rambling, ramshackle, rickety cottage with loose floorboards , a rusty claw-legged bathtub with dubious plumbing,yards of dusty net curtaining and more knick knacks than one could count! Run by Klaus, it was a very eccentric establishment, but fortunately had a clean and comfortable bed. We had our best night yet. We are staying on a Cheshire farm now which has such a beautiful garden. I arrived here a couple of hours before Pat and have had a pleasant walk and have enjoyed taking pictures of the pretty garden and countryside. And the sweet elderly landlady has been so kind allowing me to do a wash and tumble dry. A real boon when you are in a different place every night.

Our car has suffered a few bumps/dents enroute. It was reversed into a very, very low wall (guess by whom!) and was reversed into by the daughter of one of the B and B owners. The bicycle is doing much better and proving to be a trusty steel steed. And the back up is doing much better too now that she is using Sat Nav. Didn't get lost today!

Think of us tomorrow as we drive through Merseyside leaving green pastures behind us.

Kindness in Eardisley

Eardisley is a stunning black and white Herefordshire village where almost all houses are black and white, some going as far back as the 13th century. Ann and I arranged to meet the cyclists there for our picnic. They eventually arrived later than expected having travelled the ups and downs of the lovely Wye valley for 45 miles! We asked a couple who were trimming their rambling roses where there was a green where we could picnic. And then it began to rain! Having witnessed the arrival of the weary cyclists and hearing that it was for the GRCT charity, they insisted we picnic in their conservatory.Their cottage called Fox-Pie was built in 1480. (not the conservatory!) Chris and David Hodgson even gave us a donation for the GRCT.

We then said good-bye to Ann and Richard who were driving back to London. We are so grateful for their support.

Pat then reverted to solo cycling - for the first time in the rain. It was not too heavy rain and his new raingear kept him dry. I am typing this in the little Shropshire village of Bucknell. Pat asked 2 horse riders for directions here only to find that the young man had completed Lands End to John O Groats only 2 weeks ago! It's a small, quiet Shropshire village with an old disused railway station.

P3s should count the counties we have been through today: Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire! Thank you to them for their support and to all of you who read the blog and encourage us and pray for us. £6500 has been donated to the GRCT to date!

Past Tintern Abbey

24.05.09

Richard Broad and Patrick cycled 71 miles today arriving at the B and B, Prospect Cottage (hidden down a long,long gravel track in the woods around Bigsweir House between Monmouth and Chepstowe)at 6.30pm. A very comfortable B and B with a wonderful view. Ann Broad joined us this afternoon and the 4 of us enjoyed an excellent dinner cooked by Fiona the Band B owner. The cyclists had cycled from Taunton in Devon, through Somerset,( great cycling county because it is quite flat!) into Wales and Gloucestershire crossing the Severn Bridge on the cycle track. Quite an experience that was! However the downside was that the hills reappeared. The upside was a beautifully sunny summer's day.

Having left at 9.30 am they were understandably weary but had much enjoyed the day.

TThe best part of the day for me was visiting the ruins of Tintern Abbey this afternoon. I last visited it almost 40 years ago and again found it quite magical - no doubt because I had learnt Wordsworth's poem about Tintern Abbey while at school and it had fired my imagination. I am in good company as Turner loved it too and his watercolours picture it in all its soaring magnicence. A Cistercian monastery; it was founded in 1131.