This is REAL!

Well all is safely gathered in and down at Lower Treave Campsite near Land's End - not without a few toys being throw out of the pram in last minute nerves.

Nic had misplaced a couple of important bits of kit and that meant a midnight end to the last night in a bed. Philip had a paddy and all was eventually resolved with the discovery of said bits of kit.

Jake started out very nervous - agitated & grumpy - to be expected, however we ended up being 7.5 hours on the road, 256 miles so what a relief to arrive at Land's End.

Glorious weather, fabulous panoramic views of sunlight glinting off the sea and a realisation that this is REAL!

Thanks go out to everyone for their support especially Jake's grandparents, Barrie & Angela who have done the jaunt down to the end of country to deliver people and their bikes.

Tents put up in light drizzle, barely warm enough this evening and absolutely no room in panniers for extra clothing or extra anything.

Quick zoom round and beach time tomorrow together with photo opportunities - spirits restored although Philip's spirits would be even better with the spirit of Jameson's Whisky!

Are We Nearly There Yet?

The answer, rather scarily, is YES!

A week today we will have set up camp at Lower Treave near Land's End and will be trying to get Jake to go to sleep.

It's been a quiet week on the blog because it's been a hectic week everywhere else.

Emotions:

Tearful; as Jake left his tiny village school to head for Middle School in September. The last day was the extraordinary roller-coaster of Leavers' Service for Jake and farewells for Philip & I as we said goodbye to our Year 5 pupils and also our Headmaster.

Excitement; with the arrival of a package for Jake.... cycle clothing from Just Juniors

Cyclewear, who have kindly sponsored some of his kit.

Jake was beside himself when he saw his bright yellow Polaris jumper and Just Junior windproof jacket but then he saw the bib-shorts! Given half a chance he would have worn them to bed.

Bemusement; how on earth are we going to cope with all this technology? Philip has a new mobile phone - can't see it lasting the journey if he doesn't quickly master the whole touch screen phenomenon. We are trying out a Mobile phone 'App' (would you believe) called Endomondo to allow one and all to track our moves on a daily basis, it must be easier than we're making it! And then there's the camera, hmmm how does it take clear shots of moving cyclists & how can it be easily got at on the bike?

Self-conscious; Jake & Nic were interviewed on BBC Hereford & Worcester at 7.30 on Friday morning. Nic does NOT like the sound of her own voice (contrary to the opinions of Jake and Philip) and as for Jake - what's the audio equivalent of a rabbit caught in headlights?

Tired; End-of-termitis, was joined by a heavy cold for Jake - low activity levels therefore the order of the day. Wednesday saw our final session at Elite Fitness and Health. Thanks Mac!! Muscle overload on quads, abs and glutes meant negotiating stairs or even sitting down was very tricky on Thursday evening, nigh on impossible on Friday and only eased by a pedal on

Saturday.

Nervous; It's a week to go. People have been very generous and we've raised another £130 this week - that's a lot of people willing us to complete the task. We want to do ourselves and everyone else proud.

Enthusiastic; Aren't we lucky? This will be a fantastic opportunity to see our coastline, meet people and raise funds for a great cause.... Counting the days

so much to do !

tuesday 20th July and we are looking into solar powered packs to keep our phones etc charged up! School stuff is impacting on training with leavers service and the like requiring lots of input. I wish more people would intereract with us via the blog or our phones and raise our sponsorship total and our spirits! ! Philip

A Rude Awakening!

We are now the proud owners of 2 lightweight tents. Just a note to say we have had fantastic support and service from the Camping Equipment Retailers, Oswald Bailey, and in particular, their staff at Bromsgrove. They close at 5.30pm , we were still there pouring cups of water over our prospective tent way beyond 6.00pm - many, many thanks to them!

The acquisition of our Coleman Avior X3 meant that Philip and Nic had no excuse - get out there and pitch that tent and sleep on that skinny roll mat. Jake can sleep anywhere -

what a useful attribute that is.

We drew the line at cooking outside (secret: We can't work out how to organise our stove and cookware - it's a solid fuel stove and we are being very dim). Suffice to say if we don't crack it

soon, Philip is likely to build a big fire and melt it down for scrap.

Friday night was survived - actually quite a balmy night, even Nic who wears jumpers at the slightest provocation managed to sleep in her ultralight, Snugpak sleeping bag. It's a rather groovy cherry red, not necessarily the most important attribute to a piece of camping equipment but it's a girl thing!

Well breakfasted (in the house) we packed our panniers, Jake's were pretty much up to weight and there were just a few items of clothing and the bike spares missing from the rest of the team. We decided not to overface ourselves and headed out round Bredon Hill for the 17 mile jaunt. They make a difference, whilst not unduly concerned by the hills, Jake certainly found it a challenge and he travelled 2 or more gears easier up the hills.

We then transferred our kit to another garden and set up camp again. We needed to be near the TV to watch Armstrong, Wiggins & Contador tackle the first big hill. Nic also took the opportunity to set up a new 'App' for her mobile phone - get her! They were going to try out the Endomondo sports tracking system.

A good sleep and early rise augured well with a ETD set at 9.00am. "Hmmm, Jake where are your cleats?" 2 hours later after a mercy dash across the countryside we set off in an attempt to have a day's cycling that would feel something like Cornwall. Just a couple of panniers with provisions, repair kit and long-sleeved jerseys (x3), we needed to experience success and not be disheartened by the need to walk everywhere. Where better than the Cotswolds?

Bourton on the Water is on the Windrush River, it is also in the Cotswolds - leave Bourton and resign yourself to a climb, however you choose to leave. Having previously headed out from Lower Swell heading either East or West, we thought we should try out Southerly routes. It was a glorious day, breezy and sunny. Wheat, barley and oat crops are turning yellow, there is an abundance of wild flowers everywhere although grassland is already looking parched.

The roads we pedalled down were quiet and took us through delightful Cotswold villages, Farmington, Northleach, Coln St. Dennis, Compton Abdale, Hazleton, Turkdean, Notgrove and Cold

Aston. Some of this route was National Cycle Network 48. There were hills, in fact, over 1100 feet of climbing in our 37 miles - a good comparison for our early Cornwall days. Some of the hills were tricky, like the climb leading from Chedworth towards Compton Abdale