John Peet's Big Bike Ride for L'Arche

2008-07-15T04:01:00.002-07:00

Monday 15th July

Route: Canterbury to Barfrestone
Distance: 12.12 miles
Weather: Perfect

Rode from The Rainbow with Eddie, Alex, Zuzanna, Liisa, and Kathrin the last 12 miles to Little Ewell in brilliant sunshine, calling in at St Radigund's workshop on the way, arriving in Little Ewell to a great welcome. Thanks everyone who helped to make it a special arrival.

I can't believe I've done it. 1,754 miles in 33.5 days. What's next, I wonder....

The weather couldn't have been better as we sat in the spacious garden of Little Ewell which I had first visited 18 years ago. Here, the first L'Arche Community began thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury who made available the Old Rectory which became the first L'Arche UK Community founded by Ann and Geoffrey Morgan and Therese Vanier in 1974.

Since then the Community has developed in Canterbury itself with two houses, a craft workshop at St Radigunds and a house of prayer and rest, and another house in the nearby village Eythorne.

Thanks to Dean and Gillian, welcoming posters on a nearby gate and hedge had welcomed us and we wheeled in and broke the finishing tape again carefully prepared from the old perforated computer paper.

Members from the Well Spring day centre, as well as office staff and members of the co-ordinating team, joined us for a sandwich lunch in the idyllic garden. What a tremendous resource it is, nestling amidst mature trees and trimmed hedges in the depths of this quiet archetypal English village.

We then had a time of song, prayer and dance in what is known as the secret garden where an apple tree was planted for the millennium with a trinity of different types of fruit grafted to it representing the ecumenical character of the Community.

As Geoffrey carefully guided the motor mower over the extensive lawn, the local press photographer arrived to take some photos of a re-enactment of my arrival, after which we gathered again for tea for which Paul had baked a celebratory cake - thanks Paul. I remember Geoffrey was one of the leading lights in the mime performed at the 1998 Lambeth Conference in the presence of Jean Vanier and the assembly of Bishops who, 10 years on, were already gathering in Canterbury for this year's Conference .

Since I would not be returning to Little Ewell this visit, I decided to accept an invitation to supper to spend more time with the core members and assistants after which I was kindly driven back to Canterbury by Hiromi, the House Leader. Thanks to everyone at Little Ewell for a great evening.

2008-07-15T03:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday 14^th July

Route: Basildon to Canterbury
Distance: 68.91; Miles so far 1,742
Weather: Hot and sunny

It was only when I was reviewing the day's ride with Julian that he drew my attention to the fact that Sunday crossings on the Gravesend to Tilbury ferry did not appear on the timetable. Mike Cox kindly gave me timetable and maps when I was in Lambeth, but I obviously didn't tell him I would be travelling on a Sunday, nor did I take a close look until today. Thanks Mike, nevertheless.

Attempts to clarify the position came to nothing, as the travel enquiry line for the area didn't seem to know anything about the ferry, and another number called merely had an ansaphone message.

So I headed off soon after 9.00 am wondering which way would be crossing the Thames estuary. I left Julian preparing for the parish barbeque which looked set for fine weather.

I faced quite a long ride so took the A11 which wasn't that busy, turning off at Standbury Hope to check the state of play at the Tilbury Ferry terminal. Here Kheiron in the Docks Office confirmed there was no service but directed me up to the Queen Elizabeth Bridge traffic control office. En route, I called in at St Clement's Church, West Thurrock where they were preparing for a service and spoke to Sue who kindly agreed to promote the Big Bike Ride appeal. Thanks for your help here.

It's quite a maze of roads to get up to the traffic control station a clearly marked cycle path keeps you clear of the busy road and leads up to the office where Traffic Officer Roberts obligingly help me load my bike onto the back rack of his vehicle and we were soon whizzing over the bridge to the other side where he put me on the right road in a spaghetti junction type complex which was difficult to navigate with the very small scale map I had. Not far along the road, I met fellow cyclist Roy from Greenhythe who suggested I took the minor road to Gravesend.

A bit hilly, but an easy ride otherwise, and I was soon rolling into Rochester and across the bridge and up a long steep hill that tested the legs. From here on the road was long and straight. Apart from the short lunch stop, it was all the way to Canterbury.

I arrived at a services at around 4.30 so thought I'd stop for a coffee at the diner beside the services. had a good chat with Shyla, the waitress there – thanks so much for your sponsorship.

The last leg of the journey looked fairly straightforward, and I passed the first exit to Canterbury not knowing that my map wrongly showed another couple of exists along the A2. I was due to arrive at St Thomas's Church at 5.30 and thought 30 mins would be ample, but ended up having to go as far as Bridge and double back into Canterbury. I pedalled as fast as I could then had to find the church which I was told was near the Cathedral. I eventually rolled up at 5.50 and met Canon Bunce who asked me to speak for 5 minutes after the Gospel. It's quite difficult to compress what I wanted to say into that amount of time, but I managed it.

Mary, a local Committee member, found a parishioner to hand out the Gift Aid envelopes, so a number of donations were handed to me there and then, and the Canon kindly agreed to put the JustGiving web address in next week's bulletin. Many thanks, Canon, for the opportunity to speak about my fundraising appeal.

Whilst at the back of church John Paul introduced himself as an ex L'Arche assistant who was living in Canterbury with his French wife Helene. They kindly asked me back for a drink which turned into an impromptu supper. It was really good to meet you both and Juliette – thanks for your warm and generous hospitality. Yes, somehow the French just have a special knack of making excellent salads!

John Paul took me round to The rainbow where I was staying, where I met assistants Lisa and Sue who made me feel very welcome.

2008-07-14T02:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday 13^th July

Route: Ipswich to Basildon
Distance: 60.63; Miles so far 1673
Weather: Cloudy then hot and sunny

It was about 9.20 by the time I left, and sad to say goodbye to everyone in the house. Thanks for looking after me so well. I headed down town for the bank, then found the A137 to Manningtree.

On the way I passed a church at Brantham and bumped into a lady visigting the area who was looking fofr the time of services, and asked her to give a sponsor form to the parish priest.

Here I discovered there was a major show called the Tendring Hundreds taking place near Little Bromley. Traffic everywhere. I passed the show site and could see it was a small version of the Kenilworth Show we used to go to as kids with my late Uncle George who farmed nearby.

It looked like the weather was going to hold up for them in contrast to last week-end's wash out at the Great Southern Show.

Then to Ardleigh where I noticed the Methodist Church had a function on so popped in to ask for sponsorship. Thanks for your support, Paul, Stephanie, Margaret, Gloria, Frank and Peggy, and every success with the Link Fellowship.

I stopped for lunch at The New Times pub in Tiptree and endeavoured to interest a couple of patrons in my ride. They have not been the first to question sending money out to Zimbabwe thinking that Mugabe would get his hands on it. I find it quite difficult to persuade such people that L'Arche has established a secure channel through which funds are passed to ensure they receive the money. Thanks to the couple in question for taking the form – I hope you can find your way to making a contribution.

After Malden, I took the minor road to Cold Norton and spotted a cyclist by the side of the road so stopped to see if he needed help. He was faced with a slow puncture and no repair kit, so I was happy to come to the rescue. Hope you managed to get home OK, Mick, and that your son's transplant is a success.

It seemed a long haul from here to Basildon where I was due to arrive by 5.00 for the evening Mass. Fr Julian had kindly responded to our last minute appeal for accommodation after the original plan had to be changed. The SatNav did its stuff so I arrived around 4.50 pm. Fr Julian introduced me and announced the retiring collection would be for L'Arche, so a big thanks to all the parishioners who contributed, and to the Parish for the generous cheque. It was very heartening to have so many people come up to me at the end of Mass to wish me well.

Julian made me feel very welcome and went for a take away curry whilst I had a shower. Over dinner he explained the Team Ministry he is involved in running three Churches in Basildon which seems a creative solution to the shortage of priests. It sounds like a challenging but exciting time ahead. Many thanks, Julian, for your warm and generous hospitality and every success with your ministry.

2008-07-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

Friday 11^th July

Rest Day

The previous day had been pretty exhausting so I was glad of a long lie. The Cornerstone is a tribute to all those who were involved in its re-configuration and refurbishment from the former Childrens' Society Home. The original features have been retained and it feels very much like a large family house whilst meeting the stringent care home standards.

With the help of David Wells from the office, I found Moons Cycles and left the bike there with Simon. I'd broken another spoke and he obligingly undertook to have it sorted by close of business. Meanwhile at the house preparations were being made for the Barbeque which had been planned to coincide with my arrival in Ipswich, and to which local friends of L'Arche had been invited.

Later in the morning, I went into town with Nick who wanted to explore a few of the games shops. It's literally 15 mins walk to the centre of town. I was impressed by Nick's awareness about cost, as he tried persuaded a number of game shop assistants to give him the best deal. I realise I'm out of my depth when it comes to Play Stations and Wii systems.

It was just great to relax with the core members who are all much younger than those in the other UK Communities, and who lead quite independent lives in comparison. They are great company and I really enjoyed the chance to recharge the batteries before tomorrow's trip to Basildon.

When I collected the bike from Moon's Simon wouldn't accept any money for the repair. I really appreciate your sponsorship, Simon, and am indebted to you and the Moon's team. Thank you so much.

The clouds started to gather as the evening approached, and as guests arrived the heavens opened leaving the BBQ team stranded under the gazebo. A shame after all the hard work preparing the food. However, it didn't put too much of a damper on proceedings and a fabulous buffet was enjoyed by all. At the end of the meal, I had the opportunity of saying a few words about my trip, and about the Zimbabwe Community. Liz, who volunteers her time for the Community had organised a raffle which ran throughout the evening and raised about £90. Thanks so much for this initiative, Liz, and please pass on our thanks to those who generously contributed the prizes.

Great to meet new people and old colleagues, including Bernard and Heather and Derek too. A pity Kathy wasn't able to make it. A great day and it was impressive to see the house team working hard on the hospitality front. Thanks to Angie, Martin, Nick, Nicola, Stephanie, Steven, Andrew,Miriam, Andrea and Julia for your hard work, and to Anne-Marie and David too, for your help in boosting the appeal funds.

Thursday 10^th July

I arrived back from Yorkshire at 5.30 and Anne Marie and Martin kindly collected me from the station. It was Miriam's birthday party, so great activity was underway in the kitchen. Helene Gibbings and son Joe had been invited, so all in all there were 16 round the table. I have to say i was one of the best L'Arche meals I've had – great cooking Andrew.

2008-07-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 9^th July

Route: Braintree to Ipswich
Miles: 47.40; Miles so far: 1,612
Weather: Wet all day

Further discussions about water engineering were had over breakfast in pursuit of an intermediate technological solution to the drainage problem! Thanks so much Michael and Claire for a really enjoyable stay and for the treats for the journey which lifted my spirits on what was to become a very wet day.

The instructions to get onto the Coggleshall Road were simple and straightforward. I sensed that this was going to one of those days when I had to reconcile myself to getting slowly soaked, and decided that the waterproof trousers where more an encumbrance than a help, and the gaiters might keep the top of my shoes dry but rain gets in through the SPD cleats from below. So I made do with my waterproof day glow yellow jacket and let everything else get wet.

It's in the rain that busy roads show their teeth, and so I was glad to leave the A120 at Coggleshall and ride through this attractive village then north along the A1024 to Earls Colne, and Bures. Here I looked for a cafe and stumbled across the Eight Bells pub instead, but was told that it wasn't open, though I could use their toilet. Before leaving, I asked Wendy if there was anywhere in the village that would serve coffee, and bless her, she said she would rustle one up for me. It appeared with complements of the house. Wendy was trying to persuade her other half to get on his bike, so I hope I have been able to offer a little inspiration! Thanks Wendy and Barbara for looking after a dripping cyclist.

In good weather these back lanes would be idyllic for cycling. At Dorking Tye, I came across a beautiful cottage which was in the final stages of having its thatch replaced. I stopped to speak with Rich and Chris the two thatchers, and to admire their craftsmanship. This roof was being made from straw harvested from fields in nearby Ongar, with Hazelwood pegs acting like giant hair grips to keep the straw in place. It had taken Chris 7 years training to get to this stage. I hope these amazing skills don't disappear. Thanks for taking a break to chat, Rich, and for any support you can give to the appeal.

Again I found myself cycling between acres of shoulder high wheat fields as if I was a beetle crawling along a groove in a thick pile carpet. As with the waterlogged lanes near Wem, the grit was starting to get into the brakes and at one point I detected the back wheel rubbing out of balance. So I decided to visit Hadleigh before continuing my journey. Here I phoned Jon and Gill Durant who are such an important part of the L'Arche Ipswich story which all started in Hadleigh in the early 90s. I discovered that their house lay in the very cycle route I was due to take. So felt I couldn't pass by without dropping in. With no sign of any bike shop in Hadleigh itself, I headed up the hill and soon found the Durant's house, appropriately named Wheatfields.

At Jon's suggestion I rang Moon's Cycles in Ipswich to book the bike in for a rear wheel repair on Friday. I don't normally drink alcohol at lunchtime, but the offer of an Adnam's bitter was too good to decline. Thanks Gill and Jon for a wonderful impromptu lunch which really hit the spot. It also took me back to a meeting John Renn and I had in your sitting room at the start of discussions which were eventually to lead to the founding of the L'Arche Ipswich.

I had arranged to meet John Butt, father of core member Martin, and House Assistant Andrew at 2.45 pm outside Bramford, so after a quick good-bye it was back into the rain and along the quiet lanes which now form one of Suffolk's cycle routes. The rendezvous achieved, we then rode together into Ipswich. It was great to be guided by others through an unfamiliar town.

As we turned into The Cornerstone, the L'Arche Ipswich House in Warrington Road, David and Anne Marie were waiting with bottles of Bucks Fizz shaken (but thankfully reluctant to explode) for the welcoming. It was great to arrive after such a miserable day, and lovely to see everyone again.

I was due to make a 24 hour return trip home so after a hot bath was whisked to Ipswich station to catch the 5.50 train to Peterborough, arriving back home around 10.35.

2008-07-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 8^th July

Route: West Norwood, London to Braintree, Essex
Miles: 54.99; Miles so far: 1565
Weather: Cloudy turning to heavy showers by lunchtime, clearing in afternoon

A much better night's sleep so ready for the road again. I had been asked to call in at the office/workshop on Norwood High Street en route where a number of people gave me a great send-off towards Tulse Hill. It's been really great coming back to Lambeth where I feel so much at home. There are many links with my 18 years here and some special memories. It's been good to see The Vine flourishing and encouraging to see it is expecting another new member shortly.

I suppose to many, riding through London traffic would seem a scary prospect, particularly after Ann-Marie, one of the female assistants from L'Arche Lambeth, was killed when cycling in the city. My earlier brush with death in Kendal made me acutely aware of the dangers. To some extent the bus lanes help, and there are now some specific cycle routes which take one off the busy streets. Thanks To David G, I had a wonderful roll-out street map taking me right out of London, but this nevertheless required close concentration as well as focussing on staying safe.

The route took me norrth through Peckham, Walworth and onto Tower Bridge. Here I picked up a cycle route along Commercial Road to Limehouse. It's great to see traffic lights for bikes as well a pedestrians along these paths, though whoever laid the tarmac must have had St Vitas Dance. I stopped at one point to check the map and Mike appeared on his bike seemingly from nowhere - he is one of the cycling officers owrking for the London Cycling Campaign. Thanks for your suggested route, Mike. Turning north at Butcher's Row and rejoining Mile End road west, Bow Church appeared, hidden by trees and isolated by the busy dual carriageway. I recall during one of the IRA bomb threats when the tubs were closed, I walked through London and was amazed to find how many green parks and forgotten monuments appeared along the route.

Then the rain came – in buckets. I took shelter in McDonalds along Romford Road where they had space for my bike. A coffee and muffin gave me an hour and a half free WiFi time, and the staff were very friendly. Thank you for the refuge from the floods! Yes, by the time I left, there was a lake outside, as the drains weren't coping. The sun came out and life looked brighter. I lost the cycle route through Ilford, but found a way through to Eastern Avenue as per my map then north past Newbury Park, Fullwell Cross and up to Grange Hill where I turned east alongthe Lamboourne Road to Chigwell to Lambourne End. Here suburbia gave way to fields and more open countryside. It's only after Stapleford Abbots that you cross the M25.

At one point I turned the corner and there in front of me was a field of ostriches, obviously being farmed for their meat.

From here on I felt as if I was really making progress to Braintree. Up till now the sky had been still heavy in places with rain clouds, but it quickly brightened into a beautifully sunny afternoon with distant white cotton wool cloud formations setting off the ripening field of golden barley.

From Chipping Ongar, I followed Fyfield Road and discovered hidden gems of Essex along the quiet country lanes interrupted only by intersecting the A1060 and A130 roads. Lovely villages and hamlets along here, with the steeples of country churches punctuating the landscape. Fields of wheat and barley abound, with evidence too of serious vegetable production – with broad beans and leeks nearly ready for harvesting.

Braintree soon came within the radar and I was pedalling down the hill to my hosts for the night at around 6.20.

I had met Michael and Claire earlier this year through a mutual friend David Morland, and it was very good to see them again. After a quick tour of their spacious garden and pond, and an examination of their land drainage arrangements, I relaxed in a wonderful hot bath. Claire and Peter are keen cyclists having done the trip to Rome en velo, and are impressively committed to the Fair Trade movement and interfaith dialogue. They invited their neighbour, Peter, also a cyclist who had just returned from France to join us for a delicious dinner.

2008-07-08T05:43:00.000-07:00

Monday 7th July

Rest Day in Lambeth

Decided to get up late after everyone in the house had left for work. Nice not t be driven by the daily timetable of getting n the road to reach another destination.
Went up to Norwood High Street to meet the office team and prepare for the talk I had undertaken to give this evening at St Luke's Church. Raimonda frm L'Arche Liverpool had supplied me with a CD of photos from Zimbabwe and Martha from Bognor, a CD presentation on L'Arche UK.

This little Asus Eee is a wonderful machne but I've encountered a stubborn side to its nature. It won't recognise external SD memory disks, and I'd transferred all the photos onto one in Brecon. I thought I'd solved the problem there with the help of Ferdinand, but it had defaulted back to its original prohibition setting. I eventually cracked the problem thanks to the Asus User Forum, but then I thought I'd lost the powerpoint presentation I'd spent 2 hours compiling. In the end I as able to recover this, but its size seemed to big for little Asus Eee.
But at lest we could view the photos without captions.

After what had been an afternoon's work, it was time to go over to St Luke's. where the Community and others were starting to gather. Somehow I got the words together for the talk and the photos of L'Arche Zimbabwe were profoundly moving, enhanced with the background music from the Ladysmith Black Mambazo Singers. I must arrange for these to go up on the website.
Thanks to everyone for organising and publicising the event - I realise this was done on top of the day to day pressures of Community life. Special thanks Corrine and team. It was all worthwhile, though, as I banked today £390 for the appeal.

Mark, Anya, Louise, Ian and I then went round to Louise's house with fish and chips to share a bottle of red wine (or 2?!). Wonderful.

2008-07-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday 6^th July

Route: Glynde to Lambeth
Distance: 55.56 miles; 1510 miles so far
Weather: Bright start deteriorating into heavy rain then clearing

Fuelled with a hearty breakfast, I said my farewells to Hannah and Ben at 9.30 and headed up through the village. I look forward to seeing them again at their wedding in my home parish in Silsden next month and hope all the final preparations go smoothly. Thanks for a wonderful stay..and the thoughtful snacks.

Up the hill past the Glynde estate house, I soon came across Glydebourne itself, where I later discovered there was a performance of Carmen that evening. Then after passing an alpaca lama farm, the bazaar sight of a grazing camel. The route took me on back roads between the A26 and A27, past the Bentley Car Museum and Wildlife Park (a somewhat incongrous combination) - eventually crossing the A27 past the Lavender Line steam railway. This is beautiful country, and with fields of hay bails and majestic trees.

I was heading north towards Crawley Down where I had planned to meet Christian, a German assistant from The Vine in L'Arche Lambeth, who wanted to accompany me into London. The mobile rang and Christan reported that he had sprung a puncture so would be late for our rendezvous at 11.30, and would have to find a bike shop.

Going through Fletching, I called into the village church of St Andrew and St Mary the Virgin. The service had just finished but I spoke with the church warden and the vicar's husband explaining what I was doing and asking for support for the appeal. Further down the road there was evidence of p sons being taken to a cricket match so I stopped to speak with one parent to explain what I was doing, and further on a mother with two young children on a walk.

Along the road I also bumped into a group from the 1^st Hayward Heath Cubs on a woodland trail. Hope you had a good walk despite the rain! Yes, the rain really came down from here on and by the time I reached Ardingly, it was pouring down and no doubt spoiling the plans of the events taking place at the South of England Show ground, near the National Trust Wakehurst Place.

Christian rang to say that he had got his puncture fixed so we were on target for meeting at Hunters Hill at 12.30. I got there feeling like drowned rat, as did other cyclists who were taking refuge at the Crown Pub here at the top of the hill. Christian arrived and we had a quick sandwich lunch before braving the weather again.

The rain eventually subsided as we crossed the busy M25, stopping on the bridge to view the incessant traffic whose noise footprint must affect a wide corridor – the price of progress.

The road up to White Hill was a pig of a climb, and Christian left me struggling, having run out of gears, so there was no option but to get off and push.

We then encountered the outskirts of London at Caterham, and found a cycle path which took us to Purley where we then followed the excellent map prepared by David Grimshaw which guided us easily through the suburban streets. I was aware that the 1500 mile point was soon coming up and quite appropriately I passed it at the John Fisher Sports School, Peaks Hill, Purley. I must write to the Head and ask him/her if the School would consider some sponsorship. I couldn't easily absorb the fact that I'd achieved my goal after 29 days on the road, averaging 52 miles a day. But there were still another 250 miles to go.

By the time we reached Croydon the sun started to shine. We wheeled into Rosendale Road to an enthusiastic welcome. Thanks Christian for the moral support in such miserable weather!

It was great to arrive at The Vine, which as been a second home to me over the 18 years I have worked for L'Arche. Many of the people who were core members of the house have died over that period: Nick, Beryl, Doreen, Bernadette, Primrose and Brian, but Sylvia and since then Sunta have been joined by new members Mike, Donna and Jackwho have brought new energy to the house. They and other members of L'Arche had gathered to welcome us and Marcela and the house team had prepared a delicious buffet. Visitors Robert, Stephanie and family from New Zealand also dropped in. They had both been assistants in the Community many years ago, Stephanie coincidentally having been part of the team which welcomed Sylvia.

It was great to relax amongst friends. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful welcome. I had hoped to get some blogging done after the meal, but Christian and I ,with Louise and Marcela's help, spent a frustrating hour trying to get the house broadband up and running again. At one point in a series of telephone conversations with the BT help-line, we were told that The Vine didn't have a broadband account but a narrowband account. We needed to ring another number which told us we did indeed have a broadband package. In the end we rebooted and it sprung into life again. BT – you need to get yourself sorted!

To celebrate the day, Christian and I went over to the Rosendale for a pint before bed.

2008-07-07T01:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday 5^th July

Route: Bognor to Glynde
Distance: 53.92; 1455 miles so far
Weather: Bright, sunny with westerly wind

Breakfast with Maureen, Alan and Catherine before Tjeerd arrived with his wife Vega, and son Rembrandt and daughter Salome to accompany me asfar as Littlehampton. They had worked with L'Arche in The Netherlands before coming to Bognor last autumn. It was sad to say farewell to everyone in the house where I was looked after so well. It was yet another example of how it is possible to have a relaxed atmosphere in a house which is efficiently run by a good team who are attuned to core members' needs .

We headed out of Bognor through back roads then picked up the Sustrans cycle path which avoids the busy roads, and were soon in Littlehampton where I visited the bank to deposit accumulated donations and had a coffee with Tjeed and family before continuing along the ocast to Hove and Brighton past Worthing where they were having a Birdman competition at 1.30. Bognor has one of these events too where aspiring human birds take to the pier and normally plunge to earth, or rather the cold sea water, sooner then they would like. The cycle way along the sea front has been well thought out, apart from in Shoreham where I lost the signs and then found myself heading along a peninsular of up market houses with no means of getting back. A short stop for lunch at Shoreham Station before continuing in perfect weather with the wind in exactly the right direction. Lots of other cyclists were taking advantage of the dedicated paths to the point of congestions at one point. Brightly coloured beach huts, striped deck chairs and wind breaks beside an inviting aquamarine sea. Then past Hove and Brighton which were inundated with tourists decanted from at least 100 coaches parked up the approach roads. Past Rodean School, dominating the cliffs, musing at the possibe conversation surrounding this posh establishment's name “We can't call it Rottingdean, my dear, much too common. Let's call it Rodean”

In the distance I could ow see the white cliffs so often associated with Dover, but stretching up as far as Peacehaven where I stopped at Williamsons Pharmacy to get some athlete's foot powder and had a nice chat with the staff there who were somewhat impressed by my mileage. Good to meet you, Frankii, Ruth and Gamil.

From here the road drops down the the estuary that forms Newhaven, and turns inland up towards Lewes. I realise the route is taking me alongside the river so no major climbs. Before I knew it, I was riding into the beautiful village of Glynde looking for Hannah and Ben's house.

I've known Hannah Goss since arriving in Silsden in 1990 and going round to her house where her mother, Anne, hosted some of the rehearsals for the Carmel Players. I had unwittingly picked up the role of Nanki Pooh in The Mikado back then. Hannah had subsequently worked as an assistant in the Inverness Community and then L'Arche Cork.

Ben and Hannah have a fabulous cottage rented from the Glynde estate, I was soon sitting out in their garden, overlooking The Trevor Arms, with a village cricket match visible in the distance. Not so obvious was the residents' outdoor swimming pool. Within minutes I was plunging into this inviting fresh water pool fed from a spring in the village. Absolute bliss. What a fantastic facility. If that weren't all, the village sports a station with a direct line to Brighton, probably opened to serve the opera house, Glyndebourne, just up the road.

The cottage has an enormous allotment just over the road (and visible from the sitting room window) which Hannah and Ben are enthusiastically cultivating - radishes and lettuce were duly harvested for tonight's salad.

Christine, a good friend of Hannah came over for a barbeque and a memorable evening was spent al fresco in an idyllic setting. It turns out that Christine's mother worked with Therese Vanier when they were both working in Africa! Thanks Ben and Hannah for the great meal, and Christine for the yummy pud.

2008-07-07T01:37:00.000-07:00

Friday 4^th July

Rest Day in Bognor

With no commitments in the morning, I really enjoyed the chance of a lie in. The early morning sun gave promise to a fine day. By the time I went down for breakfast everyone else had left for their day activities in the workshop down town, or in the garden, next door in Jericho.

Part of my task during community visits is to take photos for the UK PR Officer, so it was off out to the garden where Maureen and Cathryn where helping to trim the onions. A variety of crops are looking very healthy in the large polytunnel where the majority of vegetables are grown. Part of the garden team were out collecting some furniture which had been given to the Community. I was able to take a closer look at the impressive new log cabin style Community Room where Louigi putting the finishing touches to the fire-proof cladding.

Then it was off to the workshop to have lunch with Peter, Jeremy, Pammy, Iris, Diane, Derrick, Tomek, Micky ad Ian. Everyone brings their own sandwich prepared normally the night before in their house. It was a chance to open the doors onto the lovely patio outside where one of the artist assistants has painted a fabulous mural of a sun drenched coast line to brighten up the wall of the adjoining property. A chance to meet Leslie and Mary Anne who work in the office, and to get an update on the plans for this evening's gathering.

At 3.00 it was back to Bethany to change into the cycling gear for a picture by the Bognor Observer photographer, and an interview for an article on my ride by their reporter Kevin Smith.

The evening party had been arranged for the Community and local friends to hear about the bike ride, so I told a few anecdotes of my trip so far to the assembled gathering in the garden, under a now threatening sky. A great buffet had been cooked by the Bethany Team under Meghan, the house leader – thanks Meghan, Kristina, James an Marie. It was really good to see friends new and old, including Tom and Roni, Maureen and Ray, and Lois who valiantly took the hat round to collect £110 in donations during the evening. Kathleen O'Gorman, the National Chair of L'Arche who lives nearby in Chichester popped in too. Thanks to all for their contributions.

The rest of the evening was spent chatting and then watching Clockwise with Fred who was falling about with laughter at each turn of the plot which he seemed to know by heart. I haven't laughed so much for a long time – great therapy!

2008-07-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

Thursday 3rd July

Route: Winchester to Bognor
Distance: 44.24 Miles; 1400 so far (I reckon another 300 to go!)
Weather: Early cloud dispersed to give a hot sunny day

Another sound night's sleep. I haven't slept so well these last few weeks for a long time. Thank you, Tessa, for a great stay, and your generous support. I'm really grateful.

I found my way out of Winchester on the right road as instructed but was glad to find the quieter A272 Petersfield Road. The turn off is not as simple for cars which have to go up the the next roundabout and back along the other carriageway. There's a bit of a climb up onto the South Downs but once up, it's a great ride. The weather looked very promising too. For a time there was no traffic, and I stopped and marvelled at a sky lark rising in song, then descending into the ripening wheat field below. Magic. It reminded me of the birdsong Classic FM transmitted before going live. Odd how the sound of a distant lawnmower and a bumble bee are so evocative of summer.

This was a short day compared to others so I stopped again at a McDonalds, this time on the outskirts of Petersfield, to do yesterday's blog. Sorry not to be getting any photos up recently, but they take an age to upload, and my Asus software doesn't allow me to look at picture thumbnails.

Then onto South Harting where I had agreed to meet Tjeerd, Luigi and Peter, assistants at L'Arche Bognor who wanted to ride the last stage with me. A minibus full of Community members arrived at about 2.20 pm as I was finishing my lunch outside the Ship Inn. Time to hear about Fred's broken bone in his foot before leaving the non-cycling party to head off to Petersfield lake for a bit of boating.

I was very glad to hand over the panniers to Geoffrey, as the climb up to Harting Hill was tough, but well worth the effort for the view at the top. Here we asked a man to take a photo of the 4 of us. “You've asked the right person – I'm a professional photographer!” Phil replied. He was covering a cycling event for Cycling Weekly, so he soon had one of my sponsorship form in his hand and offered to send the info to the magazine.

Apart from another less strenuous climb, the route to Chichester was easy riding in fabulous weather – a real joy. A Sustrans cycle path took us around the west of Chichester, through what was a Roman amphitheatre I believe. From here there's a petty good cycle track all the way to Bognor even though alongside the busy A259.

The 20 mile or so ride got us to Bethany, the Bognor house where I was staying at around 4.30 pm. in the garden of the next door house, Jericho, the new Community meeting room was taking shape – a low profile log cabin design which blends remarkably well into its surroundings. It was a couple of years ago when I was last here, discussing the project with Chris and Luigi, so its great to see the tangible fruits of all the planning and fundraising.

I really appreciated having no agenda other than to spend time enjoying everyone's company and conversation over a good meal in the evening. Thanks Sahlee for the cooking!

2008-07-03T04:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 2^nd July

Route: Shrivenham to Winchester
Distance: 53.13 miles; 1,357 so far
Weather: Cloudy, rain early afternoon clearing to give a sunny end to the day

A sound night's sleep. Breakfast with Stella and Graham, with their lovely labrador Barney in attendance. Your kind hospitality and support is much appreciated.

Not far from Shrivenham, I passed some fields shimmering with a delicate purple flowered crop which I hadn't seen before and just had to stop to take a closer look. A car was parked beside the entry to the field, and I hadn't noticed a man crouching on the opposite side of the road looking at a similar field. He was on his way to work and wanted to stop and marvel at the sight as I did, and confirmed it was a field of flax. Thanks for the chat, Ben, and for your pledge of support.

Apart from a reasonable climb up Ashbourne Hill, the terrain was relatively flat beyond crossing the Ridgeway. It soon became apparent this was horse racing country with fields of gently grazing animals and white metal railings. Evidence of serious investment at Weathercock House Stables where a number of jockeys were out for a morning ride beside what looked like a mini-race course in an adjoining field. Beyond Lambourn more fields of beautiful horses, these ones with purple coats, some possibly resting after yesterday's 2.30 at Newbury.

I then took the higher road up Coppington Hill down to Ermin Street, the B4000, which runs alongside the M4 then through Wickham to Newbury. Some lovely properties around here but a shame about the traffic noise which would drive me spare if I had to live with it all day. I had forgotten to ring Mike and Alison, some friends who live at Boxford, but realised they wouldn't be home during the day, so left a message.

Stopped at McDonalds in Newbury to have a coffee and use their WiFi for yesterday's blog. meanwhile it started to pour with rain. In a call to the L'Arche office, Judith informed me that some friends of hers lived on the Andover Road just after the 40 mile/hour sign, if I needed any help in an emergency. When I emerged from my blog spot, I bumped into Martin from Chieveley, a cyclist who showed interest in my ride. Thanks for the chat Martin and and any support you can give.

On the way out on the A343, I looked left at the 40 mph sign and saw a man in the driveway, so thought I'd take a chance and called out “You don't happen to know Judith Ellis do you?” “Yes indeed.” came the reply! This was Judith's friend William who would be seeing her this week-end in Yorkshire.

On to the bottom of Andover Road where William confirmed there was a left turn at the post box which would avoid the busy A34. The road was closed except for access so I took a risk and went along what was a narrow lane leading to some major construction works. Here I came up against a barrier fence on either side of a 3 foot trench for a new sewer. A friendly contractor came over to move the barrier and let me through. Thanks, Liam, for your help and for any support you can get from the Murphy contractor's office. Galway is a beautiful county!

I had rung Tessa Till earlier to find that she would be at Tessa Feilden's this evening so we would be able to meet up after all. So after stopping at the Caernarvon Hotel and Restaurant to get more sponsorship, I decided to risk a stretch of the A34 between White Hill and the old Newbury Road further on, to save a bit of time. A bad mistake. Huge trucks and lorries seemed to suck me into their path from the narrow section of tarmac the other side of the nearside white line. Fortunately, the dicing with death didn't last long. It was only when I arrived in Whitchurch that I realised I had parted company with my wallet. Panic. Where had I lost it? I called in at the local printers after 118111 was decidedly unhelpful in getting a number for the Caernarvon. Jo and Paul were really kind in helping to find their number when my mobile rang and Judith said that the Hotel had rung to say they had found the wallet.

I needed transport back there. Into the paper shop across the road for the number of a local taxi firm. As I explained my plight and asked if I could leave my panniers in their safe keeping, a man in the shop came up and said he would run me up in his car, and suggested I chain the bike to a stand outside and brought my panniers with me. Thanks to another example of extraordinary generosity, I was back in Whitechurch 20 minutes later with the recovered wallet. Martyn, you are a star, and I wish you well in your search. Thanks, too, to Joanna at the Caernarvon for taking the trouble to ring the office.

As I was preparing to leave Whitchurch, Another cyclist appeared and asked me about my ride, attracted by the advertising panels on the panniers. Jonanthan turned out to be a keen cyclist judging by his trip tomorrow to do the Marmot over the Alps, a 120 mile circuit on a racing bike. He joined me as far as Lower Mill, giving me a chance to explain a bit more about L'Arche. Jonathan cycles to and from work as a barrister in London throughout the year. Great to meet you, and good luck with the alpine challenge!

This is a beautiful area with trout farms taking advantage of the river complex, and more than one picturesque thatched cottage, and another with herringbone pattern brick. The narrow lanes avoided the A34 and A303 intersection a Tidbury Common, taking me through Barton Stacey and Sutton Manor. I was nearly home when I reached the B3420. Time for the SatNav which I decided to give another chance to redeem itself. I can hear it saying in defence after yesterday's fiasco “Well, you did program me to avoid major roads, and I thought the A40 to Oxford was a touch busy for you” But I must give it credit for guiding me through a maze of Winchester's one way streets to get me to my destination by about 6.20.

Here the two Tessa's gave me a hearty welcome and I was soon enjoying a delicious dinner with them both before Tessa Till returned to Petworth.

2008-07-02T04:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 1^st July

Route: Tewkesbury to Shrivenham
Distance: 55.89; 1303 miles so far
Weather: Hot sun, little cloud, then gathering storm clouds in afternoon

Staying with Marion and Tim Hollis hsa been particularly important in my journey, as I succeeded both on their retirement as Company Secretary and General Secretary respectively. Our friendship goes back to those early days at London Road in Beccles in 1989 where they introduced me to L'Arche. Thanks for everything- the welcoming reception, the great stay and for collecting the many contributions from fellow parishioners - much appreciated. Thanks too to Arthur for delivering with amazing speed prints of the photos at Twyning Church.

I left rather later than planned, due to posting yesterday's blog, and called at Bikes and Bits in Tewskbury for some air for the tyres. Then out of town towards the Cotswolds - a lovely run in hot sun. This could be a scorcher of a day with streaks of high cloud casting curious patterns in the sky.

A steady but manageable climb up to Ford where I spotted an opportunity for collecting sponsorship and refuelling. A crowd of people arrived whilst I was there, perhaps attracted by the tempting advert outside "freshly cooked asparagus". It was worth the stop.

I then headed what I thought was southwards, but I had missed a crucial turning at Ford (no, I had had a pint of iced water not beer) and was oblivious to my error as I headed south east towards Stow in the Wold. Then I thought I'd picked up some twig on the back wheel which seemed to be rubbing against the tyre, but on closer examination I realised I had broken another spoke. It didn't help having no mobile reception, but a hundred yards along the road a sign told me I was only one mile from Stow. So I nursed the bike along the remaining stretch, and came across the police station as I entered the village.

Dave and Alison, the duty Officers, couldn't have been more helpful. Dave checked if the 55 bus to Cirencester would take a bike in an emergency - they could but one had left 5 mins ago and the next one would not come for an hour or so. Meantime, it was a case of finding a bike shop in the area. I realised from ringing round that I should carry some spare spokes, as not every cycle shop, as I found out, carries those for touring bikes. The bike shop in Bourton on the Water seemed to have closed with a number unobtainable tone.

Eventully I got through to Roylan Cycles, Cheltenham, who confirmed they had spokes and would be prepared to do what they could to help this afternoon.

Then it was a question of finding transport to Cheltenham. Enter Keith of K-Cars, Bourton on the Water. A call by Alison found that he was available and could do the trip for £35, so I asked him to come and pick me up asking if we could discuss the fare, explaining I was doing a charity sponsored ride.

Waiting for him in the square, I came across more potential sponsors on their way to tea at one of the quaint village tea shops splilling out onto the pavements to take advantage of the wonderful weather.

Keith duly arrived and generously agreed to take me to Cheltenham for £10, the cost of his diesel. Thanks a million, Keith. So at around 3.35 I was pushing the potato crisp shaped back wheel along Suffolk Parade, to Roylans Cycles.

Here Bob sprung into action, and with amazing speed had the spoke replaced and the wheel trued within 15 minutes, recommending I took some spare spokes with me. I'm deeply grateful for the efficient and very modest cost of the repair, Bob. Thanks to you and Matthew - great service.

After reflecting on the time I had lost I decided to see if I could make up ground by getting the train somewhere, and discovered there was one to Kemble which would allow me to cover another 25 miles or so before I got to Shrivenham. I had earlier rung my host for the evening to say I would be arriving around 6.30. So I got the 4.31 train from Cheltenham Spa and was told to put the bike in the bike compartment at the front of the train, near the engine. Nice space with cycle racks for about 5 bikes.

Relieved to be on my way, I reflected on my good fortune in being able to recover from the potential disaster of not finding a place to repair the wheel. This is the time of year when cycle shop mechanics are up to their eyes with repairs.

There was then an announcement which I didn't realise the significance of until it was repeated. "Will passengers alighting at Kemble please proceed to the back few carriages, due to a short platform." (or words to that effect)."Anyone with a bicycle should report to the train manager at the back of the train." I should say at this point that in Gloucester, the train changes direction, so my bike and I were in a coach which would not be near the platform at Kemble. The train manager apologised and asked me to move the bike forward 3 coaches. He generously offered to carry the panniers, but the width of gangways in trains is not designed for a touring bike, as the arm rests need to be down for the handle bars to get through. Well, what a joke! With the help of other passengers pulling the arm rests down, I eventually got to the prescribed carriage, and left the train suggesting that a simple notice in the Guards van might solve the problem for future cyclists.

I now had to get myself to Shrivenham with limited maps, but saw a route through South Cerney Water Park where I used to sail in my 20s when living in Castle Combe. It's fairly flat around these parts, but I had to cross the busy dual carriageway from Cirencester to Swindon at one point and follow it to Cricklade where it seemed there was a pretty clear route north of Swindon to Shrivenham.

I decided that the SatNav would come into its own here and it seemed to be pointing me in the right direction until one point where it took me north rather than east. To cut a long story short, I was taken round the Swindon northern ring road and then along a country road which seemed to be far from the Oxford Road I was hoping to take.

At around 7.40 pm I was relieved to arrive at Graham and Stella Tidmarch's who gave me a warm welcome after a pretty eventful day. I was aware that they had planned a barbeque so after a quick shower joined them for a wonderful meal, Graham is a Methodist Minister with a part time chaplaincy at the nearby Military Academy, as well as other pastoral responsibilities locally. Both he and Stella are active in many projects including an educational one in Africa. It's a real priviledge to be welcomed as a stranger and made to feel so welcome. Many thanks Graham and Stella.

2008-07-01T01:21:00.000-07:00

Monday 30th June

Route: Brecon to Tewkesbury
Mileage: 79.27 miles; 1247 miles so far
Weather: Cloudy start, then broken cloud and bright sun, gentle breeze

Steve was up for his bath early as Monday was his day in the candle workshop. Robin was getting ready for his ride with Hugh and myself along the canal, and as I left Gareth was enjoying his turn for a soak in the bath. Agnieszska called in to say good-bye on the way to the office as we were having breakfast, and Agna insisted on preparing me a sandwich for the journey.

I'd looked at the map with Hilary in Liverpool, and been told there was a good cycle route skirting Abergavenny towards Monmouth, then following the River Wye up to Symonds Yat, It would take the day's journey to nearly 80 miles but should be an easier route if the weather holds.

Raimonda's CD of Zimbabwe photos needed copying onto my SD card, and other photos taken along the route needed transferring to an SD card for David Winpenny, the L'Arche PR Officer. Over the week-end, Rov, one of the assistants who taught computing before coming to L'Arche, helpfully sorted out the problem I was having with my Asus Eeee laptop whereby it wouldn't allow me to read from an external SD card. Many thanks Rov,

At 9.15 am, Rob, Hugh and I set off along the track along the back of Christ College which takes us a quieter way to the Llanfaes bridge over the Usk. Here we joined the river path for a short distance before reaching the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal, after stopping for the odd photo, and to ask various passers by for sponsorship, including a couple of friendly cyclists. I had to leave Rob and Hugh at 10.00 so they could continue at a more gentle pace, and pressed on towards Talybont and Llangynidr. This is a delightful ride, through glades of arching trees, past pretty cottage gardens and mirror -like reflections of quaint stone bridges in the still canal water.

Across the valley, the River Usk was winding its way past the Gliffaes Hotel where I had stayed for 3 months in 1977 in my engineering days whilst commissioning a tin plate line for British Steel in Ebbw Vale. Sadly, the steel works is now but a memory, having been razed to the ground.

At one point the canal path takes to the adjoining minor road which continued into Crickhowell and on to Gilwern where I met Steve Rogers on his bike. Thanks for your interest in L'Arche and for mentioning it to the School.

A new road to Abergavenny has recently been opened and I took this down to where the roundabout complex leads onto the A40, or the B4598 which I was to take. This is Sustrans route 31 which weaves its way along the busy dual carriageway through lazy villages like Great Oak and Bryngwyn. Looking back, the now sun drenched Brecon Beacons were starting to recede from view, and past Raglan, the road stretched out over rolling countyside towards Monmouth, past Michel Troy. I popped into a Caravan Club site near here to enquire about cycle paths, but got the impression from the owner that cycling routes weren't his primary interest.

So a visit to WHSmiths in Monmouth was called for, and I was soon the owner of a splendid Explorer map of the area. I went down to an area of allotments to have lunch and was put on the right track by a local resident who knew exactly how to get on to the recently opened Hadnock Road across the Wye Bridge. This winds its way round the Wye up to Symonds Yat where the river does an amazing loop, then heads north towards Goodrich. Some lovely looking pubs and hotels along here and a campsite obviously popular for canoeists, many of whom had taken to the river in the warm afternoon sun.

The road to Ross on Wye is relatively flat, and so I was soon heading west towards Newent over Crow Hill where I was surprised to see fields of vines stretching their symmetrical rows across the contours of the hill. A few hills and dips, but nothing like those on Saturday. With Newent behind me, the computer clocked up 70 miles and I was soon crossing the bridge in Tewkesbury at Upper Load and heading north along the A38 to Shuthonger. There in the distance was Tim Hollis on his Chopper bike waiting to greet me on the main road! A car drew up and Carolyn Methven, who was ordained priest on Saturday, greeted me before rushing off to a meeting. We then cycled up to the Church of Mary Magdalene, Twyning, passing the vicar on the way, to be greeted by Arthur and Madge Storey, originally from Giggleswick, and Godfrey and Pam Page, representing the parish which had generously contributed to the Zimbabwe appeal.

It had been my longest day with 79 miles covered, but a delightful journey though wonderful countryside. A glass of Pimms, a hot bath, and a delicious meal, before Marion arrived from a L'Arche Brecon Committee meeting, and conversation continued until bed beckoned.

2008-06-29T15:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday 28th June

Route: Bucknell near Knighton to Brecon
Mileage: 46.47 miles; 1168 miles so far; 332 miles to go (this seems low!)
Weather: Cloudy and strong head wind

Couldn't refuse the offer of a cooked breakfast, and by the time I left the Clare's it was around 9.15. Thanks for a wonderful stay and the book of your paintings, Peter. I'm also gratefu for your offer to drum up some sponsorship with your parish friends.

The road from Knighton involved a hard pull south out of town and the innocence of the next few miles fooled me into thinking this was going to be a doddle of a day. The wind, however, was quite strong and seemed always to be against me. The the hills and descents kept coming, incessantly so it seemed, and I realised I was far too optimistic in telljng Agnieszka, the Brecon Community Leader, that I could get there by 1.00 pm in time for their stall at St Jospeh's Church fete. This was tough riding and somehow much more difficult than Shap. The hill before Erwood looked impossible and when changing down to Granny gear the chain fell off, and I lost momentum so had to walk up the hill. Two cyclists, Jane and Rob from Erwood, caught me up and told me of the cycle path alongside the A470 which I decided to take rather than the direct route over yet more hills. When we got to the bottom of this steep descent into Erwood, I noticed the front tyre was devoid of air and realised I had my first puncture of the trip. Not bad considering. No sign of anything piercing the outer tyre, so perhaps it was just rubber fatigue. 15 minutes later I as on my way again and starting to feel the effects of the day, though glad to have taken the decision to change my route. It was about 3.30 when I entered Brecon and couldn't resist a stop off at the chip shop for what was a very late lunch, a text from Agnieszka having told me that there was no hurry as the fete was over.

I was mighty glad to get to Glasfryn, the L'Arche Brecon house in Llanfaes, where I was given a really warm welcome by the team there. Thanks, folks! It felt as if I'd been 70 miles not 46, but it's not surpising with the terrain and wind against me. Probably the toughest day's ride so far.

2008-06-29T15:48:00.000-07:00

Friday 27^th June

Route: Wem to Knighton
Mileage: 50.25 miles; 1122 miles so far; 378 miles to go
Weather: Bright start, drizzle in afternoon

Kathy and Georgina were leaving this morning for the pre-wedding hen party, so Kathy was multi-tasking as she sorted breakfast out for me, while getting ready for the week-end away and dealing with the laundry. The other members of the outing turned up in matching T shirts, and were clearly ready for an adventurous couple of days and a lot of fun with the bride to be. I hope the sun shines on the wedding party on 12^th July and that it's a day to remember for you all.

The weather looked promising as I headed off to Shrewsbury, at Phil's suggestion, to have the brakes looked at. It was an interesting place to visit, and I soon found David Mellor cycles who confirmed the blocks had plenty of wear left, even if they look quite thin. Thanks for your help, David, and for adjusting the brake and gear lever which had got bashed when I fell off the bike on Wednesday thanks to a pothole.

I was advised to take the Hope Valley route on the A488 and am glad I did, as this part of England is a hidden gem of rolling countryside Thanks to Derek of the Horseshoes Inn in Pontesbury (where there's an unusual one-way system around the parish church) for the complementary coffee. Further along the route I met Paul from Newport on his bike who warned me of some cows ahead on the road. Hope you made it back home OK!

Had I stuck to my originally planned route I would also have missed Bishop's Castle, a fascinating place perched on a hill which seems definitely worth a re-visit. Here I found a WiFi cafe in the form of the Happy Bap, run by Steve 'Whitting' who was closing early to go down to Glastonbury. I appreciated the chat, Steve, the sausage roll, and your kind sponsorship. Hope you didn't get too wet! As I left Bishop's Castle, the persistent drizzle seemed set in for the rest of the afternoon.

It was a bit of climb to Clun where I was caught up by Mike Plunkett from Bishop's Castle who was out on an afternoon bike ride. I joined him for a coffee at the Maltings, having tried the riverside cafe which was closed. It was here that we met Sue Dowell who happens to have been an active member of Pax Christi for some time, and who knew of L'Arche. Thanks for whatever help you can give to promoting my ride, Sue. Chatting to Mike, I discovered he had been Vicar of Speke where I had visited a couple of days ago, and he was clearly still active in the area setting up youth projects. He suggested I went round the hill to Knighton rather than over it which I was very happy to do, and we parted company at Purslow.

Again, I had written to the Parish Priest in Knighton to find accommodation, and had been put in touch with Carole and Peter Clare who live at Bucknell which was on the west side of Knighton and on the road I would be taking into the town. It was about 6.00 pm when I arrived at the Clare's house, in an attractive hamlet just round the corner from the Baron of Beef pub.

I was made very welcome and after a reviving bath soon sitting down to an excellent dinner cooked by Peter who is also an accomplished artist with a number of exhibitions to his name. I was amazed to discover that Clare had met Marion Hollis, from whom I took over as L'Arche Company Secretary, at a Llas Fasi workshop for Ignatian spiritual direction, and that she and Peter had been their guests when they had an exhibition at Norwich Cathedral when the Hollis family lived in Beccles. It was fascinating to share stories with Carole and Peter who had met Jean Vanier in Sligo in the 90s. They now work together giving retreats, Clare with her background of counselling and spiritual direction skills, and Peter providing the visual images for reflection and meditation.

2008-06-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

Thursday 26h June

Route: Manchester to Wem
Mileage: 63.26 miles; 1072 miles so far; 438 miles to go
Weather: Cloudy start, heavy rain all afternoon

The Coogan family was well into gear by the time I got up: Milly, 10, Maddy, 8, and Jamie, 5, preparing for school, Heather getting ready for a trip to Scotland in her new role as Regional Co-ordinator for L'Arche, and Kevin organising help that evening to cover his meeting in Preston. It was really good to have a chance to catch up - thanks for all your support and hospitality.

The road was quite straight forward, though you are right, Kevin, about the junction in Wythenshaw which I sailed past! After getting somewhat confused I realised I had to back track. Eventually I got onto the right road and headed down towards Holmes Chapel where I had arranged to meet an old friend, Rob Taylerson. I had been slightly ambitious about the timescale and didn't get to Rob until nearly 11.00, the head wind not helping.

It was great to meet up with Rob again as we had studied together in Rome some 20 years ago. Given the delay, we agreed to rendezvous at Middlewich, closer to my original route, which then continued to Nantwich. We ended up at Acton where we stopped for lunch at the Star pub. Having had an operation on one knee within the last couple of years, Rob decided wisely that it had done enough work for the day. A marathon cyclist in his younger days, he had done the 3,000 mile coast to coast in the States, and a number of other long distance routes. Many thanks for your company, Rob, and for your sponsorship.

The rain from this point seemed to get heavier as the afternoon progressed. Memories of the road from Oban, but this time no difficult uphill climbs, though the beauty of these parts was rather lost on me as I battled against a head wind in the driving rain. Wem couldn't come quickly enough and I programmed the SatNav. I had rung Bishop Brian Noble, whom I knew from Rome days, to see if he could help find me somewhere to stay in the area, and he had rung to say the Martin family in Burlton had kindly offered accommodation. I hadn't done my homework sufficiently, as Burlton is another 5 miles or so beyond Wem, and the SatNav took me on the minor roads which were by this time awash.

I rang my hosts and spoke to Phil who offered to come and collect me but I said the SatNav would get me there. Grit had got into the brakes, water had penetrated my shoes and then the SatNav battery packed up leaving me at an unmarked junction wondering which way to turn. As if by a miracle, Phil turned up in his car, and I realised I needed to graciously accept his offer to give me and the bike a lift.

Bill and Elsie Martin and their daughter, Kathy and husband Phil could not have been kinder. I was soon upstairs in their guest suite having a quick hot shower, as they had held dinner for my arrival. Kathy furnished me with a glass of red wine whilst she made the finishing touches to the meal, and I chatted with Elsie and Bill in their sitting room. Phil then appeared, himself a keen cyclist, having cleaned my brakes of the dirt and grit. We sat down in their farmhouse kitchen with Kathy's daughter, Georgina, and husband to be, Oliver, whose wedding was only 2 weeks away. Great food and stimulating conversation helped make the atrocious weather seem a just a bad dream.

2008-06-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 25th June

Route: Liverpool to Manchester
Mileage: 48.67 miles; 1008 miles so far; 492 miles to go
Weather: Cloudy start developing into a sunny afternoon with broken cloud

I'd agreed to meet Raimonda so went along to The Ark at around 9.20 for our meeting when she gave me a detailed description of her life as an assistant in Zimbabwe which would be useful for any talks along the way. Thanks for your time, Raimonda and for the photos you offered to send.

Time to catch up with my blogs which are getting behind, then Kevin Coogan arrived. As well as being a key member of the L'Arche Manchester Project, Kevin is a local Committee member of L'Arche Preston, which happened to be officially opened by his brother Steve of radio/TV/film fame. Kevin offered to ride with me from Liverpool to Manchester, and Hilary too wanted to travel part of the way on her borrowed electric bike, hers being in for repair.

As we set off the weather didn't look too promising but at least it was dry. We hit the Trans Pennine Way cycle path just off the East Prescott Road and sailed, oblivious of surrounding houses, through Childwall, Gateacre and Wolton to emerge from the disused railway line route near Speke. Here we spotted St Ambrose Catholic Primary School so popped in to see if they would sponsor my ride. Thanks Jo for offering to take my request to the Mr Buckley, the Headteacher, and for your warm and friendly welcome.

We then passed the back of Hailwood car factory where all the Jaguars are built and through the Speke Boulevard underpass towards Hale village. Hilary recommended we looked at the Church here but unfortunately it was closed. Instead we called on Janice Collier, the local Vicar, who had welcomed a group from the Liverpool Community few weeks before on a walk from Manchester along the same route. Thank you Janice for agreeing to publicise the request for sponsors, and for showing an interest in making more formal links between your parish and L'Arche Liverpool.

We met Brian Powell on his bike, training for a charity event before parting company with Hilary beyond the Runcorn Bridge. There was then a zig-zag path which took us up a level with great views of the Mersey estuary and clearing skies from the west. Kevin and I decided to take what looked like a promising turning towards the River Mersey, but ended up at a golf driving range and had to double back. Eventually we got through a hairy stretch of busy roads to get from Sankey Bridge to Stockton Heath where the trail hugs the Manchester Ship Canal for a stretch before peeling off south through Thelwell and Lymm.

After stopping at Kevin's in-laws' house near Oughtrington, a member of the Manchester Group, John Marechal, a young 78, met up with us near Warburton. He seemed to take it all in his stride - a great inspiration! The path up to Didsbury soon swings north and, although rough in places, kept us away from traffic and now basking in the late afternoon sun. Soon we were wheeling into Emmanuel Church Hall grounds where a reception party awaited along with a professional photographer who got Kevin, John and myself to ride up one of the neighbouring roads for some shots for the local newspaper. Thanks John for giving us your time and skill and your efforts to get the shots published.

Some of the children had prepared a fabulous banner, and members of the Manchester Project Group gathering for the advertised 'Hot Dogs, Warm Welcome and Cold Beer'. It was great to see many familiar faces and have a chance to say a few words about the trip so far, 1000 miles having been clocked up 8 miles down the road.

It was also great to hear about Andrea's Ben Nevis challenge which had taken place the day I left Silsden. She had been inspired to do it as a result of a talk in her church by Stephen, a member of the Project Group. Thanks so much to Naomi and Johanna for preparing the food, and to Heather and Wendy, Rebecca and Kevin, for organising the reception and young Jamie for his hand in the painting the poster.

It was then back to Heather and Kevin's house in Withington for a refreshing shower, and a relaxing chat over an excellent steak dinner, whilst the washing machine gently rocked my sweaty clothes clean – well, those I wasn't wearing.

The Coogan's attic has been made into a wonderful self-contained bed-sit which was my abode for a very sound night's sleep.

2008-06-29T02:18:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 24th June

Route: Preston to Liverpool
Mileage: 46.54 miles 924 miles so far; 576 miles to go
Weather: Sunny, broken cloud

I came down as a few of the core members were leaving for their day activities and had breakfast with others. It was Almaz' leaving party tonight - a pity I couldn't stay for it.

The nature of L'Arche means that assistant recruitment is is always a priority to provide the high level of support to the core members. Each year, L'Arche welcomes a number of summer assistants for the holiday period, but otherwise relies on people to commit themselves usually for a minimum of 12 months. Previous experience in the care field or of supporting people with learning disabilities is not necessary, as training is given, but a commitment to community life and to L'Arche's values is required. I'm aware that this is the time of year when exam results are coming in and young people are making decisions about their future and a possible gap year, so hope that some will consider L'Arche. It's great that students have the opportunity for a gap year – in my day it would have been considered definitely career limiting – as I have seen assistants grow in confidence and develop invaluable life skills whilst in L'Arche. Some have come for a year and stayed for many more.

After 2 days' break, it was time to hit the road at about 9.00 am. I had hoped to visit my mother's family home in Mawdesley, near Ormskirk, where my cousin David lives, but he and Angela Finch had arranged to go to see my aunt Margy in Maghull where I was due to have lunch. Again, the route to Liverpool was going through familiar territory. My dad was born in Burscough where, until bulldozed by Tesco for a new store, Peet's Mill had stood near the canal. My great grandfather had built it in the mid 1800s. to run his business supplying provisions to the railway workers who were carving the new line north. Records also show he was the first sub-postmaster of the area - a business a little more secure then than it is today.

I decided to take the direct route down the A6 alongside which there are stretches of good cycle track. It's really flat around these parts, with wide horizons to the west across fertile fields of soft fruit and vegetables, and the odd farm shop selling fresh produce along the route. Southport and Formby aren't far away, as signposts confirm. To the east Parbold Hill comes into sight, and a turn off to Rufford and other villages my mother would have walked or cycled to in her youth.

I got to Maghull by 11.20 in bright sunshine. It was good to see David and Angela who had dropped by with some vegetables for my Aunt Margy who had prepared a lovely lunch - many thanks for this. She is still remarkably active at 92, and still takes a keen interest in her garden, so it gave me a chance to inspect the progress of her tomatoes, beans and potatoes in the vegetable patch. Her only remaining sister, Carmella, had recently died in Montreal, so it was important to spend some time chatting and reading the accounts of how the memorial service had gone. I set off at around 2.00 for L'Arche Liverpool where I was due to arrive by 3.30.

The route from Maghull took me along the Leeds Liverpool canal. I think I came off the route a little early but the SatNav guided me successfully through unfamiliar Walton onto the ring road from where I knew my way into Liverpool along the Prescott Road through Old Swan.

Swinging into Lockerby Road, I was unaware of the gathering awaiting me at The Ark, the Community's recently refurbushed office and workshop complex. Balloons, banners, and a bottle of Bucks Fizz shaken in champion style by Paul Sargent, made it a very special welcome. It was just so good to see many familiar faces in the impressive new horticultural area. After a shower, it was time for the Agape which is the opportunity for the whole community to gather, hear the latest news and pray together before a big meal. It gave me the chance of telling people about my trip and sharing a few anecdotes of the journey so far.

For the meal, it was a case of sitting anywhere at the table, and I was amazed to find that I was next to Raimonda, a Lithuanian assistant who had recently returned from Zimbabwe, whom Jane Salmonson had suggested I contact for first hand knowledge of the Harare Community. So it was really useful to hear Raimonda's experience of the L'Arche Community there. I arranged to have some more time with her in the morning before I left.

Then it was time to go back to Tabor, the house of prayer and rest, where I was staying. The other guest there was Gerbhaardt from ICE, a Christian Agency in Germany, which places young people with L'Arche. Hilary Wilson came round and had a chat - we had last met last June at Tymwar when she was helping to lead a retreat and I was doing the cooking. She is also a keen cyclist so was interested to hear and see more of my journey. Hilary's written a really good summary of L'Arche in the book "My Life Together", published by DLT

I first came to Tabor in 1990, when I think I met Peter Tyler for the first time, and realised what an important resource it is for the Community – a place where assistants can crash out from their daily routine, find space to relax, and use the beautiful prayer room where the Eucharist is celebrated from time to time. A lot of effort has been put into fundraising for the refurbishment of Tabor, and it's lovely to see the fruits of all the hard work. It's a really warm and welcoming house. Thank you Martin for making it such a relaxing place to stay.

2008-06-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Monday 23^rd June

A day in Silsden

I had arranged with Aire Valley cycles to take the bike in this morning for a short service so get there by about 9.30 a.m. by flying up to Steeton top and through Utley like I was in the Tour de France....or so it seemed without any panniers. Many thanks to Alistair and Bernie for doing the work free of charge.

Otherwise a busy day which included a couple of hours in the afternoon with Ruth's help weeding the allotment. Thanks to fellow allotment holders John and Melvyn's watering in my absence, the tomato plants and other polytunnel produce were doing well, though the slugs had demolished the runner beans outside. Will the two that are left survive, I wonder!?

By 8.50 pm, Ruth had dropped me and the bike back at L'Arche Preston. I'm really grateful for all your help, Ruth.

Sunday 22nd June

A day at L'Arche Preston a.m./Home in Silsden p.m.

Maggy had arranged with Nick Mansfield, the vicar of, St Leonard's Anglican Church, Penwortham, for me to give the homily at the 10.00 a.m. Communion service. The curate John Scott was taking the service in Nick's absence, and gave me and the L'Arche contingent a very warm welcome. The service was well supported by a choir and energetic organist who for one hymn changed to the electronic keyboard and synthasiser much to the delight of core member Jenny who couldn't help but exclaim in a loud voice“well done” at the end. Like many core members, she isn't afraid of expressing what we others think. Many thanks to Nick and John for agreeing to support my fundraising with a retiring collection this week and next, and to the parishioners for any support they give.

It was then back to the house where Michael, a friend of the Community and part-time assistant, had prepared a fabulous roast lunch, before being collected by Ruth Yeoman who kindly took me and my bike to Silsden for a planned day at home.

Saturday 21st June

Route: Kendal to Preston
Mileage: 46.54 miles 924 miles so far; 576 miles to go
Weather: Cloudy but fine to Torrishome, then rain to Preston

After a very comfortable stay at the Presbytery, for which many thanks Chris, I headed off to find the road to Lancaster. I was due to stop for lunch at my cousin's in Torrisholme near Morecambe. After an initial busy stretch of dual carriageway down the A591 and then A590, the turn off to the A6 took me through familiar territory, though I had always covered this stretch by car.

The sign to Heversham evoked memories of family gatherings at the Blue Bell, and lunches of Morecambe Bay potted shrimps. Dad had been educated at Heversham Grammar School just up the lane before he embarked on his mining engineering studies. Then on through Carnforth where the train from Edinburgh used to stop and where Aunt Alice who lived down the road in Bolton le Sands would be waiting to hand over hampers of food and other goodies to sustain us on the last stage of our steam train journey to Liverpool. Another Aunt, Mildred, lived in Arnside overlooking the estuary where the tidal boar was eagerly watched through black metal binoculars from her first floor window. Tales of treacherous quicksands; treading for flat fish; playing cards on dreary days ....

Not much traffic on the road today. As I passed all these places, or signs to them, I felt strangely at home with so many strong ancestral connections. It's gentle countryside round here and at one point in the road the distant sight of Morecambe Bay evoked that imagined whiff of estuary ozone. The bikes gear chain has started squeaking – is it the pedals, the crankshaft, the derailler or just my imagination? Paranoia setting in ...

Clouds are starting to get darker – an ominous sign. A right turn before entering Lancaster took me the back way to Torrisholme and I'm rolling up to my cousin's house before 11.00, ahead of schedule. It was great to see Midge, Stuart, and sons Scott and Andrew who had laid on a great spread for lunch. No sooner had I arrived but the heavens opened. Stuart went along to Bare Lane station to meet Gerard Isbeque, a friend from my home parish who had offered to cycle with me today. Gerard is no newcomer to cycling, with a few End to Ends under his belt. He has now retired from a fascinating career in the wool trade which Midge's brother John has been involved with since emigrating to Australia 40 years ago. So it was interesting to hear his tales over a delicious lunch – Thanks Midge.

At 2.00ish it was time to tear ourselves away and head into the rain. Once through Lancaster, there's a quiet road to Cockerham, past Glasson, which would have been delightful in the sun, but nonetheless still attractive in the wet. More sharing stories with Gerard, though difficult at times to ride side by side.

The road then joins the A6 at Garstang, and I thought of Jean Andrews who lives here as we sailed through the town. She was the first Chair of the L'Arche Preston Local Committee with whom I worked closely in the early days. Hope you're enjoying retirement, Jean!

The traffic got busier as we approached Preston, but we arrived around 4.15 in time for a warming cup of tea with members of the house. Then for Gerard, a mandatory tour of the house from Jenny with her engaging manner. Thanks so much for your company, Gerard, and I'm glad you caught the train back to Colne, from where, like a true cyclist, you were going to ride back home.

Again the focus of the evening was the shared meal around the beautifully hand crafted dining table which could probably sit 16 at a push. Apart from Ems, who was spending the week-end away, Martin, Tim, Jenny, Ellie and Chris were all around, along with Almaz, Elena, Tom, Andy and Livingstone. Elena had prepared the meal with the help of Maggie who has been involved as a live out assistant since the house opened.

A relaxing evening, then an hour to prepare for the sermon I was giving at St Leonard's, Penwortham the next day.

Friday 20th June

Route: Lockerbie to Kendal
Mileage: 74.7 miles 877 miles so far; 623 miles to go
Weather: Broken cloud, blue sky, light wind

Despite being at the budget end of the hotel spectrum, The Blue Bell was adequate for my needs. After a continental breakfast supplied on a tray the night before. I was on the road again by 9.00 am facing the longest ride in the itinerary so far.

The route took me through rural villages, names like Ecclefechan where I met Eddie and young Thomas who gave me directions – thanks for your support. It wasn't long before I was rolling into Gretna where I stopped at the Old Blacksmith's famous for its weddings. Here I met Regie, a police officer from Newquay who kindly stood me a coffee at the adjoining cafe. He was on his way down from John O'Groats on an End-to-End ride, and had a map similar to the one I should have had, so was able to confirm the route through Longtown, Carlisle and beyond. As I was wheeling my bike through the crowds, a man I had seen in the hotel in Arrochar said hello – the coach party had stopped there on their way home.

I rode with Regie towards Carlisle , stopping at the border for a photo, but lost him before entering the town, and hope he got to his destination OK that night at Shap. Good luck with the rest of the ride, Regie - I hope the back holds out.

A quick diversion to leave some info on the ride with Trinity College and Newman School, and then it was along what seemed like a ring road avoiding the city centre. A few miles out and I found a Premier Inn where Jamie and Amy kindly gave me complementary access to the hotel's WiFi. Many thanks for this and the coffee, Amy. Blog sent, I was on my way again on the A6 at around 1.30 pm.

Cycling through Carlisle reinforced by belief that many local authorities pay lip service to cycle paths, and little attention to the state of the road/path surfaces. That said, the majority of car/lorry/bus drivers have given me reasonable space to avoid the obstacle course of potholes which are just not always evident when you're behind the wheel. As I may have already mentioned, all these cycle paths are going to need a significant investment in maintenance and repair. It might be a salutary experience for someone responsible actually to cycle the routes to see the problems that exist. Good to get that off my chest.

The weather improved as the day progressed, and the lack of major inclines meant that I was likely to be on schedule for a 6.30 arrival in Kendal. At Penrith's Tourist Information, I checked the route and decided to take the direct road over Shap summit rather than the longer route to the east. There are some spectacular views of rolling countryside around these parts, and today the high pressure meant clear views in the distance towards the Lakeland hills. After going through Shap village, which is dominated by the huge quarry and associated belching chimneys, the gradual ascent seemed quite manageable, until the last long pull up to Shap summit. There's a nice memorial there to local people who have provided food and shelter to stranded travellers in bad weather. Not a place to cycle over in winter.

A moment or two to survey the distant scene, and listen to the silence when not invaded by the sound of cars and lorries. The descent was one of those exhilerating experiences which makes all the pain and toil worth it. Memories of a similar descent in the Picos de Europe in northern Spain. Max speed 36 mph.

I reached the outskirts of Kendal at around 6.30 as planned and was negotiating the one way system, when I was forced into the pavement by a driver who left me no room when cutting a corner. I raced after the car and caught up with it at the next traffic lights, making the driver aware in no uncertain terms of his threat to my life. The first serious incident in over 800 miles.

I soon found my accommodation for the night at the presbytery of the Catholic Church, where I was warmly welcomed by Fr Christopher Loughran, the parish priest, After a long hot bath to recover from the 74 mile trip, I was given a delicious supper and discovered that Chris had studied at the Beda with Jock Dalrymple. What a small world it is.

It was then time to arrange with Gerard Isbeque, a keen cycling friend from Silsden, a rendezvous point for tomorrow's ride through Torrisholme to Preston, my final destination for the first phase of my ride.

2008-06-23T02:34:00.000-07:00

Thursday 19th June

Route: Glasgow to Lockerbie
Mileage: 56.7 miles 803 miles so far; 697 miles to go
Weather: Mainly dry but some heavy showers over Beattock, light wind.

Marion came round and had breakfast with me, Ann leaving for work soon after 8.00 am. As arranged last night, Lawrence Logue kindly called at 8.30 to take me and my bike to a shop in Gibson Street near the University, recommended by Michael McCart and Lawrence's son. We were there by 9.15 only to find that it didn't open till 10.00 pm. So we popped home to Lawrence's nearby flat and I made a few phone calls.

One was to Judith at the L'Arche Silsden office who brought me up to date on the donations received. Thanks to all those who have given either on-line or by returning the sponsor form. I'm sure that many others have the good intention of doing so. It would be great to see more donations coming in. The other call was to Martin Dunlop of the Scottish Catholic Observer to do a telephone interview for an article.

We then returned to the bike shop where proprietor Joe Allan checked the wheel and spotted a broken spoke. He said they were short of mechanics but understood my plight and told me to come back within an hour, So we went back again to Lawrence’s flat and his wife Marie plied us with coffee and biscuits as I sent my blog and discussed Rabbie Burns poem “To a Mouse”

But Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley
An' lae'e us nought but grief and' pain
For promised joy...

Still thou art blest compar'd wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee
But oh! I backward cast my e'e on prospects drear
An' forward tho' I canna see
I guess an' fear!

An apt reminder of the merits of living the present moment and not fretting about the path ahead. When we returned for the bike all was fixed. Thanks so much Joe of Gear Bikes for a great job and a very reasonable price.

It was getting on for 11.45 by the time we left the shop so I agreed to Lawrence's offer to drop me on the south side of Glasgow to make up lost time. This had been planned as one of my longer routes, and I had lost half a day. Thanks so much Lawrence for your kindness and generosity in getting me out of this hole. Good luck with the proof-reading business!

So I started off at Stonehouse and headed south on the B7078. Unfortunately, the maps sent by Silsden ahead of my arrival in Glasgow hadn't arrived, so I had would have to rely on stopping at petrol stations and asking passers by. This, however, would give me an opportunity of inviting sponsorship from strangers.

Passing through Blackwood, I called in at Our Lady and St John's Primary School ad Presbytery to invite sponsorship. Thanks to the receptionist and the Headteacher Mrs Lyons for considering this.

It was then out into the country lanes following closely the M74. Showers threatened but generally it was fine, and signs told me I was following the Sustrans route 74. Some of the surface was annoyingly potted, repeated square holes having been badly infilled, and some very rough surfaces which forced me onto the main carriageway. For quite a long way, though, the track was well surfaced, and separate from the road. Abingdon soon appeared, then Crawford, where Mike Morrison and I stopped on our hitch-hiking holiday to Greece. We had been picked up by an aircraft engineer who was starting to fall asleep at the wheel due to working through the night. He eventually acquiesced to ,my suggestion that he slept and I drove.

From here on, this must have been the old A74 which we travelled as kids from Edinburgh to Liverpool on holidays, stopping at a favourite filling station for Marmite sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, lettuce and crisps, and hot coffee from one of those thermos flasks with a cork stopper. It seemed a huge adventure in those days.

Today it's a great road to travel on by bike, the motorway at a safe distance, pine forests covering the hills ad the comforting sound of the high speed trains occasionally piercing the traffic noise. On to Auchen Castle Hotel, and eventually Beattock Summit where I got a strange kick out of out-pacing a heavily laden goods train struggling up the last incline.

The road through Beattock itself and then towards Lockerbie was relatively flat so quite fast and I was soon entering Lockerbie itself. I decided to stop here, having covered 56 miles since 12.30 pm, and to negotiate a room at a hotel rather than a B&B which would be less able to operate at marginal costing. The first hotel politely referred me to one of two other, and I eventually ended up getting a reasonable deal at the Blue Bell Hotel. Thank you.

And so I was thankful to have been brought safely through the unknown to my destination and reflected again on Rabbie Burns' poem. I also spared a thought for the people of Lockerbie who must still have traumatic memories of that fateful day in 1989.

2008-06-19T04:47:00.001-07:00

Wednesday 18th June

Route: Arrochar, near Loch Lomond, to Glasgow
Mileage: 44.57 746 miles so far; 754 miles to go
Weather: Cloudy to the north but broken cloud to the south, light wind

I'd booked in for the 8.00 am breakfast which turned out to be the full works. It was impressive to see how the 3 coach loads of people were served in 2 sittings. Many of them had spent yesterday on Arran and were heading to Dunoon today.

My start was delayed this morning till 10.00 due to still wet clothes, but thanks to Anna on the front desk everything but my shoes were tumble dried – they would have to get the natural airflow treatment when turning my pedals.

The road from Arrochar (emphasis on the Arr not the o) leads over a small hill to Tarbet where I joined the busy A82. With some relief I found the Sustrans Route 7 which runs alongside this busy road, rather like it does alongside the Perth to Inverness A9. Looking back north, heavy rain clouds loomed, yet the sky ahead looked encouragingly bright with the sun breaking through now and then. Much of the old A82 has been used for the cycle track and the lapping water of Loch Lomond was never far away. I passed a few cyclists coming the other way including Craig Samson from Melbourne and his New Forest friend Terry Mason who stopped to chat. Craig was interested in the bike for a possible end to end attempt.

Further down near Luss I stopped to observe a party of 'silver' paddlers prepare for an intrepid kayak crossing to the island of Inchconnachan where, would you believe it, lives a colony of wallabies – yes wallabies. You learn something new every day. Further down the Loch side, I came to an imposing gated entrance to an estate which turned out to be the Loch Lomond Golf Club where the Scottish Open is being held from 10th - 14th July,

I reached Balloch around 12.15 and spotted a MacDonalds so thought I'd see if the free WiFi was available which it was for the cost of an 89p coke. A quick email check and blog send. Then on to Balloch station the cycle path starts its trail alongside the canal towards Dumbarton. So far so good, but I realised on reaching Dumbarton that I wasn't going to make the 2.00 pm rendezvous at the Glasgow Science Museum with Gerry and Elizabeth Green. So I rang and optimistically suggested I would be 30 – 45 minutes late. Then the cycle path signs disappeared and no-one I spoke to could help me find it. So I headed into Glasgow for a while on a thunderingly busy road until I spotted a roundabout with a minor road leading off it at 3 o'clock. This led onto the cycle track which signs later confirmed was Route 7. I feel a letter coming to Sustrans to suggest that Fred in charge of signing gets on his bike through Dumbarton!

As I innocently glided along this rural path, I must have missed a crucial turning, as I was set on an irrevocable course which was to lead me to Glasgow City - Speirs Wharf to be precise. My only distraction was negotiating two rather large swans guarding the route. I gathered speed as fast as I could on the clinker path and tried to surprise them, but one of the darlings was quick on the uptake and lurched forward, its telescoped neck bringing its beak to within mere inches of my leg. I've heard a swan can break bones if threatened whilst guarding its young.

Little did I know it, but I was too far north. Not knowing where Speirs Wharf was, it was time to switch on the SatNav. Elizabeth and Gerry were being very patient, meantime, and to cut a long story short, I wheeled over the impressive foot bridge which spans the Clyde, at around 4.00 pm, 2 hours late! I think should have bought a Sustrans map...

After a short ride with Gerry and the mandatory photos, we headed off to the University Catholic Chaplaincy where we were due at 5.00 to attend a lecture by philosopher Professor John Haldane who earlier in the day had been awarded an honorary degree. Feeling a little out of place in my lycra shorts and dayglow jacket, I was ushered up to some reserved seats at the front behind Archbishop Conti and Bishop Tartaglia. It was a very thought provoking and challenging lecture on religion and the search for meaning, and faith in contemporary society. Afterwards we were all invited to a buffet banquet, a chance for me to distribute publicity material personally to the assembled gathering and invite them to sponsor the Big Bike Ride. I also met an old friend Vincent Toal who is the editor of the Diocesan newspaper, Flourish, and gave him some details for an article. The photo will be on its way to you this week, Vincent. Also the Scottish Catholic Observer editor, Martin Dunlop, had been briefed by L'Arche PR Officer David Winpenny, so I got a call from him for some detail about the ride so far.

Thanks to Joan and Laurie Keenan for organising my attendance at the lecture, and Lawrence, Marie and Matthew Logue for arranging the sponsor forms.

I was then driven over to Rutherglen by Gerry and Elizabeth to my accommodation with Ann
McCart, Dierdre Blagbrough's sister where her other sister Marion, previously of L'Arche Kent, was waiting to welcome me. Thanks so much for your help, Gerry and Elizabeth – sorry you had such a long wait.

When I parked the bike, It was clear the back wheel was out of true, so we did some research on possible bike shops to call at in the morning. A long day ahead and again accommodation plans had fallen through, so it was going to be one of those journeys into the unknown.

2008-06-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 17th June

Route: Oban to Arrochar, near Loch Lomond
Mileage: 63.38 701 miles so far; 799 miles to go
Weather: Cloudy and showers in Oban, then wind and persistent rain for the rest of the day

Knowing my planned route for the day, Joe, the Duty Manager, kindly gave me a complementary breakfast which I consumed in the company of a German couple, and a Spanish group, and two women from The Wirral. My Thai friend was already up, seemingly cooking what seemed like another Thai banquet for breakfast.

Another cyclist shared my room. His machine was a recumbant type which looked like it would need quite a bit of getting used to, but he told me it was better in windy conditions, I guess because of the lower profile. I think I'd feel more vulnerable.

After packing up, I called into Catherdral House and spoke with Monica who kindly agreed to ask the Canon to display the poster recruiting L'Arche Assistants, and to mention the Big Bike Ride appeal in the Newsletter. I had visited the Cathedral last night and pleasantly surprised to find it open to visitors during the day.

My next task for the morning was to check with the sorting office if the pannier hooks had arrived which they had, and to send the blog for uploading. Thanks to the receptionist at the Caledonian Hotel for allowing me to use their WiFi.

As I headed back along the Esplanade, I passed the Oban Times Museum and was told the new office was near the supermarket. I half hesitated then decided to make the effort and so spoke to reporter Euan who seemed interested to run a story on the Big Bike Ride, and take a photo of me. If it gets more sponsorship, it will have been a fruitful diversion – if not at least it will help announce L'Arche.

The rain then started to fall as I headed north along the coast road. This was a route I wasn't going to enjoy, with heavy traffic, a poor road surface which in places felt like going over an off-road track and wind that seemed to be driving the rain in my face. After passing a field fullof deer, I passed Connell where Oban Airport opened yesterday and round to Loch Awe for a coffee stop. Thanks to Wendy here, I was discouraged from continuing along this road, which was also a Sustrans cycle route, and persuaded to turn at the end of Loch Awe, past the Cruachan Hydro Scheme, right down the quieter A819. Good advice Wendy, even if I couldn't see very far with all the rain.

This was probably the worst day so far. I had to talk myself into believing that somewhere at the end of it all was joy not pain, in the form of a hot bath or shower and a slug of warming alcohol. I called into the Tourist Information for an uplifting chat with Chris and Sara who called up the route ahead on their internet map, and suggesting I call at a hotel in Arrochar, just short of the planned night stop, Tarbet, and negotiate a bed for the night.

The next part of the ride was easy enough around the Loch, past the famous Loch Fyne Seafood Restaurant whose well fed customers must have thought “who's that idiot out on a bike in this weather?”, as another oyster slipped down the gullet. Yes, I was jealous!

It was another few miles before the climb started to bite, and the rain came down even harder to the point that I could see cloud hovering above the nearby pine trees. Before reaching the Rest and be Thankful lay-by, I came across a film crew in the middle of shooting a scene from a new film 'Valhalla Rising”, some delight being expressed about the authentic cloud and gloom which would otherwise have cost thousands to create artificially. So you see, one man's nightmare, is another's Valhalla.

It was with only 6 miles to go that the summit was reached, and the gradient turned. This was not the exhilarating descent it should have been due to the now chilling wind and rain hitting the face like needles. But, hey, I wasn't having to pedal.

I vowed to call at the first hotel in sight on arrival in Arrochar which came into to view through the rain at the head of Loch Long. There was a strange square building which I somehow mistook as a paper mill but as I passed noticed it was a Lochs and Glen Hotel, outside of which were parked 3 coaches. I eventually found the manager and negotiated a heavy discount for dinner, bed and breakfast. Many thanks, John, and for putting the sponsor form on the notice board for all to see.

After an ample dinner, large group style, served energetically by attentive waiters, I felt a little more human. Thanks Michal, Tamaz, Katrina, Edit and Monica - hope you enjoy Scotland!

2008-06-17T05:32:00.001-07:00

Sunday 15th & Monday 16th June

Perfect weather for a day of pilgrimage on Iona. I hope readers will understand if I it's a mini-blog today. Lunch by the beach, a siesta and time to reflect. Thanks, to Joan for a delicious barbeque at her cottage and a wonderful evening with Ernest, Catherine and Terry.
On the way back from the hostel I happened to bump into the party of Americans I had met on The Lord of the Glens!

Back at the hostel, I enjoyed the 3 part harmonies from Thorsten, Hanna and Regina, the German ministers who were staying with their families. Hanna's son Janne (John) enchanted us all just by being himself. This is a wonderful place and on my list of places to return to and stay longer.

Monday 16th June

Route: Iona to Fionnphort by ferry, then by bike to Craignure
Mileage: 39.8 miles; 638 miles so far; 862 miles to go
Weather: Cloud gathering from the west, dry on Mull, rain on arrival in Oban

Attempts to have a cooked breakfast went a little wrong - not being used to an electric cooker – so everyone came into a haze of well cooked bacon fumes. What else can you eat with fresh duck eggs at 25p a piece? Wonderful. Blow the cholestral count.

The German singing contingent were leaving this morning, along with a number of us. Time to say good-byes. Thanks, Anna at the hostel, and John MacLean for sponsoring my stay. This is a hostel of hostels.

I called in at the Columba Hotel, who generously allowed me to use their wireless internet to send the blogs and check my email. In the garden outside, had a chat with Findlay McCutcheon (from Cramond, Edinburgh) whom I had seen yesterday with a neat two-child trailer on the back of his bike.

Then onto the port to catch the 1045 ferry. Judith, Jackie and Karen were waiting for the same boat, all of them hoping to catch the bus to Craignure, then ferry to Oban like me. The weather looked as if it was definitely on the turn, but the rain held off throughout the 38 mile ride across Mull. Either the description of the hilly route had been exaggerated, or I was getting fitter, but it wasn't a difficult ride even through Glen More. It took 3 hrs 17 minutes to cover the distance. The cycling computer is a clever little machine which stops the clock when the bike stops so as to give an accurate riding time and average speed.

At Bunessan Primary School I spoke to Head Teacher Robert Burney who kindly agreed to consider a school spnsored ride for L'Arche.

I called again at the Pennygael Post Office where I met a party on a wildlife tour which is organised by the Shop, and the returning party of Glasgow High School pupils who had been camping out as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award. One young lad looked the colour of beetroot. Then on through the Glen past crowds of yellow irises now past their best, and lonesome Foxgloves whose purple hue made a colourful contrast against their yellow companions.

It's impossible to get an Orange or Virgin mobile signal on Mull so I had to wait till Craignure to pick up messages – then the battery failed! However, I was able to use the wireless network of the Craignure Cafe to Skype Judith at the L'Arche Office for the daily update.

As the result of difficulties in fixing up accommodation in Oban, I ended up checking into the
Scottish Youth Hostel along the Corran Esplanade just round the corner from the Cathedral, and was given a warm welcome by Jon, the relief manager who fixed me up with a room. The hostel occupies an imposing Victoria mansion overlooking the harbour and Kerrera. The wind was starting to whip up the sea and the rain now looked set in for the night. But there were more opportunities of collecting sponsorship and explaining about L'Arche.

Fellow hostellers included a family from Australia, a couple from New Zealand, a group from Thailand who filled the kitchen with exotic aromas and looked as if they were extraordinarily well organised in preparing their meal. I later discovered that they comprised the staff of a Thai restaurant in Teddington called Thai Smiles! I decided to carb-up at the local Italian restaurant and was not disappointed. Thanks Piazza chef for the cyclists portion of pasta!

Then half an hour on the hostel internet. It's good to have such a facility, albeit not wireless, but frustrating not to be able to use a memory stick, so I wasn't able to let you see some of the wonderful views I have enjoyed over the past week. Thanks to the Caledonian Hotel, I'm able to send this blog.

2008-06-16T05:37:00.000-07:00

Saturday 14th June

Route: Gruline, Mull to Iona
Mileage: 39.51: Total so far 598 – 902 to go
Weather: Broken cloud, sunny, light wind

The peacocks, which had perched on the newly refurbished roof of General McQuarrie's former house, proved a persistent alarm clock, but I deferred the inevitable hour until 7.30, snatching another few hours sleep. At breakfast I learnt a little more about Mull's population of eagles which Fiona is employed to watch and research on behalf of the RSPB, and the problems of managing the Harmer's sizeable estate which the Rhododendrons are threatening to over-run if they are not controlled through spraying. After a walk down to the Loch for a photo or two, it was time to say thank you to James, Nicola and Fiona for a most enjoyable stay.

Equipped with a couple of much appreciated sandwiches, I left the Harmers in bright sunshine and the prospect of good weather for the journey ahead. I had been warned about the climb past Gribun as the stunning coast road swings south inland and over the lower reaches of Ben Na Sreine. It was a long hard pull but I managed it with just one stop to look back, as the Harmers suggested, to take in the elevated views behind me. Whitewashed cottages, almost engulfed by green fields, set against a deep blue sea and cotton wool-clouded azure sky. Postcard images in front of my very eyes.

Effort is normally rewarded and the run down though the forest to Loch Scridain lifted my already high spirits as another coastline came into view, and the glint of car windows in the now strong sun gave a clue to the path of the Craignure road. This I would join near the Aird of Kinloch. after what had been a semicircular route around Ben More.

Once on the more major road, I stopped at Pennygael Post Office for a hot cuppa and met Jim, Doreen and Brenda who kindly offered me a lift to Iona. I politely declined although I have to say I was tempted! Jim was visiting these parts to survey all premises serving alcohol. Apparently, new legislation is coming in which requires all such premises in Scotland to provide floor plans detailing where alcohol is stored and sold, and without certification by a certain date, hotels and restaurants will be heavily penalised. Hope I've got this right Jim!

Onwards to Fionnphort for the ferry to Iona. After buying my return ticket, I was waiting by the jetty when a lady saw my pannier adverts and remarked that she knew L'Arche. So we got into conversation. It turned out that the person in question was Joan Lewis Le Morvan who had helped to set up the RC House of Prayer and who had lived in Chichester before moving up to Mull. It transpired that she knew Kathleen O'Gorman, the current national Chair of L'Arche UK! Accompanying her was Terry Clarke from St Catherine's Parish in Manchester who was interested to hear more about the new L'Arche Project Group meeting round the corner in Didsbury. I'll give your details to the Committee Chair, Terry.

Joan is a mine of information about Mull, and was keen to tell me of the 5.00 pm Mass that afternoon which was being celebrated by a priest from Uganda at the House of Prayer overlooking the Sound of Iona. After arriving on Iona I had a look in the Nunnery then called at the Columba Hotel which I had been told had internet access. Here I met Sam and Lynn from Pateley Bridge, and Jim and Jackie from Todmordan. Great to meet you all - your support is much appreciated. Then I headed to the north end of the Island to find the Hostel, a private initiative set up and run by John MacLean and his wife. It's hidden from view, nestling in the lea of a rock outcrop. Ahead is the most stunning view of the near Atlantic. As I write this blog, I can see Lunga, Rum, Col and Tyree.

The hostel is really well planned, equipped and managed. My room has two bedded bunks and occupied tonight by another cyclist, Steve and a couple walking, Kevin and Helen.The spacious kitchen would be the envy of any farmhouse and, with windows on 3 sides, takes every advantage of the surrounding views.

I hurried back to the ferry terminal, to get some provisions for supper, and then up to the House of Prayer to catch the beginning of Mass. Fr Ernest Siervers is a White Father and a brief chat afterwards over a sherry with Sister Jean who runs the House of Prayer revealed that he knows well Andrew Yooumbe, the L'Arche Zone Co-ordinator for Africa. The web of connections expands.

On return to the Hostel, the kitchen was a hive of activity, and fellow guests included people from Germany, Argentina, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, England, and Scotland. A convivial evening finished with guitar playing and singing.

2008-06-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday 12th & Friday 13th June 2008

Route: Fort William to Gruline, Mull
Distance: 52.33 miles 559 miles so far; 941 miles to go)
Weather: Sunny with broken cloud, light wind, dry

Donald kindly offered me a short Eucharistic service so I was well nourished with spiritual as well as physical bread for the journey. Breakfast included a robust cup of excellent coffee from his Gaggia espresso machine and more interesting history of the parish.

My departure was delayed whilst I got hold of the distributor of Altura panniers who turned out to be Zyro Ltd in Thirsk. After explaining the problem to Claire, of their customer service department, she organised a couple of spare hooks to be sent for my collection at the Oban Post Office Monday. Thanks for your help, Claire. Meantime a length of nylon cord would have to suffice. I think Altura need to go back to the drawing board with the design of this rather crucial component.

Armed with a couple of much appreciated sandwiches from Donald, I headed off to the Corran Ferry, calling first at Off Beat Bikes for a tyre pressure check, courtesy of Liam. The A82 is a busy road but the 7 miles or so were quickly covered. As I turned into the ferry terminal, who should be sitting there in her car but Kathy MacDonald, who had passed me up the road on her way back from the Regional Council in Drumnadrochit. So we had a coffee and a chat before parting company.

Passengers and bikes travel free on the ferry which only takes few minutes to cross Loch Linnhe. The A861 follows the loch side for a few miles before turning west inland up Glen Tarbet. The climb was reasonably manageable and the glint of Loch Sunnart marked the start of an equally gentle descent to the junction of the A884 at the eastern end of the loch. Again the road followed the loch until turning south up a pretty steep incline when the lowest of granny gears just managed to keep me on the saddle. Some wonderful descents into Gleann Geal eventually leading down the side of Loch Aline. Here I had a pit stop at the ferry cafe advertising a haggis burger which I had to sample. As I waited for the ferry, Gordon Henderson appeared, offering me some mackerel he and his son Mikey had just caught, so I took up the offer with the view to taking some for tonight's hosts. Many thanks Gordon.

The ferry across to Mull is a 15 minute hop, so my journey soon continued west along the A849 to Salen, a small village with hotel, shop and restaurant. By this time the weather was starting to look more settled, with blue sky and a warmer breeze predominating when I headed inland towards Gruline across what was effectively the neck of Mull.

My SatNav had told me to take the first turn left at Gruline past the church, but I ignored the insistent voice and took the second turn. Gruline House is tucked away from the road along a half mile drive past General McQuarie's mausoleum. Before reaching what I hoped would be the final gate into the grounds, a deer ran straight in front of me into the woods. Then the sight of Nicola Harmer at the front door waving, told me I had taken the correct turning.

Standing in its own grounds, Gruline House is an imposing turreted mansion overlooking Loch Ba. It was built in 1861 beside General McQuarie's original house. James and Nicola Harmer couldn't have given a warmer welcome to a complete stranger. This had all come about through a succession of contacts originating with an approach to Bishop Martin Shaw and leading to Mrs Sue Blockey, the local Episcopal Church Secretary, through Audrey, Bishop Martin's secretary. I'm really grateful to them all.

After a hot bath, I was treated to a delicious dinner which their daughter Fiona had a hand in cooking. Time to share a little about L'Arche and learn about the family and its connection with Gruline. The prospect of continuing the good conversation in front of a crackling log fire seemed very tempting, but I knew I should retire before sleep hit me after a long day and most enjoyable evening.

Thursday 12th June 2008

Route: Inverness to Fort William
Distance: 65.32 miles Total so far 506 miles; 994 miles to go
Weather: Overcast, cool, light showers then dry

I had been up quite late the night before wrestling with computers to try to get photos uploaded - my great wee ASUS Eee refuses to read from my camera's SD card. Don't ask me why! Then I lost Monday's draft blog so had to start all over again. At least I got that done and Tuesday's too.
I'm sleeping for England at the moment, so only woke around 7.45, with quite bit to do before setting off. I've now got into a strict routine for packing, everything having its rightful place in the respective pannier. I must have left shampoo bottles in numerous houses over the years – this trip I'm determined not to lose the miniature containers which have helped to reduce the weight to a minimum.

Breakfast was a quick affair with Pawel, Kevin and Mark. Then a quick email to Judith with the completed blogs for uploading, and it was time to say my thanks and farewells to the house and take a photo which everyone agreed could go up on the blog.

Chris Sadler had offered to accompany me out of Inverness, so I headed off to Lodge Road with the help of my SatNav. Thanks for all the snacks which have sustained me throughout the day. With a cool wind in the air, the occasional shower forced me to wear my heavier bright yellow rain jacket enhancing the wasp look. I was then on my own heading along the B862 which takes the eastern side of Loch Ness.

The route took me past the site where Rock Ness had been staged the previous week-end which had attracted over 35,000 people I was told. This was now Thursday and it looked like there was still quite a bit of dismantling to do. The ride was relatively flat as far as Foyers where I stopped with the intention of having a mid-morning coffee. I pulled off the road and pushed the bike up the accessible ramp which led to a large decked area in front of The Red Squirrel cafe and the adjoining Post Office. Before I was half way up a man came out of the cafe and said “Please take the bike off the ramp” So I said I would be as quick as I could but that didn't go down too well, as he had intended me to go down whilst I thought I'd solve the problem by going up. He then became quite insistent “You can't bring the bike up here, you'll have to leave it down there”. “But I've got all my valuables which I don't want to be out of my sight” I explained I was doing a 1,500 mile sponsored ride for people with learning disabilities. “Besides, there's plenty of room up there – surely one bike isn't going to be in the way?” Then I noticed a woman emerging from the Post Office echoing the mantra “Please take your bike off the ramp”. “But all want is a cup of coffee.” The man then said “What if a crowd of cyclists turn up and they all want to come up here – this is the Highlands you know” My blood was beginning to boil. “I was going to buy a cup of coffee, but I've just decided not to” I replied constraining myself from articulating what I really thought of them both for being so petty.

Fortunately there is a hill just after Foyers where I was able to vent my anger by taking it out on the steep incline. I was surprised how much the incident had pressed a button and annoyed me so much, but sad that this rather aggressive and unreasonable reception had marred my otherwise buoyant mood. A bit further on I passed a sign for a Catholic Church and a voice inside me said 'go and say a prayer and clam down'. So I turned round and went to investigate. Hidden by trees from the road, the little white-washed chapel adjoins what I was soon to discover had been the Presbytery but was now a private house. The door appeared locked, so I went round the back and came back to find an elderly lady with peaked cap in the entrance door beckoning me inside. She explained that the land had been given by a member of the Lovat family and the chapel built over a hundred years ago. I explained I was doing a sponsored bike ride. “Would you like a cup of tea or coffee”, she said. “A coffee would be great - thank you, but I just want a little time for prayer” “That's fine, I'll just go and get it ready” she said disappearing through the connecting door to her house. Eventually I left the church, and went round to the front of the house where I was welcomed into the sitting room. We introduced ourselves – she as Marianna - and I sat down while she went to sort out the coffee. It wasn't long before her daughter Therese appeared with a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with salad garnish and a piping hot cup of coffee, subsequently complemented by a plate of chocolate biscuits.

Therese then told me of her plans to develop the site as an oasis of peace for people who had lost hope and could not see the way forward, and for those who wanted a quiet place for a retreat and for youth gatherings. Her vision seemed deeply rooted in a strong Catholic faith. I was very touched by her warmth and openness. With the help of others she was setting up a charity called 'Cerys'. I sensed it was at times a daunting challenge to deal on her own with all the legislation which surrounded multiple occupancy legal requirements with which I'm not unfamiliar. Therese knew L'Arche Inverness as Brian McDonald brought a core member out here occasionally. Whilst I had a tour of the skeleton of a new kitchen, her mother was organising a colour print of the Chapel for me. After meeting Therese's son Tom, and taken a photo for the blog, I headed off with a lighter heart and a real hope that Therese's vision could be realised.

The next part of the route involved quite a steep climb to the Suidhe viewpoint on the edge of the Monadhliath Mountains which dominate the eastern side of Loch Ness. Here I met Danny from Litchfield, a young graduate who was doing the Land's End to John O'Groats ride and was already this far up on his 9th day. Good going, Danny – travel well. Then an exhilarating descent past the new Hydro Electric scheme being installed, before entering Fort Augustus. On the way down I met Will Thomson and American Friend Dick Jones on the way up. Will had been diagnosed with cancer and was determined not to let it beat him so was an a tour of Scotland for the local Aberdeen cancer charity CLAN. Good luck to you both – I admire you're positive attitude, Will.

At Fort Augustus the Caledonian Canal starts from a lock complex surrounded by a busy cluster of tourist shops, pubs and restaurants. As I arrived a lone piper was reminding tourists that this was Scotland, so I rang the L'Arche office in Silsden for my daily update and gave John and Judith the benefit of the tuneful strains.

From here, the cyclepath follows the western side of the canal and I set off for Fort William c. 30 miles away. At one point I stopped to chat with a couple of cyclists and give them a card when another cyclist passed me. Ahead was another lock and a massive cruise boat so I went to investigate and no sooner had I leaned my bike up against fence when the man who had just passed me, and was now on the boat, said “ Hello, are you doing a sponsored ride?” “Yes” “Would you like to come on board and tell the passengers about it?” “Um, well, yes please, that would be great” So before I could say “Lord of the Glens” (the name if the boat) I was sinking into the luxury pile carpet of this exclusive cruiser, and being plied with another cup of coffee! More importantly, Brian, the person in charge, made a PA announcement about the L'Arche Big Bike Ride and invited people to the lounge to hear more. So as we glided gracefully up the 5 miles or so to the next lock, I chatted to a number of Americans who were on the week's cruise to Oban and Tobermoray. The Zimbabwe connection seemed to evoke particular interest. Brian at one point generously offered me accommodation for the night. I reluctantly declined. Leaving an ample stock of cards and sponsor forms, and collecting a donation or two from passengers, I disembarked at the Aberchalder lock gate near Bridge of Clich. What can I say but that the hand of God seemed very present in these last two episodes.

After the A87 turnoff to the Kyle of Lochalsh, the road switches to the east side of Loch Lochy before climbing to the Commando Monument in the shadow of Ben Nevis. I met up with a group from the charity Deaf Scotland. Another interesting encounter with a couple on holiday from England on their way to Ullapool, Achiltibuie and the Summer Isles. Have a great trip!
The remaining cyclepath to Fort William follows the next stage of the Caldonian Canal. By this time the cloud was breaking and the sun emerging, so it was a pleasant end to an eventful ride. With SatNav assistance I was soon arriving at St Mary's presbytery where I was staying thanks to the hospitality of Mgr. Donald McKinnon whom I had met on a cycling tour of the Hebrides with my friend Jock in 1997. On the way into Fort William, I thought I heard the sound of a plastic cap falling to the ground, and on removing my panniers realised it was one of the plastic hooks securing the offside pannier to the rack. This could be serious. An early call would be needed to track down a spare part from an Altura stockist.

Donald kindly showed me to the self contained suite at the back of the house and had anticipated my need of a hot bath after what had been a long ride of 65 miles. I was then treated to a great pasta meal, half way through which a parishioner Alistair MacLeod appeared with more food and sat and chatted with us.

I retired to write my blog around 9.30 pm and woke at 11.30 pm to find I had written nothing! I've now covered a third of the mileage in 10 days on the road. My original estimate of 50 mile average a day is on target. So far no major aches or pains, thank God.

2008-06-16T05:17:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 11th June 2008

Rest Day in the L'Arche Inverness Community

I had arranged to go to Braerannoch to get a lift from Linda to the Corbett Centre, but slept in longer than expected so abandoned that idea. I made my way directly to the Bike Shop over the bridge. Thanks to Damian at Highland Bikes for tweaking the gears at short notice. Greatly appreciated.

It was then on to see a long-standing friend, Chris Sadler for lunch. Chris is the founder of L'Arche Kerala Community in India and latterly worked in L'Arche Lambeth before moving north. She now practices as a reflexologist and Tai Chi coach. I was interested to hear about a non-violent communication course she is doing.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the new L'Arche workshop which is now fully operational. In addition to all the resident core members on the Community, it now welcomes a number of local people with learning disabilities. It was one of these, Winston, who was celebrating his birthday today, so a cake was produced and everyone gathered in the back patio area to wish him well. It was so good to see familiar faces of core members from Braerannoch and Soarsa, the other Community houses.

MacTalla was hosting the monthly Community Gathering this evening so by the time I got back, the meeting room had been transformed and guests from other houses were arriving. Members of the Regional Council,- that is all Community Leaders and Regional Co-ordinators, arrived from their meeting at Drumnadrochit on Loch Ness, and after introductions there was a slide show of the Community's pilgrimage to Iona, then a light supper. It was good to see former colleagues, and particularly good not to get involved in any work based discussions! But it was useful to liaise with Community leaders to confirm my arrival date at the yet to be visited Communities.

After all guests had departed, I joined the house for evening prayer at around 9.15. This is normally a daily routine for a L'Arche house, though people are able to join in or not. This started with some music from a CD, which members were encouraged to accompany on a variety of percussion instruments with various degrees of gusto. Jackie really entered the rhythm. Pavel then read from Jean Vanier's book I walk with Jesus, a simplified version of the gospels beautifully illustrated in a simple line drawing, so people can get a sense of the theme of the readings. Then there was a time of prayer when people could express themselves verbally or silently, followed by everyone reciting The Lord's Prayer.

Not only is MacTalla is a very well run house, the neat order and cleanliness of everything is a real credit to Pawel and his team. It's got to be in the running for the best house I've visited. Thanks everyone for making me really welcome, and for going out of your way to making me feel very much at home.

Repeated attempts at uploading photos to the blog before a late bed.

2008-06-12T04:04:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 10th June

Route: Knock of Muir near Aviemore to Inverness
Mileage: 42; 441 miles total; 1,059 to go
Weather: Overcast and showers

Stephen Pennington, the Chair of the Inverness Committee, and his son Findlay, met me at Carrbridge to join me on the stage to Inverness. At David Hayes' suggestion, we took the initial off-road stretch of Sustrans Route 7 and stopped at Sluggan to see the historic bridge – well worth a visit.

A quick Google reveals “The Sluggan Bridge crosses the Dulnain River on the old General Wade Military road, c1729, two miles upstream from Carrbridge. Wade originally crossed the Dulnain with a ford which was later replaced in the 1760s with a two-arch bridge. This was swept away during the great flood of the 3rd of August 1829, to be replaced by the current large single span bridge in the 1830s. The bridge has undergone a major repair in 2001 - 2002, by Sustrans as part of the National Cycle Network. Sluggan Bridge is category A listed and a scheduled monument. The Wade Road is an ancient right of way.” This explains why the arch of the bridge is unusually high for the surrounding terrain.

Without David's suggestion we could have taken the main Sustrans route and missed this gem. On the steeper slopes of what was quite a rough stone strewn patch, it was impossible to stay on the bike with the wheels skidding all over the place. Otherwise a pleasant ride which brought us back onto the Sustrans road route.

The rain looked not far away all day and came in showers, so it was a welcome stop at Tomatin for a hot drink in the pub/restaurant there. It was great to have company again – with the quiet roads it was possible to chat along the way and share experiences. Both Stephen and Findlay were glad of the chance to train for the forthcoming Highland Cross, an annual charity event involving walking and cycling across the breadth of Scotland. In recent years, L'Arche Inverness was the beneficiary of £50,000 for their new craft workshop.

At one point we met a couple of men walking with a red flag from Thurso to Brighton. Mike Vickers and friend were undertaking this walk of witness to raise awareness of Jesus Christ throughout the land.

Not long after that, we reached the Slochd Summit, 1315 ft above sea level. The prospect of a descent of the same distance gave us new encouragement, though the others knew it wasn't going to be quite that easy. As it turned out, the climbs were tolerable particularly the one up from the River Nairn before the famous Culloden battlefield where a new visitor centre has now been built. At one point we passed the prehistoric cemetery at Balnuarnan of Clava, with three mounds each surrounded by standing stones. Worth a visit sometime.

A phone call to arrange lunch and we were on our final ride into Inverness, the cycle path taking us alongside the busy main road at one point. We decided to take the direct route into the city and I had to stop for a photo at the city boundary to record that I had completed stage 2 and a total of c. 440 miles. A real sense of achievement.

The L'Arche Community is on the south side of Inverness near the river, and we were soon leaning our bikes against the new workshop, being welcomed by Anne Shaw, the workshop Co-ordinator, and posing for photos. The soup and sandwiches hit the spot, Anne. Thanks!

The last time I was here was to see the near completed workshop in my role as General and Company Secretary when it took three and a half hours door to door to fly up from West Yorkshire. This journey has taken 9 days.

It was then time to say farewell to Stephen and Findlay, who I have subsequently heard got good news of his exam results from Stirling University later in the day. Many congratulations Findlay - you can now relax and enjoy the summer!

I was due to stay in MacTalla, the newest of the Community houses nearer the city centre and was given a warm welcome by house leader Pawel and the other assistants, Sylwia, Anka and Erika, and core members Barbara and Kevin, as well as Angus, Mark and Jackie when they returned from their various day activities, It's a really great to be back here, having stayed a couple of times before, and I have really valued the opportunity just to be present with the core members most of whom I got to know back in the 90s.

MacTalla has the advantage of spacious rooms and an enormous annex at the back which provides a great light-filled space, large enough for the monthly Community Gatherings, the next due to be held tomorrow. The main focus of the L'Arche day is the evening meal sitting around the table. It's a profound experience which reveals the heart of L'Arche – mutual relationships. Conversation flowed naturally this evening: people could just be themselves. Great importance is placed on listening respectfully to whoever is saying something, whether in words or gestures.

Whilst everyone else had a house meeting after supper, I helped out with the washing up and then caught up on the blogs before going to bed.

2008-06-12T03:55:00.000-07:00

Monday 9th June

Route: Milton of Pitgur, near Pitlochry to Knock of Muir near Aviemore
Mileage: 69 399 miles total; 1,101 to go
Weather: Overcast

Well fuelled for the road, I said goodbye to Elizabeth around 8.30 am and set off back to Pitlochry. Here I found a RBOS branch to deposit the cash fund collected so far. It's a feature of our technological era that things are not quite as simple as you would expect. Despite the Royal Bank of Scotland owning the NatWest, I was told that it was not possible to pay into the L'Arche account without a pay-in slip! Fortunately a call to Debbie in Silsden sorted the problem as L'Arche in Scotland uses the RBOS. Despite this technicality, the staff were very patient and there was a really friendly atmosphere to the branch. Andrew deserves a special mention.

I was anxious to find a wireless internet point but the internet cafe in town was closed so I thought of sweet talking a hotel to let me use theirs. Then I spotted Perth College on the High Street and found a very helpful person, Jane, who allowed me access to one of their computers. Here I also met Barbara who was doing an assignment on one of the computers. I'm aware it would be ideal to upload a blog each day, but after a long ride and spending time with my hosts, sleep comes easier than writing. So please be patient if they take a day or two to come!

Before leaving Pitlochry at around 11.00 am I popped into The Scottish Shop to buy a couple of postcards and left a BBR card with the Sikh owner. No sooner than I had left the shop, than he rushed out and gave me a wee blue teddy bear which I've named Archie. Thanks so much Kirpal. Interesting to hear of your Ipswich connections where we have a L'Arche Community.

The next stop on the quieter B8097 road from Pitlochry, past the turning to Loch Tummel, is Blair Atholl. Nearby is the impressive House of Bruar, an upmarket visitor shop selling everything from smart raincoats to fresh raspberries. Something said I should pop in and ask if they would be interested in sponsoring my ride. I was able to explain what I was doing to Oliver Platts who kindly offered to put it to his Director. So here's hoping they will find their way to supporting L'Arche.

The weather started to deteriorate as I headed into Glen Garry, though the road in places was a high grade tarmac surface with only me on it. This was the start of the big climb up to the Drumochter Summit. Wind and rain are the cyclist's worst enemy when it's particularly important to keep dry and warm. The direction of the wind was from the north west for quite a stretch making it difficult to make headway, or at least that's how it felt, It was a really testing time and the only option is to keep pedalling and dream of that hot bath. Judith from Silsden had mentioned a good cafe along the A9 at Dowally, but I suspect I missed it because of the cycle track taking a separate path. I thought there might be something warming in addition to whisky in the Dalwhinnie Distillery visitor centre. Sadly not, but Simon directed me towards Newtonmore where there was a cafe and pottery on the way there. No sign of it from the cycle route so it was onwards to the Ralia cafe where I refuelled with a late lunch and got onto the wireless internet thanks to Kinga and Eva.

It was about another 2 hour journey from here to Muir of Knock, six miles north east of Aviemore, eventually reaching the River Spey and the Abernethy Forest in the shadow of the Cairngorms where patches of snow punctuate the higher summits.

The only stop was to check with a local resident, David Alexander on directions to verify Sal's verbal instructions. The SatNav had brought me on the right road but directed me to the wrong house due to the fact that The Muir of Knock had the same post code as a number of other houses in the far flung surrounding area! After a phone call I eventually spotted Sal who had walked to the end of her drive to greet me.

It must have been over 10 years since I called here by car from L'Arche Inverness. I had got to know Sal when she was a member of the Local Committee there and where she also volunteered in the workshop. So there was much news to catch up on after the longest leg yet (69 miles) and a wonderfully relaxing bath. It was very good to meet David who runs the local Landmark Centre in Carrbridge. When I mentioned I had been staying at the Templetons, the name rang a bell with him and he produced a 1957 photo of the Officers of the Black Watch lined up with the late Queen Mother, where there indeed was a DA Templeton in the back row! I must ring Douglas and check.

After a wonderful meal I was grateful for the use of David's computer to upload some photos to the blog. Then to bed. Thank you for your excellent hospitality, Sal and David.

2008-06-11T03:24:00.001-07:00

Sunday 8th June

Route: Perth to Milton of Pitgur, near Pitlochry
Mileage: 37 miles; 293 miles total; 1, 207 to go
Weather: Blue sky, light breeze

I woke this morning to blue sky. After a good cooked breakfast at Kinnaird Guest House, I dropped the bags off at Ann's and headed up the hill for Mass. A Kenyan priest who was on a renewal course was the principle celebrant, so I was able to tell him about Jean Vanier's recent visit to his country to lead a retreat at Nyahururu, and the plans for a L'Arche Community in that country.

Thanks to Ann McIntyre's request, Fr Tom, the resident priest, kindly allowed me a few minutes before the end of Mass to give a brief explanation of my ride and the reason I was fundraising. The response from the congregation was really encouraging and spontaneous donations of over £100 resulted. Thanks to all the generous donors. Afterwards at coffee I had a chat with Peter Kaye and Bob Dollman who turned out to have been at St Andrews University soon after I was at Dundee. Peter and his wife were married by Jock Dalrymple's uncle, then University Chaplain. I also met Sister Jude who sent her warm wishes to Richard Popplewell whose mother she knew. Extraordinary the connections I'm making.

I returned to the McIntyre's flat to find a platoon of the army, navy and airforce service men and women, complete with military band, lined up outside St John's Kirk. After a quick once round the Kirk, the Sargent Major brought them to a halt and shouted “Remoove yer heeddrees an weep yer brew” So I did what I was told, took off my helmet and wiped my brow.

Ann and Donald's apartment in Beaumont Place is an impressive conversion with its own roof-top garden and disabled access for their son Ewen who has cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. By the time I returned, Ewen had arrived, and we all had lunch together. Ewen's zest for life is inspiring and he is not afraid of expressing his needs. It was a real privilege to be able to spend time with Ann, Donald and Ewen – thank you all for your generosity, and Ann for your work in promoting the ride.

The route out of Perth is pretty straight forward and I was soon gliding along some stunning countryside on a baking hot afternoon, skirting fields of potatoes and what may have been fleece covered soft fruit, though no evidence of raspberries for which this region is famous. I was now on Route 77 heading for the south side of Pitlochry.

Then I saw it - the white and brown Jack Russell ferreting around in a long garden below me. It seemed a tranquil scene. Then it saw me and bolted parallel with the road towards the house. By that time I had noticed with some alarm that not only was there no fence, but a steep incline on the road ahead. My thighs were poised for a race. Before I knew it the dog had sprinted through the hedge and was making ground fast. I remembered the pump, conveniently fitted to the bike’s back frame. The terrier caught up with me barking angrily, it's teeth poised to take a chunk out of my ankle. As I was returning a string of expletives, the dog’s owner spotted what was happening and called the brute off. I've never pedalled so fast up a hill. No that's not quite true - the last time was when being chased by a 3 legged dog in Donegal!

After the bridge in Dunkeld, the route takes you left through the grounds of a rather posh hotel along the banks of the Tay. A little way along the riverside path I met Don and Lynette MacLennan who were on holiday from Inverness (thanks for your generous support) and Lorna and Dianne who confirmed there was a way ahead crossing the river.

The next stretch along the B898 was the best of the day, hugging the forest on the left with dappled light through shady stretches then out into open countryside and fields of quietly grazing sheep. At one point I stopped to chat to local farmer, Peter Stewart, and his friend, Alan Hannah, and admire Alan's magnificent laburnum tree. It transpired that Peter's wife had helped run the special needs support services in Fife.

I was due to arrive at the Templeton's farmhouse at around 8.00pm so found a place for a meal at Drummonds overlooking the River Tummel. Fellow diners were Willy and Kathy Burns and their dog Bud. Willy's business is building Fire Engines which he supplies to the West Yorkshire brigade. Hope you had a safe journey back to Glasgow!

I now doubled back to Milton of Pitgur on the opposite side of the valley. Some really steep climbs here which weren't helped by the pint of Belhaven. By the time I arrived after 8.00 pm I had clocked 37 miles which was one of my less strenuous days. Elizabeth Templeton had just arrived back from Edinburgh, Douglas unfortunately having to stay there till the morning. The sun was still quite high when I got a tour of the garden – as we approach the longest day, it must hardly get dark up here. After a wonderful bath, it was good to sit and chat with Elizabeth and learn of her original connections with Roland Walls, and Roslin, and to share something of my own journey over an excellent dram.

Overshadowing the Templetons' life is the daily challenge of coping with the disappearance of their 26 year old son Alan who went missing 18 months ago. It's difficult to imagine the daily nightmare of not knowing that the family have to live with. I appreciate you letting me mention Alan, Elizabeth - my thoughts and prayers for his safe return. Many thanks for making me feel very much at home in your lovely house. It will be good to meet with you and Douglas later this summer.

2008-06-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Saturday 7th June 2008

Route: Leith, Edinburgh to Perth via Milnathort, Fife
Mileage: 49 miles; 293 miles total; 1, 207 to go
Weather: Blue sky with broken cloud, light breeze

Last night I weeded a few unnecessary possessions to lighten the pannier load and left them to be sent down to Silsden. The bags still felt heavy. What's really important on a trip like this is to know exactly which of the two bags you've packed things. If I haven't anything better to tell you, I can always tell you what they contain!

I was up early and ready by 8.15 am by which time John Norman came over to see me off from The Skein. The majority of house members were enjoying a lie in, but Alison was up, and made me a cup of tea.

John came with me as far as the Kramers house where we met Kirsten who had just finished her exams. Then it was on to Cramond to visit Des and Jean Farmer. I had worked closely with Des when he was National Chair of L'Arche. Fresh scones and tea in their sun drenched conservatory set me up for the journey ahead: the china cups and teapot really do make a difference, Jean! Many thanks for a welcome stop – we'll catch up another time on the India/Nepal trip.

The cycle route to Queensferry from the Barnton Roundabout avoids the busy approach road to the Forth Road Bridge, and passes Dalmeny and where the army HQ used to be and perhaps still are. In my teens I had attended the beating of the retreat here one year with a girlfriend whose father was in the army. I recall the start of the programme was delayed for some time until a long black car with outriders pulled up and a tall African stepped out who I later discovered at the ensuing cocktail party was Idi Amin who at that time, I believe, was being wooed by the British Government.

Getting onto the Forth Road Bridge from South Queensferry was easier than I thought, thanks to James McKee who kindly gave me directions to the cycle/footpath. The western path was closed so I had to loop down and round a service road to get to the eastern side. The weather was perfect so there was a good view of the Forth (railway) Bridge, now part enshrined in white sheeting while they apply an epoxy resin coating of more durable paint.

Here on the road bridge they are also carrying out major maintenance work, and I stopped to chat to Ross Cambleton, the construction supervisor for Spencers. He explained that the main load carrying cable actually comprises 11,500 wires some of which have started to corrode with the salt laden atmosphere. To combat this they are wrapping a rubber membrane round the composite cable and forcing de-humidified air through sections to arrest the corrosion. Quite a major project due to take nearly 3 years to complete. Hope I got that right Ross! Many thanks for your sponsorship.

At the northern end of the bridge I met a party of school children from Livingston Salvation Army raising money for a water well in Kenya. Good luck kids, and thanks to Margo Stevenson for stopping for a chat and a photo.

The path soon peels off the dual carriageway onto the B961 at Inverkeithing and then alongside the noisy M90 into quieter countryside heading for Cowdenbeath. This was mining country and where my late father did his mining engineering apprenticeship. He would have had to get used to dropping daily into the dark depths with the miner's lamp now sitting by my fireplace. In those days it must have been particularly dangerous work. As I rode through Cowdenbeath, I wondered where he had his lodgings and which pub he might have frequented. It was from this early experience, and his studies at what is now Heriott Watt University in Edinburgh, that he set out to India to make a career for himself, initially as a Coal Superintendent with the East India Railway Company and latterly with the Coal Board of India, prospecting for open cast seams in the jungle of West Bengal.

There's something warmly evocative about these Scottish villages – I don't know what it is. Perhaps there's an unconscious awakening of early memories of accompanying Dad to his work out at Newbattle in Midlothian through similar mining communities.

Onwards to Kinross and Milnathort for lunch with Margaret Mead and husband John. I had estimated a 1.30 arrival and was pretty much on time. On the way, I stopped to talk to a group of ladies outside Kinross Church Centre. Thanks Joanne, Barbara and (Tea Shop) Linda for your interest and agreeing to spread the word of my fundraising efforts for L'Arche.

Marg was outside her cottage to welcome me with balloons and a newly mad Faith and Light banner. She has been the Scottish Co-ordinator for F&L until recently. Faith and Light is a sister organisation to L'Arche, set up by Jean Vanier and Marie-Helen Mathieu in 1971. It provides an invaluable support network for people with learning disabilities and their families and friends who meet once a month for friendship and sharing, celebrations and prayer. It's ecumenical like L'Arche, and there are now 1,500 communities round the world.

Marg's daughter Elaine is the leader of The Skein where I have just stayed. It was good to learn more about Marg and John's link with L'Arche, John having helped build the chapel in The Cedars, Daybreak, Toronto where Henri Nouwen lived. After a sumptuous lunch, Margaret and I went for a walk around the village, visiting the local pottery and the church and village fete where I met Linda and her husband John Heggarty, retired Church of Scotland minister who met Jean Vanier in Glasgow, and Robert Pickles, the current local minister.

Marg then cycled with me to Glenfarg on what had become a gloriously warm afternoon, stopping for a photo beside a lion topiary before leaving me to head north to Perth. Thankfully the cycle route took me away from the A912 and dropped me into Bridge of Earn, before joining the main road then a steep climb to Craigend which overlooks both the Earn valley and the more northern River Tay on whose banks Perth stands. The SatNav did its stuff and I was soon standing outside the Kinnaird Guest House. Douglas and Emma, and children Harriot and Henry, gave me a warm welcome and relieved me of the bike for safe storage. It's an imposing stone terraced property overlooking South Inch Park. with a real family run feel to it, beautifully decorated and furnished. The flapjacks in the room were much appreciated. Thanks for a really comfortable stay and good luck with the business.

Ann McIntyre had generously sponsored my stay there, and invited me to spend the evening with her husband Donald and friend Roger who have both worked with Ken Iverson in developing computer programming languages. When in California, Donald pioneered computer analysis of geological samples. We were also joined by the McIntyre's good friend Marina McGourty whose daughter Christine is a BBC Science Correspondent. A wonderful meal and great conversation – thank you!

Marina very thoughtfully showed me the route up to St Mary's Spirituality Centre in Kinnoull, where it had been arranged for me to say a few words at the 10.00 Mass. I was glad that I would be travelling without panniers as the hill looked somewhat challenging.

2008-06-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

Friday 6th June 2008

Rest Day – 0 miles
Weather sunny and dry

I had arranged to go into the L'Arche office in Edinburgh at 10.00, but didn't mange to make it before 11.00 am, so missed seeing Michael Bentham a UK Team member with whom I worked closely and who had been attending a meeting of the local management committee the night before. I was sorry to hear Robin Watt the Chair had been in hospital and do hope he is soon on the road to recovery.

My rest day hadn't been filled with planned activities so I spent the morning writing my blog and the afternoon uploading photos to illustrate the trip. This blogging business is remarkably easy, so thanks Steve for setting it all up for me. Steve's the resident techno whizzo in Silsden who brings calm and order during computer user meltdown. That's a real gift.

Jane Salmonson, the L'Arche Overseas Development Co-ordinator, came in after lunch, so it was good to review fundraising progress and plan a few new approaches. Quicky running out of time, I made a telephone call to my old Primary School, St. Peter's Falcon Gardens and left a message with the head teacher's secretary asking if the school might consider sponsoring the Bike Ride. Friday afternoon's not the best time to be ringing schools – it would have been better to go in personally this morning. There were also telephone calls to make to arrange onward accommodation, and I was relieved to secure a bed in Fort William. I had given up the idea of visiting friends in Edinburgh, as I really wanted to spend as much time with Community members.

One of the founding members, George, is moving to his own flat shortly which is a wonderful. I remember visiting the house when George first arrived, and how he opened the door to me and held up a key. “I've got a key!” he exclaimed with delight as he held up his front door key. I reached into my pocket and reflected how much I take my own keys for granted. For George, a key had meant being locked the wrong side of the ward door in the institution he had lived in since his teens. He had found new freedom, and now, thanks to L'Arche and his Social Services he was to experience more independence, but remain firmly a member of the Community. That seems to be L'Arche's strength – the committed network of friendship and support. As the L'Arche Identity statement says “Mutual relationships and trust in God are at the heart of our journey together”.

One of the aspects of my job as General Secretary was the constant series of meetings I normally had to go to when visiting Communities so it was just great to be able to 'loiter with holy intent' as my friend Brian Gregory puts it. I joined the members of the Skein for supper and spent the evening with those who were around. George then went to his club while we all went along to the fun fair on Leith links where Alison and I had a go on the dodgem cars with Lotte and Jonathan. It was great fun, Alison!

It was soon time for bed.

2008-06-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday 5th June 2008

Today's route – 57.3 miles from Eildon by Melrose to Edinburgh via Roslin
Total mileage so far 244.6 miles; miles to go 1,255.4.
Weather – Blue sky with broken cloud – another good day

My first night in an eco-house induced sound sleep. I realise, though, there is an underlying accumulation of fatigue which will need a day's rest to sort, so I'm looking forward to Friday when I spend a day in L'Arche Edinburgh.

My previous experience of long walks and cycle trips is the great sense of well-being (normally) at the end of a day, a healthy appetite and almost instant sleep when the head hits the pillow. This trip is no exception, and I'm aware that, despite the rain earlier this week, my spirits have remained high. Somewhere along the line, though, I need to be prepared for a less buoyant mood!

The day ahead looked great for cycling, and after a good breakfast I said my farewells. Hope you got home safely, Anne, and have a great party, Merry. Thank you, Ann, for your warm hospitality amidst all the preparations for Sunday.

I headed down the cycle path to Melrose past a plaque commemorating Thomas the Rhymer – the legend goes that he fell asleep below a tree near here and woke to find a shining lady on a dappled grey horse who took him to Fairyland from whence he returned 3 days later a wiser man. I'll leave people to Google for the full story.

Melrose is a quiet border town between Galashiels and St Boswells. It's rugby country. The cycle path through and around the town soon took me alongside tree lined tracks skirting he River Tweed and the sound of lawnmowers carefully clipping the tops of the well manicured lawns of the riverside mansions. Evocative smells of summer. The legs started to itch from the storm of midges which had left their calling card of red spots. No other people or bikes in sight though I sense it's busier at the week-ends. Well done Sustrans for developing the cycle network!

I was due to meet Jock at Peel corner where the A710 meets the A72. Whilst waiting his arrival I got chatting to Ian with two whippets who was the recipient of one of my cards. His was the white van I passed a mile back. Great to chat, Ian – all the best. Jock and Peter soon arrived and we were soon on our way toward Innerleithen where we were to meet Lizzie Findlay, a friend of the Roslin Community, and linked with Faith and Light, the sister organisation of L'Arche, set up to provide a support network for people with learning disabilities living at home, their families and friends. I had met Lizzie at the Jean Vanier Glasgow retreat in Bearsden with Ceelie Horsbrough and many others from Faith & Light. The cycle track hugs the southern side of the river and drops into the town over an impressive iron bridge.

We found Lizzie and John's house with the help of a neighbour who turned out to have organised some fundraising for L'Arche when it was one of the Church of Scotland's nominated charities. John is a skilled carpenter who has built an impressive extension where we sat down to a delicious lunch. Lizzie, an art therapist, planned to join Jock and me on the last leg to Roslin. She would be returning on Saturday by car with her home cooking for Roland's 91st birthday. It transpired that this was Lizzie's first trip to Roslin by bike. The B709 is a quiet back road heading due north from Innerleithen through the Moorfoot hills. Half way up we were stopped by a white van heading south looking for a place near Roslin, so we put them right. Hope you found the place OK, lads! Thanks for your interest in sponsoring the ride.

Climbing the Moorfoots involved a persistent but manageable climb. At the top I could see a cutting promising a splendid view of Midlothian from the other side. Not the first time has my imagination raised false hopes, as another rise came into view. When the summit was eventually reached, we all stopped to marvel at the site of the Pentlands to the west and Firth of Forth and Fife to the north. This is the area I grew up in and which holds such deep memories.

The cycle path peeled off to the west after an exhilarating ride down, and given we were running late, it was agreed I would ride ahead to Roslin where we were expected between 3.00 and 3.30 pm. Cutting through the hamlets of Carrington and Parduvine there was evidence of mining activity nearby, with extraction of sand or gravel along intriguing covered conveyor belts running under the road and across the field like an endless green caterpillar.

The last bit to Roslin really tested the legs, as the road drops down to Roslin Glen before climbing steeply to the village of Roslin which has become the focus of intense interest as the result of a recent thriller, and famous for its institute which cloned Dolly, the late sheep. More importantly it's the home of a small ecumenical community whose members live in wooden huts of the sort you and I would use to house a lawnmower. I was privileged to be asked to be a trustee of the Community some years ago and have come to love the peacefulness and tranquility it offers through a deep commitment to prayer and the simple life in the Franciscan tradition.

John Halsey, Will Henderson, John and Cath Norman and Marie Wedge from L'Arche Edinburgh (thanks for organising this, Marie) gave me a great welcome in the same kitchen I had visited one Wednesday in 1988 to meet Roland. Jock and Lizzie soon arrived, also relieved to have conquered the final hill. Well done Lizzie for a fantastic achievement! Before departing, we all paid a visit to the chapel (2 huts joined together) for a rendition of the Magnificat and a parting Blessing for a Journey, after which I said a quick hello to Roland who stays in the background these days.

As we assembled for the final photos on the pavement outside, two very patient mothers with prams waited. Thank you, Fiona and Nadine, for your understanding and I hope you might support the ride!

From Roslin it was a gentle ride along the cycleway to Loanhead and then rather a hairy ride through rush hour traffic round the east side of Edinburgh, through Gilmerton where Jock has his parish, and then to Leith. Members of The Skein, the Edinburgh Community's first house which overlooks Leith Links, gave us all a great welcome, supported by Heather Coogan the new regional Co-ordinator for Scotland, and Jane Salmonson, the L'Arche Overseas Development Co-ordinator who has been helping to plan the fundraising.

We had made it by 6.00 pm and so supper was ready, and everyone gathered around the table for a traditional L'Arche meal, after saying goodbye to Jock. I've really appreciated your company and encouragement over a couple of days.

It's significant that I'm staying at The Skein as it was the first house I had helped to buy in my capacity as Company Secretary back in 1990. Warm memories of those days with founding Community leader Nikki Ewing, Chair Helen Reid-Thomas, and Treasurer John Norman.

A party from the other house, Creelha, came round for prayers at about 8.00 pm. Sarah chose the theme, being change, which helped me reflect on the many changes that had happened for me over the last 12 months, and those which have also affected L'Arche. Before retiring to bed, I agreed to have a ride round the links with George, one of the founding members. He is very proud of his trike. Marie took some photos which I hope may see their way to the blog. And so the end of the longest day's ride so far and the end of the 1st stage. Only 1,255 miles to go!

2008-06-06T06:52:00.001-07:00

Wednesday 4th June 2008

Today's route – 47.5 miles from Kielder Water, Northumberland to Eildon by Melrose
Weather – Blue sky, scattered cloud, warm wind, perfect cycling conditions – at last!

All this exercise is making for a great night's sleep though this morning I was awoken by the dawn chorus which must have started around 3.30 am when it starts getting light up here.
Jock had to leave by 8.00 am to return to his parish in Gilmerton, Edinburgh and took with him some excess baggage to leave at the L'Arche house in Leith where I would be staying. I'm still having to learn the hard way about being ruthless in packing only the essentials. I like to have this and that 'just in case'.

The day looked very promising weather wise, so after settling up and thanking Joe who had welcomed us the previous evening, I loaded the panniers and headed west along the south side of Kielder Water. For those who haven't sampled the delights of cycling, this must have been one of my best rides. With very little traffic, great road surfaces, spectacular forest scenery and relatively gentle inclines, I thanked God for bringing me through a tough few days and rewarding me with such beauty. There were signs to many camping sites and activity centres around the Water which made me think that there are many who are not prepared to brave the midges – or many 'one time only' visitors!

The road eventually reaches Kielder itself and then heads north west up to Deadwater beyond which I stopped to celebrate the fact that I had reached Scotland. In many ways it feels like coming home since my parents moved to Edinburgh when I was two.

The road follows a number of burns (streams) and winds right round on itself at Saughtree then climbs gradually through Wauchope Forest with the only sound of a distant tree felling caterpillar. Bright yellow gorse is abundant round these parts and occasionally one gets the sweet smelling scent of coconut carried on the cooling breeze. The hawthorn too is still in profuse blossom and there was one point where I had to stop and just marvel at the beauty of a field of Highland cattle grazing gently amidst blossom laden trees.

The road then drops down to Bonchester Bridge past hamlets of houses then cuts west towards Hawick where I stopped for lunch and got good mobile signal to confirm arrangements ahead. Time for more phone calls, checking emails and writing the blog. Confirmation had come through from Judith that I had a bed offered on the Isle of Mull and in Winchester, so the jigsaw pieces were coming together.

The Beanscene only opened in September and houses the Tourist information Office, a cafe and cinema. A big thanks to Chris at the TIC and Lindsay at Bs for sorting out the WiFi and making me feel at home. Hawick has a long tradition of being a centre for knitwear and the Beanscene is creatively built around an old mill where the huge water wheel can still be viewed which no doubt powered a battery of looms.

I left Hawick around 3.00 and negotiated my way out of town, joined up the hill by another cyclist, Mike Underhill on his son's Claude Butler. We turned off the busy A7 to the B6339 where it was possible to have a chat. Thanks Mike for your company, encouragement and directions.

I was due to stay the night with the co-founder of L'Arche in the UK. Ann with her late husband Geoffrey Morgan had been instrumental in setting up the first L'Arche house in this country alongside Therese Vanier, Jean Vanier's sister. Ann now lives in Eildon near Melrose, and had her daughter Merry staying, whose 30th birthday was being celebrated this week-end, and a close friend Anne. I had previously visited these parts a few years ago with Fran O'Neill when we did the St Cuthbert's Way – a really great walk from Melrose to Lindisfarne.

The SatNav didn't like just the name of a house and village so I plumped for the nearest equivalent which was clearly wrong as the wretched machine kept insisting that I turned right then piped up in a resentful tone “recalculating” when I didn't, as if I was putting it to great inconvenience. Perhaps it's all my fault for not being sufficiently SatNav savvy.

The garden at Littlecroft is just a delight. After a quick shower and change, I was sitting in it savouring a welcome glass of wine in the warm evening sun. Behind us, blending ingeniously into its natural surroundings, stood a long cabin housing an office and bedroom where I was to sleep. It's an amazing eco-friendly design, built with straw bale walls and a sedum roof, and the work of one of Ann's sons who is a green architect in Edinburgh.

It was just great to see Ann again, whom I first met in Barfrestone, Kent, 18 years ago. I particularly remember her kindness and concern in the early days of my job. We then sat around the kitchen table over a lovely meal, catching up on news and reminiscing.

Had a useful conversation on the phone with John Elliott in search of a bed on the way from Perth to Inverness. He suggested the Templetons who are fellow trustees of the Community of the Transfiguration in Roslin where I would be visiting tomorrow. It hadn't occurred to me they lived in the vicinity so after another call a welcome was extended and arrangements were confirmed.

Another exhilarating day, made easier by shedding some baggage (thanks, Jock and driver Peter for making this possible) and significant through my visiting Ann who is such an important part of L'Arche UK's story.

2008-06-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 3rd June 2008

Today's route – 44 miles from Kiln Pit Hill west of Consett to Kielder Water, Northumberland
Weather - persistent rain till early afternoon then dry and brightening.

There is something special about a real farmhouse breakfast. Tom and Peter seemed unusually keen for me to have a cooked one which I suspect is not the norm, so I was glad to oblige! Thanks Ann for great cooking and to you and Tom for a really enjoyable stay. The rain persisted when I left Airey Holme Farm heading north west to Hexham where I was due to meet reporter Gemma from the local newspaper, the Hexham Courant. Ann's email was being particularly obstinate the previous evening so the photo taken of myself and Tom hadn't gone through when I left. I was keen to ensure that the Durham Prayer Group was mentioned in the accompanying email, as any publicity could help to strengthen their membership.

I was getting used to the rain percolating through my helmet and dripping off my nose, but the rest of me was relatively dry thanks to some efficient clothing. The B6306 road takes a more direct route through back lanes to Hexham through Slaley. As I was cycling through the village I passed the First School and wondered if they would be interested in sponsoring my efforts so doubled back and introduced myself and presented my credentials to the Headteacher, Mrs Ross, who was delighted that I had called, as the children were doing their cycling proficiency. In two minutes I had a cup of warming tea in my hand facing a classroom of bright eyed kids telling them about my Big Bike Ride and explaining what L'Arche was and explaining a bit about learning disabilities. It was great to see so much enthusiasm and interest from the kids, and touched when Mrs Ross suggested they too did a bit of cycling to help support L'Arche. The bike attracted a lot of interest not least the SatNav!

I was late getting to the Hexham Courant office, under-estimating the terrain which was quite up and down, but arrived at around 11.45. Gemma had received the email and photo from Ann, and confirmed she would run a piece in this week's edition. I then repaired to Mucho Gusto for an excellent coffee before searching for a wireless hotspot to send yesterday's blog. Weatherspoons were very obliging but the passwords didn't work. So I found the library and got online there. However, I was denied access to see my blog! So it was along to Cafe Nero...

Jock Dalrymple had planned to spend a day with me, and had arranged for a parishioner, Peter and his wife, from Hawick to perform a complicated set of manoevres with cars to bring him and his bike to Hexham, leaving his car at Bellingham. It was still pouring when he arrived, and we met appropriately at the Abbey which was the first Benedictine foundation in England - thanks, Jock, for another historical insight. Jock and I met in Rome and have been cycling at least once a year since 1988, so we have got used to each other's foibles.

We amended the planned route slightly out of Hexham and were a little alarmed to see Peter and his wife heading towards us just after Low Brunton. An accident ahead had forced them to find another route to Bellingham. We eventually came to the spot before Wark where a van had completely turned over on a country lane – fortunately no fatalities.

The rain eventually subsided and the ride became quite enjoyable to Bellingham where Jock picked up his car and went off to check in at the Calvert Trust who had kindly sponsored a discounted overnight stay. I was relieved to handover my panniers for a few miles and set off for an easier ride with the sky brightening from the west, after a cup of tea at the Riverdale Hotel which seems to have quite a reputation for food.

One great aspect of cycling is the ability to exchange words with people along the way and this I did with Lawrence Dagg, a farmer who was viewing a field of sheep when I passed. He had the wisdom of a man who had seen many seasons out, and remarked that perhaps people would take farming more seriously now food was in short supply. It made me think that this was indeed a primary industry which we expect much of without perhaps sufficiently understanding the pressures they face.

I met Jock half way to Kielder and we decided to stop at Stannersburn for a meal at The Pheasant Inn which didn't disappoint us in the quality of food and the convivial atmosphere. A great meal. We rolled out at about 10.00 (still light up here) and attacked the remaining 5 miles while the midges attacked us. I've never seen or felt so many!

The Calvert Trust place where we were staying was very impressive, with a number of groups using it – a couple of schools and a respite group. It's basically designed for people with any kind of disabilities and they have a resident young team who are obviously dedicated to ensuring visitors get the most out of the recreational facilities on site.

Sleep came easily and soundly!

2008-06-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

Monday 2nd June 2008

Today's challenge – 59 miles fom Leyburn to Kiln Pit Hill west of Consett.
Weather cloudy and a mist over high ground.

An excellent breakfast was served at 8.00 am by Mike and Paula, ably assisted by their friends Moira and Peter. Fellow guests comprised a group of Americans on a photography tour of Yorkshire who didn't seem to be phased by the gloomy weather conditions and who had impressively been on the odd 5.00 am assignment. John, their tour leader, gave a good plug for the bike ride.

I headed off at 9.15 am furnished with a sizeable chunk of Paula's apple cake. The road to Richmond was reasonably easy, following a valley which brought me in from the west side.
A quick visit to Tourist Information before heading north on the B6274. After an initial pull up to Gilling, the road was really pleasant and relatively flat so good progress made through Forcett and Winston.

After a tea stop at Staindrop, the terrain ahead looked decidedly more hilly from Egglestone so took a lunch break here and interested a number of customers in sponsorship, including one who turned out to be Lord Strathmore. I was sent rather over encouragingly on my way which led me to realise that this was not a route for a heavily laden bicycle. I was about to climb Middleton Moor and the start of the north Pennines. A tough climb to White Hill, followed by a wonderful if dangerously steep descent to Stanhope and a cruel hill at Crawleyside which forced me off the saddle. There's a certain indignity about dismounting on a hill, not least when a young fit lad sails past (unladen!) cutting up the gradient with astonishing energy. I knew my place. Once past the worst bit, it was a hard but tolerable route past Scaylock Hill and Cross Rigg with some fabulous views across these bleak moors.

At Edmundbuyers, beside Derwent Reservoir I rang Tom Miller to arrange a Rendezvous near his Farm at Kiln Pit Hill. By this time there were 54 miles on the clock but there was a sting in the tail with a push up to the A68 before meeting Tom at the pre-arranged junction. Another tough day but thankfully escaping the rain.

I had met Tom and his wife Ann briefly at the L'Arche Regional Gathering in Durham and they gave me a really warm welcome. Longstanding friends of Judith and Martin Ellis, they have been farming here for nearly 40 years, mainly arable now. Tom's a wheelchair user but his is no ordinary wheelchair. You might describe it as a turbo charged all terrain model with 6 wheels - amazing. After a delicious supper and a photo for the Hexham Courant, it was good to share stories with Tom and Peter, a friend of the family who is helping out on the farm.

2008-06-02T03:56:00.000-07:00

Day 1: Sunday 1st June

Last minute preparations finally complete, I set off to the Methodist Church at around 12.10 to find an astonishing number of people waiting to give me a send off. I was very moved to see so many people supporting my ride and realised afterwards that they were probably not aware of the hard work that the Silsden Team including David Grimshaw had put into the planning. The weather forecast had not been wrong - steady rain was falling - and my heart sank with the prospect of the first day battling against the elements. After some well staged pictures for the local PR and a few words from me, Corrine Gregory gave a fitting Irish blessing, and Jo Blythe, the ITV weather presenter wished me well before ceremoniously sending myself and Sue Johnson on our way - Sue having kindly agreed to accompany me on the first push up to Cringles. It all seemed a bit surreal seeing the gathered crowd cheer, many of whom I have come to know in my 18 years in Silsden, as I wobbled off unsteadily under the weight of the panniers. The adventure had begun.

Thanks to a few training rides, we were soon up at Cringles and I was on my own speeding down to Addingham and beyond. Despite the rain, I was very aware of the wonderful countryside - along to Bolton Abbey, past Strid Wood and down to Burnsall. The beauty of stone walls and rolling verdant dales punctuated by lonesome barns reminded me why I have grown to love this area so much. On a sunny day, the wild flower meadows would have been a sight to behold - but even in the rain they evoke warm memories of a Carmel Ramblers week-end walk in Dentdale one May.

After Bolton Abbey, I met up with a Leeds YHA group, who later joined me at the cafe at Burnsall which looked too inviting to pass. So I pulled in and had a warming cup of tea, handing out a few cards and encouraging sponsorship among the fellow customers. Thanks to whoever gave me the idea of printing business size cards with the web address for donations - opportunities to tell people about L'Arche along the way, and hopefully persuade people to give to the appeal. Then on to Scargill where I recently stood down as chair after nearly 3 years, and where I met my late friend Alan Isles who went to Nepal to start the tree nursery project that I visited in March. Another cup of tea and a chat with a few members of the Community and I was on my way to the tough bit of the ride - up through Coverdale. I realised that it was impossible to cycle up 1 in 4 gradients with a full load - even with 24 gears. So there were a couple of stretches where I had to get off and push. I'm not sure how I would have coped even without baggage. But this allowed me to marvel at the fabulous countryside - how is it I've not discovered this dale before, having always taken the road to Starbotton, Buckden and Cray? When on the bike again, there is still a substantial climb to the top, and just as I was approaching the summit I heard the rare sound of skylark. Oddly, as the mist was starting to roll in, the rain stopped and the northern sky lighten as I started the descent to Leyburn. The gentle descent was interrupted by another killer climb after which I decided to try the Garmin SatNav for which David G had managed to get a significant discount from Halfords.

This is high tech stuff. Type in the postcode and just sit back, watch the map on the screen and listen to the instructions. Garmin voice directed me to turn left after so many miles. The other high tech features are my gear changers. Thanks to wide advice and a generous price reduction from Aire Valley Cycles, I'm now the proud owner of a Ridgeback World Voyage bike, with gear changers that are integral to the brake levels, making gear changing a doddle. A number of other retailers kindly offered a discount, including Cycle Clothing UK which is a new internet company selling really good gear at really good prices - thanks Charlton for sponsoring the shirts, warmers and shades. As I was pondering on these technological advances, I passed a woman who was doing a 10 mile run in the hope of doing the London Marathon next year. Said she would visit the website, so another card dispensed.

The last leg into Leyburn is along the busier A684 and since I was ahead of schedule, I popped into the 3 Horseshoes for a celebratory pint. The SatNav did its stuff and I was soon knocking at the door of Tom and Paula's Eastfield Lodge Guest house. Through Judith Ellis's links, Collett’s Mountain Holidays have generously sponsored a night’s stay here. I couldn't have wished for a warmer welcome or a better room (with a bath to soak away the day's exertions - rediscovering the pleasures of hot tap toe control) and was treated to a wonderful meal in convivial company. As I was running the bath, Jeremy Cain, a friend of L'Arche, rang to say he couldn't make the ride tomorrow; it would have been good to have his company.

That's all for now. A hard slog, but the bike handled really well, I've chalked up 34 miles in half a day, and met some really hospitable and generous people. It bodes well for the weeks ahead...

The Journey Begins

2008-05-29T04:26:00.000-07:00

Silsden. West Yorkshire. 1st June 2008. The big send-off.

John begins his mammoth journey round the UK to raise money for L'Arche, in particular for the new communities planned in Glasgow and Manchester, and also for the community in Zimbabwe where support is desperately needed.