Motivations?

For some time now I have thought about cycling from one end of Britain to the other but ask me 'why?' and of that I am not so sure. But the thought of looking at a map and just knowing that you have made it from south to north purely under your own steam must surely bring some sense of achievement. Like so many things, the plan lay dormant for a while; life got in the way. Or more accurately the mundane got in the way of living life. 

Initially I thought it would be just me and the open road, self supporting and with my own thoughts for company. Then I had the (mis?)fortune to be collared by John on returning from a failed cycling trip with friends from Land's End to Bath (here is not the time to dwell on the impact of red wine on cycling and the impact of Cornish hills on cheap bikes). John ensnares unwary bikers into his schemes as a spider captures a fly in its web. It turned out he also was planning to do the 'End to End'. He was planning to do it with support; I liked the idea of someone driving my bags and kit around. And he said he had some erstwhile mates who would come along; I was sure that while I would find my own company both engaging and informative, I would also be quite happy to go with others. So the deed was done, a date agreed, and after a half hearted attempt to plan a route and check how hilly it is, buy a road bike and sort out a charity web site (visit http://www.justgiving.com/John-Stanley2 see John's entry below for details) four of us are just about to set out on the journey; three cyclists plus support. Now is the time I am wishing I had done just that little bit of extra training.

Several weeks ago, Mark mentioned that he was planning his end to end cycling trip and that his mate Mark Thorpe would be driving a 'support van', following the guys on their journey, although this hadn't been confirmed. I casually suggested that if the support van fell through I would be happy to step in with my 4x4. This coincided with the news that a miniature dachshund puppy had become available, slighter sooner than I anticipated. So when Mark asked me a few weeks later whether my offer was still on the table, I thought, 'why not'..a bit of an adventure. And Clover, my new puppy would be a companion for me while I waited for the 'team' at the next meeting point. 

The first challenge was to see if the bike racks would fit to my existing roof rack - they didn't. Several websites and trips to Halfords later the fittings have been secured and the car will be ready to be loaded. 

So, for those of you unfamiliar with puppies, they come with baggage...lots of it. Almost as much as a small baby. Granted I don't need to pack a pushchair, but she does have her 'crate' which will be her sleeping compartment as we travel along. Add to that; toys, food for 2 weeks, treats (including tripe and pigs ears!) for 2 weeks, poo bags, bowls, bedding (lots of that, given the liklihood of mishaps), cleaning products (for those mishaps) and you can see why she is taking up the bulk of the luggage area!  

As for why I am doing this, well I'll have a few adventures, see parts of the UK I haven't seen before and very importantly, get to pay a visit to my sister in Scotland as we go through.  

So let the adventures begin! 

Geri + Clover the puppy (who at this point is asleep, completely oblivious to what awaits her.)