Mount Kilimanjaro

On the 2nd January, I flew out to Tanzania in Africa with my dad to climb the largest free standing mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m). To put this into perspective, Snowdon - the height mountain in Wales is 1,085m), so this was a huge challenge!
Our flight left from Humberside airport with a transfer in Schipol before arriving at Kilimanjaro airport. Tanzania are 3 hours ahead making the flight seem even longer!
Day 1
We left England at 6:10am and arrived in Tanzania at 8:40pm. Collecting our visa took a long time and it was around 30 degrees celcius... we were extremely sweaty having travelled wearing as much as possible after hearing that 1 in 7 peoples luggage does not arrive in time! The drive was 1 hour from the airport to our hotel in Arusha. We stayed in Arusha due to its higher altitude compared to the other cities closer to Mount Kili. This drive was interesting...the country have spent a lot of money on police monitoring car speed meaning police are everywhere, however no other road rules are regulated at all. Cars join the road whenever they want, cars have no headlights, there are lots of horns going, nobody stays in their lanes and there are often three cars in line across two lanes. I noticed lots and lots of people stood in large groups at the side of the long, wide, empty roads. I later found out that these groups of men were operating taxi services on their motorbikes - many of which had no headlights! The only true buildings we saw on this journey were universities... the other houses were more like tin huts. We approached two huge black gates guarded by men with guns. This was the entrance to our hotel. We were very happy to be able to have a shower.

Day 2 (2671m)
We woke up at 6am for a breakfast which consisted of an omelette and cereals. We met our team at 7 am before beginning a 5 hour drive to the start of the Rongai route. The sky was extremely clear and we could see the peak of Mount Meru - Mount Kilimanjaro's sister. Driving through the nature reserve on the way there, there were lots of people farming. Small children walking solo carrying huge baskets or branches, often on top of their heads. We learnt that the whole family works together daily to ensure food is placed on the table. We eventually arrived at the start point. The guides (we had 13 between 2 of us) had to arrange the luggage so that each man was carrying 20kg. The luggage included clothing, tents, food, drink, bowls, cutlery, sauces and first aid for 15 people! No plastic bottles are allowed on the mountain to reduce the amount of litter. After 1.5 hours of relatively easy walking, we arrived at Simba camp (2671m). Walking through the rainforest, we spotted black and white columbus monkeys swinging in the branches above us... they then joined us in the campsite in the evening. We were told that there are over 450 species of bird on the mountain but many of the large wild animals such as elephants have moved into Kenya due to the vast amount of poaching that occurs.
We had our own chef (Robert) and waiter (Duhlar). Our first meal started with a soup dish followed by fish, vegetables and potatoes. We were fed extremely well throughout the trip- it was amazing what they could cook in the mountains with very limited resources. Apart from hearing people around you going to toilet into a plastic bucket very close by and my dad cutting his head sleeping on the zip of his sleeping bag, we both slept very well on our first night in our tents.
Day 3 (3700m)
We woke up at 6am, greeted by a knock on our tent followed by a mug of coffee each. Today we changed terrain, from a rainforest to moorland area into second cave camp over an 8km hike. We spotted lots of buffalo footprints along the track and there was a clear view of the Kilimanjaro summit. We stopped for lunch were we had cucumber soup, fish and chips, green beans and carrots. It chucked it down with rain. We then hiked another 8km to our final camp of the day. The hiking was long and we moved very slowly across the mountain. My dad slept while I went to explore the camp. A river ran straight through the centre surrounded by unique trees and lots of mice and birds lived here. The surface was volcanic ash.
Despite the bad weather, my dads head had got sunburnt highlighting the contrasting weather conditions. He was very uncomfortable and our clothes were wet. As the sun set and the moon came out, the stars lit up the Kenyan towns 3700m below us. It was spectacular. For tea, we had soup, chicken leg, rice and vegetable curry. The rain was extremely heavy and noisy throughout the night, we barely slept. The guides dug mini trenches around the base of your tent to allow the water to drain into.
 Checking into every campsite we were the youngest and oldest people each time! Choosing your amount of layers each day was difficult because the temperature varied so so much and whatever you did not wear, you had to carry! There were now no toilets at all... we simply went to the toilet using a hole in a shed. No luxuries. No showering. No sleep. Lots of sweating.

Day 4 (4300m)
Heading to the food tent for breakfast, two huge ravens swooped past us. The weather was much better and brighter. Breakfast: rice porridge, pink potatoe (they called it sava), vegetable omelette, orange. We trecked through an alpine desert and arrived at Mawenzi Tarn Hut. There was lots of rocks piled on top of eachother which we were asked to place a rock on top off and make a wish. For lunch we had celery soup then we had an omelette sandwich with onion barjis. This was the prettiest camp. The guides played chess. Once you had stopped walking, there was very little entertainment... my father read the same book 3 times! Small lakes were dotted around everywhere. We did an acclimatize walk up towards one of the three eruption points on the mountain. An acclimatization walk involves walking up higher (in this case, 4500m) before returning back lower to sleep (4300m). We both suffered with headaches on this walk. It felt like my brain was being squashed by my skull. The beauty of the hike we had selected was that it gave you time to acclimatize making it much more likely for you to reach the summit. For tea: pancakes and pumpkin soup followed by African stew and pineapple.
The nights were getting colder and colder as we moved higher. We were also becoming dirtier and the dried sweat on our bodies was making us cold. I slept wearing a thermal base layer, hoodie, and 3 jackets this night whilst snuggled in my sleeping bag - it was still FREEZING!

Day 5 (3800m)
As the sun rose, we made our way to the breakfast tent where our chief (Nicholas) congratulated me on having such an amazing dad! We were moving lower today, towards third cave camp which meant our headaches and sickness should go away. We were both quite excited as we knew we were summitting the following evening, however both felt very tired - sleeping in tents in gail winds at -20 degrees doesn't provide the best nights sleep! My dad was resting throughout the day whenever he got the opportunity to, although very rarely actually falling asleep. Kibou peak was behind us now providing a very pretty backdrop. The guides were walking towards the nearest stream in order to collect water for us. One of the porters suffered from altitude sickness which was a good reminder to us that we were doing well!

Day 6 (4800m)
We moved from third cave to school hut camp (4800m) which took 3 hours. School hut was a private camp ensuring we were the only people at it. It was a very cloudy morning but there was no wind at all. The hike was much steeper today and we were repeatedly told to walk 'pole pole' (slowly, slowly) to prevent altitude sickness. The rocks were much larger now and the ground was sandy. We passed a buffalo carcass. We reached 5000m on our acclimatization walk and my father hated travelling back down the mountain. This was our final walk before the summit.We knew the two largest factors effecting us summitting would be, the contrasting weather conditions and how we coped with altitude sickness. We went to sleep at 4:30pm with facemasks on to block out the bright sun. My father did not sleep at all in this period.

SUMMIT (5895m)
We woke up at 11 pm for our breakfast. Neither of us were able to stomach our breakfast - I was so nervous! It was pitch black as we set off on our 7 hour hike for summit at midnight. I spotted a shooting star just before we started trecking. We had head torches on which highlighted the earth in a small circle just ahead of you. The walk was very steep and challenging. My fathers head torch died after 15 minutes - very typical of my father as he is rubbish at working electrical products. We walked with three guides for two hours alone before joining the other groups on the main pathway to the summit. We travelled in single file. Many people were falling over, lots of people were laid out resting and some people were being sick. You needed to keep a strong mind. My father was really struggling but he knew he was fit and capable enough to keep going past these people. When I spoke to him, he was replying nonsense and he looked glazed over. He kept falling up the mountain and the guides had to take his luggage from him. My father was using Gilmoors point (the first marked point on the highest rim of the volcanoe) as a point to reach for motivation. I did not think he was going to make it but he kept ploughing on. The guides tried to keep the hike as enjoyable as possible, singing loudly as we moved up the mountain. It was hard to keep focus when all you could see was a tiny circle of land lit up infront of you for 7 hours! Everything else was blackness. As we approached Gilmoors point, it was still very dark. We were one of the first people to reach the top rim. As we climbed over the ridge, a blizzard began... it was -20 and the snow was falling thick and fast. We were freezing. The snow had built up and was extremely thick (1m deep) around the path. We pushed on and reached Steller's point before getting to the summit. It was so emotional! My hair had frozen around my face and even my eye lashes had turned into small icicles. It was around -30 at the summit. We had a very quick picture before the guides rushed my father down for safety. I followed hastily. Coming down the mountain, everyone else still on their way up congratulated us! The guides practically dragged us down the mountain, taking us under the arm. It was the fasted we had moved all week by a long way

Day 7 (3700m)
We reached the summit at 6:10 am and came straight back down to Horombo huts using the Marangu route. This campsite had its own toilets and actual buildings were there. This camp site was incredibly different to the other camps that we had been to. My dad could not eat when we stopped at Kibou huts. He felt very sick. My father donated his clothes to the guides. We had dropped from 5900m to 3700m. This was very, very tough. We had been away for around 30 hours. We had reached the summit of the heighest free standing mountain in the world. We had also hiked around 19km.

Day 8
We had the best night sleep ever (8:45pm -> 6am). Our guides performed a dance for us as they were very excited to be going home. I joined in. We hiked through large groups of cactus trees and into a thick rainforest. In the rainforest, we passed a dic dic. This hike covered 21km, a nice half marathon to finish our hiking week! We reached our pick up point at about 1 o clock and took the bus home. On the  bus we had 7 tiny bananas each. The bus stunk... 13 guides plus my father and I, all who had been hiking for 7 days in temperatures ranging from 30 degrees to minus 30 degrees. The smells were repulsing!

General routine
6:30 am wake up and pack bags within the tent
7:00 am wash (bowl of warm water)
7:30 am breakfast
8-12 am walk
12 am- lunch (soup and main)
4 pm - popcorn, coffee, peanuts (snacks)
6pm - tea (soup, main dish and fruit)

Extra information
In the 1990's, people believed God lived at the top of the mountain. They thought nobody could climb to the summit because God's curse would kill them. They were mistaking this death cause with hypothermia.
In 1995, our chief guide first summitted the mountain. He stayed in natural caves the whole way up, keeping warm by a single blanket. He hated every minute of it. He swore he would never climb again. He took this back when employment elsewhere seemed impossible.
It is a rule on the mountain that you take as many guides to the summit as there are climbers.
There are still tribes who live on the mountain!

Brecon Beacons

I spent the first December weekend hiking in the Brecon Beacons. Again, the weather did not please us, with heavy rain throughout the whole day.
We completed the Fan Dance - the route used by the SAS during the winter as part of a training regime. it includes reaching the summit of the tallest peak in South Wales (Pen y fan). I would love to return and complete this route in better weather conditions.

Charity Events

- Charity Netball tournament 28th November 2018

- Bake sale 14th December

- Charity Quiz 11th December
-5km fun run 27th January
- valentines personalised cookies and cakes followed by a  bake sale
- half marathon (13 mile) row February 28th
- Bake sale 1st March
-Superhero themed family fun run January  27th

Snowdon November 2018

On the 10th November, I led my first group up Mount Snowdon. The weather was not pleasant and visibility extremely poor, nevertheless, we all enjoyed our hike.
We took the Pyg and Miners track. This route provided a beautiful lakeside view. The mountain was extremely busy with many people climbing it for charity. People were flaked out in the path - the harsh winds requiring extra energy usage. 
We split our quite large group up based upon their walking speeds. This meant each person was able to reach the summit at their own pace. 

LONDON MARATHON - THE BRAIN CHARITY
Lets make a difference.
Here is my funding page.
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LauraCopley1

I will be posting about upcoming fundraising events but in the meantime, I better get training!

Lake District - 3 personal challenges

Helvellyn

This image is climbing up Helvellyn. 

This image is climbing up Easy Gully on Pavey
Arch on the opposite face to Jack's rake. 

On 21st August 2018, 8:30 am, I set off from Helvellyn Youth Hostel to climb up Helvellyn. We decided to go around the horse shoe in anticlockwise direction meaning we ascended up Squirrel edge and descended down Striding Edge. Helvellyn is the 3rd tallest peak in England. Striding Edge and Squirrel Edge are both grade 1 scrambles meaning you spend a lot of times using your arms and legs as is becomes more of a climb compared to a walk. There was low visibility as the clouds were low. When descending we could not see a clear path coming from the peak so began to climb down lose rock along a path we thought must have been the way. As we got lower and lower, it became clear that this was no path, just a few lose rocks scattered amongst a very steep grassy mountain face. We climbed back up along rocks that seemed more stable and joined Striding edge. The view down on the red tarn was beautiful and the lake helped to navigate us.



Scafell pike

This is on Scafell Pike.

We attempted Scafell pike the following day. The drive here involved going over Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass which are narrow undulating roads travelling through the centre of vast majestic valley. Arriving at Scafell we were advised not to go walking, I was determined however to attempt it – there is nothing worse than a ‘did not start’. We began walking up the side of a river using a picture of the route on my phone as guidance. We travelled up the mountains going via Hollow Stones. I was very eager to attempt Sca fell too however the weather was making the walking unenjoyable and the fog preventing you from seeing any of the views. The river running alongside the path made the walk very pretty with frequent waterfalls and stepping stones across it. We reached a fork in the path and chose to turn right (the shorter but steeper way to the summit). Eventually, the route became incredibly unclear and it turned into lots of tiny lose rocks. We actually turned back at this point as we did not believe the clear stepping stones would have changed into this path given how popular the route is. On our way back down, we met a couple who had followed us up, we agreed to go back to the blind spot and work our way through it. We managed it thanks to locating a rescue point on the map which we had just passed giving us confidence that we were on the correct route. Along the ridge, the path was not well marked however man made stacks of stones provided some guidance. We took the longer slope down the rocks as the rain had made the slippy.

Jack’s Rake and Easy Gully
Jack’s Rake and Easy Gully form a ‘v’ shape in Pavey Arch. The walk up to Pavey Arch is relatively simple and short. Stickle Tarn is at the bottom and the walk forms a horse shoe around it. Harrison Stickle is the heighest point at the summit. We attempted Jack’s rake but did not complete it. The continuous rain fall over the past week meant the rocks were leather like and made the route too dangerous for us. We had been advised to watch videos about the route and that you cannot turn back once you have passed the small tree growing out of the rock. We headed back down as we approached the tree… wearing cycling helmets for added protection, we looked rather silly attempting to climb down the steepest faces on the peak. We reached the bottom and decided to attempt Easy Gully. This forms the right hand side of the ‘v’. This scramble was by no means easy. It was made from lots of lose rock and it felt like a rock slide could occur at any moment. We traversed up the rocks making sure we called for any large falling rocks. When we reached the top, a large overhanging rock blocked the path. The walk and scramble was great but I will have to return in order to complete Jack’s Rake!

Events on Foot

Events on foot

Walks
In the summer of 2016 I completed the Yorkshire 3 peaks challenge. Climbing the 3 tallest peaks in Yorkshire in under 12 hours. This event was thoroughly enjoyable. Each peak was totally different to climb and presented its own unique challenges. The weather would be bright and sunny at the bottom and could be snowing by the time you reached the top of them! Neither my partner nor I had ever completed this full route before so we did get lost a few times and I would recommend taking multiple maps in order to prevent this from happening! This is a challenge that every hiker must do!! My favourite of all the hikes I have completed so far!
We decided to run between peaks in order to get the best time possible completing it in just over 7 hours. It's 40km (25 miles) and consists of Pen-y-Ghent (694 metres), Whernside (736 metres) and Ingleborough (723 metres).




Snowdon (February 2018)- what a beauty!
We took the Watkins route on a very cold February morning. Snow had set and glistened in the day light, thicker towards the top but more scattered at the base.
The path was very clearly defined with lots of large rock faces along the edge - great for extra climbing or eating your lunch on. The first half is quite steady and the footing is simple but the second half became much more physically demanding.
We scrambled along with the peak in sight, not actually knowing if we were heading in the correct direction due to the path and scenery being totally covered with thick untouched snow. My legs burnt climbing up here but I could not wait to reach the top! A beautiful lake could be seen down the mountain face to the right and we ate our lunch sat on large rocks looking out onto the water.

After the Driffield Triathalon

Clear sky allowed us to see for miles - views I will never forget! At the top we posed for pictures and waited for our group to come together again.
We then headed down cross country taking the least steep route possible but visiting any lakes or points of interest we fancied.
Snowdon was amazing and I would love to return in order to climb Crib Goch!


I did Kinder Scout in February 2018 on a snowy Thursday morning.

This image is in the Golden Fleece.

The route was straight forward and there were no opportunities to get lost. The snow added to the beauty of the route although it's probably best to complete it in the summer too so you can see the comparison!

Kinder Scout

Kinder Scout

Kinder Scout

Runs


The Golden Fleece was a cross country ultra marathon which I did in May 2018. It was beautiful!!! There is a shorter course of 16 miles which many people walk.

This was the furthest I have ever ran. The pain is strange... your lungs are fine but your bones ache. I changed my running technique multiple times throughout the race in order to be as comfortable as possible. There were lots of food stations throughout and you got a delicious meal at the end. Parking is organised and close to the starting point.

The route takes you through many fields and we did often think we were going to get lost.


This event was amazing and because the scenery was altering so much and the terrain changing, it prevented boredom- I never believed I would be able to do it and I did!!!

The Humber half marathon was my first ever half marathon in 2015. I find running really quite boring meaning that the specific running training that you should do before such an event did not quite happen.
The route was beautiful, running both ways over the bridge. There was lots of spectators and supporters scattered around the route. Some people presented us with sweets, others sprayed you with a hose pipe (this was most needed in the weather conditions that we were experiencing).
I would recommend this half marathon for people who have already done half marathons - the course is rather hilly meaning you are not very likely to get a PB. It is however all on road. There was lots of people running and plenty of space for spectators to cheer you on at the end. Many competitors walked to the start because the car park was so busy.

The Nottingham half marathon starts in the city center. The parking is simple and I have never had problems with it – I have done this run 3 times now and hope to do it every year that I am at university (5 years).
The course is very well organised with lots of stalls at the start. You are given different starting points depending on your estimated time of finish. At the end, everyone is given a goody bag
There are plenty of parks for spectators to wait for you in.
This run gives you a tour of the whole city.

Other


(Easter 2017) Driffield sprint triathlon involved a 400m pool swim followed by 20km bike ride then a 5km run.
It was a good triathlon to do for the first time. The cycle route was quite hilly but the run was flat. It was well set out and the rush and excitement when changing activity gave me extra energy and thrill! The run was a circular route and you complete it multiple times. I was always going to struggle with the running the most because it's the thing I least enjoy training!
I would definitely do another triathlon but would try a longer one next time.

Open water swimming events

Lac Montriond (summer 2016) – Visiting the French Alps in the summer was a dream come true. I cannot recommend it enough. The scenery was breath taking – huge lakes filled with clear blue water surrounded by majestic mountain tops, it wasn’t too hard to hike above the cloud line. This lake attracts lots of people in the summer and many people sun bathe around it. There is a smaller lake which you can stand in allowing children to play. The larger lake has lots of water sports to offer but the lake is so large, once you are away from the perimeter, it seems rather quiet. There are no rules regarding how you swim the lake or safety regulations but the water is extremely deep and when you reach the centre you are a long way away from the side so you must be a confident swimmer. It is 19m deep and 33 hectares large.

Lake Windermere (summer 2016) – This is the longest lake in the UK and I have always wanted to swim it. Last summer I had the opportunity to swim in it when on holiday with my friends. There are safety rules in this lake and I required a coloured inflatable attached to me in order to make boats aware of me. I also had to swim by the side of a boat. The lake is very mucky and there are lots of shallow parts meaning you need to keep checking which direction you are heading. I swam the width and back of the lake which was in total around 3 km. I would love to go further but would recommend doing it with the organised event if you can! I would also highly recommend wearing a swimming suit as this lake is COLD!!

North Coast 500 cycle

North Coast 500 (summer 2017)

• 500 mile cycle around northern Scotland!

The journey began with an 8 hour train journey from Hull to Inverness. The bike ride started here, taking the route up across to the coast then up the west side along the top of the Scottish Highlands to John O'groats and back down the east coast finishing in Inverness again.

The ride was extremely hard and the hills were never ending. My legs became numb by day 3 meaning that any pain and discomfort from the saddle became bareable.

The weather was crazy. I have never experienced weather change like it. My body couldn’t cope – I came out in huge rashes due to the sweat evaporating too fast due to the harsh winds and freezing cold air brushing against my skin. This weather made camping a true struggle – especially when we were cycling a coastal route.

One of the many gorgeous beaches
along the coastal road

One day which will never leave my memory was cycling in a valley between two great mountains, no housing or habituation in sight. We were being blown across the road. It was disastrous. I was watching my partner cycle on an angle fighting against the wind, going around corners proved great difficulty as you were trying to fight the wind but also balance a bike with extra weight from your luggage straddled across the back of it. I fell off my bike and we decided it was too dangerous to carry on. We resulted in hiding behind a huge huge rock and snuggling up together in order to keep warm. We then waited and waited for a car to pass. We waited for around 4 hours – a few cars drove passed but none were interested in helping 2 lost cyclists. Then one man, driving an old postman’s van decided to stop and take us back to the nearest hostel. We left our bikes in the long wilderness and headed back along the track we had fought so hard to travel down. All of the hostels we passed were full. After travelling around 10 miles back, we noticed a lady had a caravan in her garden and asked if we were able to stay in that for the night – she accepted.

This was the plan for the ride
Day 1 - Travel

Night 1- Inverness- HOSTEL

Day 2 – 101 km

Night 2 – Locharron

Day 3 – 95km

Night 3 – kinlochewe (campsite)

Day 4 – 80km

Night4 – dundonnell

Day 5 –100km

Night 5 – Lochinver HOSTEL

Day 6- 97km

Night 6 – Durness

Day 7 – 85km

Night 7 – Strathy HOSTEL

Day 8- 96km

Night 8 – wick

Day 9 – 86km

Night 9 – Golspie NICE HOTEL

Day 10 – 86km

Night 10 -Inverness (hostel)

Day 11 – Travel

Cycling sportives

Cycling Sportives

I got into cycling when doing my A levels (2016). I was bored of being cooped indoors revising and decided to sign onto a long endurance event (125km) across the Yorkshire Wolds. This seemed like a great idea at the time although I had not taken into account the fact I did not own a bike and had done no training. This event was tough. I was the only rider not on a road bike and chugged my way up all the hills knowing there would be flapjack stations at the top. Since then, my love for cycling has grown. I have written short reviews of the sportives that I have completed below.

Wolds 123 (summer 2016) – This ride was hilly. Great meal at the end. Options to make it shorter during the ride. I did the 125km.

Heart of the Wolds (Easter 2018) – Well organised. Lots of parking available. Great scenery. Good number of feed stops. Massage at the end. 100km.

Scarborough Sportive x 2 (summer 2016 and 2017) – This ride is a good one. You all start at Oliver’s mount and the view from the top is great. You finish on a great big field and have to do a lap prior to finishing.

Charnwood Primavera (Summer 2017) – Busier roads than I am used to in Yorkshire. Finish at their local gym with a large buffet making it a very sociable event.

Coast to Coast Bike Ride

                                        Overview of the coast to coast bike ride in 2 days

On Friday evening in the summer of 2018, we traveled from Hull to Morecombe - cancelled trains and rush hour traffic made this journey incredible stressful not to mention the 30 degree heat wave the country was going through. We planned to do the way of the roses route.

We arrived in Lancaster (cancelled train meant to we had to cycle the final part of the journey) and we immediately went to Lancaster Cathedral. This was a beautiful place for a picnic as it is based on a hill with great views out across the land onto the horizon. Cycling into Morecombe along a pathway felt very safe and we made it to the coastline just in time for sunset. The famous west coast sunset was amazing and we could clearly see the Lake District and Wales in the distance. We chose to stay in an air b and b. These are great value for money and allows you to meet people along your travels.

We woke up early on Saturday morning for breakfast and opted for the early leave but unfortunately my cycling partner let down their tires when trying to pump them up - disaster number 2! Eventually we started and went straight to the sign post on the seafront stating that Bridlington is 170 miles away and the 'way of the roses' sign. Then followed an exhausted day of climbing up huge hills.

The scenery on the first half of the journey was breath taking and I wished we had more time to explore. Eating lunch in Settle was a great idea given the steep never ending climb out of the village which resulted with me laid out with the bike on top of me. We took a slight detour in order to see Malham Cove and stopped for a dip in Linton falls. These two natural beauties are not to be missed. The hills were hard and we did have to walk a few of them (mainly due to my achy legs). Following the stop at Linton falls, my clip in on my shoe broke meaning on every hill my focus was no longer getting up the hill as fast as possible but staying on my bike! We finally reached our accommodation in Bishop Thornton and realised we had no food - this was a disaster. It was now bordering 10pm and we stunk and were starving! Our hosts took great care of us and drove into Harrogate in order to buy us a large greasy take away.

We knew the Sunday riding was supposed to be a lot flatter and looked forward to it. It was quite smooth riding. We stopped at York minster to inspect the design and had our lunch along the river running through the centre of York. There was lots of off-road cycling in this part of the journey but the scenery as still amazing. We reached Bridlington at around 6pm and enjoyed fish and chips on the beach.

Things to note: pre book bikes onto train. Pick viewpoints. Be aware of the hills that you will face. The first day is extremely hilly! It is hard to get lost because the way of the roses signs are so well located at nearly every junction! Total of about 22 hours of cycling.



Coast to coast bike ride itinerary

Friday 29th – arrive at 8 and stay on Morecombe seafront.

Have a look around Morecombe bay, grab snacks for following day.

EARLY NIGHT – start early sat.

Saturday 30th (70 miles) -

Cross the first bridge and Lancaster castle will be present (5.1 miles)

Great stone of 4 stones – 4 miles near kitten bridge just after Hornby. (10-15 miles)

Start looking to head to Malham cove/Gordale scar which is off black gill lane onto grains lane then peart lane then up to Malham. Follow signs for Cracoe now.

Hill out of settle (mile 35) is the hardest. Very hilly nearly Brimham Rocks.

Linton falls are in Linton between Cracoe and Thorpe (slight detour) but could go via hebdon (very pretty on B6265)

Stop at pately bridge (half way for effort, 62 miles/100km – aim for 5 hours ish, 45 miles from great stone) – tea rooms and visit the oldest sweet shop in the world!!! Been voted best highstreet in the country: probably best stopping for food here – late lunch)

After go to Brimham rocks (pictures) (4.2 miles)

stay at 38 Colber Lane, Bishop thornton, England, HG33JR. (6 miles)



Sunday 1st July (100 miles) –

Fontains abbey and Studley royal water gardens for food and pics (looks gorg) (5.1 miles from start)

Studley park

Ripon (8.1 miles)

Ripon to York is the easiest section seeing Benhingbrough hall, wooden planks of Aldwark bridge and vale of York

just after York (34 miles ish) there is an offroad piece of track to be careful on.

Could go to KP lodges for food/drink (18 miles from York ish)

Burton agnes (21 miles from KP lodges)

Finish in bridlington!

Goals: 100 miles in one day. Furthest distance ever cycled over a weekend. Completed coast to coast!!! With our accommodation it comes to 299km.

Grandma Eileen and Poem