Hi All,

We (Roger and Marcus) are cycling from John O'Groats to Lands End  in aid of Christies Hospital in Manchester where our 16 year old nephew/cousin has recently been diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma and is currently receiving treatment. We flew to Scotland on June 3^rd and began our cycle journey the next day. The 1000 mile trip is taxing both our mental and physical strength, but we feel optimistic about our ability to complete the journey having trained regularly to build up the stamina and bottom padding required. The route will take us along Loch Ness, the Island of Arran, the Southern Uplands, the Lake District, Manchester, Bristol and finally Lands End! We're hoping to complete a distance of 65-80 miles every day over 16 days. 

Ann is up-dating the website daily with news of our progress (scroll down for blog), or for more information you could email her for news at arworthington@supanet.com

If you would like to sponsor us we would be very grateful. Sponsorship can be made online via http://www.justgiving.com/end2end_christies

or by email, pledging an amount and providing your home address so we can chase you after!!

Many Thanks,

Roger & Marcus Worthington

Christie's is one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe and a leading centre for clinical trials in the UK. It has an international reputation for excellence, treating more than 40,000 patients every year. Charitable funds are of vital importance in helping Christie's reach its vision of a future without cancer.

     Charity Registration No 1049751

June	Start	Finish	Distance	Map Link	Blog
W 3rd	Sidmouth	John O'Groats	?		Travel plans worked well; van, plane and train all to schedule. Arrived at JO'G campsite just before midnight ready for a good start in the morning.
Th 4th	John O'Groats	Dornoch	62m	See route	Morning at John O'Groats Left camp at 8am and arrived at JO'G centre (a dump!) to find everything was closed and so we were unable to sign the official JO'G to LE book or have the 'sign' photo taken. Travelled on to the lighthouse at Duncansby Head; much more inspiring! Highlight of the day was the sight of 62 seals (Marcus counted!) and an osprey at Loch Fleet. Arrived at Dornoch, via Wick and Helmsdale, at 6.50pm. Google gives distance travelled as 62 miles, but our trusty cyclometer assures us we covered 85 miles. Weather fine. Total miles: 85
F 5th	Dornoch	Fort Augustus	76m	See route	Happy Birthday Roger! Left Dornoch at 8.30am, a nice journey with the wind on our backs. Crossed to Black Isle on the Cromarty Ferry; a weird tub-like landing craft that can carry two cars, turning them on a turntable. On arriving at Inverness we were met by Renate and Sandra (two FC landscape architects in Scotland) who brought birthday cake and a candle and some wise advice on which route to take. Followed south side of Loch Ness where rain and hills provided our first real challenge. After 75 miles travelling, we arrived 5mins early at camp site entrance where we had arranged to meet (Roger’s) aunt and uncle, who were waiting to greet us. Had a lovely meal together and retired to dry our kit. Total miles: 160
S 6th	Fort Augustus	Oban	75m	See route	Managed to pack up between showers and get away dry and warm. The 5 mile section along Caledonian Canal got us off in high spirits, but we made the mistake of doing the next 5 miles off-road south of Loch Oich, which was a tad too bumpy for touring. When we reached Lagan we decided to stick to the roads, which has the benefit of being direct, reasonable gradients and well surfaced, but has fast traffic.Of course, travelling from Scotland into England we are always heading downhill - so all in all it was quite an easy ride. We heartily recommend you all try it sometime as it's a pleasure best shared! FortWilliam, Ballachulish and then Oban. 80 miles in 9 hours with a lovely lunch break in a posh hotel overlooking Loch Linnhe - not sure that we'll be able to pull that off much longer we're beginning to look a bit grubby. Nice weather all day a couple of light showers but otherwise sunshine that got our coats off for the first time. First puncture also. Lovely campsite at Oban that had Marcus leaping for cover from the local midges that hung in clouds. Tomorrow we head, via the ferry, for Brodick on the Isle of Arran. Total miles: 240
S 7th	Oban	Brodick	78m	See route	Left Oban at 8.30am (we're getting a bit slicker packing our kit) and headed south for Lochgilphead. Managed eat lunch before coach loads of OAPs filled the cafe, we escaped before they started rioting. Followed an intriguing section of canal to Ardrishaig - there are many sections of cycle path along the way, but without signs we keep missing them. (Note frustrated gnashing of teeth here!!) From Tarbert we cycled to Claonaig to catch the ferry to Lochranza, whilst waiting we brewed up in the sun on the beach. (See photo) Many more hills today, which slowed our progress somewhat over the 81 miles; the benefit is that every up has a down. The camp site at Brodick is a field with loo and cold water. The owner, as he took my £8, just managed to keep back a smile when I asked about showers. A major midge attack ensued which we fought off by producing lots of smoke from burning approximately £8 worth of grass. Total miles: 322
M 8th	Brodick	Stranraer	70m	See route	Up before 7am to ensure we were on the 8.20am ferry from Brodick to Ardrossan. Ate a full Scottish breakfast on the 50 minute journey; I'm not sure of the difference between Scottish and English breakfast - it could have been the compulsory serving of black pudding or the optional 'tatty scone'. Once off the ferry we followed an amazing arrangement of off-road cycle paths round Saltcoats, Irvine, Prestwick and Ayr, where we were joined for 30 miles by a guy doing the three peaks. From Ayr to Girvan to Cairnyan, with Ailsa Craig on view the whole way, in lovely sunshine with a cool breeze (in our favour). A quick diversion at Cairnryan to ‘Little Laight Cottage’ to show Marcus where I lived during my middle year from forestry college. The original has been knocked down and replaced with a new one facing 90 degrees out, which was a real shame because it now misses the amazing sunsets I remember as so typical of this area. 81 miles today was excellent because we only really got going at about 9.30 am (after the ferry). Top average speed of 12.3mph Marcus informs me - our best yet! Marcus just commented all we do is cycle, sleep and eat (must admit I'm sometimes doing more than one at once). Nice to know people at home are interested in our little jolly. Total miles: 404
T 9th	Stranraer	Dumfries	67m	See route	Left Stranraer at 8am and headed across country for Newton Stewart via Glen Lucy where we called in the local post office. The owner was happy to serve tea and chat to us and the other three locals. When we offered to pay one local shushed us with the comment, “if you pay I have to”, enjoyed the hospitality and banter. The owner started some tale about Avon ‘Oh So Smooth Green Bottle’ being the best midge repellent on the planet. The story got grander as she explained who she supplied and who used it - the US army use it….she supplied Castle Kennedy Gardens etc. - in the end we made a run for it before she tried selling us a bottle.  Made a navigational error that cost us 4 miles.The off-main road route was preferable to the main N. Ireland lorry route, but the head wind made it really hard work. Brunch at Newton Stewart got us really going again. The crossing of the GallowayForest was interesting (wild goats and view points). We had an afternoon stop in New Galloway and then on to Dumfries where some FC staff had waited late to offer tea and support; many thanks to Sandra for lovely flapjack provisions. Plus, you'll never guess what they recommend for midges.......! Only arrived at campsite after 8pm; the local hotel had finished serving food when we arrived so after 94 miles in headwinds it was flapjack for dinner. Total miles: 499
W10th	Dumfries	Keswick	63m	See route	Day 7 and we lay in late before taking a leisurely ride over the border into England where, having missed out on dinner yesterday, we were hoping to buy a full English breakfast. Sadly, having reached Carlisle, we could only find bacon and egg rolls on offer, so.......Marcus ate two! We also stopped at the border and marked the 512miles of our journey through Scotland; having loved the scenery, fine cycling and adventure – we definitely will be back (armed with Avon oh so smooth…. of course). Being back on English main roads was madness, so having had a near miss with traffic we switched to minor Cumbrian back routes - you know, the kind that double up as roller coasters! But with our pannier weights it’s as if someone yanks on the brakes at the bottom of a hill and all momentum is lost. Made Keswick by 4.30pm, showered, washed clothes and had a nap before going out, looking halfway decent, for a beer and a lovely pub meal courtesy of Marcus. Total distance for the day 55 miles - much more the distance for pleasure cycling.  Early night tonight so we have enough time tomorrow to crack the southern half of the Cumbrian countryside. It’s nice to be back visiting places I last saw over 20 years ago whilst at forestry college in Penrith. Total miles: 553
T11th	Keswick	Barnoldswick	68m	See route	Ann is encouraging us daily with news of sponsorship coming in. Once again please accept our sincere thanks to all of you who are supporting us in this way, it's a great blessing. We left the lovely campsite at Keswick refreshed and energised, but were already exhausted by the end of the street. We picked up the pace as we approached Grasmere and the prospect of purchasing some uniquely delicious gingerbread there. (A treat Marcus is particularly fond of.) The gingerbread shop stands by the church entrance and is the business, with authentically dressed maids from a few hundred years ago - they were a little startled by the concept of credit cards so we dug deep and regretted the weight gain immediately. Also on the breakfast theme we bought, in Grasmere, a 'Cumbrian Breakfast' with black pudding, haggis and all the other things enjoyed by Scots and English alike (except no tatty scones or square flat sausage). I put it down to Globalisation.  Travelled across the south lakes to Kendal, then Kirby Lonsdale and on to Gisburn - taking back roads to avoid mad drivers and lorries resulted in a bit of a roller coaster journey. We broke the disappointment of the downhill runs never seeming to be as long as the uphill ones by playing ‘fatty’ races - fattest person coasts furthest etc. There are some rather more technical rules, but far too complex to explain on a blog. Arrived in Gisburn only to find the campsite owner doesn’t like tent campers (with a passion) so we had to travel a further 6 miles to a welcoming site in Barnoldswick. (Home of the famous Bob Entwhistle, Leader of New Day Christian Family Fellowship Community Church in Barnoldswick!! for those in the know. Sadly we didn't have time to make the pilgrimage and seek him out.)   In addition to mileages (84 miles today) I learned another thing not to trust Google on - camp site listings. Worried about how to get through Manchester tomorrow, but looking forward to seeing family. Total miles: 637
F12th	Barnoldswick	Sale	43m	See route	Left Barnoldswick and decided to follow Leeds - LiverpoolCanal; which was a really interesting journey of heritage. Problem was that to avoid the slopes the canal wanders around, so that after 2 hours Marcus commented that we needed to speed up as we had only travelled 12miles! At one point the canal path ended as the canal disappeared into a tunnel and poor signage led to us eventually going down a footpath, which got narrower and narrower until our panniers got wedged and we needed to disassemble our kit and ferry it through the restriction. Having given up on the canal path we opted for the most direct route, but not before picking up a series of punctures from the same piece of glass wedged in a tyre. Once sorted we took the straight line option: Burnley, Ramsbottom, Salford, Manchester and Sale. We were pleasantly surprised that despite the surrounding built environment the provision for cyclists was very good. We arrived in Sale at 16.30 having travelled 48 miles. We received a warm welcome from the Couper household, good food, clean clothes and a real bed with sheets and pillows. (Thanks Christine!) It was great to see Josh so positive despite his treatment regime. Total miles: 685
S13th	Sale	Shrewsbury	62m	See route	Roger, Christine, Josh and Marcus A cooked breakfast provided by Keith got us off to a good start. (Cheers mate.) Made really good progress across Cheshire thanks to fresh legs and flat terrain until...... Marcus hit a pot hole which sheered the two bolts fixing his pannier rack to his bike. We managed to carry the two pannier bags between us a couple of miles into Middlewich where a local garage (Town Bridge Motors) got us up and running within 30 minutes. Incredibly rather than accept payment the owner sponsored us 20 quid. (What a guy!)   Finally camped south of Shrewsbury rather later than planned (due to breakdown) having cycled 78 miles. Having arrived again at a campsite that didn't exist we phoned a site 10 miles away hoping it wasn’t too late to book in. Unfortunately the site was another of those with no facilities; i.e. a field.  Happily the site owner phoned back to tell us of a nearer site with showers, though it was still an extra 4 miles. It was lovely with great views, showers and a barbecue site where we cooked our pork chops. Total miles: 763
S14th	Shrewsbury	Monmouth	72m	See route	There was only one other tent on site last night, which turned out to be home to three really scary young guys. Their behaviour became more and more weird to the point where we thought we’d entered the film 'the hills have eyes'. Needless to say we didn't sleep too well, particularly after the pans fell from the back of a bike where we’d set them to act as a alarm if someone decided to mess about with them. We were ready to leave by morning but still hadn't seen the owner, who according to the scary guy who could talk was 'a hillbilly'! (We believe he couldn’t have been any scarier than the scary guys). We shoved a £10 note under the reception building door and left.   After such a fitful night we got off to an early start and made rapid progress south on the level Shropshire roads. By 11am we'd already covered 30 miles and passed Ludlow and Leominster. Through Hereford and then on to Monmouth and the campsite by 3.30pm; the earliest we've arrived at our camp destination. Within an hour we had met up with Alan (Dad/Grandad) and organised camp site for us all. We’ve managed our kit and sleeping arrangements unaided thus far, so we decided that despite having Alan along we'd continue with the tent and manage with our own kit. Shared a lovely evening out with Alan and now settling down for the night. It’s a noisy camp site in Monmouth but they are all happy sounds that will help us go to sleep with a smile. 62 miles today and a new average high speed of 13.1mph. Total miles: 825
M15th	Monmouth	Glastonbury	53m	See route	Great having Dad along; he'd got the tea ready by 7am, though we made our own porridge (it's amazing how far you can get on a bowl of porridge - we can usually get 25 miles before stopping for a 2nd breakfast). This morning we cycled the WyeValley from Monmouth, past Tintern Abbey to Chepstow, then over the SevernBridge, which for a number of years has been an ambition of mine. Once we'd crossed the bridge we got a sniff of home and turned right following a cycle path all the way to the Avonmouth bridge and on into Portishead and Clevedon, where we met up with Alan again for lunch/2nd breakfast (eat, sleep, cycle I said it before). After lunch, following the helpful advice of a cyclist we met in Hereford yesterday, we picked up the 'Strawberry Line,' a disused Victorian railway line that carried Strawberries to London from Somerset. Following the off-road route took us from just outside Clevedon all the 15 miles to Cheddar. From Cheddar 15 miles to Glastonbury, where we camped just outside the village - the Druid encampment left the site yesterday! We've noticed that the further south we travel the more miserable cyclists become. In Scotland everyone (cyclists) seemed to greet each other with genuine warmth and enthusiasm; we even had highways workers, van drivers and other motorists beep or shout encouragement. By Shropshire we'd noticed a serious decline in cyclist camaraderie so decided we would try and shame all on-coming cyclists with the heartiest good morning we could muster. By Somerset we'd got the impression that cyclists are either snobs (and don't rate our cheap bikes), are depressed and go out to get away from all human contact, or are the rudest people in the UK. If current form continues as we head south I reckon our hearty greetings will be returned with obscenities by the time we reach Cornwall. Or maybe things will pick up and they will be as encouraging of cyclists as their cousins at the other 'end'. 76 miles today Total miles: 901
T16th	Glastonbury	Sidmouth	55m	See route	We left Glastonbury early and romped across Somerset through Somerton, Langport, Ilminster and Chard. The hills are beginning to increase in length and steepness, but with home calling we made good time. Crossing into Devon after lunch Marcus commented on there only being two more counties to cross, but I fear we’ve saved the toughest until last, particularly with the route we’ve chosen along the south coast, trying to take in as many ferry trips as possible.   Axminster, Seaton and finally to Sidmouth for a welcome early breather and much needed clean up of bikes, clothes and bodies. It’s strange calling at home, but knowing we haven’t finished our journey. We can’t hang around in the morning as we need to be away early to catch the first ferry from Exmouth.   Yesterday’s comments about cyclists being more miserable the further south we travel were confounded today with enthusiastic responses from nearly all.   Thanks to James for the recommendation of a Brookes saddle; after a 1000 mile breaking-in period it has finished shaping itself to my posterior (or vice versa), with only had minor discomfort. Miles today 53.   Total miles: 954
W17th	Sidmouth	Exmouth	11m	See route
	Starcross	Plymouth	45m	See route
T18th	Mount Edgecumbe	St Martins	27m	See route	Left home looking forward to embarking on the last leg; and having done this section of the trip last year with Jacob I was more confident of the route and potential problems. We made the first ferry at Exmouth after calling on mum and dad for a cup of tea. From Starcross we followed the coast, with a strong headwind, to Dawlish and then Teignmouth before cutting inland to Newton Abbott. By Totnes it was raining hard and we were making really slow progress. Just before Ivybridge Marcus broke a gear cable, which took some time to replace as we sheltered under a railway bridge. By the time we got going we were both shivering and trying to fight against the head winds. We missed our chance to drop off Joshua’s birthday card in Ivybridge.(I'll send the card from Lands End and it can be stylishly late!) It was still raining when we reached Plymouth, but we decided to press on by taking the Cremyll ferry to Mount Edgecumbe. As we crossed the rain stopped and the skies cleared. Lifted by the warmer weather we just wanted to keep going until we had dried out. We finally made camp between Seaton and Looe having travelled an exhausting 76 miles. All credit to Jacob for managing it last year on a really rubbish bike aged just 16!!   Total miles: 1030
	St Martins	Mawnan Smith	27m	See route	We left camp and headed for Looe, then on to the ferry at Fowey where we stopped for breakfast. Wow these Cornish roads are hard work! There are so many ups and downs and turns. We tried to pick the best routes by switching from a road map to following contours on a 1:50000, but you just can't avoid the hills.  In the afternoon we picked our way round St Austell and on to St Mawes where we caught the ferry across to Falmouth (the most expensive ferry crossing of our travels @ £16.00 for 2 with bikes). It's surprising the variety of prices charged for ferry crossings around the country. The cheapest was at Fowey £3.00 for two adults with bikes. We could have had a fairly decent holiday overseas with what we've paid in ferry crossings; though that was part of the experience we were after. My favourite crossing was Ardrossan. From Falmouth it was only a short 5 mile ride to Tiffany and Zac's at Mawnan Smith. They offered us great encouragement and a lovely meal to set us up for our last day (big thanks). We’ve opened the last map of our journey and it's good to see the remaining distance laid out on one sheet. Can’t tell you how many miles we’ve done today; Marcus is too tired to go downstairs and get his odometer so the final tally of miles will be revealed tomorrow. Total miles: 1078
F19th	Falmouth	Lands End	38m	See route	Arrived at Land's End at 12.35pm, to be greeted by a cheering welcoming party.  Other cyclists, heading the opposite way, have gradually become more friendly the closer we've got to Lands End, maybe that's because they are blissfully ignorant of the journey they've just embarked on. There have been some cyclists we've seen setting off with massive rucksacks and hugely laiden panniers, yesterday we even saw a cyclist pulling a kayak on a trailer, though I think he was a local. It has been a wonderful adventure and we are overwhelmed by the encouragement and support of so many of you. Many thanks. We will post the final sum raised once we've gathered in all the sponsorship.
	TOTAL		992m		Total miles: 1116