Just another North Norfolk sunrise
I knew that listening to back to back episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast while driving from one side of the UK to the other, was going to end in trouble.
The last time I listened to a number of episodes I went home and decided to cycle from where we live in the UK to where we live in France. I had been wanting to do it since we moved to France and I finally decided enough was enough and I needed to get into action. All very well, except when I had first toyed with the idea , we were living in the Southeast, a day’s cycle from the ferry in Portsmouth; I hadn’t really taken on board that we now lived in the top point of North Norfolk and that it would add several hundred more kilometres to my journey. But never one to be accused of over-planning, I sorted a bike guessed that it would take me four days to get there (WRONG) and launched myself into the adventure. I will do a detailed post about that trip another time, but suffice to say the seed of an idea started to take route.
Alongside this has been m,y obsession with the Arch to Arc triathlon which goes non stop from Marble Arch to Dover (by foot), a swim across the channel and then a cycle to the Arc de Triomphe. My swimming is just not up to that but I have looked at all sorts of options and suddenly last week, the final part of a much bigger challenge fell into place. Within an hour of checking out kayaking options, I had a support boat booked and my plans were cracking on. Other than a quick tweak of dates when one of my daughters pointed out that her graduation would be taking while I was crossing the channel, it is all falling into place. I’m equal amounts of terrified and exhilarated.
The challenge? It is in five parts, which should allow me to keep working throughout the trip.
Stage 1: Cycle from John O’Groats to Dungeness (1280 km)
Stage 2: Kayak across the English Channel (c35km)
Stage 3: Cycle from Boulogne to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port (1090 km)
Stage 4: Cycle the Camino Francès to Santiago (770 km) *accompanied by my husband for this section
Stage 5: Cycle from Santiago to Sagres in Portugal (875 km)
4050 km self-propelled from July 25 to September 25 (with working breaks on the way).
I am intending on fund-raising and will have more information on that once it is tied down. In the meantime, I have to focus on the much closer challenge in Sweden in February, the Ice ultra.
Let’s get zooming…