MS Walk - Team Blog

I’m sitting here writing this on a rainy windswept Sunday afternoon back home in leafy Fulham, I’m glad I’m not out on the road, my whole body aches and my arms and shoulders are heavy from the physical exertions of this event, if I could walk without crutches I’m sure I’d resemble an Orangatang with my knuckles dragging along the floor, I’m even still dreaming that I’m living life on the bus. The whole magnitude of what we did is slowly sinking in but at the same time my awareness of how we could have made things better and improved the mission is on my mind but that I think is for another day!

We stayed our last night in the grounds of the Corus Hotel in Elstree with the intentions of having a big party, but even with the finish beckoning we were all falling asleep by about 10pm. The rain was pouring down outside but we didn’t care, tomorrow was going to be a day which we’d all remember to our last, a triumphant day, Victory Day!

For the first time on the whole trip the last day for once saw me up first, to be met by a beautiful blue sky and a pulsating sun shining down as if to say you’ve done it guys, I’m not going to be a killjoy and ruin your day, the sun was true to its word with only a splattering of rain as we walked through Hyde Park aside of that it was unblemished warmth to welcome us all home. We were joined by Connor my son who’d journeyed down the night before and Michael, Jo’s other half who flown all the way from New York to be part of this event for the last day. Mig’s as he is known does not have it easy being confined to a wheel chair, but his courage and madness made him a welcome addition to the team, Jo was overjoyed and just for the record they do build roads over motorways, I sometimes worry about our American cousins! We set off from the hospital also joined by Maya Hayes whose husband lives with MS and started the final twelve miles of our journey. I was interrupted on several occasions to conduct radio interviews and was always worried about the time due to our pre-arranged appointment. The team were aware of this and we covered the distance considerably quickly. We stopped at the MS Society for sandwiches and drinks and were cheered off on our way. Louis Nixon whose efforts in the first five days were so important joined us near Marble Arch and the rest was a guided tour of the sites, Hyde Park Corner, Constitution Hill, Buckingham Palace, Green Park and finally Parliament Square leading on to our destination at Downing St.

It did seem odd finishing and left a bit of a vacuum afterwards. I wonder what comes next but as I said in the TV interview the campaign must continue and the old mind is already coming up with some new ideas. Whatever all of us will need time to reflect on what we achieved. At times living on the bus was difficult and given relationships were always fraught and to be honest are unlikely to recover, however on the other hand strong friendships were forged which no doubt will last many moons. At times things could be disruptive, but the positives far outweighed any negatives and the team always worked together in their own ways to achieve the mission. We were aided by brilliant support from people throughout the country and our sponsors who provided us with Food and drinks etc and a support car helped us come out the other side. As for the countless people who donated money to make this happen, I cannot thank you enough for your input and financial injection. Hopefully this walk will have made a difference in the fight against MS by what we have learnt and the monies we have raised. If it has helped anyone to come out fighting and to stick two fingers up to their given problems then it can only be deemed as a success.

For me personally it was the completion of a dream I’ve had for 10 years, Multiple Sclerosis is part of me but it will never control or beat me. I cannot thank the team enough and all those individuals and groups who threw their support behind us to make this happen. Who knows next time we might even be rewarded by the presence of the Prime Minister but like him we all need a holiday, so if your reading Mr Brown please take our message seriously. There are over a 100,000 people living with MS in the UK and that includes their family and friends, more needs to be done in the provision of healthcare and research for finding a cure and this and future Governments need to wake up to the issues that surround this disease.

The penultimate day saw us travel again from our base in Letchworth down to St Albans. The morning gave us an excellent opportunity to chase up the press and both the BBC and Press Association were in touch wanting to conduct interviews. Tim and I did a recon of the route down to Edgware to ensure we did not encounter any similar problems to the day before but with the sun shining this seemed unlikely. We just missed an armed robbery in Radlett at the local Nat West Bank and were surprised how quickly we reached Elstree our stopping point for the night less than two miles from Edgware. We re-joined the team as they crossed the M25 which had us all punching the air in delight as we were now so close to the finish. The M25 effect seemed to quicken our pace, we could sense London was round the corner, the team marched as one we were going to make it and you could see the pride emanating from everyone in the team. All the blisters were forgotten, all the pain was just an after thought, we knew that by tomorrow we’d have achieved a great feat and it was going to be done by a team that had stuck it out together, at times battling through adversity and never giving in on what we set out to do all those 34 days ago. We passed Elstree continuing to our stopping point at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital and crossing the M1 for the umpteenth time, but this time in the hazy distance the post office Tower could be seen, this brought tears of joy for some members of this incredible team as now you couldn’t just sense the greatest city in the world, you could see it!

The morning greeted us with torrential rain and a trip back to Luton in the Battle Bus. With all respect to its residents, Luton is not the most salubrious town in the country; a bit of a concrete jungle which seemed to take ages to get out of when we did we were faced with road works of massive proportions forcing us to take the B653. This turned out to be by far the most dangerous part of the whole trip. The road was bendy the path ran out and with the rain cascading down, this was not a very comfortable place to be. What seemed to enhance the situation were planes screaming above our heads and Express trains thundering along which forced us into a hasty retreat about a mile up the road. To be honest we covered pretty much every inch of the route we set out to do but were forced to ferry ourselves about 2 miles up the road, until we felt safe enough with paths which took us the rest of the way to St Albans. Aside of one nasty hill out of Harpenden this day was relatively flat but the rain was incessant and tested the troops. It made me think that if we’d drawn the short straw and had had rain like the rest of the country, completing the walk might have been a different story, but then again with the likes of Anne, Alex, Tim, John, Steve, Rob our chaplain for the week, and Rachel leading the way I have no doubt that we’d have found a way – There was never any option of surrender!

We left you at Bedford as we set off with the Mayor and ensemble of walkers for the day. The weather held well and although the walk in to Luton at times was noisy, the A6 is not the nicest road, we did well to complete the 22 miles by the late afternoon. Charlie my brother showed great fortitude in battling through a lifetime of dodgy ankles and knees to walk an incredible 17 miles before succumbing outside a pub in Barton Le Clay, I felt it appropriate to join him. Charlie has been inspirational in raising up to £9k for this event and without him we would have been potentially floundering. I took the opportunity to approach the press association and national newspapers as our gallant band of warriors continued on to Luton. We stayed at the Letchworth MS therapy centre for the night which although a bit out of the way offered a common room and shower facilities etc. It was an excellent opportunity to order an Indian takeaway which we washed down with copious amounts of fine Rioja chosen by Steve. The evening improved immensely for the team and the wine flowed freely as both Exeter and Plymouth won respectively and Everton trounced Spurs at White Hart Lane. I was carried onto the bus by Jo and Tim which was hilarious and un ceremoniously dumped onto the sofa before soundly sleeping through the night but waking with the mother of all hangovers.

Day 26, Sibbertoft – Wellingborough
Day 27, Wellingborough – Bedford
Day 28, Rest Day

Sorry that the blog has not gone up for the past 3 days, I won’t try and kid you but I’m writing up a concise synopsis of the last 3 days whilst taking the Monday morning off to chase up the press for the final week of this event. I’ve come to the conclusion that all the team are true warriors, we’ve had blisters a plenty, sore asses, arms that feel like they are going to fall off and yet still we’re up for more. This morning a troop of 20 with the Mayor of Bedford trooped off to begin our journey to Luton. There was a look of steely determination in all the team which I feel has carried us from that cold and scary day in Edinburgh which now seems so long ago. Don’t get me wrong, at times we’ve had our differences and living on top of another has not been easy, but this mental and I have to say physical challenge of a lifetime has been handled brilliantly by the team. We’re all beginning to relax a lot more and talk about our achievement. Anne was saying it was strange to go home at the weekend and I think we’re all going to suffer from a mild form of post traumatic stress once we’re off the Battle Bus and on our way home. It’s nice to see a real resonance of pride in the team coming through, all the well wishes and words of encouragement have nestled home and everyone feels a level of purpose in what we have done. Anyway I could blag on all day so I’d better get back to what we’ve been up to for the past 3 days and our continued march south. Day 27 saw us go from Sibbertoft to Wellingborough which for me personally was my favourite day so far. The weather was beautifully hot but not to overpowering. We left Sibbertoft at 9am walking past Naseby, the site of the famous Civil War battle in the 16th century. The fields round here are softly un dulating and large areas seem to be sown for wheat. We jostled for position with Combine Harvesters as they manouvered into the fields to bring in the harvest and clouds of wheat in the air could be seen all around as the threshers did their work. We worked our way through a series of villages before finally reaching Brixworth where we had lunch. We’d been joined by Andy a mate of Marks the day before and he showed great strength in helping Mark get up the biggest hills. Also joining us for the day were Neil Amas an old buddy of mine and his lovely wife Alex and kids who were accompanied by Margot his mother, thanks for lunch dude! The weather continued to shine for us and the afternoon was great as we passed over Pitsford Resevoir watching an air display high above us of WWI bi-planes including the Red Baron, the final villages of Sywell and Mears Ashby had me so impressed by their English quintessential charm that I was all set to stay there and forget the last 80 miles but alas the mission has to come first. We made it to Wilby our cut off point and parked the bus in the Ballantynes Gym in Wellingborough, who were great in allowing us full access of their highly commendable facilities. An old university friend of Annes, Rob, bought us over Lasagne for our evening meal which had been made by a local group, primarily suffering from Downs Syndrome – Thanks guys it tasted great. Day 28, Wilby – Bedford. Another beautiful day saw us walking most of the route with over 20 people. This was a long one though and took it’s toll. Joining for the remainder of the walk were Steve and his Dad, Rob. I jokingly said they could wear their Plymouth Argyle shirts for the day but was suitably shocked when I saw them proudly wearing their Pilgrim regalia. As an Exeter fan we had a bit of banter and my mate Rich Barnes who joined us the day was visibly shaken at having to get into the car with these bauys when we picked him up at the station. Anyway old rivalries were put aside and we all walked and worked together, a first in Devon history! The route was again a series of quiet backwaters through pretty little Northamptonshire villages punctuated by a series of high performance cars which kept roaring past us on some event or other.We stopped off at half time for lunch at the Harrold-Odelf Country Park where we had a great English breakfast. Anne’s local Ramblers Asso joined us including Adrian her husband, who helped in the early planning of the route. We carried forth to Bedford being refreshed on the way with home made lemonade. Some of the team dropped out for a hard earned rest 4 miles out, the rest of us saw it through to the end although aching but content at achieving one of the longest days. We stayed at the Bedford MS Therapy Centre for the evening where we were invited to a line dance and barbeque, didn’t see much dancing from our team though. Most of the team took the opportunity to make use of an abundance of hotels in the area, although sleep was often broken by dreams of being on the bus and the miles so far done.

All asunder took it easy making use of the facilities at the Therapy centre including a Jacuzzi which was much enjoyed by the team including Jo who went in her birthday suit. Anne had arranged a barbeque in the afternoon with some of her friends and that was great with some good nourishing food which went down well. Adrian, Annes husband, kindly repaired all my punctures to make my bike match fit and Tim and I with a few ciders watched “The Thing”, a classic old film which neither of us had seen for years.

Fleckney woman just leaves bike without locking it. I’m falling in love with Leicestershire the little villages with their little thatched cottages, village ponds, benches positioned accordingly and the Saxon inspired churches. If you live in London and leave your bike for 5 minutes without locking it it’s going to be lifted, here it’s a totally different world. I watched a woman leave her bike and go shopping, she past us 10 minutes later, on her bike and wished us all the best, it was great to see. We were joined by Silky and Elaine who do a lot of charity walks for MS and Paul Orford who designed the MS Walk website with Johnny Hayes, 2 of my oldest buddies from Exeter. Again this was just a beautiful stroll in the country with wheat fields all around and vast expanses of harvested fields, truly inspiring. I’m now getting very excited about finishing the event but it’s going to leave a vacuum after all what we have done. I think we’ll all sleep for a week and wake thinking we’re on the bus. But after the beginnings of the walk when you thought how are we going to achieve this at a cold day in Edinburgh it’s suddenly beginning to dawn on us that we’ve broken the back of this trip and we’re going to make it. The MS Society sent out Simone, their safety officer who was, one could say passionate about her job. She was fine and we discussed a lot about the politics of MS, we gave her our view points which have been inspired by local branch members whose efforts and work is incredible. I hope the National Society can improve their working relationships with the branches, they are the guys in the front line taking all the hits and more needs to be done to support their wonderful efforts. Anne had arranged supper at a local parish church in Market Harborough with local members of the MS branch and this was a nice evening in fine surroundings. The more we get closer to London it’s amazing the reaction people are having to our efforts and this gives us great heart. In a weeks time this whole event is going to be over and the time seems to be flying by.

On a beautiful day we headed off from Loughborough station to Leicester via Barrow on Soar, a trip for half the day down some enchanting country lanes through rolling countryside of wheat fields. I think you see things differently from the road, there are so many trees and English Oaks and you can just gaze at the hedgerows with their myriad of colours from assorted flowers. Barrow on Soar has a lazy feel about it. The River Soar meanders its path through the village and there is a lovely spot by the river to while away the day. Tim and I continued our Cob sandwich eating contest, today was not as good as yesterdays, we ate waving at a group of grannies on a barge. After Barrow we continued the day passing through Rothley an area of incredible wealth not that different to Bishops Avenue in London but totally charming in its layout. We stopped at the obligatory pub for lunch. We were met by Leanne a friend of Marks, who kindly donated £250. The walk to Leicester was arduous, always is after lunch and we trailed in eventually at about 6pm. The chandeliers were shaking as a few words were exchanged over the route but we made it back to the bus in one piece. The evening at Brooke Meadow farm was relaxing in the evening sun, drinking cider and watching Kamikaze Glider pilots bringing their aircraft in to land.

Again it was an early start having to get to Nottingham for an interview with the local BBC radio station who did a live feed outside the studio. Once complete we headed off to the Robin Hood Statue to meet Kath Faruki, a local lass, who was joining us for the day. I had an early puncture which forced my return to the coach to change wheels but the team picked up the pace to head quickly out of Nottingham. After re-uniting near the University we headed for Gotham. All the hills seem to be getting smaller and the houses have taken on a different feel, gone are the austere Victorian structures of the once industrial north to be replaced by more mellow and warming red brick abodes. We seemed to be going downwards for ages and stopped in Gotham for some great sandwiches from the local butchers. Once more on the road we continued towards Loughborough, we were stopped by the local police, sent by Nick Lowe, to check out our progress and to see if they could help in anyway which was great to know they were looking out for us. We continued through East Leake and were soon going downhill all the way to Loughborough. It’s really beautiful round here with some amazing churches and countryside. We’ve had some strange names for villages as we’ve moved south such as Pity Me but “Bunny” has to be my favorite, my brother Simon would appreciate it and think this whole place is “Brill”. We made it easy to Loughborough by 4pm, Jo had a tough day walking but remained resolute to the end, I think 30 miles in 2 days has come as a shock but she’s determined to see this through to the end. It was nice to sit and talk to Mark in the evening sun, at times we’ve had our differences on the walk but we’re both proud of what we have achieved. It’s not easy hobbling round and being pretty much reliant on a wheelchair but we’re still in there throwing the punches and it will be incredibly satisfying when we reach Downing St. We’ve all got friends joining us this week and this will help speed things along, as the late, great, Joe Strummer would once said “ London Calling” !

We had to start early by getting back to Mansfield Football club who have a drop in centre for the local Mansfield MS branch. Bernard Whale the guru behind the iniative had arranged for members of the local press and radio to do a series of interviews and we all posed for photographs by the bus. The walk itself was reasonably ok for the morning but seemed to go on and on in the afternoon. We’d arranged to meet members of the Nottingham MS Society and a photographer at the Robin Hood statue and it was a race to get there before they aborted, all was successful despite a few twists and turns. We had a quiet evening with Tim bringing out his new DVD, “Donny Brasco”, a violent gangster movie with Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, very good although the leg sawing took the biscuit. Sleep came like a drug, knowing we were another 18 miles south and approaching a more flatter landscape, which is a true blessing after the last three weeks.

The occupants of the bus were awoken early by the alarm on the bus going off….Jo in trying to get the bus had inadvertently set it off and Billy our trusty driver who has played such a pivotal role in this mission was awoken from his beauty sleep. All the guys went into Nottingham for the day, going for lunch accordingly at the oldest pub in the country, “The trip to Jerusalem”,. Tim invested a quid to purchase a chess board, money well spent and all had a leisurely dose in the sun. Alex’s Mum and Dad came up to see their zen warrior and left a welcome present of a crate of beer and cider. As for Mark and Jenn, they escaped to a hotel for two nights getting plenty of rest and preparing themselves for week 4. Whilst the day off played wonders for my shoulders. It was sad to see Julie go who dropped me off at about 5pm. I never realised how physically and mentally demanding this walk has come and it was good to get off the bus for a break, returning felt a bit like a prisoner been out of Jail on day release and then being returned at the end of the weekend. I think for all of us this is probably the most testing thing any of us have every attempted but as with all great teams, there is always someone to lift the spirits and keep things going. To me I have to keep pinching myself that we are now only about 140 miles from London and that our mission is nearing completion. John spent his rest day water skiing!!! It’s a passion of his and he jumped at the chance when the British Disabled Water Ski Association (Yorkshire & Central Region) offered him a chance to do a few laps of the lake. They thought it was a laugh that John spend his rest day burning more energy skiing! Special thanks to the guy’s helping organise this for John who is an integral part of our support team.

Getting out of Chesterfield was the only real concern today as there seem to be an abundance of road works which caused a few problems in getting us onto our designated route. We dropped Glyn off at the station who sadly had to return to Bath. Thanks mate for all your pushing, humour and top massages, your efforts meant a lot. It was nice to move into a new county, Derbyshire, which also meant a new page on the map. A lot of this area, although beautiful in places, seems quite depressed. A number of the towns we passed through were incredibly quiet for a Saturday afternoon. This was obviously once a thriving mining community, with signs of an age gone by littering the surrounding countryside. The area appears not to have recovered from the mid eighties and it was sad to see it in this way. On saying that the support and kind words from the locals gave us great heart and we battled and I mean battled through to Selston for a hard earned rest. There’s a saying for Marathon runners that you hit the wall after 15 miles and that this is the most testing time in a race, I think as a team, a number of us are reaching this plateau. It’s tough work, we’ve got a hard week ahead and it is important as a team we continue to remain focussed on the road ahead. Living on the “Big Brother Bus” is not easy but we’re all getting on with it. Mark and Jenn booked themselves into a hotel for the weekend to re-charge the batteries which we all need to do and Julie drove up to whisk me away for a night in a hotel. It’s not the easiest living on the bus and keeping clean can cause problems. Julie said the bath had an inch of grime in it so I obviously needed it. The rest of the guys remaining on the bus went out for a meal and enjoyed the remainder of the hottest day of the year.

We left Sheffield Station at 9am on a bright warm morning. There is a great water facade outside which works really well. We climbed the last of 700 hundred hills (at last) out of Sheffield moving swiftly towards Dronfield, where we had lunch in a pub. Although we passed the Chesterfield sign within 2 miles of the pub, it was an eternity before we reached our destination, at one time being sent in the wrong direction which put an extra mile on our route. It’s always the last haul that starts to get you and this was no exception. We had to get back to Mansfield where the coach was parked, for once we’d got the short straw on our campsite as we were unable to get the coach under a railway bridge and forced to park on the verge next to the caravan park. This wasn't to bad as we had a good evening. It’s nice to note that the wind has changed direction and is more of a South Westerly, which is much warmer. We were joined by Jo Neri at about 10.30pm who has joined the trip and will be with us until Downing Street. Jo was billeted a bunk in the upstairs sleeping quarters which in in fact resemble the sleeping compartment of a German U-boat The one downside today was a call received from the MS Society and have been led to understand that two complaints have been received from people who had participated in the walk, raising concerns about health and safety issues, concerning the walkers. For the record, I’d like to clarify the points raised. This walk has been planned for 9 months and we have taken every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the event. The route has been meticulously planned with a recon done 2 months before of all the roads to be taken. We have written to every police authority to inform them of our route and at all times have been careful to avoid A roads, when we have used them we try to ensure we utilise paths. We were kindly donated a vehicle by Help Hire to act as a support car and one walker at all times has worn a fluorescent jacket. It is disappointing that someone who enjoyed our hospitality could react in such an acidic manner, especially considering every measure possible has been taken to ensure the safety of the team.

Continuing down the A61 we encountered a reasonable steady path which had the usual up and downs and then I was hit by a puncture on my front wheel. We inflated at a few garages but it soon went down putting me back to a steering role for the day. We reached Chapeltown passing over the M1, it was nice to look south and stopped over for a quick beer. Anne, Glyn (out on his first day) Tim and Alex were excellent in keeping the show running as Sheffield is a tough city to get through. My dad once told me it was built on 7 hills, more like 700! The north side of Sheffield is not that inspiring, with a a lot of dowdy Victorian houses and bloody awful pavements which made it work hard. We made it to the city centre which seemed to be under total re-development and worked our way down to the station. In–between we found a Wicker Mobility Shop, who kindly replaced my tyre, John was at the station to meet us, which was a welcome site and we trouped back off to Barnsley for the day having completed another day of the mission. With 1 day to go before we get out of Yorkshire, I have to say it has been on a scale with Scotland and we seem to have been passing through it for ages. I’m told by everyone that life will get easier but it is a hard terrain for all concerned, but fear not we’ve got 2 weeks to go and Downing St beckons.

We left from our finishing point at the bus station and proceeded to leave Wakefield via the A61 towards New Miller Dam, which is a pretty little village with a reservoir reminding you of somewhere in Canada. We then started to climb a corker of a hill from here, which had all the team working hard to get to the top. We stopped for a break at the summit, Alex always likes to meditate when we stop and sits in the lotus position beside the road away with his thoughts, he must get some spiritual guidance from it as he always bounces up and strides purposely forward once we kick off again. The south Yorkshire countryside is quite stunning between the larger towns, rolling hills and farmland and we made quick progress arriving at our destination, Barnsley FC before 4pm. We had a meeting lined up with MS Society branch for that evening and they were great to offer £50 for the cause. It’s interesting doing this event as you meet so many branch members who are so dissatisfied by the National Society in London, there appears to be little communication or financial help offered and this sadly is reflected in a lot of dis-respect. Considering the branch members our the guys in the frontline this should change sooner rather than later and the National Headquarters should take note. On the way into Barnsley we stopped at a café called the Sandwich Tin, who kindly donated us £10 from drinkers. The one thing I will say about Barnsley is it is full of look alikes,. A spitting image of Johnny Vegas was in the café, why Ricky Tomlinson appeared in the bar. All lovely people but it did make me laugh.

Another beautiful morning saw us head off with Neil from the therapy centre and his wife Nicola. This I have to say was not the most awe inspiring day of the event. No offence to anyone from Leeds but the trip from Rawdon to Wakefield was not the most enchanting I have done on this event. The centre of Leeds is still majestic but the road works, motorways and mundane architecture made it a hard slog. The sun beat down on us but we remained hydrated and this did not affect us to much. We took the A61 out of Leeds, getting lost early and then facing an impenetrable path of weeds, nettles, brambles and discarded rubbish forcing us into a 300 yard sprint up the dual carriageway. The run into Wakefield seemed full of Chinese Takeaways, Fish and Chip shops and pubs on most corners with it’s gardens full of content drinkers in the afternoon sun. We did a number of interviews including one with Aire radio and the Yorkshire Evening Press who photographed us outside their headquarters. We’ve got to make sure we get to Barnsley for 5pm tomorrow as the local paper is coming down for a photo shoot. The walk is now beginning to generate some good publicity and hopefully this will continue to create somewhat of a snowball effect as we near London. Glyn Groner an old friend of mine is going to join us tomorrow for a few days and he will be a welcome addition to the team. He’s one of the few people I know who can deliver a joke laughing at the punchline, which will always gives it a positive outcome. As for our march on London, we’re now over 50% of the way there which is great. This week will test us like the rest, I’m told there’s a few hills in Yorkshire and knowing us we’re be encountering the lions share of them but by the end of the week we’re by near on 70% of the way through the walk and in touching distance of London. I’m dreaming of seeing the Wembley Arch and of the last day, this is a great team who’ll fight to the end and hopefully our efforts when he get to the “Old Smoke” will make a difference in the fight against MS.

We started off by Mother Shipton’s cave joined by Joanne and her son Josh who is raising money for the West Yorkshire MS Therapy centre in Leeds. The first thing out of Knaresborough following was a huge hill which I remember noting when I did my recon. We gamely took it on, I found myself relying on Tim quite a bit who has proved his weight in gold. Josh was pushing one of the clients from the therapy centre and nearly dropped her in the road after momentarily taking his eyes of the pavement, this caused a few shrieks but we were soon back on our way. The route we had chosen took us back past Rudding Park where earlier we had all assembled with all the staff for a photo call for the local newspaper. Martin and Elaine extended their generosity by donating £200, which was so kind considering all their other charity commitments. As with all days they all seem to blend into each other, I’m not saying we’re not enjoying it but we keep going, doing our miles, fighting the hills and never giving in. We seem to average 3 miles an hour in between, drink stops and calls of nature which is a good pace and even with Pool Bank Hill which near on killed us we made it back to the Therapy Centre, where we are parking the bus for a couple of nights by about 5.30pm. Jeremy from the regional MS Centre popped in to say hello, a really nice guy full of enthusiasm for what we are doing although in turmoil over his beloved Leeds United demise in stature. The therapy centre is set in an Industrial Estate on the west side of Leeds and is leased by the Airedale group, they have also thrown their weight behind the PR campaign and we all posed for photos with the MD which had been set up by Celia the PR manager. Sadly the estate was hit by floods recently and this caused a great deal of damage which is still being re-paired. Accordingly this is the largest therapy centre in the country with 2 Hyper-barbic Oxygen chambers and it will be a welcome day when it re-opens in the next week. Billy our new resident chef made an entertaining chicken in a mustard sauce with rice which went down well and the team on a full stomach either retired or settled down to watch Munich, Steven Spielbergs oscar nominated film.

It was nice to have a lie in. Billy was first up, cooking up the remaining sausages and bacon and making a surprising good scrambled egg. We just lazed around all day frequenting the bar for a few beers and some great cheese burgers there was a fete organised by Rudding Park, which we sauntered round but was more there for the kids with coconut shires etc. The day was nice and sunny but there was still a cold north wind blowing which cooled things down a bit. Alex was the stud of the day spending the afternoon frolicking with a young girl from Preston to the amusement of a bunch of angry 40 year old men and Tim. Mark and I had a close game of cribbage when the cards were not getting blown around. We tend to watch tons of DVD’S which helps pass the time but to be honest after you’ve finished walking for the day your body feels tired and all you want to do is rest. To be honest I miss my bed and a hot bath every night with tons of radox in it but we’re closing in on half way and it is amazing how quickly the time flies by.

We left Ripon cathedral by 9am, following a pre-arranged route of country lanes and hills! At times the going was tough but it was a lovely day with a brisk north wind which kept us on our toes. Our route took us through a picturesque landscape of fields and villages including Bishop Monkton, Burton Leonard and via Farnham which was particularly testing towards the end. It’s nice to see Mark and John working faster each day as a team, they are becoming genuine pacesetters and all of us are rising to the challenge that lays ahead. We finished the day pretty much by 4pm and with a rest day ahead it was a welcome sight to get back to our new home Rudding Park just outside Harrogate. The facilities here are probably the best we have had, and for the record included not only a disabled toilet, but also a shower which made life a great deal easier. Mark and Jenn went to stay with friends for 2 nights, accordingly getting the five star treatment. Anne also vacated the bus for the weekend to stay with her close friend Jill who lives just round the corner. Jill took on the true spirit of the adventure by not only doing our washing (Brave woman)! But also cooking for the 5 boys left on the team an excellent Cottage Pie with Yorkshire tea cakes.

Today in terms of walking was quite an easy day but certain circumstances turned it into one of those roller coasters rides that you need 24 hours sleep to get over.
We started at about 9.30 leaving Bedale waved off by Julie from the local branch, I didn’t expect to see her so soon later in the day. The route saw us take a number of country lanes which took us via Well, West Tanfield and Wath. It’s a lovely part of the country round here, although we had one large hill out of Well which had me thinking Tim might have a heart attack , as he helped push me. We made it up to be met by a rolling landscape of corn fields dotted with bright red poppies, an impressionists dream. The road took us through 3 picture postcard villages culminating in Wath, three miles from Ripon, where we pulled into the local pub. After leaving the pub we somehow managed to conjure a way of breaking the back of my wheelchair, an event which left me cursing my luck and thinking the worse. We decided to send the team onto Ripon, leaving me in the pub, not a bad place, awaiting to be rescued by Julie and her husband Steve. Julie is an incredible woman, she’s lived with MS for a number of years and is such an enthusiastic, bubbly person.We drove back to her place, where Steve her husband a true handyman went about fixing my chair and even making it stronger than before. I took further advantage of Julie’s hospitality by grabbing a shower. They are truly lovely people and as Julie said it was her duty to help us out. I cannot thank them enough. As for the rest of the team there last 3 miles to the cathedral was covered with out incidence and we all made it back to the bus by 5.30pm. Billy the driver said to us that after the excitement of the first week living on a bus with 10 other people will start to create its complications and this manifested this evening with Mike, Colette and Brad deciding to leave. It has been difficult for Mike who has been blighted by injuries and so wanted to finish this mission, Colette’s cooking will be missed and Brad’s wisdom, years beyond his age, will see him go far. It’s not easy living in such a confined space and inevitable that differences will occur but we must always remember the wider picture. We made a commitment to complete this mission and it is an obligation we have to keep. The team although somewhat downbeat about the events tonight will bounce back to continue our journey south.

Well whilst I had a 12 hours sleep and having a much refreshed persona now, the rest of the team did a stirling effort into Bedale. John walked in fancy dress dressed as the blonde girl from Abba, he certainly made some heads turn. Although all the walkers were togged up in waterproofs at the start, the weather changed and it stayed dry. The team was met along the road by Julie on her scooter decorated with orange flags and Julie (and her son) led them into Bedale as their scout where we were met by others in the centre of the market square, we even held the traffic up for a photo shoot at the market cross (see week 2 photo gallery). Julie is the chair of the Hambleton and Richmondshire MS Society Branch who provided a wonderful lunch of sandwiches, tea, coffee and fudge and offered some wonderful hospitality and conversation.
After that nice welcome in Bedale, we invited everyone back on the bus, parked overnight at Akebar Caravan Site, so tonight we eat in heaven with fish and chips provided by our new found friends. The Yorkshire Dales as we go through them are very beautiful with quaint little villages and very welcoming locals.

I’m writing this the day after we completed this section to Great Langton, I know I should be more fastidious about doing my blogs and report every night but sometimes you are just too tired once you’ve had some food the only thing that seems tempting in life is a comfortable bed. Last night was no exception as I attempted to scale the stairs to the bunks, which to me is more like attempting the north face of the Eiger. Mike was at hand to give me a welcome hand and we made it upstairs in quite a hilarious manner before I was deposited in my bunk, which although comfortable is reminiscent to a coffin with a DVD. I tried watching The Departed, which appeared excellent before I awoke to the subtitles and a cacophony of grunting and snoring from my fellow campers before falling back to sleep. I’ve awoken feeling refreshed after a good 12 hours under the hay although I’ve been told my snoring was on a par with a seismic volcanic eruption! So let me take you back to yesterday and the 10th day of this utterly mad adventure, which has now seen us cover over 175 miles, not bad for a team who are generally written off by society. We were met in the morning by Mike Bennett and his wife Anna who are part of the local MS Society, they walked with us for 5 miles out of Darlington and we were joined by more people en-route. The route took us out of Darlo’ via the A167, passing through some beautiful villages including Croft on Tees, where Mike told me Lewes Carroll used to live and practise at the local church. The weather, need I say it was grey, with a strong head wind. This made life a little difficult but we persevered accordingly. Mike and his entourage left us just before we headed off down some country lanes with a fantastic donation of £165 which comes on top of John’s efforts the previous night, who secured a cheque of £200 from people in the local pub. The road was quite busy with one or two hills but nothing to draconian and we kept up a steady pace completing the route by about 4.30pm. A welcome shower and new fleece from an Army Surplus store made the biting North Sea wind more bearable and it was nice to meet some of our fellow campers showing a genuine interest in our mission. We’re just about to head of to Bedale in the coach where we are meeting more members of the local MS branch. It’s quite nice to have a day off the road after the last 10 days on it, Anne needed a break as her foot was aching and I always need my “Beauty Sleep” – Edinburgh seems along way away!

Another nice day greeted us in contrast to the biblical floods that seem to be enveloping, large swaithes of the country. We passed above the splendour of Durham cathedral, originally a Saxon structure before having the middle tower added by the Normans and continued our trek southwards. We passed early through Ferry Hill, a former stopping point for the Jarrow March in 1935, to be faced by a monster of a hill, need I say it upwards, which tested the team early. A bit of cranking here, pushing there and a lot of digging in saw us come good. A lot of the little villages are all former mining communities round here and the tight community still exists, one kind woman did a run round her neighbours to raise a bit of cash which was great. It was nice to be out in the semi country after the urban sprawl of Gateshead but the A167 is a busy road with a lot of heavy traffic. This route had been planned though because of a path all the way from Newcastle to Darlington and that made life sweet, if a little noisy. The coach had waited about 8 miles down the road and we had a quick break, replenishing ourselves with food and water before continuing on to Darlington. We made it by 3pm, which was a good finish time, and the bus picked us up at the Central Station and returned us to Scotch Corner Caravan Park where we are staying for 2 nights. Accordingly there was a flash flood here last week which left the main field under a plain of water with torrents sweeping through the wash rooms. The ground is subsequently very boggy and we had problems getting the bus in with out ploughing up the owners field. Anyway, we accomplished our task and most of the team now are having a few beers or retiring to bed to prepare for another day on the road. Mike is much happier and put in a good 5 miles today without any adverse effects to his blisters so we should be able to get him out on a regular basis soon. I’m finding my shoulder improves all the time but is still a little way off full fitness, but hey when else are you going to see the country in such a mad way with 10 other complete nutters! Tomorrow we are going to meet up with Mike Bennett and a few people from the local MS branch who are joining us for our trip to Great Langton which is “only” 12 miles….should be done by lunchtime and then back for some Steak on the barbeque, washed down by a crate of beer. I can’t complain to much can I ! See you all tomorrow with more news on the trip.

Having had a good nights sleep in the Hostel at the racecourse, we were up early to continue our assault towards London. Mike drove us down to the Tyne Bridge and we all dis-embarked from the car. The morning team consisted of Anne, myself and the new kids on the block, Alex, Tim and Connor my donkey for the day! I’d forgotten what a hill it is out of Gateshead and we had to find ourselves through a matrix of walkways and under-passes to keep on the A167. Con was a diamond pushing me when required and it was great to have Alex, who is a wealth of knowledge, walking confidently with us. Tim, my nephew, has lost 4 stone for this walk and it shows as he strides along never appearing to be fatigued. We reached Anthony Gormleys, Angel of the North, which stands purposely above the Team Valley, and to me is the entrance to Tyne and Wear, for once I was glad to see the back of it. We continued to Birtley and onto Chester le Street maintaining a strong pace. I think the new guys helped push us along but by the time we got to Durham, there were some sore legs. We swapped over with Mark, Jenn, Brad and Alex continuing on for another 7 miles putting us ahead of schedule. Connor went home to his house in Durham as he had a date laid on for the evening but never made it, falling asleep on the sofa and accordingly barely making it up the stairs to his bed. By the end of the day Alex was shattered after gamely walking in excess of 20 miles, an excellent effort! The rest of the team arrived back somewhat after 5pm, Mike had been driving all day, infact all week, and as I lay trying to catch a cat nap all I could hear was his dolcet Welsh tones lambasting the Newcastle traffic system and his sore ass! Hopefully his feet will be improved enough for tomorrow so that he can play an active walking part to Darlington. As usual Colette treated us to a fine dinner, Hamburgers, salad and a multitude of other goodies. We were blessed all day with some fine weather and a beautiful evening, although a few of the team fell victim to a host of vicious mosquitos. For me as with the majority of the team the night ended before 9pm. I felt totally cream crackered, and retired early to bed for a much needed rest. Tomorrow we will move out of the Land of the Prince Bishops and enter North Yorkshire, another county and another page on the road map. All roads lead to London, Bring it on!

Well whoever said it was 12 miles must have misread something along the line. Anne, John and I set out at about 9am arriving at our finishing point yesterday. The weather had started with a steady drizzle, but soon cleared to be a really warm day. We worked down to Stannington and then skirted along side of the A1. It felt like hard work for all of us particularly after yesterdays walk, we were re-directed away from our chosen route because of a bridge closure – 3 bloody months accordingly, and forced to re route towards the airport, we were horrified to be met after easily walking 6 miles by a sign indicating 9.5 miles to Newcastle, there was clear dis belief in the team but we rallied immediately to continue the leg. Before hitting the Quayside we were heading for Gosforth, to meet members of the local MS Society branch, who wanted to join us for the last 2 miles. Without doubt the roads and paths became smoother and we kept up a steady pace, although this was with some detriment to Anne and John who have pulled out all the stops in the last few days. We finally reached Gosforth meeting about 7 sturdy members, brightly adorned in MS Society regalia. We were joined by the rest of the team and we all walked on mass through Jesmond and on into the city centre. Newcastle is such a vibrant city with some fine buildings. It’s always nice to visit as it has such a positive buzz. John and I left the team to go to the railway station to pick up Connor and Tim, my nephew, who is in for the duration. We carried on down to the Quayside underneath the Tyne Bridge which is such an awesome piece of architecture and met the rest of the team by the river Tyne. It was great to see the determination of the branch members to get to the finish, as Mike said our pace might have been checked a little, but no-one gets left behind. We celebrated on mass with an ice cream, bid our farewells and headed back to Newcastle race course, where we’re staying. They’ve offered out part of the youth hostel so some of us are making use of the beds, they will be very welcome. Alex Plumber has also joined us, one of the 7, he’s a chirpy lad and keen to get some miles done. Well it’s an early start at Tyne Bridge tomorrow for another 16 mile stroll. All the days seem to blend in together and I cannot believe this is our seventh day of walking. Not only that we’ve reached Newcastle and done over 120 miles. I’m so proud of this team and it’s achievement and confident of the road ahead. I’m off to scrub 2 days grime of me and a welcome rest, see you guys tomorrow.

This has been a great day and we have covered much ground and are now only 12 miles from Newcastle, which will see the completion of the first week. We so far have avoided the torrential storms which are saturating the country and the sun in between light showers even tried to pop it’s head out this morning. Today has been pretty consistent, a grey sky about 18 degrees, with light to medium showers. The first team went out at 9am consisting of myself, John, Anne and John Moore, a farmer from Northumberland, whose wife suffers from MS. Aside of a large hill going up to Shilbottle, which tested us early, we were able to set a good pace and covered the ground quickly. Again the countryside was outstanding with great views of the Northumberland coast and few cars on the narrow country lanes. Personally today went really well. My shoulder has improved so much in a week and this is now replicating itself into some strong work on the bike which is freeing up other members of the team. I stuck my I pod on and flew around today punching the air feeling how great life can be and the importance in keeping the faith and believing in our mission. My bike is quite unique and when I pass fields of sheep and cows they all run away in blind panic or stare rigidly at me which is quite funny. Anne had some stomach cramps which made things difficult for her but she carried on with great energy. John was his usual bubbly self, maintaining a steady, consistent pace all day. It was good to have John Moore’s local knowledge of the route, he knew where he was all the time and this was always re-assuring in case we did take a wrong turn. We swapped over at Widdrington Station and Mark, Jenn, Brad and John Moore continued to Morpeth and beyond, further cutting down our mileage tomorrow. Mark is quite an inspiration, he’ll get out of the car, into his chair, have a quick fag and then head off resolutely towards his next stop. The rain might make life hard for him but he never lets it get on top of him and you can see the pride in his face when he returns to base for a hard earned rest after. On the injury update, Mike’s blisters continue to improve, and he is vowing to hit the tarmac in the next 2 days. I think he finds it a bit frustrating being in the support car but he soldiers on regardless and it will be good to see him return to action. Jenn was saying her blister had moved between her toes and that this is causing her some discomfort, but she walked well today overcoming any pain and to much of a soaking with her green poncho. Alison who joined us in Scotland came down with some home made meatloaf and quiche which we’re having for dinner. She’s been unbelievable in getting us press coverage in Scotland and we were featured on the local TV news with a helicopter filming us as we battled up one of the many hills we faced in Scotland, all of this is having a knock on effect as we cover the country as more newspapers etc cover the walk. It’s Billy’s birthday, so John and I will probably drag him down to the rugby club bar for a few sherberts later, I’m getting quite impartial to good whiskey and again I sampled some fine drams last night, some of the locals were mickey taking about the distance so I think we might get our own back tonight. As I sign off it’s raining and the sky is dark but the spirit on the bus is good and we’ll all looking forward to our march into Newcastle!

Another tough day but we’re sitting here in the bus at Anwick Rugby Club content in the knowledge that we’ve moved a further 18 miles south. It’s been a hard 5 days, we’ve got some walking wounded suffering from blisters and the obligatory aches and pains. The wet conditions have caused problems for Mark in his wheelchair as he has no grip which makes life difficult but he battles on regardless. We sadly lost Louis today who had to get back to London and that meant swapping the 2 teams around for our jaunt to Anwick. Mike dropped us off at Wooler and Anne, John and myself did the first leg to Eglingham. The day was overcast and rain was in the air as we headed out of Wooler, I’d recently done a recon of the route and remembered this leg was quite flat, but as we moved onto the first country lane we were faced by a huge hill which just kept going up and up, we made it up and then faced a rolling landscape for the next 10 miles which one can only say was testing. We made it to Eglingham and went and stopped at the first free house we could find as the drizzle was intensifying. The landlord kindly donated £20 and we also had a few other donations on the way. Mark, Jenn and Brad joined us at the pub and set off with Anne “The Terminator” Godwin to finish the route at about 1630 a good time set with a few photos beside the magnificent Anwick castle taken. John and I staggered back to the support car and a lift to the bus and a well earned rest. I think using two teams has worked well as we’re covering the miles and are all feeling up for the next day if not a little tired. The support team back at the bus is keeping us going. Colette continues to churn out good food and Billy our driver keeps the place tidy and running smoothly, his dry wit is also a bonus. We’re hearing about flooding in the south which is somewhat worrying if it’s going to spread up here but maybe lady luck is shining down on us and we might hopefully avoid to many rainy deluges. We’re going to be assaulting Morpeth tomorrow and are being joined by John Moore who’ll be very welcome. It will leave us with one day before we reach Newcastle which we’ll all looking forward to.

I forgot to mention from the night before we had a visit from the local MS Society members Elizabeth and Judy, Judy had previously assisted Simon Cave when he did his walk from Edinburgh to London and it was great to meet up and swap notes, the branch also kindly donated £50 to the cause. The night in Kelso ended with a awe inspiring firework display which had the bus shaking and was a great finale to the evening. I think most people had a good nights sleep and we decided to split the team into two groups to keep the pace moving and maintain stamina for the weeks ahead. Louis, Anne and James made up the first team and we set off from Hadden at about 9am. It was a beautiful morning and as I am writing this I can still feel the sun radiating away on my face. The area is wonderful farming land with fields of corn blotting the landscape, there were loads of Hares flying around and our route took us past Flodden Field where the English and the Scots battled it out for supremacy many moons ago. We crossed the border into England at about 10-30am which was a good feeling and continued to receive cheers, waves and donations from a very generous public. After trudging along for near on 10 miles the weather finally decided to bite back and we’ve had an incessant drizzle coming down since about Midday. We swapped teams at Kirknewton and Mark, Jenn, Brad and John took up the mantle heading for Wooler. We are following behind in the bus to give a bit of extra support although looking out of the window it appears dark and very wet and it must be tough going. No doubt it will be my turn tomorrow. All going well, we should reach Wooler by about 3.30pm, which will complete day 4. We’re heading to the Purdy Lodge on the A1 tonight who have some good facilities for us. I know this part of the world very well due to Connor (my son) and I spending tons of time exploring the Northumberland Coast which is so wild, inspiring and truly beautiful. I’ve told the team that tonight we’re going to go to Seahouses to sample some of the best Fish and Chips you’ll find in the area at the Pinnacles restaurant. It will be nice to see the staff there, as they are always so warm and friendly. We lose Louis tomorrow, he has to get back to London and that will be a shame, but reinforcements are due in Sunday. That will help boost the team after what will have been a hard, unforgiving but truly memorable week. Tomorrow we head for Alnwick and then the weekend see’s us onto Morpeth and finally Newcastle, I feel it in my blood that we’re clawing the miles back and although this will never be easy we’re slowly turning the dream into a reality.

Wow what a day! The weather was kind, again with no rain but perfect walking conditions, not to hot or cold. We started in the centre of Earlston with a photo call from the local paper, Alison who joined us yesterday has been great in forging contacts with the local press and yesterdays radio interview was broadcast each half hour on BBC Borders Radio. The road today was quite gentle with long straights and meandering hills. We were averaging about 3 miles an hour but when the bike starting going downhill I was motoring, the only trouble was there was always a hill at the end and although my shoulder is improving it's not quite up to shape yet, so I'd stop and view this amazing country unfolding before me whilst Mark in his half powered electric chair would roll himself past me with a grin on his face, someone compared us to the Hare and tortoise, they were not far wrong. The trip had one crash! I was gagging to use the loo and in desperation attempted a sharp left turn up a track with an adverse camber, the inevitable saw me crashing into a hedge on my side. As I'd distanced myself from the team I was on my own but two lovely local girls jumped out of their car and hauled me up, slapped me down and sent me on my way, not a bad result really! Anyway, we hauled our ourselves to Kelso and onto Hadden. Mike drove the support car today and he did a great job in slowing traffic, John was excellent in his multi coloured wig in keeping the traffic flowing. We got alot of waves and toots of horn which kept our spirits high and a cop even saluted us by turning his lights on...first time that has happened to me. So I'm sitting with the laptop by the River Tweed overlooking the town of Kelso there's a gentle breeze and the sun is still peaking through the forming clouds. There is a local festival here tonight and the sound of bag pipes keeps wafting across the river. Tomorrow we've got another hard slog to Wooler but the significant point of the day will see us crossing the border and bringing us closer to home.

All of the team got a good nights sleep and Colette cooked a fantastic breakfast again! to set us up for the day. The route, an old roman road, was beautifully set at the top of a valley looking down onto a river and the A7. The meandering lane took us down to Fountainhead and onto Stow.
Some of the team have been suffering from blisters so we had to alternate the troops, but we kept moving and this has been a commendable effort by everyone. The afternoon saw us take the high road to Earlston, after some lunch of Scotch Mutton pies and sandwiches. Alison a local Ms'r had been supporting us with her car which was great and helped ferry people around at different stages. After one more steep hill the road proved to be relatively flat with long stretches of downhill racing. Mark grabbed hold of the behind of the handbike at one stage but we nearly crashed so thought better of it and the next 32 days. We made Earlston by about 6 o'clock all very tired after walking, cranking and pushing for another 18 miles. I went to sleep last night thinking of what a challenge this is, but as I sit here now watching a mink get dived bombed by a swallow protecting its nest we all have the satisfaction of knowing by that by tomorrow we're have completed near on 15% of our route which will feel good. I think if we didn't keep a leash on Anne we would have walked near on 50%! Anyway we're off to Kelso and yonder tomorrow with an interview before with the Border Telegraph. The local BBC radio station popped by to so we should get some good local press coverage tomorrow. I'll report back.

Well we made it! After a sleepless night for most of us, we awoke to a gray, rainy morning in contrast to the evening before. Mike, Collete and Bradley were up early and produced a fine breakfast to feed the troops and we were off to the landing zone by 9 o’clock. By the time we reached North Bridge there was a scrawly misty shower which gave the city a certain resonance. We were met by Shonah a fellow MS’er and her family who walked with us for the first 2 miles. It was kind of weird the way we set off one moment we’re all looking at each other the next as one we’re marching down the North Bridge, with the wind in our hair and the rain in our face, as one a unit on a vital mission. It’s great to look at the team and the way they all go about their task, Anne is like the Terminator forging ahead, whilst Mike in his poncho and wide peaked hat stood like a true adventurer. As for John in his multi coloured wig and On a Mission hat that had people turning their heads. We got a lot of toots of horns which gave us all a lift. As for the route, it wasn’t too bad. A few of the guys got weary after about 12 miles and stayed behind to prepare dinner whilst the rest of us forged ahead. Mark’s wheelchair nearly ran out of batteries and Louis was a hero in pushing me up some awesome hills, the view at the top overlooking the Mountains, Edinburgh and Firth of Forth were spectacular. The afternoon bought the sun out and it was beautiful walking down these country lanes with sheep and cattle everywhere and enchanting views of rolling hills and distant peaks. We reached the junction of the A7 to be met by Billy our driver who transported us back to the battle bus. All in all 8 hours walking, 18 miles covered a good day but we’ve still got another 33 days to go and we all know it’s going to get tougher. Collete cooked an amazing Lam b stew and Pumpkin Pie and Louis and I savoured the local whiskey in the Inn where we are staying. The Inn kindly allowed us to use one of the rooms to shower whilst on our second dram; the lovely Lynne said we could have the room. Anyway it’s a beautiful evening and the sandman is calling so I’ll leave you for now and report back on how we did getting Earlston, it’s another tough day but the team is gelling in and team work will see us through.

Well we made it, we're all in Edinburgh on this fantastic bus, we've got tons of suppliers so thanks to all our sponsors. I think all the team is full of trepidation about the journey ahead but galvanized and focussed on achieving our goal. The first day is going to be all important as we've got 20 miles to do as the next 2 days although shorter have quite a bit of hilly terrain. It's funny looking at this motley crew of warriors, 2 in wheelchairs and all of us from varied backgrounds and from different parts of the country, but all here for a purpose, to get to London in 34 days.We plan on starting at 9am North Bridge tomorrow so I'll report back tomorrow with how we done. If all goes to plan, we're have made it to Heriot and be planning for the hills ahead. Anyway it's past 11pm and we've got a big day tomorrow so until then. All the best.