Land's End John-o'-Groats Association

Let us have a few details about your proposed journey and we will put them on this page, if you have a website we will also include a link which may assist with your fund raising.

e-mail your details to the link below.

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Find out who's doing it in their pants and who is taking a couple of fridges for a walk. Impressive enough you might think but, who would take a full size T Rex for a stroll?Read on below.

Bob Fisher, a long term member of the association is planning his fifth trip on his BSA motorcycle, along with a few friends, starting in May. He writes.

I have accumulated 34 motorcyclists and assorted passengers with a couple of back-up vehicles from all directions and including a couple of Dutchmen to accompany me on raising money for the Parkinsons Disease Society We arrive at Wick on the Saturday 23rd of May, and start from John O'Groats on Sunday down through the middle of the Highlands and spend the night at the Palace Hotel and Spa in Inverness on the 24th. The following day we travel along Loch Ness and Loch Lomond and stay overnight at The Innkeepers Lodge at Helensburgh on the 25th.

We then travel south through Irvine and Gretna to the Lakes and stay overnight the next two nights at the Belsfield Hotel, Bowness, the 27th is a free day for everyone, although Parkinsons are arranging with the Hotel to do something special re fundraising.On the 28th we travel the moors and dales of Yorkshire, and the Derbyshire Peaks to Stafford where our overnight halt is The Tillington Hall Hotel. We then travel south to Taunton, skirting the Welsh border and staying overnight at the Holiday Inn. Here we pick up another three bikes with their riders and passengers for the final day and ride across Devon to the west coast, down the A39/A30 to the Lands End Hotel.

Nick Bevan is also planning a big bike adventure starting in August, his second trip.

Last September I embarked on my first end to end adventure from John O'Groats down to Lands End covering a total distance of 1003 miles in 13 days of riding. I did it in aid of Breast Cancer UK and Orchid (a male specific cancer) I raised about £1600 in total, I held a coffee morning in my local town and handed out sponsor forms to friends and family. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the trip from planning to executing it.

This Summer I will be Riding from Lands End up to John o' Groats. and then back to Land's End via a different route, a total of 2040 miles in 16 days, 6th Aug until 22nd Aug. I will be doing it for Help for heroes and have started my campaign already, I have organised a 12 hour ride on static bikes at my university and am going to get as many friends lecturers and staff involved as possible this event is taking place on Fri 8th May 2009.

Emma Christison is another cyclist, who is being accompanied by her family.

On the 4^th of August 2009, I am going to undertake a totally mad adventure with my five children ( Ryan age 14, Theresa age 11, Carlos age 9, Sasha age 5 and Jessica age 3) and not forgetting, Dexter the Travelling Bear (Malmesbury Park Primary School's teddy bear).

We are going undertake an unsupported sponsored bike ride from John o' Groats to Lands End to help raise money for our Scout Group's (the 38^th Bournemouth) Expedition to Uganda in 2010. This expedition is known as Nile 2010. You can find out more information about the Expedition on www.nile2010.co.uk

We will be taking 4 bikes and 3 bike trailers. To save money, we will be camping all the way down the UK and therefore, we will be taking tents, sleeping bags and all the stuff that goes with camping. We expect the bike ride to take about 3 and a half weeks. For more information about our bike ride, please visit www.justgiving.com/emmachristisonnile2010

Another motorcyclist, this time Ian "Tommo" Thomson plans to ride his 125cc scooter from Land's End to John o' Groats. Starting just after midnight on 20th June he hopes to complete the journey before midnight the same day, about 21 hours riding. Raising money for Diabetes UK and Riders For Health, you can support him by visiting

www.justgiving.com/tommothomson

Another family of cyclists starting their trip from Land's End in June. Chris and Alex Jordan along with Jonny Armour will cycle in aid of the Emily Jordan Foundation, this charity was established in memory of Chris's daughter Emily who was tragically killed in New Zealand in April 2008 whilst touring the world with boyfriend Jonny, Emily was taking a year out following her graduation from Swansea University with a first in law the previous year.

The Emily Jordan Foundation is involved with a number of projects for people with learning difficulties, principally in the Kidderminster area. They have a website where you can read more about their work and aims.

http://www.theemilyjordanfoundation.org.uk

If you wish you can contribute from the site.

Len Collingwood is another cyclist. Starting from Land's End on June 14th he intends to ride his fixed wheel bike to John o' Groats in 10 days, an unaccompanied journey he will carry lightweight camping equipment and use Caravan and Camping Club sites for overnight stops.

Bob Vickery, another cyclist, he writes.

I am fulfilling an ambition this year of riding from Lands End to John O'Groats, I was really lucky to cycle through Laos back in 07, the cycling bug has really got a hold of me and developed into a real passion. I was going to wait till I was 50 to complete this but why not start the mid life crisis now at 48 I must already thank Kathie Mackay for all the support she is giving me and my Uncle, Dave Vickery who has done so much work, planning the route. They will both be on the journey with me, acting as the road crew, Uncle Dave has a large camper van that will act as our home for the anticipated 10 day adventure.

Most importantly I would like to raise as much money as I possibly can for two charities that have become increasingly significant to me over the past 2 years. Firstly the quest to find a cure for Huntingdon's decease which is an hereditary disorder of the central nervous system and 'Change a Life', a work related initiative supporting the poorer regions of the world, I was privileged in 2007 to see how the money is used, I will be primarily looking to obtain sponsorship from work for this.

I have set up a H.D.A 'Just Giving' site that can be found by following the attached link http://www.justgiving.com/bobvickery

I set off on 28th June looking to complete in 10 days

Sarah Jackson and Phil Partington are also cyclists.

Myself (Sarah Jackson) and a friend (Phil Partington), a couple of SW teachers from Shepton Mallet and Frome, are doing JOG-LE by bike this July-August, taking 17 days. We are unsupported but will be using YHAs and B&Bs to cut down on kit. We're trying to use Sustrans routes where possible and covering around 60-90 miles on average each day. I'm raising money for Alzheimers Society and Phil's doing so for Dorothy House (a local charity). Seemed a good idea in the pub but a recent Welsh training trip has emphasised how hard it might be! Our website is http://philandsarah.org/
(This will hopefully soon have a fundraising link on it)
Thanks for your support,
Sarah.

"Cycling sisters from the Midlands, Joanna and Susan Murray, plan to cycle a 1,050 mile route from Land's End to John O'Groats starting on 25th June 2009. They hope to complete the journey unaided, and will be carrying a tent, provisions and plenty of changes of socks in their panniers!

Susan commented: "We are undertaking our epic cycling adventure in aid of two local charities, the Solihull branch of the Samaritans and the Primose Hospice in Bromsgrove. We aim to raise £5 for every mile we cycle.

We're not sure which will end up more of a challenge - getting up all those hills, or achieveing our fundraising target, but we hope that friends, family and other parts of our local community will help us with the latter, whilst we fulfil the former!"

We will be keeping a log and a diary which we will get witnessed, and look forward to submitting our application for membership to your association when we return in July!

http://www.justgiving.com/tired_legs

Best wishes,

Susie

Now I know the page says 2009 journeys but this next one may be of interest to some of you.

Hospice Nurse to Tackle John O'Groats to Land's End Walk

Yeovil, Somerset, 2^nd June, 2009

Lead nurse at St Margaret's Somerset Hospice, Phil Edwards, is to walk from John O'Groats to Land's End to raise money for the hospice. The 1280-mile journey, starting on May 13^th, 2010, will take eight weeks, and Phil is inviting other supporters of St Margaret's to walk sections with him.

Phil had dreamed of doing this walk for some time, but was spurred into action by seeing the effects of the economic recession on other hospices in the UK. He says, "Across the country, hospice jobs are being cut, and services squeezed, because of the recession. Only last week, a hospice in the east of the country was forced to close a third of its beds.

"As a nurse at St Margaret's in Yeovil, I see, every day, how vital our work is for people with life-limiting illnesses. It would be tragic if we could not continue to provide the same level of high-quality hospice care for local people. About 80% of our funding comes from voluntary donations, and even a small drop in giving can have profound effects on the work that my colleagues and I are able to do."

The walk that Phil has devised is almost entirely off-road, and will follow bridleways and footpaths most of the time. It will go through some of the most beautiful parts of Scotland and England, including the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, the Yorkshire dales, and the Cotswolds.

Accommodation will be in youth hostels, B&Bs, and country inns. Says Phil, "We want this to be a unique experience, and at different times we will be staying in a Scottish castle, a converted railway station, a gothic mansion, an ex-coastguard station, and an 18th century millworker's cottage."

Walking 15 to 30 miles a day, completing the whole walk will be a feat of endurance. However, Phil believes that most reasonably active people would be capable of joining the Challenge for a few days, "The pace will be steady, and while a few days cover 30 miles or more, most of the time we will be walking between 20 and 25 miles a day." Phil will also be leading a number of training walks over the next twelve months for those who would like to take part but need to get fit.

The Challenge has already excited the imagination of his colleagues. Several employees of St Margaret's Hospice have signed up to walk sections of the route. Others have offered to drive the support vehicle or help with fundraising. It has been suggested that this could become one of the biggest fundraising events St Margaret's has ever staged.

Details of the Challenge can be found on its website - http://www.walktheextramile.com- which outlines the route and how to get involved. As well as walkers, Phil and his colleagues also need volunteers to drive the support vehicle and help with publicity. If you wish to sponsor this event, donations can be made on http://www.justgiving.com/walktheextramile . For details of other ways to support the work of St Margaret's Hospice, please visit http://www.somerset-hospice.org.uk

You can follow Phil, as he prepares for this epic challenge, on his blog, http://walktheextramile.blogspot.com

Phil Edwards

Lead nurse

St Margarets Somerset Hospice

Tel: 01935 709480

http://www.walktheextramile.com

Registered charity no. 279473

Now here is another cycling trip, however I have not heard of such a "stripped down" journey since that bloke that tried to walk it in the nude!! Take a look at how Gavin Topley and Adam Dunn are going about the job.

http://www.myactionaid.org.uk/bollocksbikeride/adam-and-gavs-bollocks-bike-ride

http://www.actionaid.org.uk/101919/work_it_Gavin_&_Adam.html

Starting from Land's End on 4th July, seems to me they may need a little help along the way!!

Update July30th: They did it, Check out this video from Scottish telly.

http://video.stv.tv/?bcpid=1610699553&bctid=30146436001

Now we have a a couple of 17yr old lads who are going to walk from John o' Groats. Marcus and James from Farnborough and Farnham intend to set out on their walk in August, a tough enough challenge normally you may say, however along with the normal sort of kit you would expect to be taken along they are taking a couple of fridges!! and all in aid of Alzhiemers research. Take a look at their website, which expains how and probably more importantly why.

www.thegreatfridgeadventure.co.uk

You may like to sponsor one of the fridges.

Another journey you don't see every day of the week, Mary Laver is making her second attempt at the journey using a powered wheelchair, this time with an improved support team and with the added incentive this time of the nice people at Guinness World Records promising to recognise her journey (subject to verification) Mary's press release appears below.

A World Record Attempt in a Power Chair

LEJOG 18^th July/12^th August 09

The Guinness Book of Records TM http://www.guinnessworldrecords have now agreed to recognise "The Lands End to John O'Groats" challenge as a "World Record" and that The Lands End to John O'Groats Association are the official judicator of the LEJOG Challenge. http://www.landsend-johnogroats-assoc.com/

Mary Laver (62) is now going to take on the challenge under the rules of the "Guinness Book of Records TM," of driving her Handicare "Alex" Power Chair from Lands End to John O'Groats between 18^th July/12^th August 09

Mary, who is severely disabled with Rheumatoid Arthritis, is totally human and wheelchair dependent will be with a team of seven, made up of two drivers, two vehicles, four carers, one cyclist... They plan to stay in campsites and Youth Hostels on this epic journey.

Mary says, "While this is my World Record attempt, I also consider it is also a team event. We will cross the starting line as a team and cross the finishing line as a team." She also goes onto say. "This will be my second attempt but this time, thanks to friends and strangers in 'Tyne & Wear and the support of my team;' we will go for that World Record in their name.

Mary knows that the safety and the safety of others is a prime importance, and will if deemed necessary, Mary will get into her van to pass any danger knowing that by doing so her World Record attempt is finished.

Mary hopes the challenge will raise awareness of the work her chosen charity "The Royal British Legion and Poppy Appeal" and raise them lots of cash. Her target is £8000

Mary is also very passionate about the work of 'Fairtrade' and 'Organic Food', so will be promoting their work on this World Record attempt..

The team will be feed, where possible, on Organic and Faitrade produce.

Mary says' "The World Record is there for me to take, all I have to do take it. Easy to say, very hard to do!"

For more details of the challenge, please go to

http://powerwheelchaire2e.blogspot.com/

To support her chosen charity please go to

https://www.bmycharity.com/V2/e2epowerchairchallenge

To contact Mary on her mobile, she would love to hear from you.

0797564916l

Another succesfull trip we have just heard about.

On the Saturday 11th July, Chris Primett, Chris Price, Will Taylor, Billy Bates and James Russell set off from their homes in Surrey to Lands End. The 5 of us were embarking on a 2 week cycle to John O'Groats. The cycle was all in memory of our friend Tom Sewell who tragically died following an accident in New Zealand during his GAP year. We are raising money for The Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign and Help for Heroes. The trip took us 15 days cycling (14 days with rain) covering exactly 1100 miles, carrying all our own equipment and tents, no support vehicle. We overcame illnesses, breaking down bikes and numerous punctures. For more information on our trip, the charities, how to donate and to see all the support we had, please visit http://www.tripview.co.uk/tomsewell/bike/trip. Thank You.

Another solo cyclist, Nick Harvey writes.

I will be cycling solo from Land’s End to John O’Groats from 15^th to 29^th September, travelling light and planning to camp most nights. I’ve wanted to ride ‘End to End’ for years but until now it’s been impossible to take a long enough holiday! I’m really looking forward to the challenge and raising funds for an excellent charity – please see http://www.justgiving.com/greatwhiterabbit/

Nick Harvey

(National Bike Week Coordinator 2001-2007)

Another succesfully completed cycling journey. Jude Cohen and her team recently finished, loads of photos and text on their site.

I have another one to add to your list. We've actually finished already, but we met a load of people along the way in particular some army guys who have some video footage of us cycling with whom we'd like to make contact!
We are raising money for

St Peter’s Hospice and Penny Brohn

and have a blog at http://maltloafordeath.wordpress.com

Another fantastic, unique journey, you will have seen the "Walking With Dinosaurs" show advertised on the telly, Well lloyd Scott takes this idea to another level and is walking south to north with a LIFE SIZE Tyrannosaurus Rex, a creature apparently 30ft long and 12ft tall. As of today 16th August, he is heading for Telford and has so far raised a truly magnificent £118,015, check out his site where you can track their progress at www.trextreks.com