Packed and ready.

All the gear is loaded in the Landrover ready for a 4am start! My partner Allyson is kindly driving me down to Land's End so I can begin the adventure. I am hoping to set off from Lands End (after the obligatory photographs) at about 8am. Then it's pedal pedal pedal for a month until I get back. I'll be updating the blog daily so keep on coming back and see how the journey unfolds!

Solar charger update

It works! It works! Brunton Freedom solar charger bought from Kountry Kit in Tavistock. Left to charge in the sun for about 3 hours (it takes about 20 for a full charge) and it brought a totally flat phone back to life with enough charge to send a message and to make a phone call. Let's see how it performs on the road. With the forecast for loads of sunshine it should be ideal.

Thanks to all of you who are supporting me on this trip, your messages and comments are really appreciated.
Keep following and I'll keep posting.

Solar chargers, Wind-up chargers

Been trying to get some kind of emergency/general charger for the phone so I can keep this blog up without the need for electric points. Got a wind up charger and it was exactly that - a wind up! 20 mins of winding did not produce enough power to even turn on the phone when the battery was dead.

Next up was the solar charger. Leave in the sun for 10-15 hours for a full charge, plug into phone and hey presto a full charge. No. 20 hours in direct sunlight and it managed to charge the phone for about 20 seconds. If I had hair I would have been tearing it out by now :-)

So, off into Tavistock today to try and get something that actually works as I don't have long til I leave. I'll report back later!

Can't wait to get on the road now. All preparations done. If I'm not ready now I never will be.

More later.

Plans finalised

Still training with a fully loaded bike and all is going well. Daily stops have been worked out but are subject to change if the weather or bad luck intervene! The forecast for the start date is looking unsettled with the prospect of 25mph headwinds and rain on the first day. Looks like the waterproofs will be getting an early outing.
The fundraising is going well and I have around 25% of my total either in my hand or promised. You can support me by donating here

Lunchbreak in Bude

Huge thanks to everybody at  Beacon Communications in Tavistock for their generous support.
Well done to Mat Venner of Beacon Comms and his team on the Three Peaks Challenge in september in aid of Childrens Hospice Southwest Precious Lives Appeal.

A few days away

Well, all panniered up and loaded as I would be for the trip itself and off for a few days trial run. Day one was up to Lobb Fields campsite. I followed the A386 across the moor and then all the way up to Bideford. It's a fairly hilly route in places with some outstanding views. From Bideford I took the back road to Barnstaple and then the A361 to Braunton, the coast road to Croyde before returning to Lobb Fields.

The coast road between Braunton and Croyde

The next day was all A39 down to Camelford. Great views but a headwind made it tough going. I was glad to reach the campsite although being charged £19 to pitch a tent took the biscuit!

The next day I had to return home so took the A395 to Launceston and the old A30 then the back roads home. A great trip of just under a couple of hundred miles and a good insight into life on the road.

Good news

Have received notification that Ginsters of Cornwall are putting up some sponsorship for me.

It's really nice that a large local firm takes an interest in what individuals are doing to raise money.

So a huge Thank You to Ginsters of Cornwall your donation really helps with the fundraising.

So if you see me in my Ginsters t-shirt give me a wave!!

Harsh Conditions

Went for a ride today across the moors to Mountbatten Watersports Centre, Plymouth where In Deep Dive Centre  is located.  Added an extra 8kg of lead weight to the panniers for training purposes. The wind was howling across the top of Dartmoor and at one point stopped me in my tracks! Got caugth in torrential rain at Marsh Mills and then the sun came out at Laira Bridge! Finally made it to In Deep Dive Centre where the legend that is Pete Mills made me a fine brew. Had a good ride back in fine weather and totalled 50 miles.

3 weeks to go!

I am currently in training and waiting for various bits of equipment to turn up from suppliers. The bike has been road tested and all seems OK. Route is semi planned with margins for longer or shorter days depending on weather and terrain. Devon is a great training ground as it's very hilly( I live on Dartmoor!) and at the moment really windy too.

Keep up with my progress here and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1405454412

You can donate here http://www.justgiving.com/Jongoescycling

More soon!