I’m writing this blog post sat at my own dining table in my kitchen, listening to the washing machine having sorted out our bags and had a drink. It’s been a really fantastic week, but we all agree it is good to be home. Time to relax.
Today started a little soggy, but thankfully it dried up for us as we got further south (good job really, as I’d decided not to wear my waterproof over-trousers!). After filling up we headed through the Tyne Tunnel (free for motorbikes) before joining the A1 for the 160 or so miles from there to home. It was a pretty dull journey to be honest, it was always going to be, but the aim was simply “home”. There was a traffic jam near Doncaster, which gave us some clutch control practice again, but apart from that it was plain sailing. Off the A1 at Newark we made our finishing point at Sleaford so we could all say our goodbyes and head off in the various directions to our own houses.
So we completed our challenge of visiting all four compass points of mainland Great Britain, rode 2,200 miles, had the bike engines running for over 52 hours, saw some absolutely stunning scenery, checked the sea was still there many times, travelled along all kinds of roads, and had our own little adventure with plenty of stories to tell for years to come. It has been a great week, we are all pleased to have done it.
You all know the reason we embarked on this trip – to raise money for Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support in honour of Graham. Our official total currently stands at £1,390 (and nine pence), although we know that there is much “promised” cash to be collected in which should take that over the £2,000 mark. We would very much like to make that £2,500, so if you haven’t already donated and would like to please do so using the button over on the right of this page, it will really be making a difference.
Thank you all for following this blog and our updates over on twitter and facebook, your support has been very much appreciated. There are more posts to come over the next few weeks as we reflect and remember (and look through all the photos), so don’t go away just yet.
Total mileage – 2,204.3 (186.6 today)
Compass points visited – 4/4
