Starting Point

It is now one week since the meeting with Acorns and the enormity of the challenge is starting to sink in.

From what started as the simple task of adding a bit of meaning to a long held ambition, the whole project has started to gain a life of it’s own something like trying to hold on to a wild animal by the tail. Okay over the last couple of years I’ve ridden sections of the coastline and realised how big the end task could be. That was done over Bank Holiday weekends etc, when it was a relaxed case of ride as far as I can get before heading home. It is now something with an end goal and Acorns or more importantly the children are in some way relying on me to complete the task.

The meeting with Sanjay of Acorns brought a couple of key points into perspective. Firstly how much it actually costs to run one of the Hospices just for one day as well as how much they rely on volunteers. It is almost criminal how little funding comes from Central Government. The other point was the fact that to date, out of the all the children that have been an Acorns Hospice, none have lived long enough to enjoy the experience of leaving home to go to University or College an added reason for visiting all the Universities that are close to my route.

I now have a major checklist over my desk at home, some of the items relate to me and some relate to the bike and the rest include things like route planning, getting the right maps etc.

To Do List

1. Service Bike
2. Check Camping Equipment
3. Renew YHA Membership
4. Remove old Graphics from Panniers and Bike
5. Arrange new Graphics
6. Complete Press Release
7. Review, Donation Website
8. Arrange Doctors Appt
9. Arrange Dentist Appt
10. Arrange Opticians Appt
11. Update GPS info
12. Check Personal Clothing & Boots
13. Prep and paint dashboard plate.
14. Fit dashboard plate to bike.

This is just a brief snap shot and is certain to be developed further.

I intend to camp wherever possible but as I am starting in January, I thought it wise to renew my YHA membership as they have the majority of their lodges and camping barns around the coast and I can use them to get a shower, a warm bed and dry my gear when needed.

Last weekend saw me working on the bike in beautiful sunshine outside my cottage, is the weather just teasing me? As soon as I need to get riding in earnest we are going to having the wettest and coldest period in the Uk’s history. The images show that quite a bit of work has been done to the bike and thanks to Nick Robinson Motorcycles in Turgis Green near Basingstoke it is in tip top condition.

This coming weekend will be about fitting some additional equipment to the bike so I can keep this Blog running even when I am huddled up in my tent. The dashplate will allow me to fit additional power outlets and mount a couple of extra switches.

Don’t expect major works of prose each and every week, however I will be reporting on my progress in as much detail as I can, having ridden huge amounts of the UK, there are areas of staggering beauty out there. If anyone wants to join me out there for sections of the run as I go round just give me a call or check on my progress map to see where I am going to be next.

-Paul