More from Alan Lowe’s 3500 mile Sponsored Motor Bike Ride around the UK…..Day 7 - Rest Day

Time for a well earned rest at the half way point, Windermere is beautiful…

…and so are my digs for the next 2 nights, my Parents and girl friend, Sandi, get here at 10am, its good to see familiar faces again, they’ve also brought fresh clothes, different boots (more water proof I hope) for the rest of the trip.

Earlier in the morning I looked up the only bike shop in the area, rang them to make sure they had some all in 1 waterproofs and water proof gloves in my size which the reply was ‘sure we’ve got all you need here, so 10 minutes after my parents get here we head of out towards Kendal to the shop for better water proofs, however when we get there and ask for the gear, the man wanders of to the back and comes returns saying actually we don’t have those size’s after all!! I have to bite my lip and keep calm, #**$”XX+##**?!! Is going through my head as we leave and with the next nearest shop 30 miles away with leave it.

We then go to Bowness for a few hours and I manage to pick up some really good water proofs in a hiking shop for £50 now I’m set for the next 5 days, we chill out for the rest of the afternoon and go out to the ‘Lighthouse Restaurant’ in Windermere, the meal is fantastic, my fillet steak is cooked to perfection and is beautifully tender, we take our fill and call it a night.
Back to the ride tomorrow, Windermere to Aberystwyth Vie the Isle of Anglesey, till tomorrow, Alan

Keep up to date with Alan’s future updates HERE and you can still sponsor his ride if you wish by going HERE.

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More from Alan Lowe’s 3500 mile Sponsored Motor Bike Ride around the UK…..

Day 5
Breakfast was for 8:30 this morning and was fantastic, I strongly recommend trying Scottish square sausage if you ever get the chance very tasty, I talked to a couple who had done Ben Nevis the day before and also got very wet!! They said the are doing Scarfel later this week around the same time I’m in the lake district, perhaps we may meet again?
Mike has been an absolute hero and got all my clothing dry and has given me black bags to put them in to keep them dry. The weather looks good as I head out for the Mull of Kintyre at 9:45, I take a long route thru Glen Coe and I’m not disappointed as the view are great, I come back to the coast via the A85 and get on the A816, the road is a dream twists and turns all the way to Kintyre.

The sun shines as I get on to Kintyre and the views on the coast road are wonderful, I travel right to the end and go down a very tight single track all the way to the Mull of Kintyre, I have a chat there with a man from New Zealand who says its like home from home in Scotland, except wetter.

I head for my B and B in Inveraray about 90 miles away and the weather close’s in and it starts to rain again, time to see if my new wet weather measures work! It doesn’t take long to get there and the welcome is warm, I get drying my bike gear and all my stuff is dry woohoo. Happy days.
Tomorrow I head for Windermere and a days rest.

Day 6
Up nice and early not that I want to get out of my warm and for the first time on the trip, Double bed, especially as its throwing it down outside and cold again, breakfast was good and the owner was very friendly, I get kitted up and this time I put my feet in some plastic bags in hopes of fending off the water. I set off at 9 and its raining so hard I dread the day ahead 300 miles of this is not fun in the least.

The weather stays pretty bad until Greenock just outside Glasgow and the going has been pretty slow all morning but the sky looks like its clearing as I head towards Dumfries, the road opens out a bit more and there be sun in the sky and I’m very happy indeed.

I shed a few layers and press on with high spirits towards Carlisle and England, drop into Gretna Green for a look around but there not much there. 2 minutes later I’m back in England. Carlisle is lovely and I head towards the lake district the sun warm on my back.
The roads in the lake district are fab, tight and twisty with great views…

….its not long before I’m at Windermere and the ‘Haisthorpe B & B’ and my day off the ride tomorrow and Sandi and my Parents coming over for a visit and to re-supply me with fresh clothes.
Mileage done so far is 1756 miles
petrol cost so far: £185.93
B&B cost so far £212

Till tomorrow night, Alan
Keep up to date with Alan’s future updates HERE and you can still sponsor his ride if you wish by going HERE.

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Work started this week on the long–awaited development at Unity Park on Princess Street, Burton upon Trent.

East Staffordshire Borough Council is working with a number of partners to completely refurbish the run-down play area in the Shobnall ward.

The park will be extensively refurbished and will include a multi sports court, cricket practice area, basketball practice area, toddler play area and seating area.

Councillor Philip Atkins, Deputy Leader for Health and Leisure, said: “We have been looking for ways to improve this site for some time, and the combined efforts of Shobnall Parish Council and the Heart of Burton working with local residents means that it can finally become a reality.

“Together with East Staffs Borough Council they have secured substantial funding to make the changes, and attracted the support of agencies including Staffs Youth Service and the Police.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the regeneration of the council owned open space, and hope that local people will really enjoy using their new vibrant park.”

The redevelopment of the site is being funded by contributions from Shobnall Parish Council, Heart of Burton, Consolidated Charities, East Staffordshire Borough Council and the Big Lottery Children’s Play among others.

The development of the park is being overseen by the ‘Friends of Unity Park’ made up of local residents.

If you would like to join the group please contact Corinne O’Hare at East Staffordshire Borough Council on 01283 508724.

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MIDLANDS WINNER IN THE ENGLISH SUMMER NATIONAL

A MIDLANDS horse won the Britannia Building Society English Summer National for the first time since the inaugural race eight years ago.

Victory at Uttoxeter Racecourse in the biggest National Hunt race of the summer went to the 10-1 shot Surface To Air, trained in Lincolnshire by Chris Bealby.

It was another splendid occasion at the racecourse as thousands of people came out to support the races, including many customers and staff from the Staffordshire-based Britannia Building Society.

As always, the four-mile feature race was a cracking affair, with plenty of horses still on contention as the field of runners came into the home stretch for the final time.

The Lincolnshire horse – ridden by Noel Fehily - proved the strongest, finishing ahead of two 25-1 chances Out The Black and Rakalackey.  Fourty Acers was fourth at 8-1.

The seven-year-old had already showed his winning credentials twice in the last two months and came to Uttoxeter Racecourse on a potential three-timer.

Earlier, the opening Federation of Small Business Novices’ Hurdle was won by the 12-1 chance Robert The Brave, while the beintelligent.co.uk Maiden Hurdle went the way of The Snail (9-4).

The 4-1 chance First Boy proved best in the Orchid IT Conditional Jockeys’ Selling Hurdle.  The 2-1 favourite Honeybrook took the Jenrick Engineering Handicap Hurdle.

Haunted House won the Ianshiptoncars.co.uk Handicap Chase at 8-1; meanwhile the closing Foinaven Asset Management Ltd Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race went to racing debutant Magellan Straits (25-1).

The next racing at Uttoxeter is Irish Night on Tuesday 8 July when the first race is due off at 6.50pm.

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More from Alan Lowe’s 3500 mile Sponsored Motor Bike Ride around the UK…..

Day 4
I’m up early and looking forward to the day, full breakfast was very tasty this morning and I’m away at 8:30, I looked at the weather forecast last night and it doesn’t look promising so I use my storm proof covers for the luggage and don the water proofs.

The weather stays good till 1pm and the road and scenery are fantastic, I get into a good rhythm and really start to enjoy the roads. About mid morning the wind picks up a lot and makes it harder going, as I turn down the road for the Isle of Skye I meet up with a group of bikers I’d met at John O’Groats and chat with them for a while till they speed off down the road.

As I get to the Isle of Skye at 1pm the weather looks bleak and sure enough the heavens open and it is very heavy and still very windy, not good, first my boots fill with water my gloves are and then my water proof fails and I can feel water getting in every where around my body, bad news as when I’m back of from Skye I still have 78 miles to travel to Fort William, cold and wet I pressed on, the weather didn’t let up once and I was getting colder my hands had almost stopped working and I hadn’t felt my feet for a while, then a dozy prat decides to break heavily in front of me because he just missed an entrance to a shop I slammed my anchors on and avoided a smash easily I show my opinion of him and get back to riding, finally I reach my destination ‘The Mayfield B & B’ just out side Fort William and the welcome is the best so far.

I’m let into the garage park up and de robe, my luggage storm proof covers hadn’t worked and my stuff was wet, luckily my clothes and biking gear is taken away to be dried, a hot, and very needed cupper tea and cake is given to get me warm again, 10 out of 10 for the Mayfield.

Fingers crossed tomorrows weather is better, talk more tomorrow, Alan

Keep up to date with Alan’s future updates HERE and you can still sponsor his ride if you wish by going HERE.

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