My plan was to collect my bike bag from the post office "Post Restante" when it opened at 9am, leaving time to cycle to the airport, take the bike to bits, pack it, change and check in for my 11am flight. EXCEPT that Kirkwall PO opens at 9.30am on a Tuesday! So then I had 30 mins to see the beautiful ancient sandstone cathedral of St Magnus, followed by a mad dash. I just about had time to change into my "evening wear" before we were called to board. My bike and I made it safely to Manchester via Aberdeen and Heathrow T5 and Simon kindly met me and drove me home to Hathersage. His knee is improving and plans are taking shape for the rest of his ride.
I was home by 8pm just as Jenni and the kids returned from Beavers and Brownies. It's good to be home; but that also means work and all the other responsibilities you leave behind when all you have to do is cycle every day. Part of me will miss that life a lot.... but probably not my tender underneath part.
Mark.
3 comments:
Nice final comment... think I'll steal that!
R
You may not have spotted it, but there was a warning given about the unfavourable winds of Orkney, which was placed on your Just Giving page by Dug McArthur, who hails from those parts (the island of Sanday). As he said it:
"You might find that people stare at you in Orkney as they don't have bikes because it's too bloody windy!".
Meanwhile... Lexi & Rich and bikes all arrived safely at Edinburgh airport on Tuesday, just after 5pm. We then had a lot of fun trying to fit both bikes, the two of them, Alison (Lex's mum) and me in to my VW Passat saloon, in order to get them away from the airport - problem was that 'brains' here had forgotten that bikes fit easily in to the boot of his car... only when the back seat is fully folded down - doh!!
Thankfully, with some clever engineering (dismantling of wheels, handlebars, seats, pannier racks) we managed it! Then after a meal over at Dan & Lynda's they went on from Edinburgh later in the evening in Alison's car, homeward bound to Penrith / Bampton.
And I should also add here that I just noticed the magic target figure of £5,000 has been exceeded on Just Giving!!! Yee-haa!
Five grand! Double single malts all round! Well done guys!
Maybe next, Paul - with the recent case of that bloke who was caught for having 13 people in his Volvo - you could raise a few quid with a sponsored 'how many people with bikes you can fit in a Passat'...
Post a Comment