The Ridgeway Challenge seems a bit dim and distant now: our legs and bums have recovered, our bruises and cuts are healed, and yet still the money rolls in. Today a pledged £20 was given to me at work and it means we finally hit £1500 - 150% of our target.
Over the next few weeks Alex, Vicky and I will blog our personal recollections of the Ridgeway experience and then we will be announcing our 2011 challenge. I tell you it's well worth watching this space!!
Thank you all - your support will have already made a very real difference to people who need it now.
It has been almost three years since the Belles set a challenge. We haven't stopped, we simply need to re-set and re-focus and find time to get ourselves back in the zone.
Wednesday 14 July 2010
Thursday 1 July 2010
A warm welcome and fine send off
So Saturday evening saw us cycling into the centre of Nettlebed to try and find our B and B called 'Somerset', it was on the high street and we soon found it, we cycled around the back to some garages to be met by Nan, we had hardly surgically removed our bodies from our bikes when Nan offered us a very much needed cup of tea. We walked through the garage into the most stunning garden, small it may have been, but it was an oasis of tranquility and a landscape and horticultural masterpiece, truly delightful and a real tribute to Nan's hard work. We were presented with 3 matching tea mugs and sat in the shade to reflect with Nan and her husband, John, on our days adventure!
We were shown to our sleeping quarters on the top floor of this lovely town house and as we climbed the 2 flights of stairs we were drawn to the many lovely photos of Nan and John that adorned the walls. We decided that Sian should continue the tradition and have the double bed again and Alex and I would share the twin room. Following a good bath we went and had a sumptious meal at the pub accross the road, we even allowed ourselves a few glasses of wine as we felt deserving of them!! As our eyelids started drooping we decided it was time to retire to our beds and following a good sleep we were met the following morning by Nan cooking a breakfast for us.
Meanwhile Steve was on his way to pick up our luggage so Alex was loitering outside on the high street on the look out for the 'Batmobile' AKA Steve's vintage Escort!!!!! Well it was a good job it was 8 in the morning and not the evening as people might have got the wrong idea!!!
After our fry-up we waved our goodbye's to Nan and John, waht a couple of gems!, and set off to re-join the Ridgeway just outside Nettlebed. It was quite a tough start to the day, probably made worse by our heavy breakfast!! and Alex found it hard to 'sort her breathing out'!! The terrain was mud tracks across vast arable fields mixed in with woodland paths with tree roots and sheer drops to contend with.
Finding ourselves on Oxfordshire soil signaled that we were indeed nearing the end of our challenge and as we approached Chinnor I knew Princes Risborough was only around the corner, we arrived at the end of our Ridgeway track at the top of the hill down to the car park in Risborough and as we wanted our support crew to actually witness our completion we hastily made phone calls to tell them to hot-foot it over. This gave us time to sit down at the top of this hill and wai tfor them to arrive. Mounting our bikes to start the ceremonious descent, Alex chose this moment to fall off her bile AGAIN, what timing?!! but in fits of giggles we flew down the hill to the welcome of our crew with glasses and pink fizz. A truely amazing experience xx
We were shown to our sleeping quarters on the top floor of this lovely town house and as we climbed the 2 flights of stairs we were drawn to the many lovely photos of Nan and John that adorned the walls. We decided that Sian should continue the tradition and have the double bed again and Alex and I would share the twin room. Following a good bath we went and had a sumptious meal at the pub accross the road, we even allowed ourselves a few glasses of wine as we felt deserving of them!! As our eyelids started drooping we decided it was time to retire to our beds and following a good sleep we were met the following morning by Nan cooking a breakfast for us.
Meanwhile Steve was on his way to pick up our luggage so Alex was loitering outside on the high street on the look out for the 'Batmobile' AKA Steve's vintage Escort!!!!! Well it was a good job it was 8 in the morning and not the evening as people might have got the wrong idea!!!
After our fry-up we waved our goodbye's to Nan and John, waht a couple of gems!, and set off to re-join the Ridgeway just outside Nettlebed. It was quite a tough start to the day, probably made worse by our heavy breakfast!! and Alex found it hard to 'sort her breathing out'!! The terrain was mud tracks across vast arable fields mixed in with woodland paths with tree roots and sheer drops to contend with.
Finding ourselves on Oxfordshire soil signaled that we were indeed nearing the end of our challenge and as we approached Chinnor I knew Princes Risborough was only around the corner, we arrived at the end of our Ridgeway track at the top of the hill down to the car park in Risborough and as we wanted our support crew to actually witness our completion we hastily made phone calls to tell them to hot-foot it over. This gave us time to sit down at the top of this hill and wai tfor them to arrive. Mounting our bikes to start the ceremonious descent, Alex chose this moment to fall off her bile AGAIN, what timing?!! but in fits of giggles we flew down the hill to the welcome of our crew with glasses and pink fizz. A truely amazing experience xx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)