The Diary

12th June

Well we did it!  John O’Groats to Land’s End in just the five days we’d planned.  We left John O’Groats at 8am on Thursday 5th June and arrived in Land’s End at 3.30pm on Monday 9th June.  It was a great trip; the faithful Rudge didn’t miss a beat and the sun shone down on us for most of the way.   We clocked a total of 996 miles -not all of them planned! 

Our thanks to everyone who sponsored us beforehand and along the route. More information to follow………

 

19th May

One way and another its been a very successful weekend. We used the collapsible motorbike trailer loaned to us by Motolug to tow the Rudge to Stow on the Wold and it all worked perfectly. It took half an hour or so to complete the initial assembly but that only has to be done once. From then on to ‘collapse’ the trailer it is just a question of removing a few pins which takes no time at all.

For us the Rally was not only a very enjoyable event but also the chance to attract more sponsorship and we were delighted to collect a further £196.33 towards our target. This now brings the total collected to £983.33 and with a further £165.00 pledged we have now raised £1,148.33 for the NSPCC. Once again our thanks to everyone who has supported us.

13th May

From being just an idea the plans for our Top2Toe jaunt are taking shape and suddenly it is only a couple of weeks before we load up and head north. This morning we took delivery of the collapsible trailer kindly loaned to us by Motolug. As yet we haven’t assembled it but first impression is of an ingenious piece of equipment, well designed and manufactured and ideal for our needs. The first opportunity to test it out will be this weekend when we tow the bike to Stow on the Wold to take part in the annual Rudge Rally.

When we first decided that we would try and raise £1000 for the NSPCC it seemed to be a huge task particularly as at first donations came very slowly. However, the word is now definitely out and with money already donated and money pledged the total has risen to £972! Needless to say we are delighted with this and want to thank everyone for their support. All we need now is fair weather and a following wind…

29th April

Pleased to say our donations continue to rise steadily and the new total is £542. That means we’re now passed the halfway point and if £1 were miles we’d have travelled from the starting point at John O’Groats to Ullswater in the Lake District.

6th April

Good News! We’ve just passed quarter distance in our bid to raise £1000 for the NSPCC. £295 has been donated and at £1 a mile that would be equal to the ride from John O’Groats to Bo’ness in Mid Lothian. Many thanks to everyone who has sponsored us so far.

24th March

We’ve decided that we’d like to try and raise £1,000 for the NSPCC. That’s £1 a mile for each of the 1000 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

17th March

Just received our first on-line donations via JustGiving. Thank you very much.

This morning we donned our NSPCC t-shirts and braved the cold to take some pictures. Going to use these for the various publications that have agreed to write something about our trip. Also had the idea of producing some A5 sized flyers that we’re going to ask local motorcycle shops to display for us

14th March

Sent out the first batch of sponsorship request letters

11th March

Great news! Motolug (formerly BikeLug) have agreed to loan us a collapsible trailer and they’ll even deliver it to us.

6th March

NSPCC sponsor forms arrived today. They look pretty good complete with a picture of the Rudge.

Set up fund raising page on JustGiving to enable sponsors to make donations.

29th February

 

Learned of a company that manufacture collapsible motorbike trailers which, when not in use fold up to a size that would fit into the boot of a car or a motorhome. What a terrific idea! We’ve now written to them asking if they will sponsor us with the loan of one.

February 2008 the planning begins..

The idea is that we tow the motorbike to John O’Groats then Don rides solo and I follow in our campervan to provide backup and support. I am a bit daunted at the thought of towing the trailer all the way to Land’s End, as without a bike on board it is invisible to the driver.

Contacted the NSPCC who were really interested to hear our plans and very helpful in providing literature and t-shirts. They are also designing a sponsor form for us.

Decided on Top2Toe as the name for our adventure.

***************************************

To ride the Rudge from John O’Groats to Land’s End – at first it was just one of those ideas that flash through your mind and then disappear. Gradually the thought took hold and when we realised that in 2008 the bike would be seventy years old it seemed the perfect time to make the trip. We also felt that it was important that not to do the journey simply for our own pleasure but use it as an opportunity to raise money for the NSPCC.