Day 8 - the final push!!

Hello to what is the final day! We get up early so we can fix the broken bike, we get it sorted, have a full english and hit the road for the humber bridge!! It was a shorter day then the days we have had all week and we arrive at the humber bridge around 1pm. We travel down through scarborough, filey, bridlington and into hull. Its a lovely welcome back as we are met by some of our followers and we all get of our bikes and out of the van and shake hands and congratulate each other on what seems to have been a long epic journey.

Day 7

Not long to go now and today we get up and the weather is not looking good at all. We put on our waterproof riding suits and set off to our next stop, Whitby! We had been riding around 30 minutes when we are forced to stop at a petrol station and talk about the weather conditions. The rain is terrential, the roads flooded and it is decided it is far too dangerous to carry on riding. We could not see out of the helmets and as for traffic in front, I personally could not even read my speedo! After 30 mins the bikes are back on the road and the ride continues. We finally arrive in Whitby around 5pm where we start looking for somewhere to stay. We find a campsite in whitby and as we pull into it, Ricks bike decides it has had enough for the day and all the electrics cut out. After a quick nosey around the problem is found and all it was is a wire at the back of the ignition that has come out.

Day 6

Day 6 saw the team travel from Fort William round to Johnshaven. This was a very long day which was very tiring. We travvelled round past Loch Ness which was really nice. The weather was a bit dull this morning and we had a quick shower but nothing major at all. The riding condition was safe and we got off well. We have seen some lovely views on this part of the ride and arrived at a campsite in a little fishing village called Johnshaven around 5:30pm.

Day 5 - Thursday.

Today we travelled from Stranraer up to Roy Bridge just outside Fort William. It was a decent day which saw us leave on time around 8:30am. We didnt stop for a lunch but stopped at Loch Lomond for an ice cream. We travelled from there up the A82 which to me has to be the best road I have ever been on. The scenery was spectacular around Glencoe and into Fort William. We arrived at Roy Bridge around 4pm, got showered and changed then went to the hotel bar for a lovely meal and a chat with the locals who all wished us well on our travels.

I would like to take this chance to wish our condolences to all the family of a true gentleman, Graham who sadly passed away on Thursday morning after an illness. We dedicate today's stage of the ride to him, he will be sadly missed and our thoughts are with all the family at this time.


Day 6 - Friday.

Are we nearly there yet??? We have today come from Roy Bridge to a place just north of Montrose called Johnshaven where we have found a cracking little campsite to pitch up for the evening. We have had a nice day calling at Loch Ness and then riding through Inverness and Aberdeen. It has got to be said that the tiredness and concentration levels are really running low now and we are all getting tired by lunchtime which means the afternoons seem to last forever and we look forward to stopping, but we push on knowing that there are only 2 days to go and this epic journey will all be over. We are hoping to be at the Humber Bridge on Sunday at around 1-1.30pm but this all depends on the weather for tomorrow and how far we get. We are looking at getting down to to the Whitby area tomorrow and camping around there somewhere.

The sea is looking rough, the sky is dark and the wind is blowing! Is this going to be the first shower of the whole week??

Day 4 Wales and the Day 5 North West England and Scotland

Hello everyone, well today has probably been the most challenging day so far. After a good start to the day and getting some good time under our belts, we hit the west coast of wales. This stretch up to the camp site was to be honest terrible. At times we were doing 10mph for 20 mins at a time. We have had roadworks, caravans, slow drivers, idiot drivers.. the list goes on. I think its fair to say we hit the wall today and found our way through to the other side. We had problems locating the camp site as no post code was available (it was sat at home) but after getting to people to speak to each other in a deffinetly forgien langage we finally arrived. The west coast of wales is a great sightand the roads are great to drive but after 12 hours on the road covering over 300 miles even this wares thin. Fishgaurd on the very tip of wales inparticular stood out due to its narrow twisting roads that the van only just fitted down.

Day 5 saw us leave Wales on the A55 and head through England into Scotland which has provided us with our best campsite so far in Ryan Bay Stranraer. The views from teh bay are butiful and we are currently sat with a drink and pizza in the sun. The only draw back with this site is the closeness of the main raod. The driving today kept on main fast routes which helped us make good time arriving on the site early evening

Places visited in teh last two days include

Day 4

Bude
Bridgewater (Where we left Graham)
Bristol
Cardiff
Swansea
Havorfordwest
Fish Gaurd
Aberystwyth
Portmadoch
Carnfeon

Day 5

Bangor
Conway
Chester
Blackpool (Outskirts)
Gretna
Dumfries
Stranrear

Day's 2 and 3 The south coast and cornwall

First things first sorry about the missing Blog on day two but after a long day and problems with gaining a connection we finally gave up so after around 700 miles in the last two days we have finally arrived in just outside Bude and have pitched our tents for the first night of camping.

We have had many small incidents with a Stephen nearly fetching an old man of his peddle bike and Rick and Lee riding through a swam of bee's we are all safe. Ricks had new front brake pads this morning which were changed in around 10 minutes and due to bad traffic in the Truro area we didn't make Lands Ends which was a bit of a dissapointment.

We are currently a four man team with Graham a fellow Owl from down these parts joining us on the drive with a donation to the cause. Graham will be us for day four. We would all like to thank Graham for his efforts.

Day 4 will see us cross the boarder into Wales for the first time. Over the past three day's we have visited the following locations that number of people will know:-

Day1

Hull
Grimsby
Skegness
Hunstanton
Cromer
Great Yarmouth

Day 2

Lowerstoft
Felixstowe
Dover
Folkstone
Hastings
Eastbourne
Brighton
Bournemouth

Day3
Poole
Exeter
Plymouth
St Austell
Truro
Newquay
Bude

CoastDay one Englands East

Hello Everyone

Well here we are!

We are here in Great Yarmouth!! It's been a hell of a long day. The day started with us setting off an hour late to teh humber bridge, We were glad that we had such a good turn out. It all got slightly emotinal as all our parents started crying, we managed to hold back the tears and set off. Everyone made their way to the bridge for a final send off and that was it we were on our way. The time was by then after 10 am. Our first proper stop was in skegness for a quick toilet break then it was off to Hunstanton for lunch. We had a lovely full english and as we ware wearing charity t-shirts, people were asking what we were doing. The ride seemed to take forever as if there was a slow driver on the road we got behind them!! The horns got used and hand gestures a many! We finally arrived in Great Yarmouth and 6:30 pm. We have had a drive down the front , done some filiming and now full on cracking spread that our friend has put on! Now we are just sat relaxing with a nice beer, ready for an early night and a long days riding tomorrow.

Rick

well folks saturday 9th july is nearly upon us.it seems like only yesterday when rick suggested we travel around the uk coastline,brill idea i thought then i looked at the map & thought oh bugger or something along those lines, anyway no turning back now after all the hard work we have put into the planning of this venture especialy rick sorting out the stops & press coverage hes done great how could i let him down.well done rick.Just another little message to all the generous people & businesses who have supported us thus far thakyou so very much please keep donating & motovating us without you we couldnt do it BIG THANKS to you all.Lee

5 days to go!!

Hi everyone!

This is my first blog on here so hope it matches up to Stevies good work! Well I write this on Monday evening and I have to say today has felt quite strange to me. I woke up thinking how the ride was getting so close and began feeling really nervous. A lot of What if's started coming into my head. What if this wasn't a sucess, what if this happens, what if that happens..... At the end of the day, whatever does happen will happen, there is nothing we can do about that.

We have had another trip to the shops tonight, bought a few more essentials and we think we pretty much have everything. We have tested out the radio's and all is good on that front so communication between the bikes and the van is all good. We are just printing up some small maps so that we can have them in the tank bag.

So what is the plan for Saturday???

We shall be leaving Ricks house on the morning around 7:15am and then heading for the start point at the Humber Bridge country park. I'm not sure what time the cafe opens but we shall be setting off from the big car park next to Mrs B's cafe, we hope to arrive around 8:30 and plan to have a coffee with the people that have made the trip to see us off. At around 9:30 we shall be in position and Jake Wheatley will officially start the ride for us. We shall then see you hopefully 8 days later when we arrive home again!!

If anyone is unsure on how to get to the start point, please get in touch and i will explain how to get there.

We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you on Saturday!!

Rick

7 day's to go

The excitement is starting to grow around coastride HQ. We realised a few day's ago that time was getting short before we begin on our long journey. As I write this it's a week until we should be arriving in an east coast town such as Skegness and making the decision to stop or push on before lunch and get round the wash. For those of you that don't know day 1 is next Saturday and runs from the Humber Bridge Country Park to Great Yarmouth on the Norfolk coast. One of the shorter section of the ride this day is around 250 miles and a good opener for the team to warm up for the week ahead.

All 3 members of the team have been busy preparing for the ride. Not only continuing to search for sponsors but shopping for the ride has become a priority with emergency items such as first aid kits and tyre weld at the top of the list. We also bought a large supply of drinks and an even larger supply of noodles for when we need a quick snack.

Earlier this week Rick took his bike to the garage for a quick check over and found he had problems with the steering bearing which could have caused a major problem on the way round the coast. Thankfully this has been picked up early and the issue resolved before we set off.

Other important decisions have been taken as regards the ride with Rick considering purchasing a compass for navigation with myself and Lee persuading him to join in relying on the keep the water on your left method. A chequered flag has been purchased along with a hat for myself to wear.

We have recvieved the stickers for the bikes back from the printers and the high visibilty vests have been labeled up with the sponsors names. I even heard a rumour that an iorn had been located to give the t-shirts a run over before we go.

Please remember this is all for a good cause and dig deep in aid of our charity The Childrens Heart Surgery Fund that has done so much for Jake and his family over the years and will hopefully continue to gain the much needed support to continue helping many others in the future. To donate see a member of the team or visit www.ukcoastride.co.uk and click on the link to our just giving page.

Thanks for your support

Stephen

What the UK Coast ride means to Rick

The ride that we have planned means more than a ride around the coast on our motorbikes. It is probably something that a lot of people want to do and I’m glad that with the help and support of a lot of companies, we are able to do this ride.

I want to do all I can to help raise as much money as I can for The Children’s Heart Surgery Fund. This piece I am writing is probably the first time that I have sat and wrote about how as Jake’s Father I felt when we heard about Jakes heart problems.

I remember when Jake was diagnosed with his problems, and Jake being rushed up to Leeds, one of the nurses at Sheffield giving us a couple of photo’s of him and all I could think was, this is not good, why are they giving us some photo’s of him? After a lengthy talk with the surgeon at Leeds before his first operation, we found out just how serious it was. For me having to ring my parents, still so excited from the birth of their first grandson and say to them “I’m sorry, but there is a big chance he might not make it through” was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I didn’t know anything about the condition, I didn’t know how good the doctors and surgeons were. Basically my sons life was in a total strangers hands.

Looking back now, nearly 4 years on, I want to raise as much awareness as I can, and by doing fundraising like this ride, I want to help other families that are put in the position that many families find themselves in. Every single doctor, nurse, surgeon and staff member up at Leeds General Infirmary Heart Centre do an absolutely magnificent job and treat every parent and child that pass through, with such love and care.

So, what does the ride mean to me? It gives me a tiny chance to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my sons life, but more than that it gives me great pride in helping such a great charity towards saving other babies and children’s lives.

Thank you

Rick

The Ride

1 Challenge. 2 Bikes. 3 Countries. 10 Days

In July 2011, 2 men on bikes (closely followed by 2 men in a support vehicle) will set off on what could be an epic adventure to raise money for a charity called The Children's Heart Surgery Fund.

We will leave Sheffield and head for Grimsby where the ride will start.

We will start heading clockwise around the British Coastline riding a total of 3010 miles in what we hope, 8 days but as most bikers know, the British weather is not the best, so there may be slight hold ups. However our motto will be:

IF IT'S SAFE TO RIDE, PUSH ON!

The Route

1 - Gt Yarmouth
2 - Bournemouth
3 - Bude
4 - Caernarfon
5 - Stranraer
6 - Fort William
7 - Inverness
8 - Newcastle

We hope to also stop at numerous locations around the coast to take photo's and possibly do some filming on our camcorder. Keep an eye on the website for regular updates on our journey.

Who is it for ?

Please click here to visit the CHSF website»

The Children's Heart Surgery Fund is a registered charity based at the Yorkshire Heart Centre within Leeds General Infirmary covering Yorkshire, Humberside and the North Midlands.

The CHSF funds valuable equipment, resources and research for the treatment of children with heart defects and provides a happy and relaxed atmosphere within the hospital for both the children and their families.

Every year over 1,400 children pass through the paediatric unit. Over 40% of these need long term care.

The aim of the CHSF is to ensure that these children have the best possible chance of survival. Our hope is to give "each child a childhood" our dream is to give them an adulthood.

In 2008, the CHSF were able to fund a brand new 3D Echo System for the Paediatric Cardiology Department at a cost of £135,000 and hopefully we will be able to go some way in being able to fund a second one for the department. This machine is a vital piece of equipment in diagnosing congenital heart disease from an early age.

They were also able to purchase home testing INR kits for children to use in the comfort of their own home. The INR kit allows them to test the amount of Warfarin in their blood and as they are for home use, this minimizes the need for hospital visits therefore making things easier for the child and their family.

The CHSF simply couldn't buy any of the above and much more without the hard work and dedication of fundraises.

The Childrens Heart Surgery Funds details are:

Children's Heart Surgery Fund
Room 001
Ground Floor
Old Nurses' Home
Leeds General Infirmary
Leeds
LS1 3EX

Registered charity number 700753

Please support us and make a donation, no matter how big or small, so that we can help CHSF help children in your area.

What is the UK Coast Ride all about?

Back in July 2007 many people will remember the Sheffield floods, well this was the least of Richard and Claires problems as this was when their son, Jake, was born with a heart defect.

The floods devastated many people’s lives as they tore through their homes but Jake was faced with open heart surgery after the Sheffield Jessops hospital discovered Jake had around eleven holes in his heart and both the major heart valves formed the wrong way.

Something we all take for granted when a newborn baby comes into our lives is that our babies are born healthy and free of pain without a worry in the world.

Sadly, in Richard and Claires case, they wern't that fortunate.

In Jakes case, and many others, we have to rely on the hospital staff and their skill & professionalism to spot any irregularities in our babies.

Jake was seen to be born a healthy baby until the next day when the nursing staff at Jessops in Sheffield noticed that he had lost some colour and decided to raise concerns with the medical staff. The fear going through their minds was uncontrollable and the thought that the 9 months of pregnancy to start a new family wasn’t going to plan was hard for them to imagine.

The staff decided that Sheffield did not have the correct equipment to operate on Jake and thought it best that he be taken to Leeds General Infirmary where they have specialised equipment and staff.

Jake was placed in an ambulance and dashed off with blue lights flashing all the way up the M1 where medical staff delivered him to the Intensive Care Unit to be monitored and prepared for surgery.

Leeds General Infirmary have worked wonders in their lives and Jake has undergone three lots of major open heart surgery to rectify the heart valves and to close most of the holes in his heart, some of which were placed awkwardly beneath the heart and difficult to get to.

Despite this the medical staff pressed on and Jakes family and friends grew ever closer and tried their upmost to stay strong for him.

Only now can we tell the story about a very strong little boy who has changed the lives of many. A happy little boy who is full of life and smiles. Jakes condition has made us recognise that some are not as fortunate as Jake for being given a second chance in life and for this reason and also to show appreciation to Leeds General Infirmary and to Sheffield Jessops hospital for the care they gave to Jake and all of his family, we have decided to do what we can to raise much needed funds for this wonderful charity.

Without the hard work, skill and determination of the staff who helped both Jake and his family, they simply wouldn't have got through this most difficult part of all their lives.

THANK YOU will never be enough.