Week 1
Sunday 3 to Sunday 10 June 2007 (Leicester to Bridport)
Day 1 - Sunday 3/6/07 - Leicester to Dereham - Estimated miles: 105
It all begins early on a Sunday morning from the Leicester branch. I plan to set out on the London Road and some white roads before I pick up the A47 just before Skeffington The A47 is not the friendliest road for cyclists but there isn’t a sufficiently direct alternative to get to Peterborough which I hope to reach before my first breather. After Peterborough, the terrain flattens and there are plenty of white roads that zig-zag their way to King’s Lynn. The final leg of day 1 is along the B1145 towards a B&B in a village just north of Dereham.
Day 2 - Monday 4/6/07 - Dereham to Ipswich - Estimated miles: 95
Day two and I should quickly find my way onto the A1067 and then all the way into Norwich. Then I’m back on or near to the A47 over to Great Yarmouth and my first proper look at the sea. I’ll stick to quieter roads on the sea-side of the A12 to Lowestoft. By this stage I should have worked out which is the lesser of two evils; manoeuvring the white country roads or the more direct but less cycle-friendly A road (in this case the A12) all the way to Ipswich where I rest for the night.
Day 3 - Tuesday 5/6/07 - Ipswich to Dagenham - Estimated miles: 90
From Ipswich it’s the A137 through Manningtree to Colchester. Then the B1022/B1137 and nearby roads to Chelmsford. Then cycling near to but carefully avoiding the A130 and A127 I should reach Southend. From Southend I take the quieter bit of the A13 and then the B1464 into Basildon. My work’s not quite done there though. A few more miles on white roads towards Dagenham which puts me within striking distance of London.
Day 4 - Wednesday 6/6/07 - Dagenham to Canterbury (via central London) - Estimated miles: 80
I’m more than a bit disappointed that, whilst London will be hosting the first three days of this year’s Tour De France in July, I’ll be cycling of all things in the north of Scotland! Nonetheless, one of Le Tour’s less well publicised curtain raisers will be my venture into the capital. Quite how I get there I’m not sure at the moment (any locals that could act as my escort on this stint would be especially welcome) but I'm aiming for the Central London Branch which is just off Oxford Street. From there it’s over the river and along the A2/A207 to Dartford. The A226 through Gravesend to Strood (home of the Medway, Gravesham and Swale West branch) may not be the quietest of roads but it’s better I’m sure than the A2 dual carriageway. Finally it’s the A2 (which looks quieter as the fast traffic takes up the M2) or white road alternatives all the way to Canterbury. I’m avoiding the temptation to follow the proposed route from London to Canterbury of Le Tour which goes out of it’s way to find a couple of category 4 climbs.
Day 5 - Thursday 7/6/07 - Canterbury to Brighton - Estimated miles: 95
By now I’ll definitely be in unknown territory as far as the cycling is concerned. My personal circumstances have never come close to allowing a training schedule of 5 days of 80+ miles per day. But if I’m still in one piece, I’ll head off on the A2050 and then a white road running alongside the A2 before I take the A260 into Folkestone. Then it’s the A259 (except for a mileage-cutting white road that takes me through the middle of Romney Marsh) all the way to Hastings. I’ll continue along the A259, unless there’s a more attractive alternative, beyond Eastbourne to Brighton. A test of my physical condition will be whether I take the small detour just after Eastbourne to visit Beachy Head. This is a little bit infamous in Samaritans circles for being one of the landmarks around the UK which now includes a sign and phone box in case someone near the end of their tether gives the world one more go. (A small reminder of one of the bigger reasons for this trip.)
Day 6 - Friday 8/6/07 - Brighton to Southampton (via the Isle of Wight) - Estimated miles: 60
Five branches and my first two ferry trips today! It’s still the A259 all the way past Worthing, Bognor Regis, Chichester and Havant before I dip southwards to Portsmouth. From there, it’s a ferry to Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight. A quick sprint (that’s a joke by the way) to Newport and then straight up north to Cowes where another ferry will take me to Southampton.
Day 7 - Saturday 9/6/07 - Southampton to St Helier, Jersey (via Poole and Guernsey) - Estimated miles: 35
Out of Southampton I’ll be on the A35 or nearby into Bournemouth. From there it’s no more than a thumb’s width (on my map at least) to the ferry at Poole which will take me first to St. Peter’s Port on Guernsey, then on to St. Helier on Jersey. Three branches with very little cycling; but not quite a full rest day.
Day 8 - Sunday 10/6/07 - St Helier to Bridport - Estimated miles: 20
Most of today I’ll be recuperating whether on dry land or, latterly, on the ferry to Weymouth. Now you may have spotted that I’m sneaking back on to the mainland further west then whence I left and am missing out about 30 miles from Poole to Weymouth. “So you’re not cycling all the way round then!” Well I’m willing to be exposed as a man of half-measures, provided whoever does so first cycles the whole thing themselves! Having done no cycling of any consequence at all on this day, and in case I’m worried about withdrawal symptoms, I may set off from Weymouth towards Exeter on the B3157 to Bridport, thus lessening the distance for the following day as well as that of my support drivers (who enters stage left at the start of week 2).