Welcome to our charity web page.

The story so far? Andy.....fancy a bike ride? Its a little longer than usual and I think you need a challenge. Chris.....er....only if I can raise some money for my chosen charity ( WAS- Wirral Autistic Society ) . Andy.....ok, I have heard of great work being done by the MS Society and as we have a personal link I would like to try and support the cause.

So here we are , two old gits with a few miles under our wheels and many years on our clocks. The plan,  to take our own cycles and gear to the East coast of Canada ( Halifax).  We head west under our own steam camping along the route and hopefully finding solice with friends and family. We start in mid May and hope we can complete the ride sometime in August. Most riders of the route travel from West to East with the prevailing winds. We plan to ride East to West ,calculating that by the time we get to the Rockies our legs will be ready for the climbs and running away from  bears! According to previous travellers the winds are usually North to South as well.

Along the route we hope to post regular travel updates / photos and I will be taking along VHF/UHF Amateur Radio to chat with radio hams along the way ( I am G4XKC ). I hope to get some interesting Astro pictures from the light free interior also.

According to previous cyclists we should aim for about 60 miles a day. For the 3600 mile trip it would take about 60 days! ( seems poetic). Being realistic and having regular days off we estimate a trip of closer to 70 to 80 days ( please do not hold us to this!!).

We are busy preparing mind, body and hardware for the trip. Please help us by contributing to our charities, all proceeds go to them. We will try and keep you informed and entertained via the web as we head west. Thanks for your visit.

AndyS

2 March 2014  - Preparations continuing. Booking flights to Halifax NS. Researching food strategy. Purchasing bike accessories /clothing.. Planning and setting daily milage targets.Checking documentation/insurance. Testing accommodation ( tent!) and sleeping arrangements( sleep mat/bag!). Transport to prepare( bike service).

9 th April 2014 - preparations well in hand - not long till the off! Testing tents and sleeping bags this weekend.Still getting some miles of training on the bike done, will be about 700 miles by the time we leave. Buying outbound tickets soon - no going back then.

Big thanks to all donors so far- our charities appreciate your efforts.

1 st May.........still on track for a 15thMay takeoff. Bikes booked in , insurance sorted, accommodation in Vancouver organised. Still some bike bits to collect, no panniers yet! ( keep getting outbid on e-bay!). More thanks for the donations , hope we get some more please.

15th May ....landed in Halifax ok, bikes and Chris`s luggage ok.....Andy`s panniers with all clothes did not arrive. Stayed in hotel till some more news next day.....no news! Decided to carry on without half of my luggage and get the miles in.

29th May........Now we are on the Quebeq region border and heading for the St Lawrence seaway . So far we are 530 miles in to the journey....thats just under a seventh of the way across!!                                    ( more info when we get to an internet cafe).

22 August 2014......all done, 4000 miles on the clock. Canada is BIG, bring plenty 'teabags...we got through 300!

More details about our trip when I get back to UK, with as many pictures as I can get on the system.

Back home in UK safe and sound....lost luggage still not caught up with us. Great to see all family members in Vancouver and a big thanks for hosting us till we returned home.

1 October 2014

Site nearly closed, total collected over £750. Huge thank you again to all donors, campsites, cafes and the wonderful people we met along the way - Canadians are fantastic. Special thanks to Woodcocks Cycles in Winnipeg and The Hardware Company bike shop in Kenora for their help and advice. Thanks to The Dog Hut Café for a huge welcome and hospitality for the weary travellers. Special mention to Anne, Terry and family in Nackawic for your kindness for two weary travellers. Rolli for the garage floor and fresh water. More thanks when we decipher the diary.

Thanks to all members of our Canadian family who were so kind and made our arrival and stay in BC so memorable. We hope we can reciprocate in the future.

AndyS