Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

On September 7th I'll be going out on a wee bike ride... I have taken part in the Bealach Mor once before, 5 years ago, and it hurt. A lot. Pay attention, this is the stats part: 91 miles, 9,600 feet of ascent (that's three Munros) and.... The Bealach Na Ba. At 2,053 feet it's 'only' the third highest road pass in the UK, but because it starts at sea level it's actually the biggest ascent you can undertake by bike on road in the country. 6 miles of torture, after you've already covered more than 40 miles of the route.

In 2008 I was the second last man home; and had an aim to complete the climb of the Bealach in under an hour. Cramping a couple of hundred yards from the summer knocked that idea out, coming in 6 minutes over my aim. So I'm back.

And this time I figure someone should benefit from my suffering, as well as put it into perspective. St Columba's Hospice provide respite care for those with advanced illnesses, as well as support for relatives and carers. Their work, giving others the best quality of life possible, is perhaps overshadowed by attempts to cure those same illnesses. But until such cures are found, the services of St Columba's, and organisations like them, are not just welcome, but completely necessary.

So please dig deep and donate now.