Peter Whaley - Birthplace to Deathplace Bike Ride
Dan Whaley is raising money for Heart Of Kent Hospice
Participants: Dan Whaley, Si Whaley
Story
We completed the ride - here are the update mails I sent following each day's ride:
Day 1:
The Short Version:
Day 1 complete, 55 miles ridden, ouch.
The Long Version:
So, we set off from Harrow at about 9 this morning, took a nice leisurely ride down to the Grand Union Canal (thanks to the Harrow Cyclists Organisation for recommending that bit of the route), then it was a splendid ride along the peaceful canal path all the way from Greenford to Little Venice. At Little Venice we left the canal and headed through the back streets of the West End, cycling past at least 3 of dad's places of work (Portland Place, St Clements Lane, Fleet St). From there it was up to Islington where we rejoined the canal for more excellent cycling out to Victoria Park in Hackney. Following 2 minor detours (one through the back streets of Hackney Wick, the other through a bramble and nettle strewn jungle near Hackney Marshes) we were onto the River Lea towpath, and another splendid ride out to the not quite so delightful North Circular Road. Now came the difficult bit as up til now everything had either been flat or downhill, but from hereon in it was a series of hills, seemingly more of them up than down. From the North Circ we rode through Chingford, Buckhurst Hill, Loughton, Abridge, Navestock, Pilgrims Hatch and finally into Brentwood, where we road past dad's school and the house he lived in, finally getting back to Si's house at about half past 5, with 55 miles on the clock. Actually, Si started the day riding from Northfields to Harrow which added another 8 miles to his tally.
Tomorrow it's about 15 miles down to Tilbury, where we cross the Thames on the Tilbury to Gravesend ferry, then from Gravesend it's another 17 miles or so down to Aylesford.
My legs are aching and my bum is sore, but we have raised over £2000 for the hospice, so again, thanks very much for your wonderful generosity.
Dan
Day 1 complete, 55 miles ridden, ouch.
The Long Version:
So, we set off from Harrow at about 9 this morning, took a nice leisurely ride down to the Grand Union Canal (thanks to the Harrow Cyclists Organisation for recommending that bit of the route), then it was a splendid ride along the peaceful canal path all the way from Greenford to Little Venice. At Little Venice we left the canal and headed through the back streets of the West End, cycling past at least 3 of dad's places of work (Portland Place, St Clements Lane, Fleet St). From there it was up to Islington where we rejoined the canal for more excellent cycling out to Victoria Park in Hackney. Following 2 minor detours (one through the back streets of Hackney Wick, the other through a bramble and nettle strewn jungle near Hackney Marshes) we were onto the River Lea towpath, and another splendid ride out to the not quite so delightful North Circular Road. Now came the difficult bit as up til now everything had either been flat or downhill, but from hereon in it was a series of hills, seemingly more of them up than down. From the North Circ we rode through Chingford, Buckhurst Hill, Loughton, Abridge, Navestock, Pilgrims Hatch and finally into Brentwood, where we road past dad's school and the house he lived in, finally getting back to Si's house at about half past 5, with 55 miles on the clock. Actually, Si started the day riding from Northfields to Harrow which added another 8 miles to his tally.
Tomorrow it's about 15 miles down to Tilbury, where we cross the Thames on the Tilbury to Gravesend ferry, then from Gravesend it's another 17 miles or so down to Aylesford.
My legs are aching and my bum is sore, but we have raised over £2000 for the hospice, so again, thanks very much for your wonderful generosity.
Dan
Day 2:
The Short Version: 35 miles today + 55 miles yesterday = extremely very ouch.
The Long Version:
Following a good night's sleep we hopped back in the saddle at 9am today and rode from Brentwood down to Herongate, where our dad is buried. I did wonder how I'd feel visiting the grave for the first time since the funeral, but to be frank the most emotional aspect was the grave next to his in which lay a 3 month old baby. At least dad had a full and (mostly) happy life. From the burial ground we rode down to Tilbury through the alternating beautiful countryside and industrial wasteland and got to the ferry terminal/wooden jetty just as the Tilbury-Gravesend ferry was pulling in. I can thoroughly recommend this as a way to cross the Thames, if you ever have a need to get from Tilbury to Gravesend or vice versa. From Gravesend we rode out to the A2, and once over that and the Channel Tunnel high speed link we were back in beautiful countryside. It was a series of gentle-ish climbs to the summit of the North Downs, then just past Harvel (where we missed them shutting the road for a fun run by a mere half hour - I dread to think of the detour we'd have had to take) we came to Holly Hill, possibly the steepest and longest hill I've ever ridden down. I nearly burnt out my brand new brake pads hanging on for dear life as we rocketed down the southern face of the Downs. From here it was only a few more miles through Birling, Leybourne, Larkfield, Ditton, and finally to the hospice in Aylesford, where we were greeted by Ruth, Ivy & Florence, and the delightful Julie, fundraising co-ordinator for the hospice.
It was a long old ride and quite hard work, but it was well worth the aching legs, bums & plums to have been able to raise so much for the hospice, so once again, thank you so much for your generosity.
Thanks
Dan
As you may be aware, my dad, Peter Whaley, died at the beginning of this year. His last few days were spent in the truly splendid Heart of Kent hospice, where the facilities are excellent and the staff are fantastic, treating both patients and their relatives with dignity, respect and compassion. However, something I had previously been unaware of is that hospices rely on charitable donations for a massive percentage of their funding, and maintaining their high standards is far from cheap.
So, as a thank you to the hospice for making my dad's last few days as comfortable, clean and pleasant as they could be, my brother Si and I are going to undertake a sponsored cycle ride on 4th and 5th June from dad's birthplace in Harrow, Middlesex to his deathplace at the Heart of Kent Hospice in Aylesford, Kent. On the way we'll take in Fleet St, where he reached the pinnacle of his career as a journalist, and Brentwood, where he grew up.
For those of you who only knew him in his later years, you may be surprised to see from the accompanying photo that he didn't always have what has come to be known as "mental Whaley hair". Actually, that's not quite true - he always had the mental hair; it's just when this photo was taken he had access to a comb and a jumbo pot of Brylcreem.
Anyway, please read the following standard "just giving blurb", and more importantly, please bung in a few quid.
Thanks
Dan
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.