July 2014
Southwest bicycle tour, It was mid-July and Garry had been home since returning from his ride to Athens last October. Where if you remember Garry ended the tour with a slipped disc. Unfortunately, the slip was quite severe and required Garry to have an operation! Which was carried out in March, leaving him unable to cycle for a few weeks! But after what seemed like an eternity to Garry, he was back on his bicycle!
Garry was still having to attend hospital for check-ups and physio and didn’t have a lot of spare time. But then a few appointments were cancelled, leaving him free for ten days! Just enough time to go somewhere on the bike, but where?
Thinking it through, Garry decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to go abroad, and best to stay in the UK. Just in the unlikely event, that something was to happen with his back! But where in the UK could Garry cycle to in ten days? After a bit of thought, Garry decided to head West (his favourite direction) and head to Cornwall.
Where To Now?
Garry made it to Cornwall in five days and reached Land’s End, the most westerly point in Cornwall, the following day. Once Garry made it to Land’s End, he couldn’t go any further! While spending the night camped at Lands End, Garry started to think about the classic ride “Lands End to John O’Groats.” And although he knew he didn’t have enough time to cycle the full distance. He still decided to head towards John O’Groats, and get as far as he could!
Garry managed to reach Cheltenham, 300-miles from Lands End before he ran out of time and had to return home. Not the longest of tours, but then it was his first time out after back surgery! Although saying it wasn’t the longest of trips, Garry still managed to cycle 750-miles!
Video’s Garry’s YouTube channel
Garry’s route