Day Fourteen

We made it! We’re in one piece – no disasters!

Had a good ride from Stockton-on-Tees mainly off road on some great cycle tracks. First part was on NCR 1 and on tarmac

but rather a lot of these annoying barriers!

These gave way to rougher surfaces and at one one point Nigel did come off a couple of times but slithered rather than fell. No damage but a bit shaken.

After a while the going was easier and we sailed along through some beautiful countryside

After about 18 miles we turned west on NCR 14 and saw this sign

Some local lads asked us what we were up to and informed us that we were
bonkers. Too right.

From there it was a lovely ride into Durham ending up by the river then up to Palace Green

Sarah was there and had organised a great welcome.

Now all that remains is to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported us in so many ways, cheered us on and made such generous donations. Thank you for reading the blog and thank you Jonathan for making it possible.

Finally, a tribute (from Debbie) to Nigel’s determination and perseverance in doing this. Although it’s been great fun it has been incredibly hard at times, as those of you who are also grappling with Parkinson’s will understand only too well.  Undertaking and completing this journey has been a fantastic achievement.

26 thoughts on “Day Fourteen”

  1. Congratulations! -love the balloons.
    When is your next sponsored ride?!
    We look forward to seeing you back in Oxford……
    love Helen and Richard

  2. You made it. Congratulations. We are in awe of your achievement.
    Thought you might like to know the bridge at Linton opens again tomorrow!…shame it wasn’t last week!

    1. Thank you for reading the blog Clare. Durham as beautiful as ever although it was raining when we arrived after good weather nearly every day! Lovely sunshine since. Off to the Cathedral for sung Eucharist this morning.

  3. Very many Congratulations and well done on your enormous achievement and perseverance
    may the return trip to Oxford be a doddle !!! Looking forward to seeing you after a rest and recuperation !!! Lots of love. xxx and to Sarah who’s been a mammoth support. !!!

  4. Many congratulations on a tremendous achievement. It must have been very tough at times, but it seems like you enjoyed it as well, and no doubt great elation when you arrived at journey’s end. What next?
    Stephen

    1. A great sense of relief every day when we reached our destination without mishap! Pleased we managed to pedal the last bit up the steep cobbled street to the Cathedral. No immediate plans for another bike trip. Holland maybe?

  5. Well done. Fantastic achievement. We had great fun trying to keep up with you on just one day last week…hope you’ve had a good day today (off bikes) … And now you can sleep on the train home. Susan and Geoff

    1. Yes looking forward to the train journey although the challenge is getting the bikes on and off. We think we’ll ask for help from Journey Care. Could have done with that on some of those footbridges!

  6. We’ve been following your progress and we are full of admiration for your persistence no matter what challenges you faced. We think it’s quite remarkable that you reached your destination on the day you had planned. Never mind “Find a cure” – you seem to be thinking “We’ll do it anyway”, which sets us a great example.
    Enjoy your reunion with Durham and the return journey (by train, we think). And give those excellent bicycles some well deserved time off!
    All the best, from Peter and Gwen.

    1. Many thanks for reading the blog Peter and Gwen. Bikes safely stowed in the Castle Gatehouse for 3 days. Enjoying walking round the city without having to push them. Our children have been forwarding us articles about some encouraging stem cell research in Japan, so you never know ……

    1. Great to get here and enjoying listening to the cathedral bells as we write this. Hope to see you soon when we are in Leeds (although not in Vodka Revolution!)

  7. Well done indeed Nigel and Debbie! Congratulations on a great achievement for a very good cause. Enjoyed reading the blog. Durham with its splendid cathedral is a wonderful place to finish your marathon effort.

    1. Thanks so much for following our blog, Mike. We’ve been back for a few days now and had a very relaxing stay in Durham, which included some beautiful singing in the Cathedral, a tour of the Castle (where we stayed and where I had been a student in the last century) and a walk to Prebends Bridge for the view). All in all the trip was a success and it was great to have your interest and support.

  8. Congratulations from us both! Just got back from .France so read the blog on one lump. Seems to me like Ride & Stride would be a doddle for you two

    1. We came back on the Monday after having a relaxing few days in Durham. It was great to have your support from the outset. The through train took the strain and the bikes were safely stored aboard and we covered the distance we had cycled in just four hours.

  9. Totally humbled by your achievement. It dwarfs the London-to-Brighton. You had all that stony, slippery, off-road work too, which trebles the energy needed.

    Congratulations to you both – you are an inspiration!

    1. Thank you very much for these kind words. You really understand the challenge of the difficult off-road paths and your encouragement in the early stages gave us the confidence we needed.

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