Wansbeck cycling pair raise money for hospital in 1,400 mile trip

Posted by The Journal on Aug 20, 09 10:45 AM in News

Chris Aynsley, left, and Clive Robertson, who backed Wansbeck General baby unit Saddle-sore Chris Aynsley and Clive Robertson (pictured left to right) have raised money for sick children in an epic 1,400 mile cycle trip through the British Isles.

The two Northumbrians took two weeks to complete their gruelling trip, which took in all five capitals of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Estimating their average speed to be about 18mph, the pair were regularly covering more than 100 miles per day.

The trip was in aid of the special baby care unit at Wansbeck Hospital, and family, friends and staff gathered outside to wave them off.

Freelance fitness instructor Clive, 47, from Rothsay Terrace, Newbiggin, said: "It's an eye opener and an experience. It's not a race but it's about getting from A to B.

"It stemmed from two lads wanting to do something totally different than Lands End to John O' Groats, so we went between the capitals.

"My history is really not in cycling. I've done certain little bike rides but I wanted to do something that was against the norm for me."

The route took them from Ashington down to York, through Nottingham and down to London, before heading over to Cardiff via Swindon. Some of it was on dual carriageways when bike routes ran out.

They then travelled up to Holyhead in Wales, where they were able to get the ferry to Dublin.

The longest part of the journey was travelling up Ireland past Belfast, when they went from Drogheda in the Republic to Larne in Northern Ireland. The ride was 138 miles and took the riders 12 and a half hours.

Clive and Chris, the manager of the Ashington branch of Asda, rode without a support crew but were aided by Ian Gerrard Cycles in Bedlington and Margaret Merrilees, who helped them organise accommodation provided by Hilton Hotels.

Finishing at the football ground in Ashington, the pair came back to posters and bunting , and although they are yet to get a definite total, they estimate their donations and money in buckets to total about ÃÂ£3,000.

This year was the second time Clive took on the marathon, with the last one in aid of Cancer Research UK. He hopes it will continue and become an annual event, with lots more people getting involved and joining them, even just for a couple of stages.

He said: "Once you've done this you don't want to go back to coast to coast.

"We don't want it to lie in a pile of dust for next year. We want people to say 'I want to be a part of that'."

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