Fuelled mainly by peanut butter and jam sandwiches, Manchester-based Ian Kershaw looped through the three mainland countries of Britain in a day – but not without the vital help of strangers whose kindness restored his faith in human nature. Here’s his uplifting story…
Finding new frıends WORDS & PICTURES IAN KERSHAW
Arrivée153Autumn2021
LIKE SO MANY others, the pandemic wiped out my cycling ambitions. I’d planned, with a friend, to take on the Raid Across the Pyrenees, but obviously had to cancel. In the grand scheme of things, this was no issue. In 2019 I’d ridden some official 200km Audaxes, and also the coast-to-coast from Workington to Tynemouth and back in less than 24 hours. I also did a group ride from London to Manchester, and a solo sub 24-hour jaunt from London to Paris via Dover and Calais – all DIY rides. During summer 2020, as things began opening up, I was looking for a safe and realistic challenge. The family had booked
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I crossed the Tweed ❝ again, near Ladykirk, and was in Scotland. It felt odd going northwards to go home, but was all part of the plan
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ın the darkest night
a holiday to Berwick-onTweed, and I mulled over the idea of cycling home from Northumberland. Then it occurred to me – England, Scotland and Wales in a day! Surely I could do it, couldn’t I? I plotted a GPS route which involved starting in Northumberland, England, travelling north into Scotland, then westwards along the Borders, dropping back into England, southwards down to Wales, and then home. The route was going to be around 520kms. On Saturday 1 August, the last morning in our Airbnb, my bike was packed ready to go. I woke at around 7am, showered and ate a bowl of porridge followed by a lasagne – not my normal breakfast fare, by the way. I drank lots of fluid, said goodbye to my partner and young boy, and was on my way before 8am. I crossed the River Tweed and was
out of town. It was a perfect summer’s day. After about ten miles. I crossed the Tweed again, near Ladykirk, and was in Scotland. It felt odd going northwards to go home, but was all part of the plan. The route was great, with quiet roads, and passing through the majestic towns of Kelso and Hawick before some stunning Borders countryside. Within my saddle bag were nine home-made peanut butter and jam sandwiches, and I made a conscious
