Cycling for Samaritans

Looking for a challenge, Val Bassindale of Carlisle NWR decided to cycle the length of the country for charity.

In 2020 both my husband Paul and I turned 60 and we wanted to celebrate the year with a challenge! After considering a number of ideas over a glass of wine or two, we decided to cycle from Land’s End to John o’Groats for Samaritans Carlisle but, due to Covid, we decided to postpone the ride to 2021.

We selected Samaritans as our charity, because Paul’s son Steven—my stepson—took his own life several years ago. Mental health issues touch a lot of people’s lives. It is a very complex subject. Despite all the efforts and campaigns by health care providers and charities to raise awareness, and remove the associated stigma, too many people still feel unable to talk about how they are really feeling, and struggle to cope.

Eventually, not knowing when lockdown would finally be lifted, we agreed to complete half of the route, from Land’s End to Carlisle, virtually on our smart bike. According to Strava we cycled 532 miles and climbed 33,260 feet!

But I wanted to complete the second half of the route, from Carlisle to John o’Groats, in person. Paul being a strong cyclist, rather than him having to keep waiting for me to catch up, he decided to be my support team in Felix, our motorhome. This actually made it a lot easier for me, because I didn’t have to carry my clothing etc in panniers and try and find accommodation along the route. Having fresh clothes to wear each day, a good bed to sleep in and a shower was a luxury I had not initially expected!

Well, the day arrived and at 10am on Thursday 2 September 2021, I started my solo bike ride outside the Carlisle Samaritans branch. Branch director Phil Gray cycled with me for the first mile and several friends, including my NWR friends, came along to wave me off.

On the first day, as I was cycling into Lockerbie town centre to meet Paul for lunch, I discovered I had a puncture, thankfully the only one. Paul speedily repaired it while I had a quick bite to eat. Some days I met up with Paul for lunch and other days I discovered lovely places to stop and eat, like the Community Café in Stonehouse and Skoosh in Drymen. I always had food with me just in case I didn’t find anywhere to eat, but I liked stopping and speaking to people.

I cycled through some beautiful countryside, and met some extraordinary people along the way. One cyclist kept me company for about 10 miles near Balloch, advising me to pick up my bike as we went under a bridge to avoid the glass. On a very hot day, a family in a car stopped to check I had enough water, which I did, and then took details to donate. Drivers beeped their support, cyclists shouted words of encouragement and I saw several red deer and red squirrels.

At 11.25am on Saturday 11 September 2021, I reached John o’Groats and had the obligatory photos at the landmark sign. It was a very emotional moment for both of us. It had taken me 10 days to ride 495 miles and climb 24,490 feet, mainly following the Sustrans Cycle Routes, which took me through Gretna, Lockerbie, Glasgow, Pitlochry, Aviemore, Inverness, Lairg, Tongue and Thurso to John o’Groats. Never again!

During the first seven days I had good weather, at times possibly too hot, but the last three days were awful, with wind, rain and mist!

I couldn’t have completed the ride without Paul, my padded cycling shorts, thick socks, comfortable trainers, cycling gloves, waterproof clothes, fluorescent jacket promoting my ride, Avon Skin so

Soft, sun protector with insect repellent, anti chafe cream, smart watch, puncture repair kit and my trusty Sustrans book.

We stopped at authorised campsites, which meant some days I had a 20-mile ride in the motorhome at the end of the day, from where I finished my ride to the campsite, and the same journey the next day to return to the point I had stopped at, to ensure continuity. Which made the days very long, but was worth it.

You might be wondering what Paul did! Well in addition to providing excellent support and keeping me motivated, he did manage to get out for a few runs and the odd bike ride.

In addition to it being a personal challenge, the purpose was to raise awareness of Samaritans and raise funds for the Carlisle Branch, which I am heavily involved with, and I am happy to say that the final figure was a fantastic £3,164. Thank you to everyone who supported me!

I met some extraordinary people along the way

Samaritans can be contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on free phone number 116 123. https://www.samaritans.org/