Now for the detailed route...

This is a bit more complicated but if you follow the instructions you should be OK.
I’ve plotted the route on an on-line programme called bikehike which is at http://www.bikehike.co.uk/. The whole route uses about 30Mb of memory so I’ve divided into 17 sections which are saved as .zip files. You can download these individually by going to www.honeywell.co.uk/Cycle_Britain. The route titles are a bit abbreviated but they are numbered 1-17 in order around the country and once you get the idea that pool-jog = Poolewe to John O’Groats and mont-sun = Montrose to Sunderland you shouldn’t have any problems! Select the section of route you want, click on it and then select Save in the box that pops up. You can then save the .zip file anywhere you like on your computer.
If you aren’t already familiar with how to unzip files, it’s pretty straightforward – double-click on the file and in the box that pops up, select Extract all Files: this takes you to the Compressed (zipped) Folders Extraction Wizard, after which you should have the route file ready to use on your pc or laptop.
Now go to http://www.bikehike.co.uk/ and go to the Course Creator page. From the choices in the lower right quadrant, select Upload Route, then in Browse… choose the file you’ve unzipped and away you go! It may be a little complicated but it’s easy once you know how!!

If you're keen enough to do this, let me know how easy or difficult it was.  You can play around with the route on your PC but you can't alter the original unless you are an expert hacker, and why would you want to anyway.  BUT - if you have any suggestions as to how to improve the route, or if there is anything en route that you think I should visit (including you, if you like!), feel free to let me know.

The Route - but in not much detail..

If anyone is interested in the route I've produced some maps which will give you a brief outline. Obviously it's going around the coast of Great Britain, but you'd be surprised how many different alternatives there are.

I decided not to cycle around islands, except... just to be awkward I thought I'd nip over on to Walney Island at Barrow-in-Furness.  Then in NW Scotland, in order to keep to the coast as much as possible, it makes sense to go from Loch Aline to Mull, then from Tobermory to Kilchoan on the mainland Ardnamurchan peninsula, and also from Mallaig to the Isle of Skye and back over the Skye Bridge, thus avoiding a considerable distance far from the coast.

There simply isn't space for the maps on this blog - they would run to several pages - but if you are on Facebook then you can find them at
http://tinyurl.com/3x4qfde

I will shortly post some instructions so that if you do want to see all or part of the route in the finest detail you will be able to, using an on-line program called http://www.bikehike.co.uk/

Christmas Cracker Cancelled

...or rather postponed until early next year.  Pretty inevitable considering the current weather conditions.  What a shame - over the last few days I've been looking forward to dealing with freezing cold, numb feet and hands, 'orrible snotsicles and general severe hypothermia.  Seriously though, it's not easy to keep fit in this weather unless you go to the gym, which is OK - just deadly boring compared to speeding (?) through the countryside.  I have an old bike set up on rollers in the spare bedroom; I could always try pedalling away on that whilst watching DVDs of the Tour de France. But not yet!

Why I'm Supporting Cancer Research UK

Whilst there are many really worthwhile charities providing palliative care for cancer patients – Macmillan Nurses, Marie Curie, the Rosemere Foundation, and many more – I think it is also vital to support ground-breaking scientific research which will lead to lasting benefits both in terms of treatment and preventing cancer in the first place.

That’s why I am supporting the excellent work being carried out by Professor Margaret Frame at the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre, which will help cancer patients now and in the future throughout the UK and beyond.

A lot of planning needs to go into the Cycle Round Britain’s Coast Challenge: the start of the ride is still five months away and I’m going to be kept busy the whole time between now and then. But if you don’t want to wait and would rather help this vital work by Cancer Research UK right now, go to

http://myprojects.cancerresearchuk.org/group-giving/cycle-britains-coast,

where there is lots more information and an easy way to make a donation. Unlike the JustGiving web site, every penny of your donation will go directl to Cancer Research UK. (Even if you don’t want to donate now, it’s worth looking at the site!)

If you put my Giving Group page in your favourites you can keep up to date with progress before, during and after the ride around Britain. And if you have any queries or can offer any help, all you need to do is post a comment and I’ll get straight back to you.