I'm a double cancer survivor, cyclist and walker who does various challenges for different charities, mainly cancer-related.

In 2016 I climbed every single 'Birkett' in the Lake District - all 542 fells over 1,000' within the National Park, including all 214 Wainwrights. I've also done a three-week cycle tour of Tasmania in February 2015 and amongst other things, I've cycled from Land's End to John o'Groats (2003), Rotterdam to Lemvig (Denmark) (2005), walked the Pennine Way (2008) completed (my first) ascent of all 214 'Wainwrights' in the Lake District in only 55 days (2009), cycled 4,500 miles around the coast of Great Britain (2011), cycled all 42 of the accessible Western Isles of Scotland in under a month (2012), twice abseiled 230 ft from the top of The Big One in Blackpool, cycled the WWI Western Front from London to Compiegne via Ypres and Arras (2014), cycled 750 miles in the Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton (2014), done a bit of sky-diving and cycled Australia's Great Ocean Road - just before lockdown in 2020.

Altogether I've raised over £120,000 for my charities including The Christie, Cancer Research UK, the Rosemere Cancer Foundation, and ABF (The Soldiers' Charity) and I was mightily chuffed to receive the British Empire Medal in the 2014 New Year's Honours List.

I'm a Rotarian and give illustrated talks about my adventures in exchange for a donation to charity, so if you're looking for a speaker leave me a message. I am also Event Organiser for the Ribble Valley Ride Cycle Sportive, to be held this year on Sunday 5 September 2021 - more details at www.ribblevalleyride.org

You can also follow me on Twitter - @CancerBikeMan and on Facebook - just search for Bill Honeywell

Cancer Research UK is the world's leading charity dedicated to beating cancer through research, whilst The Rosemere does fantastic work for patients in Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Harris - more hills then a Dutch Mountain!

The first job this morning was to climb all the way back to the maIn road, after which... It kept climbing and climbing some more. Followed by a long, long descent to sea-level at Loch Seaforth.

I couldn't believe how far we must have climbed! Once on the flat, the headwind kicked in -a steady, unrelenting, energy-sapping, soul-destroying, 25mph Dutch Mountain of a wind which reduced progress to 8 mph average at best.

The miles ever-so-slowly rolled by, with not a village nor a shop nor a café to be seen. Stopping pedalling for one second was like applying the air brakes. We crossed the arbitrary boundary between the island of Harris and the island of Lewis (if you didn't know, it's all the same island).

Steve Lee, from Clitheroe, overtook us and stopped to say hello. We had seen a sign for a café (whoop! whoop!) so headed there for a chat. A sign said 'OPEN 10 - 6. CYCLISTS WELCOME' Underneath this another sign said 'CLOSED. OPEN AGAIN AT 1.00 AM' I'd love to be able to go back at one o'clock in the morning to see if they really are open...!

Sandwiches (courtesy of Richard and Cindy) by the roadside, followed by frostbite for an hour. Then we turned left off the Stornoway road towards island no 22, Great Bernera, to realise that up to now the wind had not even been full in our faces. It was now.

We weren't even half way.
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