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.

Sunday 13 May 2012

Peaceful Portree

It seemed like a long time, sitting in the Tongadale Arms in Portree, with the rain lashing down outside and the windows rattling with the wind. The flow of time wasn't helped by the Scottish accordion music, which began to grate after a few hours...

Andy arrived around 5pm and, once we had put all our wet things back on he led us through Portree to his house. It was still raining hard and the wind was trying to turn my cycling cape (on loan from Richard) into an inverted umbrella. This does not help visibility, by the way.

Andy had intended to do some cycling with a John O'Groats to Lands End-er, but had been walking in Torridon with his partner Cat instead. Brave couple! He's a dentist in Portree, house-sitting for a man from Kendal who has just turned up! He seemed to know that we'd be here...

It's stopped raining at last. I've even seen some blue sky. Still windy but hopefully it will have died down a little by tomorrow, when we intend to cycle round the northern part of Skye to Uig, and then take the ferry to Tarbert on Harris.

The locals keep saying how wonderful the weather has been. Until now. After last year it has a familiar ring to it!

KPO...

1 comment:

  1. If the weather's good, I may drop down to the village and escort you back up into the Hills to Lochedge - if it's not, I'll be looking out the window

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