James Ketchell

Hey guys, It feels pretty crazy that this time last month I’d only been on the road for a few days. A month later and as I type this, I’ve only got a few more days until I finish my round Britain cycle! Yesterday from Kings Lynn to Great Yarmouth was extremely cold and wet, although I still managed to push over 100 miles so I was happy with that. I would have gone a little further had I not taken a wrong turning and cycled 15 miles in the wrong direction! I will not make that mistake again! This Sunday will see me cross the River Thames and head towards Ramsgate and Dover, then it’s only 130 miles to the finish line in Havant. All being well I should be finishing this Tuesday. This trip does feel like it’s coming to an end now but it’s been great to […]

Hey guys, The last few days have been tough riding but I’ve certainly broke the back of this trip and am making good progress south, despite some strong headwinds. Scotland was simply amazing cycling and I throughly enjoyed it. As I type this blog I am sitting in the garden of a bike shop in Whitley Bay whilst they swap out my rear mech cable. Ten miles from my destination last night the cable snapped leaving me with only one gear to ride the rest of the way. Fortunately it was flat so I could push the gear that the bike was stuck in without to much trouble. Imagine a car that is stuck in fifth gear, that’s what happened to my gears. The previous day my chain snapped so I was hopeful that would have been the last time I visited a bike shop needing a repair. It’s all […]

Hey guys, Well I’m now over halfway around Great Britain, and If I stay on schedule I’ll be back in Portsmouth where I set off, before I know it! The last five days have been absolutely amazing cycling in North West Scotland! I’d throughly recommend cycling up here if you get the chance. A lot of the terrain reminded me of cycling across certain parts of America. Quite rugged with mountain tops disappearing into the clouds, and tress hundreds of years old lining the road. I am now cycling on my own as my friend Sarah who came up to cycle from Glasgow to John O Groats has now gone home. She rode like a champion and put up with me talking about myself! So a sterling effort from her all round. Yesterday I met three guys from London who were cycling on a route called the north west 500, […]

Hey guys, It’s been a good few days since my last blog update. I had the intention of writing one daily but have been falling asleep most evenings before getting the chance. I’m now in Fort William after an extremely wet day and a lot more walking than I thought I’d be doing! Roughly five miles out of Fort William I heard a very loud, “Bang” my rear tyre instantly deflated! I wondered if perhaps I’d ridden over a nail but couldn’t see anything obvious sticking out of the tyre. Upon taking a closer look I realised that the tyre had split away from the bead that runs around the edge of it, effectively leaving a large gash in the tyre. I had to walk into Fort William where I’m staying this evening and will check out the local bike shop tomorrow morning to pick up a new tyre. Apart […]