We woke up at 7am at Maggie & Peters in Truro, after a great night's sleep and we were pleased to see that the weather had imporved, so after a very welcome round of bacon sandwiches we packed up our gear and left.

Because the weather had delayed us yesterday, we had to finish that part of the route off and journey out to Lands End, which was an 80 mile round trip, the weater was a bit hazy at lands End but we got the photos we wanted and left, we bassed back through Truro and then on to Falmouth and over the Tamar Bridge

We carried on along the coast stopping at Torquay for a drink and to eat the Ham Sandwiches that Maggie & Peter made for us

When we left Torquay things just didn't go right for us, no matter how hard we tried we just couldn't seem to make up the time we lost by going to Lands End first, time was running our for us and we we're both getting very tired both physically and mentally.

We pulled over and discussed what to do, we decided that it was going to be too much to try and make it to Dover today, so we decided to ride to Brighton instead and find a place to stay there

As a result of this we now have a mammoth amount of mileage to do on the last day, some 450 miles, so we will be up at the crack of dawn and be on our way very early to make sure we reach our finish line, the Humber Bridge

We woke up late this morning having forotten to set our alarm, but we were in for further diappointment at the weather, the forecasts were correct and we were presented with pouring rain and strong winds

We had breakfast and packed up to leave, we decided not to spend time pulling over to take photos and video simply because the weather was so bad, so we got our heads down and tried to get through the mileage as quickly and safely as possible

We moved along the south Welsh coast passing through Swansea towards Cardiff and then passed over the Severn bridge back into England, with the weather still abysmal but we carried on along and down towards Cornwall

With about 80 miles to go to Truro, the rain stopped and our spirits lifted but unfortunately not for long as we then hit a bank of thick fog, we pulled over to discuss what we wanted to do next and we decided that we wouldn't go to Lands End today because of the dangerous riding conditions, but that we would go straight to our overnight stop with friends Maggie & Peter in Truro, and that we would go to Lands End as part of tomorrows route instead when the weather is better

So thats about it, not much to say except that the weather was awful, so no video or photos as a result, but the weather forecast is much better for tomorrow and friday so we should have more for our fans then!

We woke at about 6:30am this morning, both somewhat aching after a tough night's sleep in the tent laying of grass with just a sleeping bag for padding, we decided to leave as early as possible and get moving so we packed everything up and set off

A few miles down the road we found a greasy spoon, so stopped for a Bacon and Sausage butty and a coffee, we both agreed that it was probably the best thing we've tasted especially after the night we'd had

We set off and made really good time, whizzing through cumbria and then down past Fleetwood and Blackpool, into Liverpool and under the Tunnel into North Wales, we made alot fewer stops today, we only really stopped for petrol and the odd stretch of the legs, Simon is having alot of problems with his right hand, it would seem the vibration of the handlebars is playing havoc with an old wrist injury, hopefully it will improve and last out the week, I guess other 'activities' involving the use of his right hand will have to be put on hold until it heals (I am of course referring to writing and drinking pints... what did you think I meant?????)

We carried on, past Llandudno, and then we crept inland a little to take in the sights of Snowdonia Park, which was truly spectacular, we then moved out the coast again passing through Barmouth and Aberystwyth and then into Pembrokeshire and Haverfordwest where we are stopping the night at the Welcome Traveller Hotel

The weather doesn't look very good for tomorrow at all, it has forcast heavy showers all day so it looks like it's going to be a wet one again..... oh well

One word describes today.... "WET"

We woke up to find the weather had turned against us and it was raining, but only lightly so we were hopeful, we had breakfast, served to us by Linda and Ray of Birch Cottage and we packed up our bikes and left for Whitehaven

We stopped briefly along the side of Loch Ness to take in the views at Urquhart Castle, Simon stayed to look after the bikes while I took a closer look, we didn’t stop too long as the weather was really closing in

Very quickly the weather got very very bad, it absolutely threw it down, we both got soaked, Simon however had a full waterproof suit with him which he quickly put on, leaving me to just get soaked through to the skin, although Simon did have some concerns about a small amount of water leaking into his boot!

We got our heads down and just tried to ride through the bad weather, it really was such a shame because we could tell that we were riding through some breathtaking scenery with mountains and waterfalls all around us, but we couldn’t see any of it because of the rain and fog

Our perseverance paid off and we finally hit dry weather as we entered Cumbria, we drove down until eventually we reached Whitehaven and our campsite, which we were rather shocked to find was right next to Sellafield!!

After numerous jokes and some abuse for me for choosing the site, we pitched out tents, sorted out our gear and went for a well earned beer or two

The day began early, waking up at 7am in our room at the B^B in Hull, we got ready, had a bit of breakfast and set off. The weather was bright with Blue skies so it looked like it was due to be a good day!

We first made our way to the Car Park on the North bank of the Humber, there we met up with Bev and Patrick, a pair of Bikers who had contacted us through the website, and who had offered to see us off by travelling with us from Hull to Scarborough. Bev was riding a Firestorm and Patrick on his Z750S.

After a few quick photos at the Humber Bridge, we set off and travelled up through Bridlington, and then to Scarborough where we then stopped for a coffee and a chat with Bev and Patrick, we then said our goodbyes and carried on up to Whitby.

We stopped at Whitby to visit the famous Abbey, where Dracula was supposed to be buried, after another quick photo we set off further up the coast, with our next stop being on Berwick upon Tweed, we stopped near there for something to eat and then carried on, by this time we realised that we were WAY behind schedule, it was gone 3pm and we still had about 260 miles to go!!

So we got a crack on, passing over the Forth Bridge, and only stopping occasionally to either fill up with Petrol or to get off te bike and have a stretch! Until finally after what seemed like forever, we arrived at Arbroath!!!

Unfortunately even through we had reached our destination for the first day, we hadn't finished, we still had a further 40 miles to go further up because we were actually staying the night with Simon's family in Stonehaven, so after another 45 minutes of aching we did finally reach our last stop for the day!!

If we had to sum up today, I would say it's been a big shock to the system, the enormity of the task ahead has really hit home, we have another 6 days of this ahead and we're both wondering what we have gotten ourselves into!!

But nevertheless we'll be up at 7am tomorrow to get going at 8am off up to Inverness and then John-o-groats, taking more pictures and videos and keeping this site up to date as possible.

Until tomorrow...

Alan & Simon

P.S. There are images from day 1 in the Gallery section of this website and there is also a video to watch on YouTube, just click on the YouTube icon on the left side of this page

This morning we were featured on Oldham Community Radio!

You can Listen to the interview by CLICKING HERE

Apologies for the loss of sound half way through, my laptop had a hiccup, it's only for a few seconds though so please bear with it

Also, we've been told that our story is going to be featured in the Manchester Evening News tomorrow!

Only 2 days to go!! [gulp]

Today there is an article in the Bury Times giving us some publicity for the event, if you would like to see the article you can see it in the Gallery Section (under "Newspaper Cuttings") the original photo is also available in the gallery (under "Promotional Photos")

Thanks to the Bury Times for featuring our story, hopefully it will drum up some sponsorship!

Today we were invited to Oulton Park to watch the British Superbikes by our Sponsors SORRYMATE.COM

We we're very well looked after by Fergus and Paul, spending the day in the Paddock with Bruce Wilson's Superstock team

You can see a photo of us with Fergus, Paul and Bruce in the Gallery area.

Thanks very much to SORRYMATE.COM for their hospitality, we both really enjoyed the day

We are delighted to announce that SORRYMATE.COM have agreed to become our Key Sponsor for the Bike Around Britain event. Paul Dutton of sorrymate.com today confirmed that they were delighted to support our cause by the hugely generous donation of £1000 to the fundraising total and also other forms of support which will be announced shortly, so make sure you keep checking this page for exciting announcements coming soon!

Sorrymate.com are straight talking biking experts who give no-nonsense legal advice to the biking community.

If you or anyone you know has had an accident on your Motorbike then sorrymate.com are the people you need to speak to. Click the logo below to visit their website.

Kawasaki UK have launched a press release about Bike Around Britain, here is what is says:

----------------------------------------------------

Coastal charity crusade

If you have ever wondered how far it is by road if you stick to the coast of the UK, the answer is 2800 miles.

That simple armchair calculation will soon be put to the test by two intrepid motorcyclists, attempting the feat in aid of the much anticipated new Manchester Children’s hospital.

The idea, dreamed up by keen motorcyclists, Alan Green and Simon Hoyle, came about after Alan’s son, Joseph, had a particularly difficult birth and further subsequent health compilations.

Riding a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, and accompanied by Simon on his motorcycle, Alan plans to ride round the UK coastal roads in seven days in the last week of May. Together, they hope to raise £7000.

Support for the venture has come from all quarters, including a special offer of help from Kawasaki dealership Rossendale Kawasaki and owner, Tim Smith.

“I was impressed with the planning the guys did and the fact that they both are so focussed on making the lives of children born in the Manchester area better”, said Tim who is supporting Alan by servicing his motorcycle, and supplying other assistance, free of charge.

“Alan’s son has battled through adversity and I hope that through his determination he has inspired them to complete a trouble free and successful journey. Like all their supporters, I wish them well in achieving their ambitious fund raising goal”.

To find out more, and visit the fund raising web site www.bikearoundbritain.org.uk

----------------------------------------------------

Thanks to Martin at Kawasaki UK for his help and support in raising the profile of the event, this news is also featured on the Kawasaki website HERE. The actual Press Release can be downloaded from HERE

Things are going fantastically with our fundraising efforts, we're almost halfway there to reaching our target!

Special mentions and Thanks go to:

Rossendale Kawasaki - who have kindly offered to support Alan's bike by providing a free service, tyres and brakes

ISM Waste Handling - who have offered to support Simon's bike by providing a set of tyres

and Eisenbau Kramer, Jolieffe Hepburn, Bowser Supply, Torkington Engineers and Reid Jones Partnership who have all made donations to the fund, you can find out more about these companies by looking at our Sponsors page!

We are now also listed on the official charity website, you can see this by clicking HERE

Parkcameras.com have kindly donated a camera to us that we can auction off to raise funds for the event. The camera is a Canon Powershot A470 in Red.

More information can be found HERE

If you would like to make a bid for this camera please contact us

A new flyer publicising the event is now available to download from HERE

Please print it iff to help raise awareness and support for the event. Thanks!

I have to say a huge thankyou to Mike at the Bearing Mart. He has kindly offered to support my fundraising efforts by paying for the cost of my fuel for the entire trip! Thank you!

If you would like to find out more about The Bearing Mart and the services they offer, there is a link to their website in the Sponsors Section