tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42602935681825453572024-03-13T16:48:12.663+00:00Round the Island 2011This February we cycled 100 km around the Isle of Wight to raise £4000 for the <a href="http://www.first-touch.org.uk/"><b>neonatal unit at St George's Hospital</b></a>. We know at first hand what fantastic work the unit does because one of us has a beautiful baby sister who's now well and happy despite being born 3 months early. We hope you'll support us with a <a href="http://justgiving.com/round-the-island/"><b>JustGiving</b></a> donation, however small: this is the blog of our adventures...Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-15635797635582212352011-03-04T23:18:00.000+00:002011-03-04T23:18:15.574+00:00Last push for funding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are nearly there... People are collecting their sponsorship from paper forms and the total is creeping up on our <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/round-the-island">Justgiving page</a>.
Please, if you haven't sponsored us yet do give whatever you can afford - even a couple of pounds helps.Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-32929592167052888752011-03-02T00:01:00.005+00:002011-03-02T12:40:48.076+00:00Our Actual ProgressWell, we almost did what we thought we would. Distance wise we were well above the normal route. Our progress can be seen in Google Earth by following the little bikes <a href="https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B_g2FdoSdKGNMDQ5MmNjOTUtZmQ4MC00NWM5LTk2NWQtY2YwZTg4ODg4M2Q5&export=download&hl=en">here</a>! We have uploaded our location data a little later than anticipated.<br /><br />The main route is in red and alternatives in blue.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GokIgs2Tw8A/TU2srV5EhAI/AAAAAAAAAo8/RKGbNDCFlUM/s1600/Google%2BEarth%2BGeneral.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570298174738039810" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GokIgs2Tw8A/TU2srV5EhAI/AAAAAAAAAo8/RKGbNDCFlUM/s400/Google%2BEarth%2BGeneral.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 289px; width: 400px;" border="0" /></a><br /><br />If you don't use <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/earth/index.html">Google Earth</a>, can I recommend it! It is free and from this <a href="http://www.google.com/earth/download/ge/agree.html">download spot</a>. It allows a vast amount of useful geographical analysis (and fun!).<br /><br />If you have Google Earth, you can <a href="http://roundtheisland2.blogspot.com/2011/02/route.html#Downloading">download*</a> the <a href="https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B_g2FdoSdKGNMDQ5MmNjOTUtZmQ4MC00NWM5LTk2NWQtY2YwZTg4ODg4M2Q5&export=download&hl=en">map</a> (in KML) to see our route and play about with it (showing 3D mapping images, terrain data, elevation charts, etc) or simply <a href="http://roundtheisland2.blogspot.com/2011/02/route.html#Downloading">download*</a> our <a href="https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B_g2FdoSdKGNOTAxMWFkOTctNjI1ZS00NzcwLThiNDctMDRiNzU0NGRmNGZh&export=download&hl=en">Flyover</a> to fly over our route in 5 minutes, something that took us 2.5 days of cycling!RadWagonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14988837097499697107noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-5751381651702226452011-03-01T18:19:00.000+00:002011-03-01T19:56:28.020+00:00Here's a snapshot of some of the towns and villages we passed through...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p7oG5VbjTo0/TW04aHbc3XI/AAAAAAAAAJY/oToYYiLAo6g/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-03-01%2Bat%2B18.17.42.png" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="400" width="271" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p7oG5VbjTo0/TW04aHbc3XI/AAAAAAAAAJY/oToYYiLAo6g/s400/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-03-01%2Bat%2B18.17.42.png" /></a></div>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-25362610205700753412011-03-01T18:00:00.000+00:002011-03-01T19:56:28.020+00:00...and some of the pubs we passed by.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4jeezjg6kc/TW075imHNbI/AAAAAAAAAJg/Omy1Bq447es/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-03-01%2Bat%2B18.32.28.png" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="236" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4jeezjg6kc/TW075imHNbI/AAAAAAAAAJg/Omy1Bq447es/s400/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-03-01%2Bat%2B18.32.28.png" /></a></div>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-79449694680540882582011-02-28T22:48:00.009+00:002011-03-01T10:37:05.562+00:00Listen to the radio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XnLGSz8-L1E/TWwu7QP1ZWI/AAAAAAAAAJU/rZzM0hhf0Nw/s1600/radio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XnLGSz8-L1E/TWwu7QP1ZWI/AAAAAAAAAJU/rZzM0hhf0Nw/s1600/radio.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Here's the interview Sue did for Isle of Wight Radio</b> before we did the ride.
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<i><a href="http://cockerel.net/assets/sue.mp3" target="_blank">click here</a> for downloadable mp3 version</i> <br /><br />
<b>And here's Tom's shoutout on BBC 6 Music</b>, on the Friday evening after the ride. Which also explains why Jason Mraz was on the soundtrack to our video of Rad's snapshots from <a href="http://roundtheisland2.blogspot.com/2011/02/snapshots-from-day-3.html"><b>Day 3 (Wednesday)</b></a>... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Le7FCoI0t9k/TWflh8zY-jI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/QXATfL2Y8PI/s1600/yhapic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Le7FCoI0t9k/TWflh8zY-jI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/QXATfL2Y8PI/s1600/yhapic.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vita, Kat, Katie & Frank at the end of Day Three</td></tr>
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<b style="color: red;">NEW</b>: a couple more videos from the rides on Tuesday and Wednesday: <br />
- <b><a href="http://roundtheisland2.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-2-hills-cars-and-lunchtime.html">Day 2: Hills, Cars and Lunchtime</a></b>
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- <b><a href="http://roundtheisland2.blogspot.com/2011/02/snapshots-from-day-3.html">Snapshots from Day 3 (Wednesday)</a></b><br />
And you can now <a href="http://bit.ly/fVQCXu"><b>click here</b></a> to read all the posts right from our departure on Monday: just scroll down to the bottom of the page then read upwards. Or you can read the whole blog from the very first post <a href="http://roundtheisland2.blogspot.com/2011/01/where-are-you-going.html"><b>here</b></a>.Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-13827857066119470702011-02-24T12:11:00.001+00:002011-02-28T23:58:25.221+00:00Map of the whole route<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Click on map above to see the whole route our group took around the Island... (just click the back button in your browser to return to this page)Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-18964586932157439952011-02-23T21:00:00.001+00:002011-02-28T23:52:26.033+00:00Wednesday evening: the last supper...After a shower, a change of clothes and some nifty cooking by Frank and Amanda with a bit of help by Sue, everyone gathers in the Youth Hostel kitchen to celebrate the successful conclusion of our mission.<br /><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0HklLhHm74/TWTwFmB2wJI/AAAAAAAAAIc/7cj5e_W593s/s1600/FrankWeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="349" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0HklLhHm74/TWTwFmB2wJI/AAAAAAAAAIc/7cj5e_W593s/s1600/FrankWeds.jpg" width="465" /></a></div>
<b>FRANK NICHOLLS</b>: I think it's been okay apart from Rad lying about "hills". But apart from that, yeah, it's been really good. The trouble is that we had to come really far in the minibus yesterday to get back to the Youth Hostel, so we have to go really far in the minibus again again to where we start. That's why we've had to get up so early. Yes terday was tiring, really tiring - especially when Rad couldn't tell if it was uphill or downhill. For the people who've sponsored us - thanks, you've helped a lot of sick and premature babies. And if anyone else out there wants to sponsor‚ well, do go ahead !
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Y1ufe_iagk/TWTwEiRu_mI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/5RtcFbsUAnI/s1600/RadWeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="349" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Y1ufe_iagk/TWTwEiRu_mI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/5RtcFbsUAnI/s1600/RadWeds.jpg" width="465" /></a></div>
<b>RAD WAGON</b>: We've done really really well on our tour so far. We've just got our last day today to come back across the flatter north side of the Island - having done the hilly part yesterday. Day one was really misty and we went very high up on a quite treacherous track, slipping and sliding all over the place - including into gorse bushes. But we did really well, despite it being rather slow and cold‚ and quite a few punctures. Day two we covered a massive distance, but luckily we had the whole day to do it and managed to get off and get going, and had a lot of fun cycling all the way up and down quite a few small climbs. And whatever some of the others might tell you about that, I'm not a liar - there've just been one or two differences of interpretation :-)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aiq_Cy6L-8s/TWTwE5zrbuI/AAAAAAAAAIU/v0IwvnCK_Qc/s1600/KatWeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="349" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aiq_Cy6L-8s/TWTwE5zrbuI/AAAAAAAAAIU/v0IwvnCK_Qc/s1600/KatWeds.jpg" width="465" /></a></div><b>KAT ROBINSON</b>: Day one was alright weather but then we went up this chalk cliff thing and that was really nasty. We had to cycle for miles and miles and miles up a really steep hill and all the chalk went everywhere and you couldn't really control your bike. But it was fun as well. We cycled 30 miles yesterday which was OK apart from Rad's downhil promise: he said "oh yeah, from here it's all downhill". Then we had, like fifty hills and we were like dying on our bikes and he was like "these are nothing!!" and we were like "yes they are!" Last night was really fun because everyone was sleeping in my room because we've got bunk beds and stuff. So - a bit tired today, but it should be good: we've only got to do twenty miles, apart from the fact that the weather today is not very nice. But we'll be finishing the ride, which is always a plus.
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xxm-xxJ22K4/TWTwFD1KJAI/AAAAAAAAAIY/VsrvhVnF3zs/s1600/KatieWeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="349" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xxm-xxJ22K4/TWTwFD1KJAI/AAAAAAAAAIY/VsrvhVnF3zs/s1600/KatieWeds.jpg" width="465" /></a></div><b>KATIE BRODERICK</b>: It was cold and tiring but it was really fun. Sue made a really nice lunch, well actually we all made a really nice lunch, so yeah, it was fun. Day two was a lot more tiring but it was definitely worth it - I mean like nobody gave up or said they didn't want to do it anymore or anything. We did have a bit of a problem where half of us went the wrong way but we found each other again by the other road, so that was okay. Day three is going to be wet, I'm guessing. Apart from that I'm not really sure. I know the ride isn't as long as yesterday but I think it's going to be a little bit more cold! To the people who sponsored me - thanks! <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B4OVCVEybC4/TWTwF5MQTSI/AAAAAAAAAIg/QlQzvEB4uUU/s1600/VitaWeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="349" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B4OVCVEybC4/TWTwF5MQTSI/AAAAAAAAAIg/QlQzvEB4uUU/s1600/VitaWeds.jpg" width="465" /></a></div><b>VITA LERCHE</b>: Day one was quite good, we got quite cold and wet going up, but it was a great way to start off and compared to day two it was nice and easy... Day two was really long, but I think the hills, because they were really long and not SO steep, I found them better than really steep hills which would have been harder. Today they say the wind's against us - that means it's going to be tiring for us to cycle, and I'm just hoping we can get through and do it, cos we're all pretty tired today :-(
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QyRkXYIRzQU/TWTwGajBMEI/AAAAAAAAAIk/0ElXiYt1RU4/s1600/AmandaWeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="349" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QyRkXYIRzQU/TWTwGajBMEI/AAAAAAAAAIk/0ElXiYt1RU4/s1600/AmandaWeds.jpg" width="465" /></a></div><b>AMANDA RANDALL</b>: Day one was interesting and short - it was really misty and we had lots of steep climbs to do with lots of clay and bumps - Sue had an interesting encounter with a gorse bush, which was quite entertaining! Day two was long - and hills always seem to go up and never down. But it was fun, really good. Day three is looking damp but with enough chocolate bars it should be do-able!
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YsKLt4iiGnY/TWTwGt_diaI/AAAAAAAAAIo/hftr5Wlax3s/s1600/SueWeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="349" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YsKLt4iiGnY/TWTwGt_diaI/AAAAAAAAAIo/hftr5Wlax3s/s1600/SueWeds.jpg" width="465" /></a></div><b>SUE BREARLEY</b>: Day one we did all the hard offroad stuff, so it was good to get that out of the way. Yesterday was a REALLY good day. Everybody rode really well - we did 33 miles, which is quite a lot of kilometers. The kids were all really cheerful - they all cycled really hard - everyone had a good time. Today's going to be a bt wet, so I think it might be physically a bit harder. But we've done the worst of the journey: there's only about 20 miles to go - and hopefully it's going to be reasonably flat today...
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RwtNzxN5ra4/TWTwEHaLiHI/AAAAAAAAAIM/L51bg0Lt5WE/s1600/TomWeds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="349" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RwtNzxN5ra4/TWTwEHaLiHI/AAAAAAAAAIM/L51bg0Lt5WE/s1600/TomWeds.jpg" width="465" /></a></div><b>TOM ROBINSON</b>: We've borrowed a big red Mercedes minibus from <a href="http://www.wctbus.co.uk"><b>Wandsworth Community Transport</b></a>, which holds all seven riders plus their bikes and packs. We've also brought our ten year old VW Caddy van as an emergency auxiliary vehicle. We're staying at the <a href="http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/south-east-england/hostels/totland-bay/index.aspx">YHA at Totland Bay</a> near Freshwater on the western tip of the Island. So I've been collecting everyone at the end of each day's ride, and driving them back to the Youth Hostel each evening, then out again next morning to resume their ride from the same point.<br /><br />
The four principal riders are Kat, Katie, Frank and Vita - all in their early teens - with three auxilliary adults to help navigate the route and keep them safe on their journey. I can't believe the cheerful energy of the teenagers. They sing at the tops of their voices all the way to and from every dropoff point, and last night treated us all after supper to a song and dance karaoke session followed by an energetic game of Empires (don't ask). Anyway I take my hat off to all seven riders - the cushy job falls to me: manipulating the minibus around the Island's twisty byways. Oh and spending the rest of the time editing pix and videos, then searching for an internet connection so as to be able to upload them to this blog. This usually ends up having to go via my mobile phone at glacial speed with only a couple of bars of signal. But blogwise at least we're hopefully getting there. <br /><br />Thanks to everyone who's supported us so far. Do check out the link to <a href="http://www.first-touch.org.uk/"><b>First Touch</b></a> - it's an amazing charity for an amazing unit at an amazing hospital. Despite all the meddling of successive governments the NHS is still an absolute treasure. All donations, however small, will be warmly welcome via <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/round-the-island/"><b>our JustGiving page</b></a>.
<br />Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-41877927867251690402011-02-23T09:00:00.000+00:002011-02-28T23:58:25.221+00:009am On A Rainy Wednesday Morning<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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9am at the Youth Hostel - about to set off on a rainy Wednesday morning: clockwise from top left: Frank, Kat, Katie, Tom, Rad, Amanda, Sue and Vita...Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-23955021252005460182011-02-22T12:47:00.000+00:002011-02-28T23:58:25.221+00:00Lunchtime on Tuesday 12:47 pm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5PFVy-oTato/TWQU8G5JEoI/AAAAAAAAAHw/d9BIAGbhCgY/s1600/tueslunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="349" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5PFVy-oTato/TWQU8G5JEoI/AAAAAAAAAHw/d9BIAGbhCgY/s400/tueslunch.jpg" width="465" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIVxxtjFnnw/TWQVPenYD6I/AAAAAAAAAH4/5edS3-UY_30/s1600/lunchlocation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AIVxxtjFnnw/TWQVPenYD6I/AAAAAAAAAH4/5edS3-UY_30/s1600/lunchlocation.jpg" /></a></div>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-76463192795157312432011-02-22T12:40:00.002+00:002011-02-28T23:52:26.034+00:00Day 2: Hills, Cars and LunchtimeIn which we learn that Frank likes sugar in his tea, that main roads and inclines are an unpleasant combination, that hills can go down as well as up, and what cyclist like for their lunch.<br /><br />
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="465" height="376" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-qTaZyHeV3w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-11877323410145528592011-02-22T11:30:00.002+00:002011-02-28T23:58:25.222+00:00Tuesday: our first break at 11:30<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-315LqialiJU/TWQohI2-PXI/AAAAAAAAAIA/1bhQOdaU1n0/s1600/firstbreak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-315LqialiJU/TWQohI2-PXI/AAAAAAAAAIA/1bhQOdaU1n0/s1600/firstbreak.jpg" /> </a></div>
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<br />Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-75603381100597169142011-02-22T09:50:00.012+00:002011-02-28T23:52:26.034+00:00Setting out on Tuesday morningDay One started nice and easy along the old railway line (see <a href="http://roundtheisland2.blogspot.com/2011/02/first-five-miles.html">The first five miles</a> below) but then turned into a slippery, misty, uphill chalk scramble (see <a href="http://roundtheisland2.blogspot.com/2011/02/first-few-misty-miles.html">The next few misty miles</a>...). It also brought several punctures. Tom drove out in the minibus and collected bikes and riders from the tiny hamlet of <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-mottistone">Mottistone</a>, having covered 10 miles in their first day. Rest and recreation followed at the Youth Hostel. Next morning, after breakfast and bikewashing we all drove back out to the church at Mottistone. The departure takes 48 seconds in this video. In realtime it took a little bit longer than that...
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="465" height="378" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/T730zaEdAFw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-87104265925347485452011-02-22T09:12:00.001+00:002011-02-28T23:52:26.035+00:00The next few misty miles...<object width="465" height="366"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r0BslaioCjw?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r0BslaioCjw?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="465" height="366"></embed></object>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-63440855350597066082011-02-22T08:00:00.000+00:002011-02-28T23:52:26.035+00:00The first five miles<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="465" height="378" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zCdhuKZ9ESw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-83245525564228131672011-02-21T23:36:00.001+00:002011-02-28T23:52:26.035+00:00Arriving on the Island<b>Monday lunchtime 21 Feb 2011</b>. Finally everyone meets up at the ferry terminal in Lymington, the crossing goes surprisingly quickly, the bikes all get unloaded and everyone sets off - also quite quickly...<br /><br />
<object width="465" height="366"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UEI01cAkmD4?hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UEI01cAkmD4?hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="465" height="366"></embed></object>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-57374001950803663762011-02-21T15:00:00.000+00:002011-02-28T23:52:26.036+00:00Arriving at the ferry terminal<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="465" height="420" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w0yY8krIIGA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-49778678027960546892011-02-21T09:01:00.006+00:002011-02-21T09:58:05.256+00:00And they're off...Kat, Vita and Frank have set off from South London with their bikes in the Wandsworth Community Transport minibus, and are due to meet up with Katie and Amanda (and their bikes) by Asda on the A3. Everybody's meeting Rad in Hampshire before we all take the ferry across to The Island. Tom stayed behind to upload video of the departure (sorry about aspect ratio!) and will be dashing off in our auxiliary VW Caddy to catch up with the others...<br />
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<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="465" height="420" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1aoNog-Ol94" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-24757878245007755102011-02-20T10:00:00.005+00:002011-03-02T20:08:10.650+00:00First visit to the IslandHere's the video Kat posted in January of her first trip with Sue to check out the Isle of Wight ahead of this week's ride...<br />
<object style="height: 283px; width: 465px;"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XEcgvkyCSKM?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XEcgvkyCSKM?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="465px" height="283px"></object>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-30982769620348853242011-02-19T21:29:00.001+00:002011-02-21T09:58:58.605+00:00Watch Our ProgressWell, it's nearly upon us, we are due to start riding in less than 40 hours!<br />
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As with all these good things, we want to give you a good insight into our lives as we attempt the ride. So, photos and geographical info will flow, hopefully in good time!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Photos</b></span><br />
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We intend to send photos from the roadside showing us as we go Round the Island. They will appear <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/116668320965029729015/DropBox?authkey=Gv1sRgCJHr1YzYs8_fiwE&feat=directlink">here</a> almost as soon as we take them!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Maps</b></span><br />
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Our progress can be seen in Google Earth by following the little bikes <a href="https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B_g2FdoSdKGNZTI5MjE4YjctZGYwOC00NTIxLWEzNTgtOGEzNjA0ZGVhN2Jk&export=download&hl=en_GB">here</a>! We hope to upload regularly, but bear with us as we have a number of technological hurdles to jump.<br />
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The main route is in red and alternatives in blue.<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GokIgs2Tw8A/TU2srV5EhAI/AAAAAAAAAo8/RKGbNDCFlUM/s1600/Google%2BEarth%2BGeneral.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570298174738039810" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GokIgs2Tw8A/TU2srV5EhAI/AAAAAAAAAo8/RKGbNDCFlUM/s400/Google%2BEarth%2BGeneral.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; height: 289px; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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If you don't use <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/earth/index.html">Google Earth</a>, can I recommend it! It is free and from this <a href="http://www.google.com/earth/download/ge/agree.html">download spot</a>. It allows a vast amount of useful geographical analysis (and fun!).<br />
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If you have Google Earth, you can <a href="http://roundtheisland2.blogspot.com/2011/02/route.html#Downloading">download*</a> the <a href="https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B8V93-j0xb4gMzA5YWJjN2EtMWE3ZS00OWI0LThmMTUtY2Q1ZTcxZDFmMmJh&export=download&hl=en">Google Earth Map</a> (in KML) to see our route and play about with it (showing 3D mapping images, terrain data, elevation charts, etc) or simply <a href="http://roundtheisland2.blogspot.com/2011/02/route.html#Downloading">download*</a> our <a href="https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B8V93-j0xb4gMmIxYjE0MGEtZDVmYS00ZmM1LThiZmEtZDUwMjY2NDY2ZWUz&export=download&hl=en">Google Earth Flyover</a> to fly over our route in 5 minutes, something that will take us 2 days of cycling!Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260293568182545357.post-10415631288989670032011-02-17T14:16:00.002+00:002011-02-21T09:59:25.136+00:00There's an article about our ride on the Isle of Wight Beacon's website:<a href="http://www.iwbeacon.com/news/teenagers-chilly-challenge.aspx">http://www.iwbeacon.com/news/teenagers-chilly-challenge.aspx</a>Round the Islandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09834782810985461093noreply@blogger.com0