One Wheel One Way - The 1000 Miler
One Wheel, One Way: Detailed Route Plan
Introduction:
The route plotted for this 1,000 journey is taking us on minor or unclassified roads and through some of the UK’s most remote countryside. As such, our interaction with major populated areas will be limited.
The unicycles we are riding will require regular charge stops each day and our route therefore takes into account the need to visit some towns and villages at approximately 30 mile intervals. Each stop over will last approximately 1 hour and we will attempt to do this at a Barnardo’s shop or service where possible.
As this is a journey of 1,000 miles, it is not possible to provide a turn-by-turn list of our route. We will be switching to a tracking system called Glympse, that will allow our phones to be tracked in real time so that our location can be seen by anyone who signs up to the service. Contact Jonathan for more information.
In order to reduce overheads for this trip, we have attempted to stay with family and friends along the way. This has set the route to some extent as it has determined a number of start and finish points and the amount of miles to be covered each day.
The timings will be determined by our battery charge stops and our need to make certain ferry crossings. Failure to make ferry times will potentially add a further two days to our travel plans. Similarly, our physical condition may deteriorate during the journey and we could find ourselves either unable to endure the long days we have scheduled or may require an additional stop-over somewhere to allow for physical recovery.
Day One: 29th April 17 (WALES)
Departing Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire at 9.00 a.m. for the approximate 90+ mile journey to Llandeilo, Wales. Mitcheldean is the location of Speed Feet UK’s headquarters and marks the start and finish line for this journey. There is a Barnardo’s children’s centre in a library in the town and we will pause for a photograph with the sign but will not go into the centre.
From there we travel across to Monmouth, Wales, where we will stop for our first charge session. After Monmouth we head to Abergaveny on the edge of the Brecon Beacons for another stop and charge up before taking the final, long leg of the day, over the Brecon Beacons to Llandeilo. We will stop at the small town of Brecon for another charge time if necessary.
Day Two: 30th April 17 (WALES)
Day two is planned to take into account a ferry crossing from Pembroke Dock to Rosslare in Ireland. The only ferry on that day is at 2.45 p.m. and if we fail to make that on time we will be held up for a day.
The route takes us from Llaideilo to Camarthen where we will stop for a charge and to have our photo taken outside the Barnardo’s shop in the town. As this is a Sunday, it is unlikely that the shop will be open. From there we head to Pembroke via Whitland and Templeton and take the four hour ferry across to Ireland.
Once in Ireland we will travel a relatively short distance to our overnight stay in Wexford.
Day Three: 1st May 17 (IRELAND)
We head to our next overnight stop in Kilternan, south of Dublin. The route is one that we will “make up as we go” so details are not available!
Day Four: 2nd May 17 (DUBLIN)
We will be travelling into Dublin to visit the HQ of Barnardo’s Ireland and to meet their CEO and have photographs taken outside the commemorative plaque for Dr Barnardo. From there we will travel north, via Meath to Ardee and across the border into Northern Ireland. We hope to travel as far as Banbridge for the next overnight stop.
Day Five: 3rd May 17 (Nr IRELAND)
We will again need to be driven by the timing of the only available ferry on this day and must ensure that we are in time to take the 4.30 ferry from Larne. Failure to achieve this will add a further day to our trip.
We will take a route through Belfast, towards Newtownabbey and Ballyclare before making the final dash to Larne where we must check in by 3.30. Sadly this tight timescale gives us little time for stop overs but we will need to charge. I understand there is a CS service in Banbridge and a photo outside this service, even if before it opens, will add to our collection of services and locations along the way.
After landing near Stranraer in Scotland, we take a short hop to our next overnight stop in Glenluce.
Day Six: 4th May 17 (SCOTLAND)
Leaving Glenluce we take the isolated route towards Dumfries across the Carseriggan and Garwachi Moors and stopping in Creebridge to charge up. We cross the River Dee towards New Galoway and will stop again in Dumfries to visit the Barnardo’s shop.
If we have made good time we will continue our journey in the attempt to reduce our overall trip by a whole day. If we are unable to continue, we will stop the night in Dumfries. This will depend on the riding conditions and our physical fitness at this stage, almost a week in.
Assuming all is good, we will continue on from Dumfries towards the coast and the town of Annan before making an overnight stop at Gretna on the Scottish/English border.
Day Seven: 5th May 17 (LAKE DISTRICT)
We head into Carlisle where we will stop briefly and ensure we are fully charged before heading to Ullswater, then Ambleside and taking the western route along the length of lake Windermere. From Newby Bridge we head east towards Sedgwick and then down to Milnthorpe, Beetham and our final destination of Silverdale.
I understand there will be a Barnardo’s service in Carlisle so will make every effort to accommodate this during our stop there.
Day Eight: 6th May 17
This is potentially one of the longest days of the trip, from Silverdale to my home town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
We head to Kirby Lonsdale and via Clapham towards Malham and lunch in Skipton. We then travel south toward Bronte county and visit the town of Haworth before heading on toward Brighouse and finally Barnsley. This day is already over 100 miles so making detours to visit services would be a bit of a tall order.
Day Nine: 7th May 17 (PEAK DISTRICT)
From Barnsley we head south through Stockbridge and across the Peak District National Park towards Buxton, which will be our main stop during the day. We are using very isolated roads this day, heading to our stop-over in Uttoxeter.
Day Ten: 8th May 17 (MIDLANDS)
We head from Uttoxeter to Market Bosworth and Hinckley and then Lutterworth where we will stop to re-charge. From there we move down towards Crick, Long Buckby and Stoke Bruerne before heading to my home for the night in Milton Keynes.
Day Eleven: 9th May 17 (South East and Anglia)
We will start the day by briefly visiting the service in Milton Keynes and having a photo with the team there. From there we head towards Tring and then High Wycombe and Marlow before heading down to visit the staff and young people at High Close School.
We then head west towards our final stop over at Thatcham.
Day Twelve: 10th May 17 (FINAL PUSH!)
On the final day we make our way west from Thatcham to Hungerford, Marlborough and then south of Royal Wootton Basset towards Sherston, Wickwar and Thornbury. From there we cross the Severn bridge and into Chepstow before making the final push into the Forest of Dean and back to our start point, the Library service in Mitcheldean.
Then we have a long and well-earned sit down!
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