When to kick of on the big Daunder?

The plan was/is

                Before the great pestilence of covid 19 was upon us! I had a set plan which I was all excited about, who could have believed we would get a pandemic in 2020 of all the years! for me it was as they say in Scotland - a kick in the stanes, of course it was a spanner in the works for everyone; it just so happened, I had the biggest year of my life planned. Once I had ran the Falkirk fifty kilometer run at the start of the year, I felt good the next day I truly felt I was ready for the biggest running event of my life the cape wrath ultra (CWU) this race was to be on the last week of May. It would have been and now still is my ultimate running event, the plan was to get it done then hang the running boots up to take on a long distance cycle route with no need to return to work or do any running for months perhaps a year.

                After I threw my home-made dice of life in 2018 it said I should save like hell for a year then cycle of into the sunset. So that was the Original plan, do the CWU then straight to work on Shetland for two weeks after the run, then home for three weeks to pack for cycle holiday, then not to fly home from work but tour Shetland by bike for a couple of weeks, deciding I would cycle away from work on the 21^st of July after my final shift ever, I would spend my 54^th year on this planet as an unpaid unemployed cycling backpacker, I was planning a couple of weeks cycling down from Shetland through Orkney then the central highland route home, having previously done the east and west route home. Then taking a month at home before going to the Tribfest music festival with ma pals at the end of august, all packed and prepared to cycle the north sea cycle route,(that plan is now a distant memory)

                 when bob went to Nordkapp i changed my mind and wanted to cycle there, once there I could turn the bike around and then cycle the length of Europe, Nordkapp to Gibraltar instead of the north sea cycle route, then a couple that I know posted up plans to say they were going to cycle the Velo 13 the iron curtain cycle route across Europe, I thought maybe I should do that instead then head south maybe to Australia, none of those options mattered much I would be free to make it up as I went along, I would make sure I never entered any events have my house in order and hit the road a free man with the rest of my life ahead of me answerable only to me,

                Everything was on target then Bosch covid hit all plans were scuppered the CWU was postponed a full year, so was the cuddies June wedding, so was Tribfest and my niece Eilidh’s wedding all postponed a full year! What was I to do about my plans? I had absolutely no idea the first two month as nobody knew how long everything was going to go on for, nobody knew at the start it would be mid-July before the pubs got sort of opened with still no cinema no gig`s no outdoor events or gatherings, it was like the pause button had been hit on life! I’m not complaining about it for some poor souls that pause button became a stop button,

                People still asked me what’s your plan what are you doing? I never knew myself so what could I tell them? All that I knew was I had paid a lot of money for the CWU and I still wanted to do it, this meant I would not be cycling anywhere outside the UK until at the earliest June 2021, the plus points were I got time to get my bicycle up to Shetlands and get some new kit for it and the big trip, my head was spinning with changing ideas of when to go where to go what transport to use? because everything had changed I would still be doing the CWU so I had to keep my training up I still wanted to go for a long cycle trip but now I had all these postponed planned events,

During the summer solstice I was up at Shetland at work, but after work while out cycling,  I was smiling as I cycled past Mavis grind – this is a road that passes along the small gap between the Atlantic and the north sea, my favourite bird the arctic tern was swirling around as it does in those parts at that time of year, a bird that never sees winter was making me ponder if? one day I should follow their example and head from Nordkapp at summer solstice and try to make a southern solstice (without flying) to the most southern mainland road point down at Ushuaia, later on while discussing this with my work colleague mark, he mentioned the southern Atlantic Orkneys and Shetland, suggesting I should cycle of from work on north Atlantic Shetland at the solstice and head to southern Shetland, this was a thrilling exciting idea to me, one which I couldn’t stop thinking about for hours I LOVE this idea! An adventure with a new goal was on the cards the idea formulating daily. The adventure cogs in my head are still working on this idea now.

 My initial dream of summer solstice on Shetland in the north Atlantic to summer solstice Shetland in the south Atlantic by bicycle, also unlike the tern no flying! Was my initial exciting dream but logistically this is just not possible, timing and transport were against me. Researching ferry links, I could get from the UK via Denmark and Norway then the Pharos to Iceland was easy enough done, I nearly left it at that thinking there must be a boat link between Iceland and the Americas hopefully with a stop at Greenland? I had a look online sadly there seemed to be no way to do this by boat, some cruise ships poked around the area I wondered if I could get on one of those? Then I came across a trip from Southampton to New York and Niagara Falls on the queen mary2 very nice it looked and reasonably priced ideas of a bit of luxury were forming and still are  

The timing for all this is what most people that know me are most interested in? due to the fact that as I type this write up, I am a few month beyond from when I was planning to pack in work and start the big daunder adventure, so when are you going to finish work now kenny? I don’t know due to lockdown I had been throwing money at the mortgage planning to work another 2-3 months longer than planned, to get to be totally debt free, the longer I work after becoming debt free then that would potentially pay for some luxuries along the way a few nice hotel stays. that cruise ship maybe a train journey or two? just a dream so far BUT- a cruise at the south Atlantic dropping me in OZ or NZ would be grand with a cycle back home up through japan and Asia would be ideal, these thoughts have made me sensible about my plans. I shall be working my next two trips minimum potentially three or four?

Although super keen to stop working so I can concentrate on my training and my writing, if I ever get that bloody book edited and of to the publishers, (which would please me greatly I am putting in the work) hopefully I can get those projects completed before I set off travelling, as this would leave me free to start on other writing projects that I have planned, it would also let me get well ahead with my blogging and web page, working until December should make me well enough prepared financially but less well prepared fitness wise for the CWU, I would also potentially be no further forward with editing of any of my books then starting the next one. Especially as every time I am at home I get carried away with other stuff neglecting the editing,

The latest plan is fly to Shetland for work at new year then pledge to be flight free 2021 stay on Shetland for my time of work to have a cycle touring holiday, trialing the daunder and my equipment in a Shetland winter doing all the trig points do another trip at work then cycle away into the horizon after that one 

 

To be continued