Facebook Group

To allow for easier communication and to ensure i reach as many people as possible i have posted a facebook group

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112919842058195&ref=nf

take a look and hit the add button. the blog (right here) get's updated first, but the group is an easy way to tell people of any "worthwhile" updates rather than random waffleing posts (such as this one).

regards

electronic V's paper mapping

So one of the big (if not the biggest) question playing on my mind is whether to use electronic mapping or traditional paper maps while pushing for sustrans.

When i say electronic, i am specifically looking at mobile phone mapping software rather than a hand-held GPS such as Garmin. This is to cut down on items to carry.
I have in recent weeks acquired a motorola running the android operating system, thanks to an overdue phone upgrade. Now i am mightily impressed with the google maps app embedded onto it, and the GPS tracks me well. This is very handy right up to the point where i loose 3G coverage and the map fails to update, which could be a problem.

Paper maps don't have this problem, but am worried about the size of small road maps, and/or the amount of OS maps i'd need. i need to look at paper maps and see what's offered these days and what details they have.

Another handy thing with my phone is the amount of useful apps out their for plotting and tracking on maps. might be hampered by battery life but unlike the iPhone i can carry a spare battery :) android 1 : apple 0

regards

Pushing (pardon the pun) the date back

My sister is going to hate me, as i have decided to push the date back by one month. so am now leaving 18th july. This is due to my masters report deadline around the beginning of june and i cannot afford to be taking time out or rushing to finish the report.

I originally wanted to be back at home to say cheerio to my sister before she jets off to Borneo to play with the orangutans. SORRY SIS...she doesn't know yet.

The £'s are rolling in. £23 so far, so thanks to everyones contributions so far.

regards

Sustrans

I have just received word back from a lovely Mel at sustrans that they are happy to get involved. on top of that their press office has been sent my original email and they are going to think of ways in which to get involved. including putting my event on their website.

it's all mightily scary and exciting.

Seems i may need to put on an actual departure event in which to raise the profile of my challenge, so leaving early in the morning from my dingy student accomodation may not be adequate afterall. a More grandeur event from the centre of town may be in the pipeline....watch this space.

regards

The Board

in order to maximise comfort pushing over varied road surface qualities i did some reseach into board designs.

Longboards are unique and different to skateboards due to their length, wheelbase and wheel size. longboards can also come in various shapes and sizes from dropped deck, drop through, pintail, kicktail and flat deck. with axle lengths varying in size as well as wheelbase going from one extreme to another, there's alot to consider, and i haven't even mentioned wheel choice, bearings or bushings.

in the end i settled for a custom handmade longboard, built by larry peterson (aka longboardlarry) in USA www.longboardlarry.com. the board is called "the pusher" and is specifically designed for long distance skating. It has a dropped deck with dropthrough trucks making it very very low to the floor to minimise knee bend while pushing. the deck is wide with a fair amount of camber locking your feet to the board . a fair amount of flex helps to soften the bumps.

It cost an arm and a leg but i was more than happy to pay for it.

regards

JustGiving

last night i set up a justgiving fundraising page.

i set my target at £300, which is a pound for every mile. This is not alot to ask and i would ideally love to smash that target and if i could raise £5 for every mile raised i would be one very happy skater.

you can take a look at it here-------> NoCar-NoProblem

please donate as much as you can and pass around the page address http://www.justgiving.com/300miles-nocar-noproblem to as many people as possible.

thank you so much for any donations and taking the time to have a look.

regards

The Charity

Yesterday i went hunting for a worthy cause to rise money for in order to put an extra spin on this journey.

For me the charity idea wasn't an initial thought. I just really wanted to test myself, but family and friends have been asking whether i am raising money for a charity so i thought it might just be a good idea afterall. Helping others is simple.

So the charity i chose were Sustrans, sustrans is the UKs largest sustainable transport charity, who are helping people choose to live a car free lifestyle by promoting the use of active transport by opening up and maintaining cycle networks and the like. This seemed very similar to my way of thinking for this trip (not using a train) and i wrote them an e-mail yesterday asking if they want to be involved. will let you know what they say, once i have received a reply.

In the meantime, check out there website www.sustrans.org.uk

regards

And so it begins!

Well this is really starting to pick up pace now. It's still hard to believe that 18 months ago, this was a silly idea in which to avoid paying out for a rail ticket home from uni. But yet here i am 3 months away from setting out on a trip that's going to test my physical and mental strength.

For those wondering exactly why i am doing this, i ask you to take a look at my inspiration for this trip....Rop thompson (www.14degrees.com) completed a world record, round the world trip by longboard. his updates over the past 18 months have convinced and inspired me to do this trip of a mere 300 miles. his video journals have made me realise i will not only battle physical exhaustion but also mental exhaustion, this could be tougher than i thought.

regards