Go End2End - The Hard Way

Looking for a new challenge, Richard Iles and his family designed their own endurance race, taking turns with running, cycling, swimming and kayak

- Richard Iles

Four of us with a combined age of 230 and an aggregate IQ, probably considerably lower given the project in hand, decided to go on a family holiday with a difference. We wanted quality family time together as we went from John O’Groats to Lands End via the highest mountain ranges and longest lakes in Scotland, Wales and England! As father, t was my role to knit the trip together with a spot of cycling, while the others took on running, kayaking and swimming to pull the whole thing together.

John was to run the Scottish 4000ft peaks followed by the English and Welsh 3000s.

Joanne would swim the length of Windermere and Bala and alongside her Mum, Marjorie, kayak the length of Loch Awe. Roger would record the trials and tribulations, stresses and squabbles.

Joanne and I gave up serious triathlon competition a few years ago: nowadays our involvement with the sport is as organisers of the popular RaceNewForest events. No longer maintaining that regular commitment to a painful but necessary training regime not only left us without a specific focus for our own fitness but also freed up loads of time to take advantage of our local hostelry and think up crazy challenges. Like this one – ten days End to End and not necessarily as the crow flies.

We set off on June 29 last year at 9:30pm. Joanne and myself find ourselves in a freezing cold, windswept car park in John O’Groats to tie up with Roger. It’s so cold and windswept that the plan for a midnight departure is rapidly abandoned in favour of an immediate start, so clad in winter kit and gloves, we’re off, Aviemore bound. It’s only 170 miles into a raging headwind.