Ride to The Somme

I've amended this event to be run in the UK due to work demands; it's a busy time in the high risk world right now! It's still 100 miles but from London to the Brighton War Memorial and back; no small distance, especially in the current weather! please donate, Bravehound keep working to help veterans with mental health issues, it is a worthwhile cause and worthy of our help. Joel Whittaker is fundraising for Bravehound (justgiving.com)

This November, an intrepid team of adventurers aim to ride for 100 miles, nonstop, from the French Port of Calais to Battle of the #Somme Memorial, at Thiepval. Following a coastal route South, passing many relics of previous wars and memorials, we are facing challenging navigation and some serious distance, plus it's November; rain, sleet, and wind are all likely!

100 miles is a long way! I followed this route a few years back with a couple of friends and I remember being half delirious with fatigue as we passed these huge graveyards, the crosses within seemed to stretch for infinity and left a lasting impression on me, and anyone who visits I'm sure.

We travelled deep into the night and at one point passed an old wooden shack almost hidden in the trees which edged up to the road, I think this shack may have housed a well, inside were scrawled the names of the soldiers who had rested there en-route to the front. I could easily imagine them ‘brewing up’, no doubt the sound of battle dully thumping away in the distance, I wondered what they must have thought; where they thinking of home, their loved ones sat by a warm fire? or were they keen to get into the fray; unaware of the slaughter they were heading into.

Our plan then is to depart Calais and basically not stop until we reach the Thiepval Memorial at the Somme in time to lay a wreath and pay our respects, on Sunday the 8th of November. In the process of doing this epic feat, I hope to raise money and awareness for Bravehound, a charity that places dogs with veterans who suffer from mental health conditions.

We’ll be taking some pics and videos in the build-up to this event and I’ll do a write-up after so keep your ears peeled and please donate to Bravehound.