Jeanie Pelling has smashed her fundraising target after cycling from the island of Anglesey to the Isle of Wight.
See Jeanie’s Highlights below.
Nurse Jeanie Pelling has raised £1,631 for Cowes Sailability Club after completing a solo cycle ride from the island of Anglesey in North Wales to the Isle of Wight. She ended her 318-mile journey at the Riverfest in Newport on 20th May 2023, where she received a hero’s welcome from Cowes Sailability Club volunteers and local people attending this annual event.
“What an adventure!” she said on completing the fundraising activity that she had been planning for over two years. “I covered more than 300 miles in six days, cycling across different terrains, up many hills and with nearly 18,000 feet of elevation – and I am pleased to report no mishaps, no saddle soreness, punctures or breaks!”
Jeanie initially set out to raise £1,500 for Cowes Sailability Club, but exceeded this target within weeks of completing the ride. “I would like to thank everyone for all of their donations,” she says. “Seeing the amount rising every day gave me the motivation to keep going and made it all worthwhile.”
Special thanks are due to Roger Rudrum, who supported Jeanie throughout the cycle ride. While Jeanie cycled alone on cycle paths that form part of the National Cycle Network (NCN), Roger drove on nearby roads in a camper van. He met Jeanie at key points along the way and was always ready with a cup of tea and hot meal when she finished each leg of the journey.
Cowes Sailability Club’s Fundraising Officer, Trish Rooke is in awe of Jeanie’s achievement and incredibly grateful to Roger for his support. “Jeanie and Roger should both feel so proud of what they have achieved,” she says. “The money they have raised will make a real difference to Cowes Sailability Club, helping us to provide more sailing activities for people with disabilities on the Isle of Wight.”
Day one: Anglesey to Barmouth
“The cycle ride from Canaerfon to Porthmadog along NCN route 8 was just blissful, nice and flat with a few little hills to test the legs but nothing major. After lunch though, it became a very testing ride consisting of hill after hill after hill. Then it was suddenly all down, which was a test for another part of my anatomy… my hands! I was gripping on for dear life, as well as braking, otherwise I would have ended up in a in a hedge!”
Day two: Barmouth to Llanidloes
“Another challenging day, just under 50 miles! This morning’s ride was along the Mawddach trail. I had read about this beautiful route beforehand. The ride initially took me alongside a disused railway line then followed the Mawddach estuary in the southern part of The Snowdonia National Park. The NCN route I followed took me through several sheep grazing areas with many gates and cattle grids….”
Day three: Llanidloes to Glassbury
“Today has been difficult mentally & physically. I’ve really developed an acute dislike for cycling up mountains, my legs constantly burning. It does seem like after every bend there’s another steep climb. On a positive note, as I’m traversing across Wales, I do believe the mountains are reducing into reasonable hills.”
Day four: Glassbury to Chepstow
“Really tough cycling. No sooner had I left our campsite in Glassbury, it was uphill and uphill …to Gospel pass, the highest accessible road in Wales! I just wished I had worn some extra layers as it was freezing up high, but the views were spectacular.”
Day five: Chepstow to Longleat
“All went well for me traversing the Severn estuary over the original Severn bridge, such a remarkable engineering achievement. I eventually found the Bristol to Bath cycle path and what a joy! So flat and so many cyclists!”
Day six: Longleat to Southampton
“From Longleat I enjoyed the gorgeous countryside and hedgerows with cow parsley taller than me and rows of apple trees in full bloom, the scent from the flowers adding to the cycling joy and the joyous flat terrain made it even better. After lunch in Wilton my ride took me through Salisbury then on to the Southampton Ferry Terminal.”
The finale: Southampton to Cowes then Newport IOW
“At East Cowes we were met by Cowes Harbour Patrol who very kindly took us down river to The Riverfest in Newport. We were met with the nearest I am ever going to get to a celebrity welcome! It was so good to see my volunteer mates, and after a quick speech on the stage, I was awarded a medal … and a bottle of bubbly!”