Pleasant stay with great breakfast at Arkale Lodge in Carlisle and owner gave me short-cut to Carlisle United’s ground. Passed Brunton Park and hope to return later to get a story and some “official” photos (especially as adding the 36th club put on an extra three days to the journey!)

In the meantime, below are photos of their ground, a statue of Hugh McIlmoyle who became a legend at Carlisle in the 60s and 70s and the rugby club next door. I have to say that the Brunton Park pitch looks in absolute perfect condition.

From there it was a a quick ride to meet Tony Stephenson at TheBestOfCarlisle who gave me an overview of Carlisle and recommended Indigo as the best Indian Restaurant within 100 miles. Indigo sounds too good to miss so I will be shooting down there later as anybody who knows anything about me will tell you I am a huge Indian fan!

Ònly one possible highlight today. Spain getting through to the World Cup Final

Well, that is not quite true as I enjoyed the best BNI meeting for many a long day at Kendal. It was a great buzzy meeting, excellently hosted by Stuart Nelson with a good education slot and a very slick 10 minutes’ slot by Stuart’s dynamic wife, Sharon.

From there it was on to what I knew would be the toughest day of the whole tour from a cycling point of view. I set off from Kendal in the hope of making Carlisle but being realistic that I might not make it because of one word…Shap. Those of you who know Shap will know why I had to be careful. Shap is one of the highest summits in England with some frightening climbs. I was delighted that I was through the worst by 1,45 and after a (very!) extended lunch I was ready to continue. Shap to Penrith is not for the faint-hearted either but I was pleased to crack that section and that just left me the (relatively) easy last 17 miles to Carlisle. The need to get to Carlisle and somewhere to stay before the Spain game must have spurred me on as I arrived in the city just a few moments before the game started. What a game it was. Spain new meet Holland in the final after Carles Puyol’s magnificent header ¡A por ellos! Already looking forward to Sunday’s Final.

ANOTHER TRUE HIGHLIGHT

I am struggling to think of a day where there has not been some highlight to help me cope with the physical, emotional and mental challenges.

Today there were two.

1) A superb BRX meeting at the Marriot, Preston. A great meeting in a superb venue ….although sadly outside refugee budgets

and then

2) Ed Nash kindly arranged an invitation to a Barclays Bank seminar. My first reaction was, “Oh no. A seminar run by a bank.” I think realised that if Ed had recommended it then it must be worthwhile. He was right. I was wrong. The presenter was the superb Geoff Ramm. Entertaining, informative and a consummate professional. He kept a packed room hanging on his every word for almost three hours and when you consider the quality of entrepreneur in the audience that was some feat. I was delighted to have a chance to speak with Geoff in private and I would very much like to do a gig with him in his native North East this autumn.

I definitely recommend you check his site and follow him on twitter.

So another 5am start and it was almost 3 before I set off for Kendal. To be honest, I was ready for bed but knew there was a 5 hour journey ahead. I stopped off at Morecambe where I was unceremonioulsy escorted off the building site that is their new stadium. (Their previous stadium at Christy Road is almost a Sainsburys. IMHO they will NOT be ready for the beginning of the season and I can see them forefiting home advantage at least for the first few weeks of the season!

By chance I passed their neighbour’s ground but I do not think that the Football League will allow them to play on the Lancaster City ground just a few miles down the road.

From there it was a two hour plus trek to Kendal where Stuart Nelson and his wife Sharon had kindly offered to host me. Food, water, a shower and clean sheets were enough to excite me but the 21″ screen on a Mac was also pretty exciting too! Remind me how sad I am!

Huge thanks to Alan Higham for hosting me back on Merseyside. Alan is an executive director with BNI and an all round good guy. Pleasure to meet. Sadly I could only stay the one night and then I was off to the Ibis in Preston where fortunately I was only booked in for one night. Worst hotel en route …. although huge thanks to BRX for funding it.

“….and now for something completely different” (Monty Python)

Well, maybe not that different – a professional sports club, financial “issues” and photos at a new stadium.

It’s Sunday and it’s been a long week. I am treating myself to a quiet day. I have a meal and a sofa promised by BNI Regional Director, Alan Higham. He is less than an one hour’s cycle away ….and not a mountain in sight. The world is sweet!

Just up the road from my hotel is the new Halton Stadium (AKA Stobart Stadium after the sponsor, Eddie Stobart) which was built on the site of the old Naughton Park. It would be rude of me not to pop in!

Now the clever thing is to have a GREAT team and a GREAT stadium at the SAME time but sadly this is something Widnes Vikings Rugby League have not quite got right. When I was a huge Bradford Northern fan in the 70, 80s and 90s Widnes were one of the very top teams with a squad full of household names Bowden, Elwell, Jim Mills (the hardest man I have ever met) Jonathan Davies, Hughes, Laughton, Wright etc etc. I remember some titanic battles at both Odsal and Naughton Park.

Widnes also had one of the worst stadiums in the country! Now, they have a terrific stadium but are not even in the Super League. Yet, just 20 years ago they were the first ever club to win the world club championship and were always in the chase for one bit of silverware or other. Great team – lousy stadium. Somewhat ironic!

On the floor again ………until Jody helps out

Jody who owns both Widnes Local and Runcorn Local promised me some work at yesterday’s meeting and true to her word she arrived at 11am with four boxes of the excellent magazines for me to deliver around Crofton about four miles away. She paid me in advance and that absolutely saved my day as I did not have enough money for the hotel and as she was with me they asked me to settle the account. Talk about perfect timing, Jody you saved my day!

So, I spent most of the day delivering magazines but I did get to see Spain against Paraguay and the highlights of Argentina against Germany. Villa was as impressive as usual and the game’s only goal ensured that Spain will now play Germany who must feel confident after their 4-0 drubbing of the Argentine team.

Alan Higham the BNI Director for Durham and Cumbria has kindly invited me to his home on Sunday so I have survived the weekend. Let’s hope all the debtors pay me on Monday!

Great start to the day – comfortable bed, clean sheets, hot water at the Daresbury Park Hotel in Cheshire. Thanks to Marissa Hankinson and BNI Viking for organising it. It is 20 years since I was last at this hotel when it was called the Lord Daresbury and whilst I have happy memories of an awards ceremony here, I would not have recognised the old hotel. It is now a prestigious hotel, conference and leisure complex that I would highly recommend to you all. Enjoy!

Sadly I could not cuddle my pillow for too long and I was soon 20 yards down the corridor to their meeting. It was one of the very best I have been to and also one of the biggest. That is not always the case but with this chapter big IS better. Congratulations. Marissa as chapter director had also organised that the chapter photographer Andrew Collier took some photos. I was so well treated (lovely chocolate cake, Emma!) that I have made BNI Viking sponsor of the day. I was also delighted that Jody from Widnes Local had some magazine distribution for me. That should hopefully pay for a bed for tonight. Thanks all.

A friend wrote about me on an internet forum and asked me to comment on HOW I am rather than WHERE I am. I realised that I had not really covered that over the past few weeks so perhaps these words will give you an idea of how I am progressing.

I said,

“Physical – it is MUCH MUCH MUCH tougher than I ever imagined. Cycling 25 miles is NOT cycling one mile (which I guess we can all do) 25 times. Cycling 50 miles is DEFINITELY NOT cycling 25 miles (which I guess many can do) twice only. Cycling anything over 60 miles on a regular basis is NOT for the faint-hearted. Bjørn is immensely fitter than I am (and was even more so at the beginning of our respective journeys). IF and it is a big IF, I could be assured of a good clean bed, a shower and good food at the end of every day, life would be easier and the physical challenge much less.

Mental – it is MUCH MUCH MUCH tougher than I ever imagined. As Bjørn says “Cycling is not the tough bit”. He warned me I would have high “highs”and low “lows”. He was 100%correct. It is the constant hassle of trying to liaise about 300 gigs over 100 days, sort out 120 bed nights and ensuring that the blogs, FB, twitter, Ecademy, emails are up to date. It is finding wifi hotspots. (Long live McDonalds and Starbucks. Viva Great Western and Ramada Hotels) It is trying to find landline numbers so that friends can call you and so they aren’t being ripped off on international calls to UK mobiles. It is trying to keep one day’s worth of clean, dry clothes. It is keeping calm when the directions you were given by a well-meaning stranger takes you 5 miles out of your way …… and its pouring down. (*) It is constantly packing and unpacking and constantly being aware of security issues every time you run in to a shop for a water or chocolate or having to sleep with your total worldly possessions in a backpackers hostel. It is the constant fear of having your bike or panniers stolen and the incessant near misses from drivers on their mobiles or who misjudge completely distances on roundabouts

Emotional – it is MUCH MUCH MUCH tougher than I ever imagined. As some will know, two weeks into the journey, I lost absolutely everything I own in a fire in Spain. I am sitting here looking at literally every single thing I possess …. and this is carried on my bike every day. When I first heard of the fire, I could not believe it. I sat in Starbucks and then McDonalds just numb for maybe three hours. I really had no desire to go on. FORTUNATELY, I had a BIG day the following day and I would not want to let Jim down as he had made such an effort to set up appointments with his MP, a a radio station, Luton Town FC and a meal with some BNI members. If he had not organised those ……. I remember his wife kindly made me a sandwich and as a vegetarian I was horrified to find it was meat sausage ….. but I ate it. It did not seem to matter whether I ate it or not. The 3rd time in perhaps 20 years I had eaten meat ….. so what? Even now and pretty much every day, I remember things that went up in flames and have to be added to the insurance report. It’s a constant reminder that life has been good to me over 53 years and despite being a minimalist, one does acquire so much over that number of years.

I am also coming to terms with being let down constantly and continually. The two major sponsors evaporated when push came to shove and I am owed almost 900 GBP from smaller sponsors who have all been generously and genuinely thanked on my blogs etc ….but then do not cough up. What does that mean? My budget does not stretch. I have set myself a target to live on 20 GBP per day ALL IN. If the sponsors do not pay I cannot feed and water myself nor pay for accommodation. The promised accommodation did not appear this week so I am completely out of funds. After I put yet another 10 on my PAYG phone this afternoon, I found I had 2 GBP for food this evening. (The phone sponsor also evaporated in Milton Keynes!) My fault, I should have put 5 GBP on my mobile and left myself with 7 pounds for a pizza or whatever. I learn to accept responsibility. Fortunately the petrol station had Snickers on special offer so 1,89 got me 5 Snickers. Tomorrow I have a BNI breakfast and that will see me through. If the sponsors paid I would have enough almost for the end of the tour and certainly enough to live far more comfortably than the refugees. I have been quite lucky with accommodation recently but two weeks ago the refugee budget ran out again and I had to sleep in the back of a ro-ro container. Fortunately, it was only for one night and not for the months or years that refugees have to endure dreadful conditions.

I am coming to terms with people promising shirts, and boasting about invitations, appointments which do not materialise. It is all part of the journey and the challenge. Next!

So, I now realise that the challenge is not only physical but that it is mental and emotional. Realistically, I am sure I could do far more physically if I did not have the emotional and mental hassle to deal with 24/7.

So, tough? Yes. Absolutely.
Am I coping? Yes. Absolutely.
Why am I coping? I am supported by a lot of people who HAVE kept their promises and who I know are behind me. Dean “Warrior Coach” Grimshawe, Aron Stevenson, Andy Trice, Penny Power, Pernille, Ingela, Carolyn Williams, many in BNI ( I have visited 15 chapters now. RESPECT) BRX and Ed Nash, great support on the LinkedIn BNI group lead by John Coupland etc etc.

Why am I continuing? Personal pride and a commitment to support Bjørn (“Blood Brothers”) and the world’s 45 million refugees. Moreover, every day is different and I have met so many fabulous people who I try to praise on my blogs etc. Every day there is some form of highlight – a great welcome at a club, a great BNI meeting, an invitation to speak at a BRX or a rotary club, a class of children thirsty for knowledge, a bed/shower/wifi connection. Great comments on blogs, FB, twitter etc. ALL of these and more, “get me through the night” as the song goes.

Huge thanks to ALL who have supported in whatever way, great or small and I look forward to meeting many more of you before the trip finishes. With Blackpool, Burnley, Accrington and Blackburn covered this week I have now visited 34 clubs so I am now nearly half way there. By the time I get to Leeds United I will have done more than 50% of the clubs. I will be on my way “home” and looking forward to the Ecademy cricket day on 5th September in Southend On Sea where I hope to be nothing more taxing than count daisies and reflect on the previous 92 clubs and 34 BNI regions. I also hope to meet many of you there.

Hugz, un abrazo, kram, klem ….

(*Here is a plea – if you are asked directions and are not sure, PLEASE say so. I think that realistically nearly half the directions I am given are flawed or plain wrong!)

Time to say goodbye to St James Hotel after a very nice stay.

Excellent BNI meeting at Tower with some very interesting people and some good contacts for yours truly.

To name a few:

Dona Williams
Andrew Wareing
Tracy Park
Ian Smallbrook
Rachel Riches
James Allison
Janice Ryle
Rick Bell

Then off on the bike again. Tonight I have been booked in at De Vere Lord Daresbury Hotel. I am looking forward to this as it is some 20 years since I was last there. This reminded me of my happy days with the Sharples Group in Bredbury, Stockport.

Another early start and I was at my first ever BRX meeting. I have been in regular contact with Ed Nash for several weeks and I was delighted at last to catch up with him.

BRX is similar at BNI in its aims and objectives and I was delighted to meet an enthusiastic group of business owners in the prestigious Imperial Hotel on the North Promenade in Blackpool. I was shown great hospitality and I got an incredible five contacts at football clubs from no less than four members. A very worthwhile crack of dawn alarm call for me! Thanks all.

Special thanks to Ed for the introduction and to Fiona Reid from Ascroft Whiteside for going the extra mile and generously scouring her contact list.

I had a very pleasant stroll along the promenade after the meeting and recognised that Blackpool like so many cities I have visited in England on this tour has improved beyond all recognition. There is huge investment being pumped into the town and its 2500 hotels and boarding houses are clearly now catering for the needs of the guests of the 21st century. No longer are you locked out all day, the bedrooms are clean and have all the facilities we have become used to on our travels. The (in)famous Blackpool landlady who was the butt of some many Les Dawson and Bernard Manning jokes has made way to owners who know that they have fierce competition and that they are now dealing with discerning clients.

A GREAT start to the day. I get an email from my friend Graham Perry to confirm that Lorna Mclelland, player liaison officer from Aston Villa’s training ground has sent an Olof Mellberg shirt. Olof, jag tackar så hemskt mycket. Det var snällt. (A little thank you in his native Swedish if he is reading this!) So thanks to Lorna, Graham and Olof for getting my day off well. (Graham also forwarded more photos from my visits to Villa and Birmingham City . Enjoy!

Talking about enjoyment, it was a tough day in the saddle. First the short trip to Accrington where I was well received by one of the smallest clubs on my journey and then on to another Premiership club just down the road at Blackburn Rovers. After the excellent hopitality I had received all over Lancashire (Preston, Bolton, Wigan, Bury and Burnley), I was delighted that their colleagues at Ewood Park also found time to welcome me and show me around the stadium. Yes, special thanks to Rob Gill from their press office who made a special trip all the way from Ribchester to host me. Much appreciated.

From there it was across to Blackpool and if you know the area you will know that there are yet more hills to cross. Never mind, because it was so late I managed to get a good deal at the St James Hotel on the promenade and only 200 yards from my early morning appointment at the Imperial Hotel. Sadly, my refugee budget will not allow me to stay at such establishments but the welcome I received at the St James matched anything I would have got at its neighbour.

Time for bed, said Zebedee!

Sir Jack Walker

Accrington Stanley