My name is Iain McKie, aka The Loon, and I have decided to undertake the biggest challenge of my life and cycle from Trafalgar Square to the Lighthouse at Cape Trafalgar in Southern Spain.
The route is exceptionally arduous, and I am going alone with a bike, a map, and a sleeping bag. The route will be somewhere between 1500 and 1600 miles and I aim to complete it in under 3 weeks; my actual goal is 2 weeks and 4 days, but along the way I will have to contend with mountains, extreme heat and the potential for torrential rain.
The goal is to raise money for charity. I have selected 6 charities for people to consider donating to as I pedal my way south. Our lives have all been affected in many ways by hideous diseases and conditions; we all know people who have or are still suffering.
I have deliberately chosen something that will test me to the absolute physical and mental extreme. I am not a cyclist, nor am I a member of any cycle club. All of my (substantial) training has been done by myself and while I appreciate the enormity of the task that lies ahead of me starting September 8th I believe that I am in as good a shape as I ever could be to even give it a go.
For those who know me, I am more than a little quirky and off the wall, but I hope those people would also agree that I have a level of determination and generosity.
Thank you all for even reading this far. I will update you via this site and socials as I go along, and I hope that a few quid is raised along the way.
All the best, Iain
Route start point
Trafalgar Square, London
Route end point
Cape Trafalgar, Spain
Route in detail
Start
London
Le Havre
Caen
Le Mont Saint Michel
Rennes
Nantes
La Rochelle
Royan
Le Verdon Sur Mer
Bordeaux
Labouheyre
Biarritz
Hendaye
Pamplo Virone
Logrono
Burgos
Valladolid
Zamora
Salamanca
Plasencia
merida
Seville
Cadiz
Miles
75
60
77
40
69
87
48
55
62
52
68
19
62
62
82
80
62
42
81
94
117
75
32
End
Portsmouth
Caen
Le Mont Saint Michel
Rennes
Nantes
La Rochelle
Royan
Le Verdon Sur Mer
Bordeaux
Labouheyre
Biarritz
Hendaye
Pamplo Virone
Logrono
Burgos
Valladolid
Zamora
Salamanca
Plasencia
merida
Seville
Cadiz
Cape Trafalgar
Donations
In addition, because everyone is really feeling the pinch, I am adding in £200 of my own which will be split into 40 separate donations in people's names. Please email or text me your name, confirm that you are a UK subject (for Gift Aid eligibility) and which of the six charities you would like me to donate £5 to. Any of the £200 leftover will go to Action Bladder Cancer UK.
If anyone wishes to send me messages of encouragement, please use the message board. Anyone wishing to hurl obscene filth at me please do so via +44 7949 841332 AFTER you have donated. Nothing is too filthy or offensive for this service.
A major hug and thank you to Emily Boniface of Blue Fern Consult for this fantastic website.
Iain
Email iainmckie@hotmail.com
Offensive texts to +44 7949 841332