Well, I suppose it's about time I launched this BLOG and the Justgiving site that goes with it.

Over the first 10 days (or so) of July Joanne and I plus her parents will be taking a family holiday with a difference: a trip from John O'Groats to Lands End via the highest mountain ranges in Scotland, Wales and England and the longest Lakes in the same Home Countries!!

The team has a combined age (and probably IQ, given the project) of 230!!!

I'll be knitting the trip together with a spot of cycling: John will be fell -running over the Scottish 4000ft peaks followed by the English and Welsh 3000's: Joanne will be swimming the length of  Windermere and Bala and she and Marjorie will be kayaking the length of Loch Awe.

Roger Burlinson will be filming the whole trip just to prove we did it........assuming we do.....and we'll be trying to raise cash for our local, Downton based Help for Heroes charity.

It's my intention to post daily over the coming weeks and I'll try to give a few more details about how it came about, our preparations and what each section of the trip entails so I'll start with day 1.

At midnight on June 30th ....my 53rd birthday...I'll set off from J o G, destination Cairngorm, a ride of approximately 170 miles. When I get there (hopefully mid-morning, gale-force South Westerly permitting!!) John will set off to tackle the Cairngorm 4000 ft peaks. Cairngorm (4081ft), Ben Macdui (4295), Carn Toul (4249), Sgur an Lochain Uaine (4127) and Braeriach (4252).

Simple.....what could possibly go wrong!!!

Early mention and thanks to Mike Martin and 2XU for once again supporting one of my lunatic schemes with a couple of wetsuits for Joanne......thanks!!!