Day 29: Another Sunday, another party day!
The sky is smiling when we wake up in the car park of the Blue Anchor Inn, not far from Taunton. A hearty breakfast and a lengthy dressing of the right foot and we’re off, driving down a country road towards the spot where we stopped last night. The conditions are perfect, dry with a small breeze, a welcome break from the prevailing headwinds. Then come the crowds: as I skate on down the A38 Becs, Bev, Mark, Annie, Bec’s parents and Rae and Phil turn up! Haven’t seen Rae and Phil for weeks, they’re in stressland preparing for their wedding, Phil’s going grey and losing his hair! Hahah.
Awesome to see everyone, having a little crowd whooping and cheering as I roll by each layby. Nat’s skating with me and Becki takes over control of the van from Holls. We go on and on, reaching the end of the 38 and swooping left down a B road. 6 miles later we stop for lunch. Spirits are high.
Then a van arrives as I’m munching on a bar of chocolate. It’s Connor, his two sisters and parents Ann and Mark. I haven’t met them before and didn’t realise they were joining us today, Connor has Lowe and Mark puts him in his wheelchair. He had an attack this morning and is sleepy and lethargic. I’m honoured that they’ve driven for an hour to find us on the road and am humbled to see Connor, a 17 year old boy, blind and small for his age, curled up in his chair. No one else from the team had seen the effects of Lowe Syndrome in the flesh, it brought home what BoardFree is all about. Connor is a trooper, his parents are amazing, his sisters cheeky and mischievous. They’re a normal family, upbeat and realistic, dealt a cruel blow with Connor’s condition but dealing with it and still living with a smile. Ann shows me pictures of Connor abseiling; I have a lump in my throat. For everyone who honks angrily and swears at us on the road and doubts the reasons behind BoardFree, you don’t matter. Connor and his family matters, John o’Groats to Land’s End is absolutely nothing compared to what they have been through. Ann and Mark thank me for what I’m doing. I wish I could do more.
Nat and I skate on, a lot of uphills. It’s hard going but I’m steely now, every push is for Connor. Steep hills level out, I can smell Land’s End. When Nat slows on a big hills (he wore his shoe out earlier on one long downhill!) Kate jumps out of the van and runs alongside for a few minutes. She’s a star. We reach Crediton and go a bit further. Stop for the day just past the 33 mile mark, one final mile-long uphill drag out of Crediton was an added bonus. One more hill down, five days of skating left.
The convey pulls out of the final lay-by of the day and drives south for half an hour. The rest of the party are waiting in the Barley Meadow Campsite (www.barleymeadow.com), near Crockernwell, with BBQs ready to burn and the site’s owner Paul brilliantly friendly. Just the place to relax at the end of a long and eventful day. Tomorrow the party disperses and by the end of it Elsa and I will be left with Dim and Becs. We have one hell of a week left.
Awesome to see everyone, having a little crowd whooping and cheering as I roll by each layby. Nat’s skating with me and Becki takes over control of the van from Holls. We go on and on, reaching the end of the 38 and swooping left down a B road. 6 miles later we stop for lunch. Spirits are high.
Then a van arrives as I’m munching on a bar of chocolate. It’s Connor, his two sisters and parents Ann and Mark. I haven’t met them before and didn’t realise they were joining us today, Connor has Lowe and Mark puts him in his wheelchair. He had an attack this morning and is sleepy and lethargic. I’m honoured that they’ve driven for an hour to find us on the road and am humbled to see Connor, a 17 year old boy, blind and small for his age, curled up in his chair. No one else from the team had seen the effects of Lowe Syndrome in the flesh, it brought home what BoardFree is all about. Connor is a trooper, his parents are amazing, his sisters cheeky and mischievous. They’re a normal family, upbeat and realistic, dealt a cruel blow with Connor’s condition but dealing with it and still living with a smile. Ann shows me pictures of Connor abseiling; I have a lump in my throat. For everyone who honks angrily and swears at us on the road and doubts the reasons behind BoardFree, you don’t matter. Connor and his family matters, John o’Groats to Land’s End is absolutely nothing compared to what they have been through. Ann and Mark thank me for what I’m doing. I wish I could do more.
Nat and I skate on, a lot of uphills. It’s hard going but I’m steely now, every push is for Connor. Steep hills level out, I can smell Land’s End. When Nat slows on a big hills (he wore his shoe out earlier on one long downhill!) Kate jumps out of the van and runs alongside for a few minutes. She’s a star. We reach Crediton and go a bit further. Stop for the day just past the 33 mile mark, one final mile-long uphill drag out of Crediton was an added bonus. One more hill down, five days of skating left.
The convey pulls out of the final lay-by of the day and drives south for half an hour. The rest of the party are waiting in the Barley Meadow Campsite (www.barleymeadow.com), near Crockernwell, with BBQs ready to burn and the site’s owner Paul brilliantly friendly. Just the place to relax at the end of a long and eventful day. Tomorrow the party disperses and by the end of it Elsa and I will be left with Dim and Becs. We have one hell of a week left.
posted by boardfreedave @ 6:13 am
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