RNLI Fundraising trip
Round the Coastline of Britain

These pages are dedicated to my forthcoming ride round the coastline of mainland Britain. Carcher2k of UKGSer's and F650.co.uk is joining me on this adventure. He rides an '04 F650 Dakar.

During the course of the journey, we will be visiting all the mainland RNLI boathouses and we aim to raise as much money as possible for their charity.

Between now and the start of the trip, We will be spending some time attracting some corporate sponsorship to help aquire the necessary equipment and promoting the RNLI in and around Henley on Thames and Witney.

We will be starting the trip on May 12th 2005 at the Portsmouth RNLI station and travelling anticlockwise round the country. The only time we will leave the mainland is to use the roadbridge to Skye and then get the ferry down to Mallaig. The rest of the journey, we will be sticking as close to the coast as possible. We hope to reach the Southampton station on the 27th May.

There are 168 RNLI boathouses in mainland Britain which we will be visiting (although a few are on private land and not accessible to the public). The total journey will cover over 4,000 miles and take an estimated 16 days in the saddle.

If you hover your mouse over the coastal areas on the map, it will show which day of the trip we will be passing that area and if you click on an area it will show you a more detailed map of that days route.

In the 2 minutes or so it will take you to read this page, the cost of maintaining the nation's maritime rescue service will have been over £400 - not a penny of which comes from the government.

The RNLI is funded almost entirely by voluntary donations and legacies. For them to continue to save lives at sea and fund our plans for the future, they need your help.

Your donation will help us save lives

£17 pays for a pair of gloves for a lifeboat crewmember
£28 pays for a personal flare pack
£38 pays for a pair of crewmember's boots
£88 pays for a thermal suit
£176 pays for a safety helmet
£500 pays for a lifejacket for our all-weather lifeboat crew

You can make your contribution online through the charitable collection organisation Just Giving on this dedicated page at JustGiving. By paying this way, your contribution will enable the RNLI to benefit from a 28% tax rebate which in effect increased the sum you donate by that amount. You will also be able to see a record of your contribution on the page and the running total of everyones contributions. Alternatively stuff as much money as you can afford into one of the many local RNLI collection box's.

3rd March update

Things are going swimmingly with our plans.

Just had the nod that we will get a photo opportunity with Henley's local MP, Boris Johnson. It will be at his local community office on at 3.55pm, 18th March. We plan on using it as the launch for the ride, and are talking to the local press about arranging some related articles. Local radio stations, regional TV news and motorcycle magazines are also being contacted with appropriate press releases.

Lots of support from other F650'ers and UKGS'ers who are suggesting places to stay, offering beds (or cow barns) to sleep in, or who just want to ride along for the section nearest them.

On the sponsorship front, it now looks extremely likely that we will have the support of a major motorcycle manufacturer helping provide logistical support as well as some kit, along with a well known supplier of GPS systems who need a new system tested in anger. Now if we can persuade someone like Autocom to come on board.

I am currently looking at the possibility of filming the whole ride for professional editing into an hour long television program. If you want a chance of 30 seconds of fame, meet up with us on the ride.

18th March update

Just returned from the official launch for our planned trip round all the RNLI stations. My local MP, Boris Johnson, very kindly offered us some of his time for a photo opportunity which we hope will get in the local papers. Here we are, toasting the start of the fundraising effort with a quality champagne donated by local wine distributor, Woods Wines.

With only 5 minutes available we managed to get him to pop the cork on a bottle of bubbly, sample it and christen the bikes with a few drops on their mudguards. He was extremely interested in the trip and wished us a safe and enjoyable journey round the coast.

Next stop and I'll be parked up in Henley main square under an RNLI awning with Mellow Yellow, lots of maps and other RNLI gear, rattling a collection box to hopefully pick up some of the cash from people passing by.

25th April update

My 50th birthday and a trip to Amsterdam and a 25th Wedding anniverary celebrations have all been hogging my attention over the last month, but despite all that Chris and I have been beavering away trying to get things in place for our trip.

After many emails and phone calls to a number of companies and just when I thought that all was lost, Kylie and Lauren at BMW Motorrad UK Press Office have stepped into the breach to help me out with the loan of a BMW Navigator II GPS unit. This is a really great gesture. They and BMW Motorrad UK Press Office have my undying gratitude.

BMW North Oxford have also stepped up and are helping me with some kit and the use of the workshop to fettle my bike. (Lets hope I can get a good part exchange price from them when I decide to upgrade to a 1200GS) :)

Donations are now starting to accumulate online at JustGiving as well as on forms that I have been handing out to family and friends. The patrons of my local pub The Unicorn, Kingwood Common have been especially supportive and generous.

This picture shows one of The Unicorns landlords, Stephen Lee trying out Mellow Yellow.

My local paper The Henley Standard, have (after a bit of pestering. Thanks Maria) printed a full article on the trip in Friday 29th April edition using a cropped version of the above picture. Yippee.

OK all you F650'ers and UKGS'ers, if you want to join in for your section of the trip, PM or email me now, so we can get things sorted.

Thanks for all your support,
PB and carcher2k