Longest Day Challenge - Odiham Motorcycle Club

Longest Day Up Challenge – Andy Camp

So where should I start ?

In June of 2023 I picked up 2 bikes one of which I wanted to use for the challenge but after quite a few hours, a tank cleaning process spilling molasses over the workshop floor stinking for days.

Or after getting the bike running and realising it was not firing on both cylinders, maybe head gasket, I dunno but we where running out of time. I was offered a Honda Stealy cbr600f around April which matched the ride criteria (bike under £600) so this meant ROAD TRIP WITH PETE NICOLE.

Or a month before the challenge, my first 500m ride out deciding to fill up the CBR with diesel- that’s another story.

Or with 4 days to go Debbies Dad passing away and she had to shoot off to Cornwall with her sister to be with her Mum.

Or half hour before Pete Nicol picked me up from home, a dead battery.

Or the 24 hours before the riders briefing, with Debbie’s mum and Dad living in St Austell, we’d booked an apartment near them to spend a couple of days in Cornwall. We’d booked a restaurant at polkeris beach called Sam’s dinner which we can highly recommend. Dinner booked for 6pm, got a lift close to the restaurant, or so we thought, but some how ended up on the Cornwall coastal path doing a 2.5 hour cliff top trek with stunning views in scorching sun, no water, no phone signal, and dressed in casual dinner wear, not hiking gear. Not recommended …. Luckily we made it before close to eat, rest our weary bodies & quench our thirst! Great practice for “are we nearly there yet ….”

The start.

1:30pm 19th June THE MEET UP AT LANDS END for ceremonial start and photos at 2pm and thanks to Pete Nicole we arrived at Lands End on time, avoiding a lorry fire on A30. We parked up and waited for the rag-tail bunch of bikes to turn up, most eventually arrived after being caught in the A30 road-closure.

Finally at 4pm we lined up for the start and photos in front of the lands end sign, then set of to the hotel in a procession. As we went along my bike started to splutter and then ground to a halt. Fortunately for me one of the other bikes had a spare can of fuel on his bike so I was on my way to the Hayle hotel, the bike stared to splutter again. This put me into panic mode we’d already had problems with the battery having charged it while we waiting for the other bikers to turn up at Lands End.

The Start

After ringing Pete to do his international rescue to pick me and the bike up. Got back to hotel just in time for riders briefing, by then I’m thinking my ride was done, and I wouldn’t be taking part.

After dinner and briefing about 9pm Pete and I took a look at the bike, I took the saddle off Pete checked the breather pipes on the tank, meanwhile a few of my fellow riders had gathered around to give there two penneth worth (not helpful), after a while Pete realised my fuel tap was not turned on fully d’ohh!

Once corrected I took it for a spin, hey presto I’m back in the game except my head was totally messed up, finally getting to bed around 11:30pm with the sound of a Honda Deauville still trying to be ready for the big day only 5 hours away. My alarm set for 3am, I did not sleep well.

2:30 am, that’s it can’t sleep and I want to put a camera on my bike and pack my saddle bags so I put my eyes in, got dressed and off to my trusty steed, shitting my pants – was all the gym work and riding prep worth it. FUCK KNOWS.

We wheeled our bikes to the entrance of the hotel with cameras pointing at us and we’re off. A30 here we come…first road closure Fuck.. followed the 30ml detour (via a Newquay) with some bikers flying ahead so I hooked on to the tails of a cb500 as my satnav and headset was not talking, another head wobble!

Eventually got on to A30, I’m on my way up to Exeter which we have to go through as we are not allowed to use motorways, that’s alright I’m with another biker ‘I’ll be fine.’

Ended up going round a few roundabouts twice. Made it now onto the A303 and making good progress, turn off A303 heading to Warminster still going well and heading up to Cirencester

I know this bit of the route having practised it a few weeks ago. Then I got a little ahead of myself, took a right turn instead of left, and suddenly lost my buddy. Shit, shit as with no navigation aids I had to stop and use my phone satnav as my Garmin had run out of juice and the lead I had for it didn’t seem to work. I set off thinking I had put in Cirencester services. But no, I was heading for Serviced Apartments Cirencester, simple mistake when dyslexic and being super stressed.

Eventually I got the postcode for pit-stop 1 arriving at 8:40am, 4hours and 40min into the 27 hour ride. My brain was fried so phoned Debbie Honeyman and explained what had gone on. I would say by this time I was thinking everything was conspiring against me. At 9am, I headed off again on route to pit-stop 2 doubting myself and my life choices. I’ve got another 20 hours of this!

Next pit-stop was Clay Cross so heading off to Coventry managed to get phone and headset working at last so settled in to riding to speed limits and pushing on. No buddy. “You can do this”, ringing in my ear from Debbie.

I can’t remember anything about this part of the ride, just it was sunny and I was still on time and other bikes were behind me so wasn’t all bad. I had the post code for the next stop with the thought “JUST STAY OFF THE MOTORWAYS”.

As I pulled into Clay Cross I saw a finger waving and pointing, as I got closer there was Richard Dry cheering me on and pointing me to the pit-stop. Wow you have no idea what this meant to me, having some go out of their way to cheer me on and unknown to me had printed out my route planner which he got from Debbie.

At this point I had also caught up with a few more bikes. I pulled up to someone giving my helmet a clean, my bike chain adjusted and oiled, fuck me I felt like a TT racer. Even some bloke with a camera wanting to interview me which they didn’t use understandably coz I was a mumbling emotional idiot.

One of the bikes I caught up with Gladis (glad it’s working), ridden by Graham who in his lid looked like Steve Wright (on the radio). We’d met Graham earlier on at my Pinewood BBQ fundraiser, big shout to Dave, the flipping burger Kirby for his great impression of Mr whippy on that night.

Any how a quick chat to Graham Hatch, and we buddied up. Off we set with a different mind set than before not realising this next bit was the shortest in miles but the longest ride to pit-stop 3. We were still on time and we know we had to get to pit-stop 4 by 10pm to catch the last ferry to Dunoon.

With Graham as a buddy and teamwork it meant I could give my phone a rest.

We wound our way though Sheffield traffic then on to skirting the edges of Liverpool towards Carlisle. This was a hard slog having to filter constantly in rush hour traffic. This took about 4 hours to go 100miles, by now my left arm starting to hurt as I’d jarred my wrist on a few pot holes earlier in the day.

We made it to pit-stop 3 by around 4:15pm which was great as cut off for leaving to catch the ferry was 5pm. We had a quick top up with water, another helmet polish, and a protein drink. I told Graham about the off chance we may have a chinook buzzing us in Dunoon, thanks to Sean A and the RAF which gave us an extra boost.

Off we went, I might add, one of the pit Crew advised Graham that a quick blast on the M6 would save us a little time and guaranteed that we would make the ferry. We declined and headed towards Carlisle, then Gretna.

Bonnie Scotland here we come.

We had great big smiles on our faces but having done a long time in the saddle were just starting to get a little fidgety and both where topping up our fuel every 100 miles. I Remember Graham, aka Steve Wright pointing to a sign and the pair of us fist pumping the welcome to Scotland!

Not far now, till pit-stop 4 I stupidity thought!

We got onto the A82 to Gourock Ferry Terminal. Flying along, with Graham having to slip his clutch to get his bike going a bit, then… Fuck A82 closed and another detour.

Ok this will be ok, we came off and followed the first sign onward and travelled to the next roundabout, where the fuck is the next sign !!!! Go round back to first detour sign followed it again, nothing and the satnav telling us to go on the A82 “we can’t you stupid mother f…….. satnav”. Now we were getting a little worried.

I eventually said let’s follow the trucks, they all look like they know where they are going hopefully. So we did and a little way on we found the rest of the detour and rolled into Gourock ferry terminal 9:50pm.

By Christ we had made it and we were happier than a happy thing could be….. Knowing we have a little wait for the ferry and a 20min rest while on it. What more can you ask for, oh maybe a helmet polish and a cup of coffee. We were offered hot dogs and coffee and tea, not all in one cup I might add. By then I had eaten nothing all day only taking on board water and protein drinks. So I nearly went for 15 hot dogs and all the trimmings!

Then the devastating blow that we where told we couldn’t take the ferry and to crack on down to Fort William. Don’t worry it will save you 2 hours and you will easily find petrol !!!!! We had caught up with a few more riders and one local to the area who knew the road. “Follow me” he said in a jock accent ” I know the roads well” so off we went at quite a pace with the dark drawing in.

We were travelling at quite a rate in the dark and slightly upset we didn’t get our 20min rest!

Got to Fort William with the rain just starting and my eyes, by this point were popping out of my head. My arms felt like I was at junior school when you got your very first dead arm, given to you by the school bully.

Me and G aka Steve did our upmost to keep up with the mad jock and a couple times nearly over ran corners, thank god for my track day experience!

Then I suddenly lost both Steve and the mad jock and now could not find my handle bar after wiping rain and flies from my visor. Shit, and I’m now starting to hallucinate.

I’m starting to see things, and also not see things at 60mph, this is not good!! Then around the next corner a fellow biker going slower than me so I hooked on to him and hopefully to regroup as my wingman had disappeared. As it was he wasn’t far up the road having realised I was no longer behind him and thinking the mad jock was going to kill us both on the Lock Nessy road had backed off and waited.

I’m sure he had said to us don’t worry I don’t like riding fast in the wet and dark, maybe I was hearing things too?

Steve was with another bike whom I thought was the mad jock. I was really starting to see things. As we rode on heading toward Inverness, the miles clocked up and I’m now at 100miles on my counter! I needed fuel and so did Ian who I thought was the mad jock.

He pulled over at one point and I doubled back to make sure he was OK. “I can’t go on any further, I’ve no fuel left”. I said “it’s ok mate I have a litre, that will surely get you to a petrol station”. “No, go on without me” he said. This was a bit like scot of the Antarctic, I don’t know why I thought this, my mind was in a very strange place. Any so I left him and went on with Steve who would sometimes shape shift into Timmy Mallet.

Further down the road an oasis, petrol YESSSSSS we live a little longer or do we.. After stopping at a few petrol stations that did not do pay at pump, we found one that did and even Ian had caught up with us by then having remembered the reserve. Hand to forehead time for him. He, at the vary start of the day was 20mins behind us after his bike not starting at the beginning of the ride, his on/off switch off. Well done Pete for noticing, many helpers had half his bike in bits!

As we are heading now to Inverness half hour away another mishap, the road ahead is closed one of the workman came up to us and said the road was closed till 2:30am you can take an hour detour or wait 30mins, by this time a few others had joined us telling stories of losing coolant and various other mishaps.

We all decided to take the break, it also stopped raining, Happy nights. 30mins goes past and they let us thought just as the rain starts again, we were made to follow a van through the works as it was freshly laid tarmac. Not sure if any of you have done this before, an experience with the steam coming off the tarmac, and you can barely see through it hence to follow the van!

Once again we are on our way with 30mins to Inverness. As we roll into haggis tours run pit-stop, welcomed by the smiling crew checking you and your bike over, quick wee stop & coffee which was the best tasting coffee in the world! got my visor cleaned and off we set for the nearest petrol, we have done it I’m thinking, ok we are late but beyond our control.

The Backup Team

We were now heading to our final destination, John o’ Groats, Its only just up the road…… yeah right, 2 ½ hours up the fucking road!

This is when the pain starts really kicking in. As we ride along you find yourself doing strange hand gestures as your wrists are hurting, then your leg needs to be stretched out, then your other, cramp setting in while you are riding the worst possible road in GB, massive potholes in the corners so here we are doing the hockey cokey potholey crampy dance for what seemed to be forever and now it’s light!

At one point, a seagull flew along side Steve/Timmy/Graham and his shape shifting got worse, for me anyway, then aargh a bunny ran out in-front of him!

We carry on, I’m now looking at my mileage, we have done 80 miles since Inverness but they seem to be going very slowly and all hope of being picked up by a flyby Chinook had gone out the window by now, “mechanical issues”, Sean said (well, it’s a Chinook after all).

It was only sheer bloody mindedness and a certain person saying “you can do this” kept me going!

So picture this. At 5 miles to go I’m doing the stretchy Hokey Cokey Pokey (my nickname) dance on my bike while now counting down the miles Sesame Street Count Dracula style very very loudly to keep myself amused, and to be honest, alive!

Eventually, the last 500metres to go.

Its a long straight road and as we get closer to the end, a small 5’2” figure with boobs jumped out at us. We stopped and she said you can go to the sign and take a photo, or you can turn left here and get sleep.

I looked at Timmy, he was done in and so was Ian. I remember saying come on we have got this far and with Debbie asking them again, are you sure it’s only 2mins down there, I’ll take photos of you all. So we did and I followed that swiftly with two Groats beers that Debbie had bought earlier.

I must say I thought I would be crying by now, but I was way too fucked to do that! It was not until my journey home and when I started to write this did I actually realise how truly immense, challenging and epic this was!

I truly hope you enjoyed my story.

This journey the longest day is meant to represent the up and down struggle for people who are are going though cancer my just giving page was open till the end of 2024 and I will be shaking my bucket at every opportunity. Once again thank you for all the help and support I was given