Acomb Travel owner cycles from John O’Groats to Land’s End for charity

Eric Walton, owner of Acomb Travel in York, has cycled from John O’Groats to Land’s End in 14 days for charity.

Walton, who started with the agency in 1977 aged 21 and is now retired, was inspired to cycle the length of Britain after cycling from York to Padstow in 2023 to raise money for St Leonard’s Hospice in York.

He set off from John O’Groats on May 23 and cycled more than 900 miles to arrive in Land’s End on June 5. His route included stopover sites where his wife Sam and dog Spikey met him with a motorhome as a support vehicle.

On his latest challenge Walton is fundraising for pancreatic cancer charity The Three Bears Foundation, which was set up by a friend of his after his wife died from the disease six weeks after diagnosis. 

He has so far raised £3,025 for the charity, more than double his target, and further donations can be made through his GoFundMe page.

He told Travel Weekly: "I’m a cyclist and go out three times a week on average, but when you are doing it every day and you’re doing an average of 75 miles a day, it’s different. 

"Then again, it was not a race. You just have to rock up around half past nine in the morning and you’ve got all day to do it.

"The drawback was the weather was just atrocious 13 days out of 14, and you are anxious to get back because you are so soaked."

Another factor was the wind as most people choose to cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats because the prevailing wind is behind them, whereas going in the other direction it is pushing you back, he added. 

"It was gusting at 35 to 40 miles an hour on some days which meant I couldn’t freewheel downhill to make time because the wind was right in my face," Walton said.

There were some "lucky breaks" on the trip, including sheltering in Fort William, cycling through Glencoe when the sun broke through the clouds and their dog Spikey celebrating his 16th birthday en route. 

After the cycle, Walton got a massage in Padstow to help recover and has gone on holiday in Harlyn Bay and Cheltenham in the motorhome.

Walton said: "I’ll be back on out on the bike on Sunday once I get home to York."