Overview

Written By Mark Cook

If you’ve landed here its because you have shown an interest in joining me on a charity bike ride in France in summer 2023. I wanted to give you a better idea of the plan so you can decide if you are interested / able to join us!

A quick recap of the plan so far…

Cycle from St Malo (the ferry port in northern France where our holiday in June 2020 started) to Nantes (a city in Pays de la Loire, where Marty was cared for) and then over to the coastal town on Les Sables d’Olonne (where Marty was born)

What we have planned.

So we are still working out the plan but our current thinking is; cycle around the start of June (before it gets too hot). This would also be Marty’s first birthday which would make the ride extra poignant. The plan thus far is:

  • Catch a Ferry to St Malo with the bikes.

  • Split the ride across 7 - 10 days, the total route is 410 miles.

  • Approx 40 - 60 miles per day (depending on climb etc).

  • Short break time in Nantes to reflect on why I’m why i’m doing this.

  • 97% of the route is on cycle routes. These are mainly dedicated routes but there are parts where these share a road. 3% will be on some minor roads in France but we have tried to keep these to an absolute minimum.

  • Currently there is no “backup“, the idea would be to take everything we need with us. The route is a popular route with plenty of bike shops and trains that follow the route of required.

Costs

We’ve done our best to give some indications of how much this might cost, these are indications only and the final amounts may be different. Frankly it all depends on how much people will be willing to share etc.

  • Ferry, this is likely to cost between £70 and £100 each way depending on if people want a cabin.

  • It’s likely to cost between £30 and £100 per night accommodation.

  • Meals - I would expect this to be about £45 a day but is going to vary depending on what people do.

  • Total - circa £1400 (assuming 10 days)

Why we’re doing this!

This is all for charity. Money raised will be split between:

  • 2Wish - This charity provides support and bereavement counselling for families who suffer the loss of a young child across Wales.

  • Noahs Ark Tiny Lives Appeal - This fund supports the Cardiff Neonatal intensive care unit, support premature babies. This is our local hospital and is where Marty would have been cared for if this had happened to us at home.

  • Nantes University Hospital Neonatal Care - The support we had during our time here was overwhelming. The Nurses and Doctors couldn't do enough for our family and took care of Marty like he was a member of their own family.

We’d love it if you would share the page to help us raise money! At the same time if there is a charity close to your hearts that you would like to raise this money for, then please do!

Sign up for Updates

Everything is still being worked out, but if you are interested in joining then please let me know below and I can make sure we share any updates with you as the plan is finalised.

Mark Cook