Louth cyclists' epic 357-mile circum-county cycle ride in aid of Naomi's Garden

Louth cycling club at the end of their first day

As the second biggest county in the UK, cycling all the way around Lincolnshire in just two days seems like a tall order.

But that’s exactly what members of Louth Cycling Club have done, cycling the 357-mile Lincolnshire Border Ride around Lincolnshire to raise money for Naomi's Garden Conductive Education.

The charity, based in Manby, runs education sessions for children and adults with movement and genetic disorders such as Cerebral Palsy, Parkinsons, Down’s syndrome, MS and Long Covid, and is a cause close to the club’s hearts.

They set off from Louth at 4am on Saturday (June 24) and headed north-east towards North Somercotes to reach the coastline, south down the coast through Mablethorpe and Skegness, before cycling across to Boston and then King's Lynn to reach the border with Norfolk.

They then turned inland along the southern border to Stamford, and then north along the Lincolnshire border to Staunton in the Vale for a much needed evening meal and bed for the night – 190 miles in all.

The second day saw the cyclists set off from Staunton and head north past Newark, through Gainsborough, Scunthorpe, past the Humber Bridge, Grimsby, and Cleethorpes, finishing back at Louth at Ye Olde Whyte Swanne, a total of 165 miles.

Spokesman for the club, Neil Bunch, said: It was really memorable but also very hard, mentally as well as physically, but it was a great group of people who all got each other through the tough times.

"Afterwards it would be easier to say what didn’t hurt!”

Neil said the best parts were seeing the sunrise as they cycled along the Mablethorpe coast, and then the sunset as they arrived in Staunton: “It was like we were racing the sun!

"A piece of advice I was given is that you shouldn’t look down, but always look up and enjoy the view and it really helped.

“The support we received was fantastic – as we came in across the Humber there were groups of people cheering us on, and the welcome committee as we came back into Louth was overwhelming.”

Sarah-Jayne Walker, a lead conductor of Naomi’s Garden, has expressed her thanks and gratefulness to the club for their mammoth efforts to raise money.

She said: “A huge thank you to Louth Cycle Club. To every team member who took part of the mammoth challenge, Naomi’s Garden is incredibly grateful.

"We have all been inspired by your strength and team work and will never forget the effort you put in to this ride.

"Well done from all of us across all the departments at Naomi’s Garden.”