In Partnership with the World Land Trust
Cycle For Change PART 2! Cycling the Scottish Coastline Oct 21st - Nov 4th
James Wragg is heading back to Scotland to continue his mission to cycle as far as he can around the UK coastline in October!
Supported By
Cycle for change - PART 2!
The Challenge
"This journey is way bigger than me, I'll need all the support I can get along the way and I'd love to include anyone who wants to get involved!" -James
Almost two years ago, in late November 2021 James embarked on the challenge of a lifetime, cycling over 2000km of UK coastline in Winter. It was far from easy! On the day he set off from Southwold, "Storm Arwen" battered the Eastern coastline, shortly followed by "Storm Barra". The ferocious winds and heavy rain set back James' schedule meaning he was forced to change his plans and cut out most of Scotland to avoid snow and ice. Later in his journey, Covid reared it's ugly head as the Omicron pandemic set in, restricting travel in Wales and making accommodation difficult. Reluctantly, James finished his journey 2 weeks early after 6 weeks on the road. The journey, despite it's challenges, was a huge success raising over £8400 to protect 67'000msq of rainforest.
HEADING BACK TO SCOTLAND! October 21st 2023
Determined to claim back those two missing weeks and with a Scottish score to settle, James is dusting off the Noble Steed, packing his panniers and heading back to Edinburgh for a 2 week special, cycling the coastline over the top of Scotland as far as he can, wild-camping where possible, before finding a train home!.
He'll be cycling alone but with the inspiration and motivation of those who follow the project to spur him on.
Follow James on social media, send him a message of support and encouragement, offer a garden to camp in or even a sofa for the night, brew him a coffee on the way or just wave and cheer as he goes past!
Part One Completed! (For Now)
James cycled for 6 weeks from 27th November 2021 to January 5th 2022!
On a blustery, rainy Saturday at Southwold Pier in Suffolk, straight into to jaws of Storm Arwen, James began his epic journey and things didn't get much easier!
With 2 months booked off work, no set finish date and no planned accommodation James embarked on a journey like no other. A journey that would take him through rain, hail, gale force headwinds, steep hills, gravel tracks, mud, sleet, cities, villages, farms, snow, ice, closed seaside resorts, caravan parks, hotels, industrial estates, mountains, valleys, sunsets, darkness, injuries, home sickness, mechanical failures, hilarity, depression, joy, misery, sweat, tears, doubt, pride, near hypothermia and even a second international pandemic! Regardless of the conditions James ploughed on, covering 2030 km over 40 days!
The support from the public has been incredible with countless offers of accommodation, support and advice as well as hundreds of donations which reached an incredible final total of £8149 !
This will help World Land Trust to purchase, protect and preserve over 67045 msq over rainforest in Laguna Grande, Guatemala.
What next? For now James will be taking a well earned rest from cycle-touring, spending some time with his family, letting his knees recover, returning to work and getting used to normal life once again.
Is this the end for Cycle For Change? For now, yes, but in the future? We'll just have to wait and see. James has a few ideas up his sleeve and some unfinished business on the coastline so who knows what he's planning next!
"A huge thank you to everyone who supported, in so many different ways, it wouldn't have been possible without you. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart." -James
Click on the link (to the right) to read the World Land Trust's article about James epic journey...
What is Cycle for Change?
Who is James Wragg?
Why cycle the UK, and why in Winter?
Why cycle the UK, and why in Winter?
An Outdoor Education instructor, father and husband with a passion for environmental change and a lifetime of cycling experience.
From paper rounds, to trail riding to cycle commuting and simply messing about with mates. Riding bikes has always been a constant in James's life.
After 20 years of working in the outdoors James felt there was s
An Outdoor Education instructor, father and husband with a passion for environmental change and a lifetime of cycling experience.
From paper rounds, to trail riding to cycle commuting and simply messing about with mates. Riding bikes has always been a constant in James's life.
After 20 years of working in the outdoors James felt there was something missing, something he could do that made a positive impact.
"My life and career has always revolved around the natural world. It has given me so much over the years and now I want to give something back" -James
Why cycle the UK, and why in Winter?
Why cycle the UK, and why in Winter?
Why cycle the UK, and why in Winter?
"I knew I could ride a bike, I knew I loved the British coastline and knew I wanted to do something big. I figured I could simply pick a point on the coast, keep the Ocean on my right and just keep peddling! It had all the hallmarks of a
home-grown, classic,
(if a little eccentric), British adventure
Also, it had virtually no carbon impac
"I knew I could ride a bike, I knew I loved the British coastline and knew I wanted to do something big. I figured I could simply pick a point on the coast, keep the Ocean on my right and just keep peddling! It had all the hallmarks of a
home-grown, classic,
(if a little eccentric), British adventure
Also, it had virtually no carbon impact , it's just me and my bike, which for an eco-challenge was absolutely perfect.
I could have done it in the summertime but that felt too much like a cycling holiday, I couldn't ask people
to sponsor that!
It needed to be a challenge!
The great British winter, December and January, whilst being awful timing for a bike ride, made things a bit more challenging and more exciting!
Besides, it's only British Winter,
how hard can it be?"
-James
Why an environmental charity?
Why cycle the UK, and why in Winter?
Why an environmental charity?
Climate change is real, it's happening already, but it isn't too late to make a positive change.
The World Land Trust are an amazing charity with a very simple mission, to buy, protect and preserve land which is under threat. Primarily rainforest. This is one of the most effective ways that we can fight back against climate change.
All fun
Climate change is real, it's happening already, but it isn't too late to make a positive change.
The World Land Trust are an amazing charity with a very simple mission, to buy, protect and preserve land which is under threat. Primarily rainforest. This is one of the most effective ways that we can fight back against climate change.
All funds raised by Cycle for Change will be donated directly to the World Land Trust. During Part 1, James raised over £8400 to help preserve the Laguna Grande nature reserve in Guatemala, helping to protect and preserve a 4000 hectare area of primary rainforest.
This time, for part 2, all funs will be used to support the protection and preservation of the 1035 hectare Guanacas reserve in Columbia as part of World Land Trust's "Forests of Mist" campaign.
To reflect his determination to be as ethical as possible, all James's nutrition will be plant based, with as little single-use plastic as possible and all brand partners are carefully chosen as the echo James's environmental ethos.
A World Land trust project
Who are the World Land Trust?
Since its foundation in 1989, World Land Trust has funded partner organisations around the world to create reserves and give permanent protection to habitats and wildlife.
To date, WLT has helped secure more than 2,222,247 acres of threatened habitat in 20 countries.