Sunday, 19 October 2008
Other photo's from Lands End...
effort, which almost consumed more brake fluid than it did petrol!
Sunday, 12 October 2008
October 12th: All the way to Lands End...
At around 2.15pm today Steve and the Tuc Tuc made it all the way to Britains most Westerley point - Lands End.
The culmination of this two week challenge. The Air Ambulance met with the Tuc Tuc, and even hovered overhead for a while (video to follow) lets hope some bricks were available to put behind the wheels in place of the 'for decoration only' handbrake!
Don't forget that there is a 'just giving site' set up for the Air Ambulance (AA) Stations Steve has visited on his route:
www.justgiving.com/stevelord = North West AA
www.justgiving.com/stevelord1 = Great North AA
www.justgiving.com/stevelord2 = Thames Valley AA
www.justgiving.com/stevelord3 = East Anglian AA
www.justgiving.com/stevelord4 = Yorkshire AA
www.justgiving.com/stevelord5 = Wales AA
Webmaster Will
October 11th : Portsmouth to Exeter
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z9zlCRvDV4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH6gAbig2Do
You can also search on YouTube under: "Top Gear Race Tack Round Table Tuc Tuc Challenge "
Please take a look...
Made it to Hampshire and Isle of White. But all the helicopters were out on a call. However just as I was about to back to Exeter one returned. I got a good photo (not yet posted) and one more teddy.
Long trip down A303 to Exeter.
Stopped at one petrol station where both the owners were Indians and really interested in our Tuc Tuc inviting me in for some coffee.
Nice to see Sarah waving at me from a bridge. "See you soon in Rome."
Final night stop 5.30pm at Exeter Police station where the Devon Air Ambulance is kept.
Sunday sees me needing to get to Lands End early so we can get the Cornish Air
Ambulance to meet us at the finish. It will be a 6.00am start. Follow my progress at roundtabletuctuc.blobseye.com
Steve
Saturday, 11 October 2008
Exeter 123 Round Table.
Salterton just outside Exeter. Andrew took a trip with us in the Tuc
Tuc to the Devon Air Ambulance Station at Devon & Cornwall's Police
Headquarters. We stopped at the village pub on the way hoime for a pint
of Otter Ale (1st time in a pub with thatched roof). Several locals
came out to marvel at the Tuc Tuc .
Andrew's children (Laura and Daniel) loved the Tuc Tuc and all the
teddies on the back seat.
Dinner party tonight with three members of Exeter Round Table and
their wives
Have had a few Tracker problems today. This was probably due to high
speed down hill to Portsmouth vibrating it loose. Got the tracker to
work after making sure connection was in and taped up. As you can see
from the report have made 45 mph down some of the devon hills.
I am new ready to face off against The Stig (see earlier blog!)
10th October : Oxford to Portsmouth
See my two videos on YouTube:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z9zlCRvDV4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH6gAbig2Do
9th October : Norwich to Twyfold
The Sat Nav had a fit and took me on every back-road to my night stop. I finally arrived at 10pm at Tim's in Twyfold.
Friday, 10 October 2008
8th October : Nottingham to Norwich
At Norwich met up with local Tablers from Norwich No 1 & Andrew Kelly Area 6 Chairman. They did us proud with our 1st curry with the Tuc Tuc (a taste of home!).
Wednesday, 8 October 2008
7th Oct Rhyl to Nottingham (via Wales AA & County AA)
Day started wet and only got wetter. From Rhyl we traveled 45 miles /2 hrs to Caernarfon, and was met with a warm welcome from Caernarfon Tablers. Caernarfon chairman Simon had also arranged for the local press and the local radio station (Champion FM) to be there . See photo of Tablers at Wales Air Ambulance. I have taken a few extra photos for Selby Round Table 450 "Guess you guys may want to increase your donation" I have have taken the challenge further guys. Met with Lynne Regional Fundraising Manger for Wales Air Ambulance (AA). (With Tuc Tuc biscuits etc) Plus photo of the charming young reporter from Champion FM(With Tuc Tuc biscuits etc) This is the second radio interview I have given on the trip and also had a two filming bits from BBC Air Heroes and Spie Matthew Hall. The high of the day has to be when I overtook my 3rd vehicle of the tour "a tractor" From Wales we traveled on to (100 + miles) RAF Cosford County Air Ambulance. Again AA on a call out. Photos with Paramedic - One more teddies for the increasing collection. Back seat almost full. Just as we set off from the base the AA returned. Just our luck. Then off to NOTTINGHAM. Nice meal out with City of Nottingham RT59. Thanks go to Chairman Iain & Niall for their help enabling out team to coe last at the pub quiz. No chance of winning. We are now at 1005 miles into the trip all working today with Tuc Tuc. Now on home stretch, 700 miles to go....All down hill (I hope). |
CORRECTED - STEVE LORD'S TUCTUC ADVENTURE UPDATE UP TO 7th OCTOBER
The TucTuc had it's service on Monday en-route from Clitheroe (Steve's Home Town) to Rhyl. One rear tyre has been wearing quicker than the other, and was replaced before the tread became an issue by an ever-smiling engineer.
Other bits needing attention were 2 rear wheel cylinders that were replaced, the headlights were fixed again (Steve has now seen the light - ha ha) with another soldering job to fix the switch, and to add to the electrical woes, the cigarette lighter (bidi lighter?) was causing problems with the SatNav system, and on dismantling the thing, Steve and Frank found it to be wired wrongly, so another quick fix, and the SatNav was back on track.
The weather for the journey from Clitheroe into North Wales was not at it's kindest, and the roof and canopy is still leaking, but bearable.
The handbrake is now becoming an ornament rather than something you could do a handbrake turn with - some more adjustment needed again - see the report for how it was tested by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance......
This morning - 7th October 08 - we did the last fine tuning for the mammoth run from Rhyl along the North Wales coast to the Welsh Air Ambulance at Caernarfon Airport and then cross country to Nottingham - the offside mirror needed adjusting slightly by Frank as Steve was already zipped up in the weatherproof curtains surrounding the TucTuc
SUNDAY 5th OCTOBER - GREAT NORTH AIR AMBULANCE, YORKSHIRE AIR AMBULANCE - NORTHALLERTON TO CLITHEROE
My First visit was to Teesside Airport to meet up with the Staff at the Great North Air Ambulance there, and here I'm with two of the Paramedics in front of their Explorer 902 helicopter, unique because it has no tail rotor, allowing it to get into very tight landing sites.
I had to wait for 45minutes to get the photo because as soon as I arrived they were off on a "shout" and I whiled away the time looking around the Police helicopter (a very different beast altogether)
I was also extremely pleased to be joined at Teesside by the Vice President of Ladies Circle, Niki Stocken, whose encouraging hug was worth at least 100 miles
My next visit was to Bradford Leeds Airport was to join the staff at the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. It happened again -just as I arrive the 'copter took off ; but have a closer look at the picture, you'll see my forearm straining to keep hold of the TucTuc as the helicopter downdraft started testing the strength of the handbrake - and won!. To make it all worse, our intrepid cameraman was standing on a barrel to take the photo, and he too succumbed to the force of the wind.
It gave me a chance to look at the other Yorkshire Air Ambulance helicopter parked in the hangar
and after only about 15 minutes the helicopter was back and I'm pictured with one of the Paramedics (right) and the Pilot (left)
MONDAY 6th OCTOBER - CLITHEROE TO RHYL VIA BLACKPOOL AND LIVERPOOL
After a few hours rest at home near Clitheroe, the first task was to get the TucTuc serviced and have some of the technical glitches seen-to. This took a little longer than anticipated, but we were greeted by smiles all round by the mechanics, and by Frank from Blackburn round Table who would be the support driver for the rest of the leg.
The delay to the start meant the pressure was on to make good time and I hotfooted it towards the next Air Ambulance destination at Blackpool Airport to meet the crew of the North West Air Ambulance. I arrived mid afternoon, and the weather had started to turn poor, rain and wind made heavy going, but the call of Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales beckoned. Here I am with my own Area 34 Chairman Matt Jackson (left) of Lancaster RT160, one of the Paramedics, myself and a very tanned Frank, fresh from his Mediterranean cruise, shades in place and ready to roll. You can also see the support vehicles kindly sponsored by SPIE Matt Hall.
My last leg was a bit of a marathon, Blackpool, Lytham StAnnes, Preston, Liverpool City Centre, through the Mersey Tunnel (cough, splutter!) across the Wirral and into North Wales, in the dark and Rain. The Run was reasonably trouble free, but it was cold and wet, and the last leg was a descent of about 1200 feet in a couple of miles and on towards my next night stop, the infamous Sunny Rhyl, Riviera of North Wales and home to my fellow 52Clubbers, Rhyl & District 352, Table of our National Vice President Dave "Sharky" Barker. I stopped over with Mark Roberts (you know - that guy who seems to have been writing for Tabler magazine {sorry - TM} for years) and also Dave's PLC Chairman.
Carys laid on dried bread & cheese (sorry Carys - not that bad - honest!!) and we were joined by Rhyl's Chairman, Anton Sampson, and we all piled into the TucTuc for a spot of night time photo ops amongst the neon and arcades of Rhyl's Prom (yes - they were still open at 10pm!)
Anton is also seen making a donation of £100 from Rhyl RT to go towards the moneys raised for Air Ambulance.
The locals were totally bemused to see the TucTuc on a near-deserted promenade at 11pm, and here are myself, Anton, Frank and Mark just before we parked it up for the night on Mark's front lawn and headed off to Rhyl's meeting place, the Faenol Fawr for a quick refreshment
who say's you can't get good head in Wales..... mine's the half....
TUESDAY 7th OCTOBER - RHYL TO THE WALES AIR AMBULANCE AT CAERNARFON, AND ON TO NOTTINGHAM
An early start after Mark's bacon & sausage butties I manhandled the TucTuc out of it's little hideaway at the side of the house ....
to the bemusement of Mark and Carys' youngest daughter who thought the Wheelie bin had sprouted wheels ..........
and a quick photo opportunity in the daylight in front of Rhyl's Skytower, and I'm away at 10 to 9 am along the North Wales coast to meet the lads from Caernarfon Round Table, who a couple of weeks earlier had donated a cheque for £1000 direct to the staff of the Wales Air Ambulance at Caernarfon Airport and a joint meeting with Rhyl Round Table. I reached the Airport at 10.30am. More later