A shepherd from the Scottish borders and his teacher friend are battling stormy weather as they cycle the entire Scottish coast to raise money for Christian Aid.
Arthur Cross, 50, from Kelso and Ian King from nearby Yetholm, are cycling an average of 90 miles a day to make the 1,300-mile trip in a fortnight.
The cyclists, who have trained for months, have already raised nearly £2,000 for Christian Aid’s work in Burkina Faso and hope to reach £5,000.
Arthur started in Gretna on Thursday 1 July, joined by Ian’s son David and Chris Fray, a former shepherd who now builds dry stone walls, as Ian’s school term didn’t finish until Friday.
Ian caught up with the team on Saturday – he and Arthur hope to finish at Berwick-upon-Tweed on Thursday 15 July.
Money raised will go to partners in a match-funded partnership scheme, where the European Commission will give £4 for every £1 raised. Arthur and Ian therefore hope to generate £20,000 towards the partners’ work, which aims to reduce chronic poverty and hunger for nearly one million people by adapting the environment to grow more crops.
Donations can be made online at: http://www.justgiving.com/christianaidscottishcoastaltour
Before he set off, Arthur said:
‘The whole thing is very appealing. I am looking forward to going up to the Western Isles, meeting people, and helping them to get an understanding of what we are doing.
‘I went to get across just how difficult it is for people living in places like Burkina Faso and what a big difference a small amount of money can make.’
Whilst the south east of England bakes in sun, a storm battered the west coast of Scotland at the weekend, stranding the cyclists on the isle of Arran for a while.
They are now on the move again with the wind behind them - helping Arthur, who is struggling a little from a swollen Achilles tendon.
He won’t let that stop him, and hospitality of Christian Aid local groups on route should keep the cyclists going right through the trip.
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