So, as with any adventure, a bit of planning goes a long way.

As well as getting fit, we’ve been planning kit lists, camping and eating arrangements. Trying to make sure we’ll be good for 4 nights wild camping and 5 days of riding.

On Monday we went for a short jaunt round Rutland Water reservoir. A 16 mile loop with a bit of undulation along the way. We’ve been on many training ride, but this was different, this time we had all the kit we’d be carrying for the real ride.

The bikes felt funny at first, the added weight made the handling very different, but we all soon settled in, and got the hang of it.

It was a good ride, and completing it in 1 hour 20 filled us with confidence for the big ride