A supporter of the charity I work for is a keen cyclist and had produced a set of instructions for a route that follows (as closely as possible) the route of the river Lea from its source, at Leagrave in Luton, to its mouth in the Thames near Limehouse – a total of 53 miles.

We linked the challenge to the cyclist badge and used a couple of Monday nights to go over things like road safety, bike maintenance and bike control.

On Saturday 20th May a total of 15 of us met (early) at Aubert Court and put all the overnight bags into the support vehicle driven by Alan, then it was on our bikes and off to King Cross to get the train.

We had decided to split into two groups with the older Explorers and Networks doing the full distance from Leagrave, and the Scouts starting about 9 miles down the route from Harpenden. On arrival at Harpenden there were lots of steps to get up, over and down to leave the station and about a mile down the road we came to a bridge over what was a rather puny looking river Lea. At this point it dawned on Daniel that he didn’t have his backpack (with his lunch, drink, waterproof and- most importantly- a pack of mars bars) and may have left it at the station, or on the train ?! We were not going back for it and could just imagine headlines of a controlled explosion of a “suspect package” at Harpenden!

The next target was Hertford, where we would finally join the towpath that runs along the river Lea navigation. In the town centre we stop for a quick breather and “shop break”. At this point we received a call from the other group to say that one of their number was going to have to pull out and they needed the “blood wagon” – as the support vehicle was known as – and at the same time one of the younger ones was in need of help too. With the pick-ups arranged and Catherine and Richard waiting for the cavalry to arrive the rest of the two groups carried on their respective ways.

Once on the towpath the going was quicker and good time was made towards Hoddesdon. It was about then that we met up with Phill and Jan who had come the other way to join us from Chingford. Then we had a brief ice cream stop at a conveniently located shop by a lock, Catherine had caught us by now, and it was the final leg to Waltham Abbey and our overnight stop.

Arrived about 5pm at the Island and Alan and two picked up had started to sort out the hut and in a short space of time the tents were up and dinner on the go. Everyone was really tired after a long day so we all had an early night and a good sleep – not! Nowras persuaded us all that we really wanted to have a game of football in a field with grass up to our shins till it got dark! Then we sat round a camp fire with a cup of chocolate and got to bed about 11pm.

Day 2

Started dry, and after a cooked breakfast the scouts did well in getting the tents down and all the gear sorted ready to be picked up by the van at about 10am. By 10.30 we were ready to go – or so we thought. Firstly Charles had a peddle fall off, we tried to fix it but when he tried the repair it came off again and Charles had a bit of a crash, he was Ok though – he landed on his head. Luckily Mark D and the van were still there and he said that he could get a spare bike and would meet us at Springfield Park. So we were off – no, two flat back tyres were the next problem. They kept going down but luckily Richard came to the rescue with some magic spray foam that sorted them out.

By now it was raining, and it wouldn’t really stop all day. On the towpath towards Chingford, Nowras had a bit of a crash and landed in some stinging nettles but he was fine and was soon back on the road. At Springfield we had a break and waited for Mark D to turn up and deliver Charles with spare bike. Off again we came to a section of towpath blocked off for work but negotiated this and carried on. We were getting close now and reached Bow Locks, where the Lea navigation reaches the tidal stretch of river that goes into the Thames – quick photo opportunity and on down the Limehouse Cut towards the Limehouse Basin.

Then we had done it, the Thames had been reached and our journey was done, well almost done! A quick lunch in the rain at Limehouse Basin and we were off again along the Regents canal – under some very low bridges !  A short road section and a bit of nagging of tiring scouts and we were there, back to Aubert Court, and it was still raining !

I was very proud of the way the scouts persevered, especially on day two when it was very wet and they were clearly tiring. Not once did I hear anyone moan about the weather. Those who did the full distance covered about 60 miles and the shorter route 51 miles. Well done to all the scouts who took part – Giacamo, Nowras, Daniel, Emma, Geraldine, Gemma P, and Charles. A special mention to Giacamo and Emma who, with a lot of nagging and encouragement did more than I am sure they thought was possible, and to Sarah who really struggled with cramp on day one but made it to the Island. Also well done to Gemma T and Stephen S who were the only ones to make the full distance route on both days (as well as Richard of course).

Thanks to Richard and Catherine for all their help on the weekend and for doing a recce of the route in advance. Thanks to our two support drivers – Alan on Saturday and Mark D on Sunday – both were very much needed. It was a great achievement for all those who took part and I hope that they all enjoyed it.

Any ideas about a challenge for next year ??

Mark Thompson.