Mark Wedgwood traverses territory coated by each one of many 204 Landrangers and says none of his trousers match any extra
Beloved by armchair explorers and open air lovers alike, Ordnance Survey’s Landranger maps have impressed numerous adventures.
However for one eager bike owner they sparked a problem that's virtually definitely a primary: driving throughout each map in Nice Britain in a journey of greater than 7,000 miles (11,250km).
Mark Wedgwood’s pedal-powered odyssey traversed each one of many Landranger collection’ 204 maps in numerical order, from Shetland to Cornwall, took six months to finish and coated 26 separate coast-to-coast journeys by means of Scotland, England, Wales and the Isle of Man.
“I’ve by no means felt higher,” mentioned the 55-year-old. “It’s completed me an infinite quantity of excellent in each sense, and I've the completely satisfied downside that none of my trousers match me any extra. The following problem is to maintain it that approach.”
January is historically a time for setting private targets and planning adventures – kickstarting that long-held marathon dream maybe, or pledging to tick off Scotland’s Munros.
For sheer originality, not less than, Wedgwood’s “mad thought” will take some beating. It got here amid a pandemic-influenced redundancy and, together with his two youngsters at college, towards the quiet of an empty nest.
“I’ve thought for a very long time that I had one thing large in me that I needed to do, one thing that wasn’t only a repeat of another person’s thought, and this appeared like the chance to lastly do it,” mentioned Wedgwood.
Rummaging by means of a lifetime’s assortment of outside equipment, he came upon an outdated piece of Ordnance Survey (OS) advertising and marketing materials displaying the patchwork grid of Landranger maps laid over an overview of Britain.
Wedgwood mentioned: “After I began trying extra intently I realised it translated to an entire collection of coast-to-coast rides. As soon as the concept bedded itself into my head, it wouldn’t go away, and I suppose it was a query of when and never if.”
He launched into his journey on 9 Could, together with his spouse, Jenni, 59, becoming a member of him for the primary two weeks of biking – linked by ferry rides – by means of the Shetland and Orkney archipelagos.
In truth, it was these islands and the far north of Scotland which supplied among the voyage’s most memorable highlights.
“There have been occasions in midsummer, the place I used to be out on my bike, at possibly 10 or 11 at night time and it was nonetheless sunny,” he says. “I used to be on their own on this phenomenal surroundings with eagles and purple deer and nothing else. They had been such elemental experiences and I’d fortunately repeat them on the drop of a hat.”
Wedgwood cycled on and off for the subsequent six months, generally for so long as six weeks at a time, staying with buddies and family members or in B&Bs and solely returning house to Hathersage, Derbyshire, for household and social commitments.
He rode the ultimate 65 miles (105km) crossing maps 203 and 204 from Land’s Finish to Fowey in Cornwall on 28 November. Save a couple of punctures and worn-out chains and cables, all the problem went with no hitch.
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“My primary rule all through was that it needed to be pleasant,” he mentioned. “If for any purpose that turned out in a different way I might have fortunately stopped and walked away.”
Ordnance Survey was based in 1791. The origins of the Landranger collection return to 1801 and a map of Kent which was produced at one-inch scale.
It revealed its 204 metric scale maps, now a staple of outside actions, within the mid-Seventies, with every sheet protecting an space 40km by 40km.
Its spokesperson Rob Andrews mentioned: “Mark has completed such a charming and distinctive problem, by no means completed earlier than, and we couldn’t be prouder that he has accomplished it utilizing each single certainly one of our 204 OS Landranger Maps.
“What an achievement, and what an illustration of navigation to expertise getting outdoors throughout Britain.”
And to anybody mulling a problem for 2023, Wedgwood’s recommendation is unequivocal.
“Don’t put it off!” he says. “One of many causes I did that is that you just can’t afford to attend.”
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