CYCLIST Gemma Towell is celebrating after completing the iconic 'End to End' ride of Great Britain - and raising almost £3,000 for two charities.

The mother-of-one, from Cowling, completed the 940-mile route from John O'Groats to Land's End in nine days solo and unsupported - apart from the psychological support of friends riding with her for some of the way, and a rendezvous with husband Peter and daughter Ashleigh towards the finish.

Gemma, 38, of Cowling, is a production co-ordinator at Whitakers Chocolates in Skipton, and rode to back cricketing great Ian Botham's 'Beefy's Foundation', the firm's chosen charity, and cancer research.

She said: "It was very tough at times but the weather was mostly quite pleasant and the bike didn't let me down - not even a puncture. There were odd times when I felt a bit down just because of the relentlessness of churning out more than 100 miles a day, but most of the time it was fairly enjoyable.

"But I had miscalculated the route and ended up doing many more miles than I thought I was going to, which added on an extra day. I also found it difficult to navigate through urban areas on occasions - it never looks like you imagine it does on the map!

"I also made the mistake of putting on new pedals before the start and I have paid for that with an Achilles problem.

"But arriving at Land's End was just great - knowing I had managed it was a fantastic feeling."

Gemma carried all the gear she needed, including a small tent, on the bike and stayed at campsites along the way, except for a couple of nights when she slept in the homes of friends along her route.

Her longest day's ride was 132 miles and the shortest was just 53 - on the last day of the journey.

She took up cycling in earnest about three years ago when a colleague at Whitakers was diagnosed with cancer at the age of just 33. In 2013 Gemma rode 5,000 miles on her mountain bike to raise cash for cancer research. She undertook the End to End to raise money for Ian Botham's charity, which helps to fund specific projects relating to chronic illnesses faced by young people. Gemma's ride has helped her to raise about £2,500 for it so far, while several hundred pounds will go to cancer research.

Gemma said: "I was riding solo but actually you can't do it without a lot of help from a lot of people. I'd like to thank all the colleagues, friends and family, and especially all the people who have given so generously."

Further donations can be made at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/JustGemma-Towell3.

Gemma's Ride Diary

Monday – 127 miles. I headed for Inverness down the coast trying to take in as much as I could. The weather wasn’t bad and a few showers passed throughout the day. I arrived at my campsite quite late and unfortunately it was in the middle of nowhere and I had no food! Thankfully they had a few items in the shop on site and my evening meal consisted of a Pot Noodle and tin of rice pudding: I’ve survived on worse!

Tuesday – 111 miles. The roads started to get a bit busier as I climbed a few summits through the Cairngorms. I stopped for a hearty breakfast in a windy Aviemore after which a little bit of confusion started to kick in! For some reason I had got it into my head that I was heading for Edinburgh. As I headed on I was getting a bit concerned that I was still so far away - I had already covered about 80 miles and I still had another 80 to go? But how it wasn’t that far when I had plotted it out. Thankfully after a few text messages to a friend she kindly mentioned that she thought I was stopping in Perth, not Edinburgh… panic over!

Wednesday – 132 miles. City Centres… what a nightmare as I followed my Garmin, the best way to get me through the urban areas? Maybe not. Trying to navigate through the cities wasn’t the best, and so time- consuming. Once I had got through Edinburgh and over the Forth Bridge I still had a long way to go and had wasted so much time. I didn’t know if I would make my campsite, but it was the one place I was really looking forward to getting to as it looked amazing. So on I pushed. After 14 hours on the go I reached my destination at 9.30pm, just in time to collect a shower room key and grab a beer. Thankfully I had already eaten along the way!

Thursday – 66 miles. A nice short day?… maybe not! As I headed for England the rain did pour. I grabbed breakfast in Gretna and wandered on steadily climbing into Penrith, where it was cream tea time as the weather slowly worsened. As I then made the slow climb over Shap Summit it was made rather interesting in pouring rain and low cloud. As I descended down the other side I had to slow down as the rain battered my face and eyes. I was very thankful when I reached my destination for some warmth and food.

Friday – 115 miles. Today I had some company. I set off from Kendal with Tom and met up with Debs and Phil a few miles on, and we headed for Chester. The first half of the day was fairly straightforward and then we hit Preston, Warrington and Chester, again having to navigate more urban areas. We did stumble across an ice cream van on one street.. .so silver linings and all that! It was also great to see Rob Whitaker, who drove out to see me in Kendal and give a bit of a morale boost.

Saturday – 90 miles. I am getting closer, just the length of Wales to navigate today. Met up with Phil again who kept me company down to Shrewsbury before heading off. For the rest of the day it felt like I was getting nowhere quickly as the miles seemed so slow. But soon the signs started to appear for Monmouth and I hit the hills, before meeting David and Simone for some much needed food.

Sunday – 100 miles. So today I should have been heading for Bude but as I put my destination in to my Garmin it was showing nearly 200 miles. That’s not what it was when I organised my route! I got my phone out and looked at the maps… It seems I had badly miscalculated my route - and miles - for today. Time for a re-think. I wasn’t sure what to do but knew I was going to have to add a day to my journey and possibly take a totally different route than I was planning. I decided what was going to be best and set off. It did knock me a bit, and as I hit the centre of Bristol my mental state started to wobble. I eventually made it in to Devon, ate a Cornish pasty and found somewhere to settle down for the night.

Monday – 124 miles. Rain. I hit 'start' on my Garmin and headed for Newquay. It poured down all day. I was on tiny back roads and saw hardly anyone all day. I had set off on a bigger road but it was so busy it was dangerous and I managed one junction. The roads were up and down and windy, and by lunch time I had only covered 50 miles. I had so far still to go. I stumbled across a lakeside café where I took shelter from the rain, ate and told myself I could do this. The afternoon was slow and I eventually hit Cornwall, the hills got steeper and sweaty rain water ran in to my eyes stinging like mad. I managed to find a head scarf that I had stashed away which helped keep the water away. At about 4.30 I hit a road closure and the alternative was a long way! I really needed to get down that road. There were workmen everywhere and I sat for a while wondering what to do. Someone must have been looking out for me as eventually they started to remove the 'road closed' signs and I was on my way with about 40 miles still left to go. I was going to make it to Newquay. At about 7pm, make it I did. I met up with my husband and daughter, who had arrived the day before. I have got to say that today was a tough day with the rain and climbing 11,000 ft on a very painful Achilles…and I will admit I did cry a few times.

Sunday – 53 miles. Breakfast and a late start, not far now. I headed off in the mizzle with no coat or gloves as they were still soaked. As there was no particular rush today I stopped for a snack and coffee half-way. I was a bit disappointed with the weather, as I couldn’t see a thing. The views as I dropped down towards St Michael's Mount should have been amazing. Don’t get me wrong it was still stunning and atmospheric, but bright sunshine would have been nice.. one last coffee stop for good measure and 10 miles to go. As I climbed out of Penzance the cloud got lower and my lights were dead, but I just had to plod on and hope for the best. As I approached Lands End the parking attendant doffed his cap and waved me through… I had done it!