Through the Storms and Into the Sun
Laura Kennington on taking on the UK’s National Parks by bike
On Day Seven of her Park2Park Challenge, Laura Kennington felt herself on the edge of serious burnout. The adventure athlete, who has several epic journeys under her belt (including running 100 miles in four days across Fuertaventura and a 6,000km bike ride from Scotland to Norway), had set herself a post-lockdown challenge of cycling through the UK’s fifteen National Parks in succession as a celebration of the beautiful protected landscapes that exist on our doorsteps.
Throughout the first week, Laura had found her plans consistently undermined as she battled through repeated downpours, violent storms and 40mph winds that swept the UK. As she rolled into the Brecon Beacons – crossing off the sixth park on her list – she knew that she had pretty much nothing left in the tank.
“In six years of adventures – usually completed around the same time of year – I’d never experienced anything like it,” she admits. “I’ve had to deal with extreme heat before, which brings its own challenges, but that seemed delightful by comparison to this.”
As much as anything, the small obstacles presented by the weather had been what had gradually worn her down. Low visibility combined with flooded roads made it impossible to spot potholes at times, while the extreme rain had washed grit and debris across many of the roads she cycled. It made for much slower progress than she’d planned for, and the constant struggle to keep warm had steadily eroded her will to continue.
“I went into the challenge feeling really strong and very capable of the mileage I’d set out, so it was incredibly frustrating to then have to dial the distances back down,” Laura explains. “Unfortunately, we had some unforeseen logistical kinks during the first week and Jessie had some difficulty liaising with me, which meant that I had spent an additional couple of hours waiting/shivering outside in the storms each day.”
While Laura had anticipated some bad weather ahead of the ride, she couldn’t have foreseen what was lying in wait for her when she started her trip in Plymouth, having chosen to ride South-to-North to avoid the prospect of any lingering snow in the higher ground across the Scottish National Parks.
“Although – as always – there were some nerves lurking, I couldn’t wait to hit the road at first,” she says. “I suppose the key difference for this challenge was that, after all the various lockdowns and restrictions caused by the pandemic, I was feeling especially grateful to be heading out again.
“I knew the forecast didn’t look great but I had no idea just how relentless it would be. I usually expect a few days of rain (especially if I’m adventuring in the UK) but we had over a week of non-stop brutal storms with floods and 30mph winds. Ironically, had I flipped the route I think I would have had much nicer conditions!”
Laura credits getting through the first week to a meticulous morale-boosting routine, with various playlists to get her through the day and pre-planned food breaks every 4-5 hours in the motorhome that followed her progress, the prospect of which helped her to cover the miles through torrential rain. However, with a week down, exhausted and with no sign of the weather improving, Laura knew that something would have to give.
“It was a decision I was very reluctant to make – and one I continued to battle with for most of the challenge!” Laura elaborates. “By the time we’d been on the road for a week, my legs were fine but my immune system was completely wiped out. So, logically, it was undoubtedly the right decision but it still stung a bit!
“I was also mindful of Jessie’s energy levels as well as my own. We were both frazzled by the time we reached Wales! I’d love to say I never considered quitting completely but that would be a lie – I actually fantasised about it several times a day, at least until the final three days in Scotland!”
Laura decided to take a day off the bike to rest up and recover – a technique that had worked for her on previous adventures – but soon realised it wouldn’t be enough.
“I basically spent 48 hours sleeping! I’ve never dug myself into such a hole before and it was really hard work to crawl back out. It wasn’t until the evening of the second day that my stomach would even think about digesting food again. Thankfully, my body did eventually reboot itself and though I still felt wiped out when we got to the Peaks, I focused on replacing calories and trusted I’d continue to build back up from there.”
With a timely delivery of Beau’s vegan gelato and the return of good weather after a week of increasingly bad storms, Laura was back on track and ready to take on the rest of the National Parks ahead.
“The morale boost of sunshine and ice cream delivered by a friendly face (Laura’s friend and fellow adventure athlete Danny Bent) was the best possible antidote I could have asked for,” Laura explains. “The route was also stunning and, at this point, felt like a reward for not giving up. From this point on, I also started adding ice cream to 99% of my meals (beginning with my breakfast porridge) and I’m absolutely convinced it was a winning fuelling strategy. Ice cream and hash browns are a real power combo!”
Back into a good rhythm and having left both the terrible weather and the English and Welsh National Parks behind, Laura was in high spirits as she crossed Northumberland and head to the Scottish border – only to receive some devastating news.
“I was a mile from the border when I found out my friend Shara had lost her battle with cancer after suddenly deteriorating in the week since the challenge began,” explains Laura. “The news completely floored me. By the time I caught up with Jessie at the Scotland sign, I was howling with grief and barely able to pedal my bike.
“I was so sure that I’d be quitting right there and then but, when I rang a close mutual friend of Shara’s who’d been with her in her final moments, she told me to carry on and ‘Ride like the wind, for Sha – she would have wanted you to continue’. So that’s what I did: I found a new sense of purpose and completed the ride in her honour.
This renewed sense of purpose – coupled with the stunning Scottish scenery – helped Laura along through Loch Lomand and the Cairngorms – the final two parks on her list.
“The whole of Scotland was really poignant to me. I’ve had many adventures there and I also shot the cover for my book, ‘Kairos’, in Loch Lomond. Those final three days turned out to be the most beautiful miles of the whole trip!”
After such an epic trip through some of the most stunning natural scenery – and brutal weather – that the UK has to offer, the end of the journey in Aberdeen felt like an anti-climax after everything that had happened.
“After riding in glorious sunshine all day, I rolled into Aberdeen to find a really moody scene of thick fog and mist!” Laura recalls. “We grabbed a celebratory vegan pizza to go and then just hopped back in the motorhome to drive back to the same campsite we’d left that morning.
“I think the overwhelming feeling was one of relief – I was really glad I hadn’t given up but it had been a really intense couple of weeks. I was also still feeling emotionally raw from the news of Shara (and everything else that had happened during the journey) and I felt like I was ready for some downtime to process it all.”
For Laura, the trip reminded her how important it is to not lose perspective and to stay flexible when things happen beyond her control.
“This trip was a reminder for me of the importance of flexibility and kindness,” Laura says. “When I adjusted the distances, I initially wrestled with my inner critic who was berating me for ‘not doing better’. Whereas nobody else cared at all about that; they were just cheering me for carrying on at all.
“Every time I do a challenge, I'm overwhelmed by the messages of kindness and support I receive – and this was no different. All the goodwill and encouragement from complete strangers is incredible and it’s very humbling. It’s always a reminder of how wonderful most people are, which I think is really important to remember – our fellow humans are much kinder than headlines would have us believe!”
Despite the experience being draining beyond her expectations, Laura remains a keen advocate of steeping out into our National Parks and experiencing the wild, wonderful natural environments preserved by them.
“I think we often take our own backyards for granted but the UK makes for an amazing adventure playground and our National Parks are gorgeous – I cannot recommend them enough!” she says. “The only advice I would offer is: don’t rush it, pack plenty of snacks (some of them are very hilly and you’ll need the extra energy!) and make sure you take the time to enjoy the views.”
