Diary - part 1:

THE near-1,000-mile trek is well under way from John O’Groats to Lands End. The team of four cyclists left the Scottish village early on Sunday. The team members consist of Michael and Chris Hulbert, Will Watkins and myself. Liam Maxfield will join us in Manchester if or when we get there for Friday.

We were bid farewell by Chris and Michael’s dad David who has been instrumental in helping raise more than £440,000 for Harley. The first stage leg took us down the east coast past the strangely named town or village of Doll to Tain, a total of 85 miles into a brisk headwind.

After camping on the Saturday evening looking towards the Orkneys, the second evening we stayed at a campsite along a busy rail line. Day Two consisted of an early morning start in heavy rain from Tain down to Invergarry via Loch Ness a beautiful ride into a stiff headwind.,

Day Three was most eventful after I kissed the Scottish granite on a road through Fort William on a journey from Invergarry to Ardlui at the top end of Loch Lomond. It was my chin which took the impact but 12 stitches later I was back on track cycling through the beautiful Glencoe Valley.

A wrong turn by Michael and Will left them 13 miles away from their destination in the wrong direction but the day was saved by Harley’s granddad Phil who is acting as support vehicle.

Day Four (Tues) involved another testing ride in the morning down to Erskine Bridge near Glasgow to New Cumnock.

Peter looks ahead at the marathon effort ...

IN HEAVEN’S name how does one get involved in a bike ride which is going to take 14 days and leave me struggling from sore legs and thighs?

Well one look at Harley Slack is enough to make anyone realise how lucky I am to have the use of my limbs. And hopefully these will propel me the length of Britain.

As everybody knows, Harley was a happy-go-lucky youngster with everything to live for with loving parents Samantha and Adam. But meningococcal septicaemia intervened and the four-year-old lost all his limbs.

There’s a reason why I particularly empathise with Harley’s plight – as a child I contracted meningococcal meningitis at 18-months-old and it was touch and go whether I would survive. I came through thanks to the expertise of hospital staff.

Now I consider myself one of the lucky ones.

When they learned of Harley’s predicament readers of the Manchester Evening News and the Stockport Express and listeners to Key 103 rallied.

A surge of community spiritedness the length and breadth of Greater Manchester and beyond has resulted in more than £440,000 being collected so far.

It is an amazing figure and this overwhelming generosity has given the Hazel Grove child a future.

As I was the reporter who first broke the story I felt I could do more to continue the funding drive through the bike ride, that was suggested to me by David Hulbert. David, who is a friend of the Slack family, has been instrumental in spearheading the fund-raising effort. The idea was to raise £6,000 from the ride through sponsorship.

The commitment to taking part meant early morning sessions for me at Manchester Aquatic Centre and a visit to Evans bike shop on Deansgate to get the best advice on what I needed to succeed – including being fitted with a Pinnacle Borealis 4.0.

Comfortably suited and booted, the rest is down to effort. It is probably going to be a monumental task if day one was anything to go by.

We (that’s me, Will Watkins, Michael and Chris Hulbert) left John O’Groats in the early morning and started our cycle down the beautiful Scottish coastline.

I am not in great shape and cursed every cat’s eye and rumble strip which appear to be everywhere on the road, not to mention a stiff southerly headwind.

Still I am able to use my legs and my hands, I keep reminding myself.

We passed through the pretty town of Wick, but then a heavy downpour at Tain, 68 miles further south, left us sodden from head to toe.

We weren’t a pretty sight, unlike the scenery, which is stunning.

Later, our arrival in Inverness involved a visit to McDonald’s to wring out our socks and try to dry our shoes on the toilet hand dryer.

The support vehicle is being driven by Harley’s grandad Phil. Phil, a delivery driver has adopted a military-style regime to ensure the miles are covered by hook or by crook.

Apart from getting very wet, we managed another 80 miles along the Cromarty Forth to Invergarry by cycling the full length of Loch Ness and past the beautiful town of Fort Augustus.

It’s certainly hard work, but the thought of Harley keeps us going. Wish us luck!

Click here for our special report on Harley and the appeal