During the summer, Year 9 pupil, Ruby, from the Royal High School Bath, accompanied her father as they took up the challenge of cycling from coast to coast in the north of England – a famous cycle route that runs from Whitehaven to Tynemouth, running through the Lake District and Pennines, and eventually reaching the coast along the Tyne.
“The scenery was really memorable, as was the weather,” recalls Ruby. “Storm Ellen hit whilst we were on our trip which forced us to take a rest day due to the 60mph winds.”
“The route was 140 miles long which we completed over three days, and the greatest distance we travelled in one day was 63 miles. It was my favourite day though because we had lots of nice scenery and plenty of downhill too! The toughest climb was Hartside which is 7km long and and takes in 400m of climb – this was one of four climbs we completed that day. The feeling of finishing was great, knowing I had completed the challenge.”
As a result of her accomplishment, Ruby has been nominated by Mr Hadrian Briggs, Deputy Head, Academic, for The Sarah Williams Red Squirrel Award, a very special prize given to a girl in Year 8-13 who has shown spirit, determination, support for other and kindness. “Ruby has shown tremendous spirit and courage by cycling coast to coast during Storm Ellen, we are all very proud of what she has achieved,” said Mr Briggs.