Day 30 - Finish Line

We have reached our end destination and the finish.

100 KM a Day, 30 Days, 3000 KM, 9 Countries, 3 Time Zones 

Day 29 - Nearly there!

Day 29 and nearly there! We are currently the only guests in a guesthouse in Rapla, about 50km short of Tallinn, and are relaxing and flicking through city guides and looking forward to a couple of days of being in a place where we're not the only tourists.
We set off late this morning after what can only be described as a monumental breakfast. It was probably a mistake for the hotel to lay on an 'all you can eat' buffet for two hungry cyclists, although in hindsight it was probably a mistake for us to assume that it was a challenge. In any case, it was slim pickings for the latecomers by the time we were done.
It's still getting colder as we head further north, and the skies were overcast as we left Parnu this morning by the A4 to Tallinn. Considering it's the main road through Estonia it was surprisingly empty, and the wide, smooth shoulder almost gave us our own bike lane to ride in. Maybe we're just used to busy British roads. By the time we turned off at 60km we were starting to feel a bit tired and sluggish and generally in need of a day or two off the bike to recover, and were glad to reach our accommodation 30km later.
Only a short ride to go and we'll finally be there. Looking forward to posting again once we've arrived!

Day 28 Parnu, Estonia

Carol: Spoke to Phil on skype. All good. In a hotel tonight. Going to take next couple of days easy, approx 40 miles per day and head up to Tallinn. On home run now.
Please dig deep and support the Dolforwyn Woods Camapign. Thanks.

http://www.montwt.co.uk/philip_thomas.html

mynewtown.co.uk Article

Nearing the end of Phil's cycling adventure

 - created on 26/04/2013 Newtown cyclist Phil Thomas is nearing the end of his epic 2,000 mile funraising trip from Greece to Estonia.
Phil, who has been joined on the trip by touring partner Steve, is raising money for the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust's appeal to buy Dolforwyn Wood, near Abermule. The appeal itself will be launched at the woods tomorrow (Saturday) as part of a family fun day.
The wood is a nature reserve that the Trust has leased from private owners for a number of years. The owners purchased it from the Forestry Commission and began making it a haven for wildife and fauna. However, they now want to sell the wood and the Trust needs to raise cash to buy it.
Phil, who undertook a cycling trip across Iceland last year, decided to venture out on his 2,000 mile trip to raise money for the appeal. He used to play in the wood as a child.
Today he is south east of Riga in Latvia. The pair have been sleeping in tents while travelling, although a recent stay in a hotel wasn't as comfortable as he'd hoped. He sent the following post via his mum, Carol, which can also be read on his blog.
"Didn't sleep much in the hotel last night. It's got to the point where the tents and sleeping bags are comfier than hotel rooms. Set off slightly later after nice breakfast and straight away were battered by crazy sidewind that forced us to tilt the bikes to one side as we rode to keep balanced," he said.
"So hard and so tiring. Luckily we turned off the main road halfway through the day and found a smaller one that wound its way through the shelter of a forest. Frustratingly though the trees, and any decent wildcamping spots, ran out after about 95km, which meant we didn't really have a choice but to push on and reach the town of Birzai at 130km.

"Caught the tourist information office as it was half-closed, and following a few phonecalls in broken English learned that the hotels in town were full, but were then told that a man from a guesthouse was coming to pick us up. When he turned up with his English-speaking daughter he told us to follow him back to his house, and we were a bit tired and overwhelmed to argue. After a very brief period of panic we ended up in an empty bedsit beneath his house for €10 each, and should hopefully have a comfortable night here.

After so long riding and with so few days to go, we were almost beginning to wind down and think about the end. Today has offered a very tiring reminder that we still have a way to go yet and, thankfully, the trip continues to surprise us. It's also been one of those days that reminds us we're having an adventure and definitely not a holiday!"
Tonight he added via text: "Reached Kelava, outskirts of Riga. Tough day, menatlly and physically. Rain and cold at a point when both are tired. 200 miles left to Tallinn. Good nights sleep will bring them back fighting.
"Support is very motivating for them and the target of raising £2000 is important - please continue to support and donate."
Phil should be back in the UK towards the end of next week once he's completed the 2,000 miles.
You can help Phil raise money by visiting the Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust website here and donating. Or read his blog here.
Caption 1: Phil in one of the make-shift camps.
Caption 2: Phil (back, left) and Steve during the 2,000 mile cycle trip

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Day 28 Midday Haadermeeste, ESTONIA

Carol here: Phil and Steve are north of Haadermeeste, Estonia. 104 miles left to Tallinn.

A quick update on yesterday. What a day weather wise. Started with sleet, turned to heavy rain and both were freezing even layered up. Sun came out in afternoon and it warmed up even though air still cold.Phil and Steve were feeling good and wild camped for the night near the sea.