ByClaire Hutchison
Tuesday, 25 June 2019
An 81-year-old Cycling UK member has proved age is but a number after becoming the oldest woman to pedal from Land’s End to John o’ Groats.
Mavis Paterson, a grandmother from Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway, completed the 960-mile route in memory of her three children, who all passed away within four years of one another in their forties.
Mavis set out on 30 May and completed the journey on 22 June, raising over £60,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support in the process. Mavis has supported the charity since her mother and sister died from cancer.
She describes the journey as being “extremely therapeutic” and decided to step up to the challenge to distract herself from the grief of losing her children. Mavis’s son Sandy died in 2012 after suffering from a heart attack, her daughter Katie passed away due to viral pneumonia in 2013, and her son Bob died in an accident in 2016.
It was the most difficult thing I have ever done. The most difficult part was on the third day when I wasn’t feeling well and there were so many hills. I struggled to cycle, and I was in tears.
Mavis Paterson
Mavis’s powered through the gruelling journey, even as she became ill, fell off her bike four times and pedalled through near-constant downpours of rain. “It was the most difficult thing I have ever done. The most difficult part was on the third day when I wasn’t feeling well and there were so many hills. I struggled to cycle, and I was in tears. We were only doing 39 miles a day and were meant to be doing 50. I ended up doing 70 miles one day after being ill, I made myself do it,” she said.
When she crossed the finish line, Mavis couldn’t believe that it was over. “Coming to John o’ Groats, I thought gosh we’ve done it. The whole journey I was so tired. We had to cycle all the way in miserable weather, it was really tough.”
