Olly Rundell & Alex South

In early June 2010 we’ll be setting off by bicycle for the Arctic Circle, following the tyre tracks of a profoundly deaf Scottish cyclist called James Duthie. James pedalled solo all the way from Scotland to the far north of Sweden in 1951 and later published a journal about his travels called I Cycled Into The Arctic Circle. Sadly he was killed in a road accident in 1965.

His little book is the inspiration behind our trip. James’ story has also inspired plans for an independent feature film, called Dummy Jim.

James Duthie

We will be retracing key stretches of James’ original route, travelling from Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden and crossing into the Arctic Circle just north of Overtorneå on the Swedish/Finnish border. Pushing on further north, way up into the land of reindeer and the Midnight Sun, we will eventually reach the northernmost tip of mainland Europe, the North Cape (Nordkapp).

Back in 1951 James was prohibited from reaching this northerly pinnacle by the poor quality of the roads. We plan to complete this final stretch of the trip on James’ behalf, and in his honour. Our journey of 1500 miles is expected to last around 5 weeks. You can check out our planned route here.

So why are we making this epic journey? We are doing so in order to raise money for both the independent film Dummy Jim and our chosen charity, the National Deaf Children’s Society.

How can you sponsor us? Easily. If you’d like a limited edition I Cycled into the Arctic Circle finger-spelling tea towel for £20, just click on the tea towel, shown left. Price includes P&P.

Alternatively, if you’ve already done the drying up or would like to give a different amount (from as little as £1) simply click on the bicycles.

In both cases your donation will be processed securely via Paypal, where you can donate using your credit/debit card, or Paypal account if you have one.

Please help us reach our target by sponsoring us today. Thank you!

Olly & Alex, Arctic Cycle 2010