Norfolk to Cape Town: retiring vet cycles for animal welfare

Now that I’ve reached the milestone of 50 years as a practising vet, I’ve decided to challenge myself by doing a sponsored cycle from my home town in Norfolk to Cape Town, South Africa.

In 2013 Emma Milne, a former Trustee of Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF), swam 300 lengths (7.5km), raising over £5,000 of much needed funds for the charity. When I took over from her as a trustee I decided to follow in her footsteps and also set myself a challenge to raise substantial funds for AWF.

I’m taking on this physical and logistical challenge over the course of 2 years, during which time I’ll be returning to the UK several times to attend AWF meetings and to teach equine dentistry (my speciality) to new graduates for British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA).

Journey begins: House of Commons to Athens

After attending the AWF Discussion Forum and House of Commons reception on 6 June, I’ll cycle to Harwich, have a wee rest on the ferry to Hook of Holland and then cycle along to Rotterdam and up the Rhine. There’ll be another wee rest when I fly back from Basle for 2 days to attend my 50 year vet school reunion in Bristol.

Well rested, I will then tackle the Alps. A drink in Harry’s Bar in Venice to get some inspiration from Ernest Hemmingway and then down the East coast of Italy sampling the wine. Then I’ll catch a ferry from Brindisi to Patra and ride to Athens.

Voyage across Africa for Christmas in Cape Town

From here politics will take over. My initial plan was to take a boat to Alexandria and cycle down the Nile. The Egyptian and Sudanese authorities are not very happy about this (although I was very well behaved when I drove an old Landrover down the Nile in 1971). So it is likely that I will start cycling again from Addis Ababa and through Ethiopia. This will tax me somewhat as I remember it being a very hilly country, with some parts being 10,000 feet above sea level. 

However, as you all know looking at the globe, it will be downhill all the way to Cape Town! Not quite as Mount Kenya is in the way, so I will tackle the mountain in the 10to4 Mountain Bike Challenge, held over 3 consecutive days. When I was last there the smartest hotel was the Mount Nelson, so provided I don’t drop dead on the hill up to the hotel, it will be my round at the bar on Christmas day in 2018.

On this trip I plan to link up giving lectures for other welfare charities, namely The Brooke, SPANA and World Horse Welfare.

Support my challenge

Please support my challenge by donating via my JustGiving page and follow my story through the Vet Dunc Dares blog.

You can also find out more about AWF, the veterinary profession’s own animal welfare charity, by following AWF on Facebook and @AWF_VETS on Twitter.

Written by Graham Duncanson
MRCVS BVSc MSc (VetGP) DProf FRCVS

After graduating from Bristol, Graham spent a number of years working as a Government Veterinary Officer in Kenya, before returning to general practice in Norfolk. He is a passionate animal welfare advocate and a trustee of Animal Welfare Foundation.