What is this all about?

This summer we (Isla Ratcliff, Cathy Ratcliff and Andy Wightman) are going on a sponsored cycle from Moscow to Edinburgh to raise money for street children in Ethiopia. This is part of the buskingforstreetchildren fundraising campaign. I (Isla) will be busking in Moscow, St Petersburg, Helsinki, Tallin, Riga, Gdansk, Berlin, Cologne, Paris, Brussels, Bruge and other cities and towns along the way with my violin. I am also seeking sponsorship for every 100km I cycle. So if you want to sponsor me, please send me an email and let me know the amount PER 100km.

Now, I should tell you that I expect to cycle about 1500km. I will not be able to cycle the whole way because I will be spending a week to get to Moscow, a week in Russia and a week at a music festival in Poland so I only have 4 weeks available and I need to stop and busk as well! So I will be getting the train for some of the way but I will have a cycle computer to let me (and you) know how far I have gone.

I should also tell you that I will not in fact be cycling in Russia because I have just learnt that it is in fact illegal for anyone under 14 years old to cycle in Russia. So, in fact, I will be starting in Tallinn.

On 30 June 2008, I will set off by train to Moscow. I will catch the train to London, then the Eurostar to Paris. I will see Paris for a day and do some busking. Then it is an overnight sleeper to Berlin and a day in Berlin. Then I catch the train to Rostock on the German Baltic coast and get on a ferry for a 2 night voyage to Helsinki (more busking). Finally, I get a sleeper train to Moscow where I will spend a few days before moving on to St Petersburg, then back to Helsinki from where I get on another ferry to Tallin and from there start cycling!