65 Gold Medals = 96 Gold Post Boxes! 22 Day GoldBoxJourney

Well Folks the closing ceremony has taken place with the entire Wandering Walton’s clan watching on Channel 4 last night, in tears at times.

29 Team GB Gold Medals brought us 57 Gold Post Boxes

36 Paralympics GB Gold Medals brought us another 38 Gold Post Boxes

There is also the possibility that 3 more post boxes may be painted to commemorate David Weir’s Gold Medal achievements as he only has one painted at the minute and won a mind blowing 4 Gold Medals. Plus Tim Baille is still waiting for his second Gold Post Box to be painted according to the Wikipedia listing.

Finally Paralympic sprint champion Jonnie Peacock has chosen to have a his Gold Post Box painted in his home town of Doddington in Cambridgeshire which was painted today (Monday 10^th September).

So we have a grand total of 96 Gold Post Boxes throughout Great Britain located as far North as Clifton Road Lossiemouth to honour Heather Stanning’s Gold Medal for Rowing – Women’s Coxless Pairs. As far South as The Ave on Sark for Carl Hester’s Equestrian – Team Dressage Gold Medal. In the East in Belton with Browston for Jessica-Jane Applegate Gold Medal in Swimming – Women’s 200 Meter Free Style S14 and finally in the West the Gold Post Box is on Quay Street in Penzance for Helen Glover’s Gold Medal Women’s Coxless Pairs. Not to forget the Gold post Box in Onchan on the Isle of Man honouring Peter Kennaugh’s Gold Medal Cyling – Men’s Team Sprint.

A couple of competitors have won more than one but the two Super Stars that stand out to me are Sarah Storey and David Weir who both won 4 Gold Medals. What an absolutely fantastic achievement, not that every winner is any less amazing but 4 Gold Medals really does warrant a little special mention. Well done to the pair of you.

Now Sarah has 3 Gold Post Boxes painted already but David has just the one, however this could change if the powers that be choose to paint another 4, 1 for Sarah and 3 more for David we could be looking at 100 Gold Post Boxes, just watch this space.

As well as the athletes Gold Post Boxes there are 4 additional Gold  Post Boxes located throughout Great Britain , these are:-

1)      Westminster Abbey – the very first demo box

2)      Henley Rowers – Heart Street, Henley-on-Thames to honour our rowers

3)      Wimbledon – to honour Andy Murrays Gold Medal win.

4)      Stoke Mandeville Hospital – to honour the founder of the Paralympic movement Sir Ludwig Guttmann in the place it all started in 1948 with a truly international games being played in 1952 but you can read all about that on Wikipedia.

So with the Olympics well and truly over and after watching the amazing procession through London by all our inspirational athlete’s, it’s all down to me now to get out and take those photo’s. My Mapsource file is now fully loaded. The only place I cannot ride my motorbike to is Sark so that will be just me I’m sorry to say.

96 Gold Post Boxes Plotted

21 in the "Bag"

75 to go

"Bring It On!"

As the Gold Medals were all won over a period of 22 days I have set myself the challenge of visiting them all within 22 days not running consecutively as life still has to go on but 22 travelling days. That’s just 4.36 or lets round it up to 5 Gold Post Boxes per riding day spent on the road. I have a few full days planned but I want to enjoy riding around our Great British Isles and take away some great memories, so quality not quantity is the key.

I’ve been busy on Twitter @Jap_STi_3 and have found #GoldBoxJourney speaking with a number of likeminded Gold Post Box visitors some of which have already “Bagged” in excess of 38 Gold Post Boxes. Here’s hoping I get to meet one or two of them on my Travels.

So for now that’s me all set to start  following my MapSource locations on the Garmin 660 Sat Nav and rack up a few more miles.

See you out and about fellow #GoldBoxJourney visitors…………….