A dram good fundraiser will get under way in Dumfries and Galloway this week.
Rob Richardson is planning to cycle between every operating single-malt distillery in Scotland to raise funds for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance and Cash for Kids.
His Whisky Ventures Ride will begin at Bladnoch Distillery near Wigtown next Thursday, also including stops at Newton Stewart’s Crafty Distillery and Annan’s Annandale Distillery.
Rob, who is an outdoor instructor based in Midlothian, said: “Every few years I get itchy feet to do something big for myself. I was getting to that point just as the lockdown hit. I was stuck at home when I was used to travelling for work and play.
“It was probably over a few too many beers or whiskies I thought it would be a good idea to go round every distillery in a oner.
“I didn’t think much of it after a while but through the lockdowns I thought about it again but not doing it too far away as we couldn’t really travel and since my last big expedition I’ve had kids.
“I thought about Land’s End to John O’Groats but that’s a well-worn road, so I thought I could ride the length of Scotland.
“I realised there was a distillery almost at the bottom and at the top. There’s quite a few distilleries up the A9 – and then I realised if you go maybe just two or three miles off that you get so many more, and if you go a few miles more you get a few more.
“Eventually I came back to my original idea and decided I would just have to bike them all!”
Rob expects to cover around 2,000 miles on his journey which he hopes to complete in around seven weeks.
He’ll visit more than 140 distilleries along the way, finishing at Shetland’s Saxa Vord Distillery.
And he is hoping each one he visits will donate at least one bottle of malt to help his fundraising.
People are also welcome to join him on a ride to keep him company when he’s in their area, with the master distiller from Bladnoch joining him on the opening day.
To keep track of his progress and make a donation, visit www.whiskyventures.co.uk
