‘No likey, no bikey’ just wasn’t an option for Ecclefechan residents and beyond who lined the B7076 and gathered in the Dumfriesshire village in the freezing cold on Wednesday night to cheer on Paddy McGuinness.
The warm Scottish welcome was much appreciated by the saddle-sore celebrity who had crossed the border on his Radio 2 300-mile Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge for BBC Children in Need – which ended in Glasgow on Friday morning.
The 51-year-old former Top Gear host raised £9,124,609 – helped by a generous donation from Scottish philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter – from cycling his modified Raleigh Chopper, which he nicknamed Patch.
He’d been welcomed into Scotland at Gretna Green on Wednesday evening and travelled through Kirkpatrick Fleming to Ecclefechan with residents hi-fiving and cheering him along, including Hoddam Primary pupils, who sang their own special version of Tony Christie’s (Is This The Way To) Amarillo with the words swapped to “Ecclefechan”.
The carnival atmosphere was commented on by Radio 2 breakfast presenter Zoe Ball the next morning, who said: “There is no party like an Ecclefechan party – the kids’ singing “Show Me The Way To Ecclefechan was something else.”
Paddy’s arrival was broadcast live on BBC radio with DJ Jo Whiley, capturing on air the heart-warming bagpipes and singing welcome – which Paddy said was “mind-blowing”. He said: “Jo, this was quite simply the toughest day of the challenge so far, but I’ve arrived into Ecclefechan and the whole town is out.
“I’m surrounded by everybody, honestly if you could bottle this feeling, Jo, it is top of the world amazing.”
He added: “The feeling of love round here and generosity and what’s happened all throughout the day, it’s culminating into a beautiful night all the way up in Scotland in Ecclefechan.”
Ecclefechan was still buzzing with crowds the next morning who sent him on his way up past Johnstonebridge, Beattock and Moffat and into Lanarkshire.
A BBC One documentary on Paddy’s challenge will be broadcast at 8pm tomorrow night.
