This book is unusual in that you don’t often read of a father-and-son cycle touring combination. Charlesworth writes of when he joined his son – who was cycling around the world – to cycle through Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan and India.
For any would-be cycle tourers, now would be a good time to get out a world map. The area we’ll be focusing on is the “Stans” – Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. These are some of the most dangerous areas on the planet, and round-the-world travellers often opt to cycle through the Russian Federation, just to avoid these areas.
Charlesworth and his son rode through parts of that area. They also cycled through China’s Xinjiang province, which is heavily controlled, and passed close to the Kashmir region, where India and Pakistan regularly come to blows. If you were set on picked a difficult region, just follow their lead.
The book is an easy read, and is well-written. Bothe father and son come across as genuinely nice people, though it’s also undeniable that they’re from quite a privileged background. I enjoyed their It’ll-work-out approach to things, though it also got them into several spots of bother.
It’s not an overly long book, and I doubt it will stand out in your mind at the best travel book you ever read, but it is a nice book to read nevertheless, and I would urge you to do so. I certainly enjoyed reading it.
You can get a copy here, or from any good bookseller.
And when you’ve finished reading it, have a look at my bookshelf, for plenty more great books.