Cycle touring
Baguettes and bicycles – Steven Herrick
When the blurb for a book start with “Award-winning author”, you immediately have high hopes for the book. In this book, Herrick tells of when he crossed France by bicycle, from west to east. The book is somewhat unusual in that Henrick didn’t do a continuous 1 200 km journey. Instead, at times he hired … Read more
Far Sweeter Than Honey – William Spencer
William Spencer, and his mate Brian, were young men when they decided to set off from 1970s England, and cycle to India. Inspired by what he read about Auroville, in India, Spencer developed a growing interest in meditation (though it wasn’t something he could actually do). Newbies The pair weren’t very experienced cycle tourers, but … Read more
The Road Headed West – Leon McCarron
During the economic crash of 2008, Leon McCarron was in a predicament: jobs were few and far between, and after a 6 month stint of working in New York city, he’d had enough. What he needed was an adventure, and what better adventure than to cycle across the USA? This book tells the story of … Read more
Cycling Home From Siberia – Rob Lilwall
I’m not sure that I’d want to cycle in the Siberian winter, and even if I did, I’m quite sure I wouldn’t simply rely on an untested postie pair of winter over-trousers to keep me warm. Clearly, Lilwall and I have different approaches, but I’ll freely admit his approach makes for a better story. Camping. … Read more
A cycle tourer’s guide to stargazing in the UK
There’s something magical about ending a long day in the saddle with your tent pitched, water for coffee bubbling on your stove, and the night sky slowly revealing its secrets overhead. For cycle tourers, stargazing isn’t just a bonus – it’s part of the adventure. Whether you’re wild camping in Wales or tucked into a … Read more
The Tricky Bit – Peter Charlesworth
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 … Read more
Fat bloke on a bike, by Paul J Parsons
The blurb on this book hooked me from the start: “Paul is more than your average cyclist. About five stones more.” It goes on to say it “follows Paul’s novice attempt at cycle touring”. So far, it sounds great. The start The book starts with Parsons describing cyclists who carry almost nothing on the bike, … Read more
Gears for Queers
Gears for Queers is a book by Abigail Melton and Lilith Cooper, or Abi and Lili, as you’ll get to know them. In the foreword, the authors say the book was “written specifically for the queers, for other fat, disabled, trans, female, femme and non-binary people”. While it may have been written with all those … Read more
Reading to Reading, by Tim Millikin
Millikin cycled from his hometown of Reading, in the UK, to Reading, in Pennsylvania, USA. Why end there? Purely because of the name, which seems as good a reason as any. His journey of 46 500 kilometres took him three years, with a budget of just £6 per day. The beginning Millikin set off with … Read more
The Life Cycle, by Kate Rawles
In a nutshell, The Life Cycle tells the story of Rawles’ 8 000 miles ride along the length of South America. However, that’s only a fraction of what the book is about. As a dedicated environmentalist, Rawles’ bike ride was more than a sigh-seeing trip. Along the way, she diverted regularly to meet local people … Read more
Riding Out, by Simon Parker
Riding Out tells the story of when travel writer Simon Parker decided to cycle from the UK’s northernmost point, Muckle Flugga, in Shetland, to the southwesternmost point, Bishop’s Rock. The catch? It was during the height of the pandemic. Parker barely made it to Land’s End, when Lockdown 1 scuppered his plans. When restrictions were … Read more
Le Grand Tour – by Andrew P Sykes
I’ve a confession to make, right from the outset: I’ve read all of Sykes’ books, and I’m a big fan of his work. Why am I starting a book review with this disclosure? Simple: this will be a positive review. However, it’s a positive review because it’s a great book, and not because of his … Read more
Cycle tour destroyer
If like me, you spend considerable time planning and preparing for a cycle tour, then you’ll be excited when the day comes to go cycle touring. Finally, a chance to escape the everyday humdrum of life, and explore the world in the best way possible: on two wheels, and under your own efforts. Because you’re … Read more