No, not that Central Park. This route runs through Central Park, in Plymouth. The land that forms Central Park is held in trust, and may only be used for leisure facilities, for the people of Plymouth. Started in 1928, and formally opened in 1931, despite what the local legend says, Plymouth’s Central Park isn’t older … Read more
Somewhere along some of WillCycle’s traffic-free routes, there are stickers hidden. Those were been placed there deliberately, in a spot that requires effort to reach. It won’t appear on any map. Nobody is going to tell you where it is. And the first WillCycler to find it and send proof will have their first name … Read more
We’ve all been there: you planned a glorious route for a bike ride. You checked OS Maps and confirmed it’s a bridleway that you may legally use. You planned a 50 mile loop, using that bridleway to avoid a nasty, busy A-road. Then you arrive, and that “legal right of way” is a chest-high sea … Read more
In the Tour de France, the Lanterne Rouge is the rider who finishes dead last. They are the survivor, the tail-light in the dark, and if we’re being honest, the person who probably had the most interesting day. While the hardcore roadies are busy staring at their power meters and sweating through their Lycra to … Read more
Those of you who (like me) are of a certain age, will probably fondly remember the film The Breakfast Club. Released in 1985, it brilliantly tells the story of a bunch of teenagers doing after-school detention. This post is entirely unrelated to that movie, except for a gratuitous intro paragraph, and the same name. Cycling … Read more
I have a confession to make: I don’t like all those Red Bull extreme cycling videos. The reason for that is really simple: real people get hurt doing ever more extreme things, as marketing for a company. Arms race Think about it for a minute. You’re watching a Red Bull video showing someone doing a … Read more
Bugle Trail overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Bugle Trail runs for just over 5 miles from near St Blaizey, past the Eden Project, to the village of Bugle, in Cornwall. It’s part of the Cornish Clay Trails, and offers a … Read more
The word surrender usually conjures up negative connotation, often centred around war, or battle. Surrender means giving up, and that’s usually see as a bad thing. But there is one kind of surrender that can change your cycling. Rain The UK is exquisitely beautiful and green. The reason behind all that lush greenery, and many … Read more
The world tells us that journeys need to be big to matter. That the real adventures start where maps start to fade, where days stretch long, and where you lose sight of home. But the humble five-minute ride – the trip to the shop, the detour to the post box, the spin around the block … Read more
Lights. We all-too-often hear about drivers ranting about seeing cyclists riding at night, without lights. Ignoring for the moment that they admit they saw the cyclists, the fact is it really is a VERY good idea to have lights on your bike at night. To see, or to be seen? That is the question Lights … Read more
Dartmoor is England’s last true wilderness, and receives millions of visitors each year. It’s easy to see why – Dartmoor is beautiful. From the annual Ten Tors event for school kids, to the Dartmoor Classic sportive, to smaller events like Dartmoor In A Day, to just casual visitors and families having a picnic, Dartmoor caters … Read more
I recently obtained a Coospo CS600 cycling computer to review. Full disclosure from the outset: I didn’t pay for the unit. However, I do honest reviews, and that’s exactly what this one is. Overview The CS600 is the top-of-the-range bicycle computer from Coospo, a Chinese manufacturer. This is by no means the best cycling computer … Read more
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
