1986 was a great year – Duran Duran were a supergroup, and it was my last year of school, in South Africa. In 1986, computers existed – I owned a Sinclair ZX Spectrum – but it was largely the pre-digital era.
Mobile phones weren’t a thing, so you couldn’t phone people as such, only places, hoping the person you were looking for was at that place. Oh, and if you needed to make a call while out and about, you had to find a public phone in working order.
Life was far simpler back then, in so many ways, though at the same time, also more challenging. For example, navigation was done by paper map, or simply reading road signs. And if those two failed, you resorted to asking the next person you saw for directions.
The plan
I’m planning on cycling Devon Coast To Coast in true 1986 style – minus the garish fashions, or the big hair! As I usually do, I’ll catch a train to Barnstaple, ride to Ilfracome, then cycle back over two days, camping along the way.
There are some rules, and some compromises attached to this:
- No digital navigation. Strictly speaking, I’m cheating a bit here, as I know the entire route well, but still. I will use my iGPSport GPS computer, but only to record the ride, and not for navigation. Additionally, I’ll carry it in my jersey pocket, so won’t see the display.
- No bank cards. In 1986, bank cards were a thing, but the idea that you could pay for goods in a shop with your bank card was unheard of, and bank cards were simply used to withdraw cash at an ATM. As a result, I will have to carry cash.
- No mobile phone. Actually, I’ll carry mine along, in case of serious emergency, but will keep it packed away.
- Camera – I will take a digital camera, purely because I consider getting a disposable camera, which uses actual film, to be wasteful, but I’d still want to take photos along the way.
Obviously, it won’t be exactly like in 1986! I’ll be using my normal panniers, my normal tent and my normal sleeping mat. After all, it’d be absolutely wasteful to go buy “authentic” camping gear and panniers just for a single trip.
Also, in 1986, there was no social media, so on this trip I will stay off social media.
Now all that remains is for a weekend with decent weather to come along, then I can make a mix tape of my favourite tunes for the ride (but sadly, I don’t have a Walkman, nor a cassette recorder to record on.
Why don’t you do your own 1980s style cycle tour? Or, simply tell me in the comments what you loved, or hated, most about the 80s.