A 70 year old reader of my newsletter, The Spirit Of Adventure (you are signed up, aren’t you?) emailed me, explaining health issues he overcame, and asked the following: “So the question I have is, while venturing out alone, whether cycle camping or touring, what would your top ten tips be for planning a trip … Read more
Every traveller’s journey is unique to them, and is a snapshot in time. This book tells the story of when I cycled the bottom half of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. If I had to cycle exactly the same route today, I’d end up with a completely new, and different experience. This is my adventure, and … Read more
Obviously, I remain an enormous fan of cycle touring, and often wish I was financially able to go cycle touring for half the year, every year. And why not? After all, you get to experience so many wonderful things, see stunning sights, and meet interesting people along the way. However, cycle touring isn’t just moonshine … Read more
With climate change comes the reality of hotter days. When cycle touring, that has real-world implications for you, in multiple ways. You No matter how advanced we may think of ourselves as a species, the fact remains that we’re still only mammals. That means our bodies like to remain with a core temperature of around … Read more
If you do cycle touring in the UK, and you usually camp along the way, sooner or later you’ll end up camping in the rain. After all, the UK is luscious and green because of the rain we get, so you can’t really complain. Of course, not all wet-weather camping is the same. It depends … Read more
We can’t all be on adventures all the time. Even the world’s most persistent cycle tourer, Heinz Stücke, eventually settled down. However, what we can do is start planning our next adventures! Decide on a timescale Time is the greatest limiter. You can always get more money, but you can never get more time. Your … Read more
If you’re new to camping, the tips on this page are sure to make your camping trip far better! What to take There are many different styles of camping, and some of them are extremely minimalist. My focus is heavily flavoured by cycle touring, and hiking. These are activities where you transport all your camping … Read more
No matter what kind of cyclist you are, you will love these 24 routes! 24 routes in 12 months obviously averages to two routes per month. Your challenge is to go cycle as many of these as you possibly can. There’s a free cycling cap as prize to the first person who can prove they … Read more
I went on a gentle adventure, with my youngest daughter, and it was so good! Why? Well, to answer that you’ll need to settle in, but it’s worth your time. Multi-modal I’ve long been a fan of taking my bicycle on the train, and that was the plan for this adventure, right from the start. … Read more
Time pauses for nobody, and before you know it – if you’re not already there, or beyond it – you too will be middle-aged. That does have implications for your cycling, but it certainly doesn’t mean it’s the end of your cycling! Over the years, I discovered a few tricks that work for me. Your … Read more
Right, here’s your mission (and don’t give me any of that “I don’t accept it” nonsense): go camping in November! I don’t care where you go camping, how you get there, or who you’re going with. However, there are rules attached! A digital detox Yup, that very much means no phone usage. Sure, you can … Read more
This is the third and final part of Roy Everitt’s adventure, that saw his travel to go cycle up the Grand Colombier – on a laden touring bike. Be sure to first read Part 1 and Part 2. Train to Lyon While I was catching the train to Lyon on Bastille day, three days earlier, … Read more
Vagabond is define as “a person who wanders from place to place without a fixed home”. Traditionally used as a slur, but oh how times have changed! Cycle tourers are vagabonds! It’s true! When you go cycle touring, you’re literally moving from place to place, without a fixed home (while on tour). That’s the very … Read more
There’s an inescapable reality about cycle touring and wild camping: there’s no on-suite bathroom with built-in shower. Personal hygiene is important at any time, but certainly comes to the fore when cycle touring and wild camping. Having said that, there are many things you can do to maintain personal hygiene. Wipes or flannels to the … Read more
This is the 2nd part of Roy Everitt’s guest posts about cycling up the Grand Colombier in France, on a laden touring bike. If you missed it, Part 1 is here. Day 2 – To Lyon I slept okay but awoke early again, and went for a stroll to find a patisserie for breakfast pastries … Read more
A guest post by Roy Everitt This is the first in a three-part series by Roy, telling the story of when he climbed the Grand Colombier, on a laden touring bike! A Chance to Climb the Grand Colombier A quick bit of background: most of my bigger trips are with my brother-in-law and a few … Read more
In the English-language world, telling someone to get lost is considered an insult. Usually. Let’s change that! When out on a cycling adventure, getting lost can be enormous fun (provided you’re not tied to a tight schedule!) so why not set out to get lost? But what about navigation, maps & more? I have a … Read more
To a huge number of people, coffee is an important part of life. If you don’t believe me, just have a look at how many coffee shops there are in your local neighbourhood! Now coffee shops are great, but especially when wild camping, the nearest coffee shop might be quite some distance away. What are … Read more
For a long time I’ve been threatening to get into Audaxing. Audaxing, in case you didn’t know, is long distance cycling events, run by Audax UK (in the UK). With very short notice, I went and signed up for a 101km Audax event about an hour’s drive from where I live. The event took place … Read more
