Did I get the title sequence wrong? Quite obviously, what we should be most concerned about is the impact of our activities on climate change. Climate change is man-made, real, speeding up and is frankly terrifying. Still, for the purposes of this post, I’ll focus on the impacts of climate change on cycle touring. Is […]
Ultimate Guide to Planning Your 1st Cycle Tour
Are you planning your first cycle tour and feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Cycle touring can be a fantastic way to see the world and have unique travel experiences, but it’s normal to have questions and concerns about how to plan your trip. To help you get started, here is the ultimate guide […]
The Ugly Truth About Cycle Touring
The Ugly Truth? If you visit this site regularly, you’d know that I’m a big fan of cycle touring, and for good reason, too! I wrote many times about the sense of freedom you can get while cycle touring. Yes, even from very short tours. Especially when wild camping – as I prefer to do […]
The Rail-Hike-Camp map
A map aimed at hikers? Well yeah, the Rail-Hike-Camp map was created specifically with hikers in mind. The idea is simple: a map showing camp sites within a day’s hike from a train station. Obviously, that allows hikers to greatly expand where they go adventuring, by using trains. The benefit to cycle tourers The Rail-Hike-Camp […]
7 signs that you should go cycle touring
Did you think cycle touring is not for you? Many people think cycle touring is only for people who are happy to go cycling for weeks without access to showers, and sleeping on the ground each night. To be fair, many thousands of people do exactly that each year, but it certainly isn’t the only […]
Does Your Wild Camping Pass The Test? 7 Things You Can Improve On Today
What are the 7 common mistakes people make when wild camping? Wild camping is great. Just you, and nature all around you. Sheer bliss! However, there are mistakes that many people make when wild camping. Do you do any of these? Remember, strictly speaking, and with the exception of around half of Dartmoor (and even that’s […]
The Wild Atlantic Way prep
Unsupported long-distance cycle touring With the end on 2023 rapidly approaching, I’m slowly preparing for cycling the bottom 700 miles of the Wild Atlantic Way in May ’23. The Wild Atlantic Way apparently is the longest signposted coastal route in the world (a record that’s simply begging to be beaten) and it gets its name […]
Cycle camping
What is cycle camping all about then? The clue, as they say, is in the name. Cycle camping is when you go camping, and you cycle to your camping spot, carrying all your camping gear on your bike. Different types of camping I’m South African and when we say “I’m going camping” we mean what […]
Every adventure counts
A small adventure is still an adventure We live in a hyper-competitive world, where (almost) everyone is constantly trying to outdo the next person. UK politicians are forever bleating about “world-beating” this and “world-beating” that. But you know what? It doesn’t have to be this way. Bigger isn’t always better, and even when it is, […]
Gravel !
Traffic-free gravel routes Lots of people (including me) enjoy gravel routes. Gravel cycling refers to a middle-ground between road cycling and mountain biking, and gravel bikes are generally dropped-bar bikes with chunky tyres. However, for gravel routes, I’m not at all fussed with the type of bike you’ll use to ride the routes. Instead, I’ll […]
Coffee Ride 2023
No reasons, no excuses, no pretences A Coffee Ride is just a bike ride, with one difference thrown in: somewhere along the ride, you’ll stop to brew your own coffee. That’s right, it’s not a coffee shop ride, but we also don’t want to get stuck on rules. I’m aware that leaves it quite woolly, and […]
Spreading the Christmas cheer
Aren’t you tired of getting yet another pair of “cycling” socks? Christmas is about giving, but let’s be honest, receiving worthwhile presents is also nice. Maybe you’re looking for a present for a cyclist in your life. Perhaps you’re looking for a present for yourself? After all, Christmas is a great excuse to get yourself something you […]
The trouble with canal routes…
I love the serene cycling to be found when cycling along pretty much any of the UK’s many canals. Scenic views, plenty of Industrial Revolution heritage (and I’m a sucker for all that), quaint lock-keeper cottages, Victorian ingenuity and traffic-free bliss all make for a very heady combination. It’s that allure that made me do […]
Ads? Are you selling out??
A labour of love WillCycle has always been a labour of love for me, but running this site costs me money. Sure, I have some income from T-shirt sales, sales of cycling caps and from multi-day GoCycle route guides. However, all the money I ever received for route guides doesn’t cover just my web hosting costs. […]
Traffic-free Cycling Routes
Interactive Map This is a growing collection of traffic-free cycling routes in the UK. To find a route guide, simply click on the various coloured lines on the interactive map. IMPORTANT: This is VERY far from complete, and your help would be wonderful. If there are any routes I’ve not yet listed, please simply add a comment […]
November Coffee Ride
Every month I’m doing a Coffee Ride, and every month the coffee spot will be in a different place. If you’re in the area, you’d be most welcome to join me.If you do join me, just remember to bring your own kit to brew a coffee. What’s a Coffee Ride? That’s easy: a Coffee Ride […]
Travel to the Bronze Age
No bikes, for a change This week, my mate Caspar and I went hiking on Dartmoor. For those that don’t know, Dartmoor is the last wilderness left in England. Situated entirely within the county of Devon, it is also the only place in England where wild-camping is perfectly legal. In search of history… The part […]
New traffic-free cycling route guides?
Isn’t WillCycle all about cycle touring? WillCycle has a strong focus on cycle camping and cycle touring, but the site isn’t limited to just those two subjects. Many posts deal with related topics, such as navigation, while others deal with climate change. Traffic-free cycling is blissful cycling I’ve cycled on roads in London, and several […]
Destroying that which we love
So, you love the wild places? I can see why? Who doesn’t like travelling to exotic places, to experience it for themselves. Who doesn’t want to go explore Machu Picchu, go cycle the Ho Chi Minh Trail, or scale Everest? Not to mention visiting Patagonia, or Lake Baikal in Siberia? After all, it’s a beautiful, […]
Go for a Coffee Ride!
Admit it – you love coffee almost as much as you love cycling. That simply makes coffee and cycling a perfect match! Your very own Coffee Ride Oh, bike rides with a café stop are great, and we all love them, but that’s not what a real Coffee Ride is about. Oh no! A Coffee […]
