I will admit to feeling a bit despondent yesterday, what with the bike shop in Kenmare being unwilling/unable to look at my bike. At first I thought about booking into a camp site, but the nearest one was 14km back the way I came. Because I didn’t feel like cycling back the 14km, I just … Read more
Ireland was back to what I’ve come to accept as normal today, and the people I met along the way were all very friendly. Good morning! At some point, as I was cycling past a field with cows, as I often do, I shouted out “Good morning!” Yes, I’m one of those odd people who … Read more
I make a conscious effort to try and avoid being negative, but the town of Bantry doesn’t rate well at all in my opinion. Bantry – best avoided When I arrived in the town, I saw a pizza place and decided to order food from there. It was well before 5pm, but I was bluntly … Read more
Today’s update also carries more news from yesterday. After waking, and packing up, I took up the offer of coffee made by the two YouTubing couples. Video killed the radio star Now I’ve always known that obviously there needs to be direction of some sort when making a video, but I gained some first-hand insights … Read more
Today was different: for the first time on this ride, I had nobody to meet. Like cycle touring normally is (for me, at least) I was on my own. I could stop whenever I wanted, and go as fast (or slow) as I wanted. That’s liberating. Having said that, meeting John Devoy and his wife, … Read more
Just an update on my 4th day of cycling Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. Remember, if you haven’t been doing so, you can follow my (glacial) progress in real-time (provided I have a data signal!) by viewing the Where’s Will Now page. On that page there’s a map that shows where I am at that moment, … Read more
Today was a mixed bag! It rained last night, and there was soft drizzle when I woke. After packing up, I made my way back to the road, then set off cycling. I spent a good evening in the company of John and Sara Devoy, who kindly invited me to stay over at their home. … Read more
Today was all about getting to Dublin. Cork city, in County Cork. However, things didn’t go to plan. I belatedly discovered that there were rail strikes on for today, and that meant my very early train to Birmingham was cancelled. I quickly discovered that my only real option was to travel the day before. To … Read more
There are people who love to slag off the UK, pointing at miserable weather, bland food, and numerous sea-side resorts that are well past their sell-by date. Don’t listen to them! Sure, the UK does get a lot of rain, but that’s why it’s so lush, green and filled with rivers. If you think British … Read more
Remember all those holidays you had in Cornwall? Remember how stunning the county is? There’s a reason why around five million people flock to Cornwall each year! Green rolling hills, quaint seaside villages and stunning beaches are just some of the many attractions Cornwall offers. Your Cornish adventure This year, I’d like you to experience … Read more
This posts focuses on trying to find the most sustainable, least harmful way of getting to the start of my Wild Atlantic Way cycling adventure. Man-made climate change is real and undeniable. Only cranks and shills disagree with the astounding amount of verifiable scientific evidence. I’m very aware of my personal CO2 footprint, and am … Read more
Cycle touring is growing in popularity, and for good reason. After all, it remains the very best way to explore a landscape. In fact, Ernest Hemmingway put it best, when he said: “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills … Read more
164 miles – Workington to Tynemouth The Reivers Route gets it’s name from the gangs of marauders that used to roam the border between England and Scotland for several centuries. At 164 miles, it’s not a short route. More importantly, it passes through some of the most isolated and sparsely-populated parts of England. In simple … Read more
137 miles, Whitehaven to Sunderland C2C is the original coast to coast route, and is the UK’s most-popular long-distance cycle route. The name is actually not short for coast to coast, but rather sea to sea – it runs from the Irish Sea to the North Sea (or vice versa). Of all the coast to … Read more
ChatGPT ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) bot that’s received a great deal of publicity lately. Currently in free preview, practically anyone can go ask it anything. Be warned though: the responses aren’t always correct. Amongst other things, ChatGPT told me that the Silkin Way was in South Wales! There’s significant concern in academic circles … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more