By now I expect you know about the new Gem Bridge being constructed over the Walkham valley, on the site of the old Grenofen viaduct Brunel had built. The new bridge is a superb idea that, once completed, will offer cyclists, walkers and wheelchair users a pleasant way to cross the valley. Crossing the Walkham … Read more
On Saturday, 21 May, I headed out to Yelverton, where I picked Simon up. We then made our way to Princetown, and parked in the car park behind the High Moorlands centre. There was a fair bit of wind, but I didn’t consider it too bad – certainly no worse than what I’ve cycled in … Read more
Totnes is a small town in Devon, and I often get to visit it as an IT support customer has a branch there. Any town with as lively a “hippy” community is cool in my book, and I really wouldn’t mind living there!This is from Wikipedia : “Totnes has a sizeable alternative community, and the … Read more
Yesterday afternoon, I went cycling. My youngest often goes cycling with me, and on longer trips it is common for me to hook up her tag-along behind my bike. Although yesterday’s trip wasn’t going to be a serious distance, it nevertheless involved some hills she struggles quite badly with, so that meant we picked the … Read more
I’m cycling the 104 miles of the Devon C2C route from Ilfracombe to Plymouth over the weekend of 10 and 11 September 2011, and while doing so I’m hoping to raise some money for Myeloma UK. Myeloma is a terminal cancer of the bone marrow plasma cells. While there is no cure (yet) treatment has … Read more
Apparently Fuel Rationing will be needed before 2020, hence the title of this post. Obviously I have no way of knowing just how exactly rationing would be implemented, nor what the actual limits would be, so the title’s 15 miles may well be 150 or 1500 miles. But still… Fuel rationing! Please read the parliamentary … Read more
UPDATE: You may wish to read a more up-to-date post about Gem Bridge here: http://willcycle.blogspot.com/2011/08/more-on-gem-bridge.html On Friday, 22 April 2011, I went cycling, specifically to see what progress was being made with the new viaduct over the Walkham valley, at Grenofen. We’ve been having some gorgeous weather lately, and Friday was no exception despite being … Read more
I’ve had a thing for maps since I was a boy, and I remember with great fondness my first compass and topographical map.Although a lot of water has run into the sea since then, I still like maps, especially old maps.Now as a self-confessed geek, I’ve been carrying navigational aids around with me for many … Read more
UPDATE on 21 May: The ride IS going ahead tonight. Some drizzle is expected, but no torrential downpours. Right, the date for the Dark Side Ride is (enter drum-roll here) 21/22 May 2011! What’s that? What’s a Dark Side Ride, you ask? Well, a Dark Side Ride is a leisurely bicycle ride on Dartmoor, at … Read more
This is part of a ride that I filmed using my new helmet cam. The video shows several things: What video quality the camera is capable of (do remember I reduced the video resolution by a great deal after filming, thereby reducing the video from 380 MB down to 77 MB. However, I sacrificed quite … Read more
For some time now, I’ve been thinking about getting a helmet cam, but choosing a helmet cam isn’t as straightforward as you may think.You need to consider the megapixel rating, the resolution it films at, the frames-per-second filming speed, the battery life, etc., etc. The list simply goes on and on! And then you get to … Read more
News reports recently have been overshadowed by the terrible events in Japan, and in Libya, with Bahrain getting a mention now and then. Japan was a catastrophic natural disaster that probably put several nails into the coffin of the “nuclear energy is clean” argument, and with just reason too. After all, in a nation renowned … Read more
I had this idea in the back of my head that perhaps I ought to do a detailed route map of the Plym Valley trail and Drake’s Trail, with photos and info on handy places to stop for a rest (and perhaps a picnic). Throw in references of good shops along the way (like Sonya’s … Read more
A while ago I e-mailed Devon County Council for an update on the Walkham viaduct. I waited patiently and received only a thundering silence as response.Fortunately we have the Freedom of Information Act, which means if I asked the same questions as a Freedom of Information request they had to respond, and respond with a reasonable time … Read more