Come on baby, light my fire

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Mastery of fire was arguably the single most important human achievement. It vastly increased our species’ ability to survive and prosper, and to this day we are ultra-reliant on fire. It’s entirely possible that the device you’re using to read this was powered by electricity generated by either coal, or gas-powered power stations, and those ... Read more

Kit Review – Aeropress Go

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Some things just belong together: Sampson & Dellilah, Cleopatra & Anthony, bread & butter, and of course, cycling & coffee. Cycling and coffee are a match made in heaven, as the number of cycling cafés can attest. In a perfect world, there will always be a great café, serving excellent coffee, right when you need ... Read more

Book review: Spain To Norway On A Bike Called Reggie, by Andrew P Sykes

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I’ve reviewed one of Andrew P Sykes’ books before – the first book he published, but for some reason or another didn’t get around to reading any of his other books. Since my last review, he’s published several more books. He’s on Twitter as @CyclingEurope, and he has a podcast, with full details available at ... Read more

SheCycles – Jane

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Jane's photo for SheCycles
Yes, another SheCycles post! In case you still don’t know, SheCycles is a series of posts about completely different women, each one amazing in her own way, telling us in their own words about how cycling fits into their lives, and what it means to them. Read all the other SheCycles posts, by clicking this link. ... Read more

ACAPS Dining Society

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Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye! You are hereby formally invited to the ACAPS – DS event! ACAPS, as you should know, is the abbreviation for the Adventure Cycling And Philatelic Society, while DS is the abbreviation for the ACAPS Dining Society. IMPORTANT: There is a dress code for all ACAPS DS events, and that ... Read more

Digital security for cyclists

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“Digital security? What do you mean by that? I have a complex password for my email – surely that’s all I need? Besides, I’m not anyone famous or important, so nobody will target me, right?” Wrong, actually. Very wrong. Let’s have a look at how digital security, and your digital footprint, reaches into your life. ... Read more

Keeping the thieves at bay

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Nobody wants to have their bike stolen. Perhaps it’s your pride and joy, perhaps it’s just a pub bike. Perhaps it’s worth many thousands, perhaps you got it for free. It doesn’t matter what bike your ride, nor how much it costs. What matters is that it’s yours, and obviously you don’t want it stolen, ... Read more

Register your bike

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Bike theft is real, and growing, with thieves getting more audacious by the day. By and large, if your bike was stolen, you report it only to police to get the crime number that the insurance company will ask for, and you know police will most probably have no further involvement. Very occasionally, police catch ... Read more

Live-sharing your tour

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One of the best things about cycle touring is simply escaping the hustle and bustle of the world, while you’re blissfully isolated from so much that may be happening in the world. This gives you the time to focus on the little things, that ultimately matter so much, like some wild flowers growing in a ... Read more

Book review: Eric Newby – Round Ireland in low gear

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This book was recommended to me as a detailed cycle touring book, with the added bonus of being about Ireland, somewhere I know little about, but would love to go cycle touring. Eric Newby was a journalist who published several travel guides, and apparently was asked to write the book. It was first published in ... Read more

Introducing The Travelling Ouballies

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The Travelling What? In South Africa, a slang (and somewhat derogatory) Afrikaans word for a man significantly older than yourself is “ouballie”, which is pronounced “oh – bully”, with “bully” to rhyme with “Scully”. Obviously, there was a rather excellent band, called The Travelling Wilburys. Given that I’m South African, like the music of The ... Read more

Coffee – nectar of the gods

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In life, there are two kinds of people: those who choose to drink coffee, and those that don’t. I’ firmly in the former category, and a good coffee is one of life’s essentials to me. Coffee is a rich source of caffeine, which is common knowledge. Perhaps less commonly known is what caffeine does to our ... Read more

Cycle touring in a new age

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COVID has changed the world, probably in a permanent way, but there are bigger changes on the horizon. I am of course referring to man-made Climate Change, which is undeniably real and terrifying. The heart of the matter is transport-related emissions need to radically fall, and that has clear, and direct implications for how we ... Read more

Back to basics: Navigation

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“The  sun  never  sets  on  the  British  Empire” To a degree, the story of navigation is the story of the British Empire. Don’t believe me? Well, read on! Today, maps from around the world use a system of longitudes and latitudes. These are imaginary lines all over the earth, with longitudes running from the north ... Read more

Book review – Slow Coast Home, by Josie Dew

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  This book came highly recommended, and it was with much anticipation that I started reading it. What struck me immediately is that the author is the kind of person I like: she’s not overly organised, prefers wild-camping, and feels at home while cycle touring. Consistently, throughout the book, Dew’s irrepressible sense of humour shines ... Read more