The rules of being a tourist

by
In the summer of 2019, I was cycling along Drake’s Trail. It was a beautiful day, I had time on my hands, and just a rough idea to cycle out to Okehampton, and back, also riding on the Granite Way. Just as I passed through Yelverton, there are a set of double gates on the ... Read more

SheCycles – Niamh Lewis

by
I’m delighted to bring you yet another SheCycles post. In case you didn’t know, SheCycles is a series of posts in which a range of different female cyclists answer the same questions, in their own words. You should read all the SheCycles posts, by clicking this link. This post introduces Niamh Lewis – she’s on ... Read more

Camping gear

by
“Oh no! You can’t go camping with that! You need to buy reliable kit, with a tent costing at least…” Ever heard someone go off like that? I have. Here’s the thing: you need an £800, expedition-grade 1-person tent only if you’re going on an expedition where your life could depend on your tent not failing. ... Read more

Darkmoor – the finale

by
Back in 2012, I heard about the Dunwich Dynamo for the first time. In case you didn’t know, the Dynamo is an all-night bike ride, from London, to a tiny hamlet called Dunwich, in Suffolk. With my kids still being young at the time, there was no chance of me doing that ride, but I ... Read more

HeCycles?

by
If you’re upset because I do a SheCycles series of posts, but not a HeCycles series, we need to talk. Sexism remains a common element in the world, and in the UK, women are on average paid just over 80% the wages men receive for the same job. As the Sarah Everard tragedy showed, and ... Read more

A time of hope and dreams

by
Despair  is  everywhere COVID. War in Gaza. Climate change. Crime. Austerity. Crumbs, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. It’s easy to feel like everything’s going wrong. Here’s the thing, though: what you focus on will seem bigger, and more important. I’m not for a moment suggesting all is well with the world – far from it ... Read more

SheCycles – Robyn Jankel

by
In this latest SheCycles post, we get to know Robyn Jankel, in her own words. If you’re unfamiliar with SheCycles, it’s a serious of posts in which we’re introduced to a range of perfectly normal, completely different and absolutely awesome women, in their own words. Click here to read all the SheCycles posts. That’s enough ... Read more

Some more thoughts on navigation

by
I’m an unashamed, proud map-geek, and I generally find navigation easy to do. I also provide digital route guides for a growing number of routes. Over the bank holiday weekend at the end of May, I went cycling the Grand Union Canal, along with a friend of mine, Dom (@Tdr1nka on Twitter). I’ve spent considerable ... Read more

So you want to cycle the Grand Union Canal?

by
Want to know what to expect when cycling the Grand Union Canal? Time for a rethink? I’m all for encouraging people to go on bike rides, but in this case I’ll advise you to change your mind. Why? Let me explain… If you went cycling on the Tarka Trail, in gorgeous north Devon, you’d be ... Read more

I can’t change anything! I’m just a single person

by
One of the objections you’ll often hear about climate change is “But I’m just one person – nothing I do will make any difference”. You may even have used that excuse yourself, and if you did, you probably believed it, too. Let’s fix that, right here, right now, shall we? You are not just a leaf ... Read more

Grand Union Canal – a bit of an obsession

by
Some ten years or so ago, I was visiting a friend who lived in Warwick, and obviously I took my bike with. He did the neighbourly thing and showed me a local tourist attraction, Hatton Locks. At the time, I knew canals existed, and that people lived on narrowboats, but that’s about as far as ... Read more

Back to basics – bicycle pedals

by
  Bicycle pedals are ridiculously important, and not important at all, all at the same time. The pedals are the interface through which your feet apply the power needed to propel the bike forward. They’re important, because without pedals, you won’t be going anywhere, and they’re not important, because when done right, you will hardly ... Read more

Food for thought

by
Writing about food always feels somewhat uncomfortable to me, as I’m not a foodie. Much like you shouldn’t trust a skinny chef, I suppose you need to be sceptical of taking food advice from me. Well, to a point. You see, sooner or later – especially when touring – you’ll stop caring (or at least ... Read more

Do electric cars dream of saving the world?

by
We are painfully slowly heading to the end of the oil era (seriously, if you had any shares in oil companies, which I sincerely hope you don’t, now is the time to dump those shares). Large car manufacturers realise this, which is why you can now buy electric panzerwagons and even electric American “muscle cars”. ... Read more

My bike – a 5-year review of a Genesis CdA

by
I used to commute 15 hilly miles each way on a daily basis, on a road bike. 700c x 25 tyres may be light and fast, but they sure aren’t designed to take the knocks that rural Devon lanes offer, especially on a cold, dark, and often wet winter commute. My road bike has rim ... Read more