I’ve been forwarded new photos of Gem Bridge, as well as photos of Grenofen tunnel, by Mad Scientist. I was really glad of these pics, as sadly I’ve not had the opportunity to cycle out to Gem Bridge for some time, and the last update on the Devon County Council site was back in January. ... Read more

Lately there appears to have been more vitriol than usual from drivers against cyclists. I’m not simply a cyclist, but like most adult cyclists in the UK, I’m a driver too, as well quite often a pedestrian. This allows me to view things from distinctly different perspectives. Once upon a time, everybody was a pedestrian, ... Read more

Women the world over sometimes suffer enormously from rape, or the risk of rape – this is well known. What is less well know is how some women are made to suffer after having been raped. The fictitious conversation below puts it in context: This is the culture of victim blaming, but it isn’t limited to rape ... Read more

Do you ever get that feeling that peeing straight into a hurricane? That’s how I’m feeling about cycling advocacy right now. For starters, there’s the stupid in-fighting between various cycling factions. Pro-segregation, anti-segragation, pro-helmet, anti-helmet, pro-this, anti-the-other. Seriously, it makes me sick! And that is BEFORE we get to local authorities’ pathetic excuses for not delivering ... Read more

I had reason to drive to Tavistock today, and on the way back I had literally a few minutes spare, so I quickly checked on the progress made with Gem Bridge. Only one photo, but it speaks volumes! Gem Bridge and some random dog walker The deck is in place throughout, and the railings are ... Read more

This morning I spent in the company of some Sustrans volunteer rangers. I’m not a ranger, and I’m not exactly overly fond of Sustrans, but that relates to how it is structured. I do have a lot of time for what Sustrans does! So why did I spend my morning with Sustrans rangers, I hear ... Read more

The Times today have taken an extraordinary step by leading with a story that is all about increasing cyclists’ safety. If you read many cycling blogs, then you’d already know this. And no, I’m not jumping on any bandwagon here – I’ve always been on it! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like The Times. ... Read more

I’m planning on offering fully escorted Devon Coast-to-Coast (C2C) tours along National Cycle Network route 27 (NCN 27) over two or three days, to small groups, or perhaps even individuals. Ilfracombe The tours will include overnight accommodation at selected B & B’s along the way, as well as having all your luggage transferred each day ... Read more

The Bere Alston peninsula is a strip of land sandwiched between the Tamar and Tavy rivers, and is conveniently close to Plymouth.Never having been there before, I read about cycling there from a far better blog than this one. Earlier today I took the opportunity to go cycling there. There is a marker “Bere Alston ... Read more

Spending some time going through the Plymouth.gov.uk site, I stumbled across some really good sections. For starters, there is the Cycling Journey Times page, which predictable enough shows you how long it would take an average cyclist to ride between various areas in the city, as seen below: I also stumbled onto the Plymouth City Council Cycling ... Read more

In this era of austerity, we can all do with a little freebie, so here’s one from me to you: If you’re looking to buy some mulch, then don’t. Instead, simply go help yourself to the up to 5 cm (2 inches in old money) thick layer of squished mulch covering the Plym Valley cycle ... Read more

I had a chance today to see what progress has been made on Gem Bridge since I last saw it. The pics below are the result of my curiosity.As you can see (and as I said two posts back) about half of the bridge deck has been laid (oh stop that sniggering there in the ... Read more

I’d have loved to have the first post of 2012 to be some wonderful news, guaranteed to put a smile on anybody’s face. Sadly this is not the case. I was looking into the whole debacle surrounding the proposed mountain bike paths that the National Trust aims to build at Plymbridge, when I stumbled across ... Read more

I was again supplied with an updated photo of Gem Bridge by a colleague and friend of mine. I’m quite grateful for that, as I haven’t had the chance to get out there for ages. As you can plainly see, half the decking has been laid, and according to the man who sent me the ... Read more

As a species, we pride ourselves on our ability to reason. This, far more than possessing opposing thumbs, is what sets us apart from any other species. After all, primates also have opposing thumbs, yet don’t compose hauntingly beautiful concertos, nor do they sculpt Venus de Milo, nor indeed do they know how to change ... Read more