Digital navigation revisited

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Digital  navigation while  cycle  touring Quite some time ago I made a conscious decision regarding digital navigation and how I use it. Yes, I’m aware some people prefer paper maps, but much as I love paper maps, the world has moved on, and I moved with it. Digital navigation simply offers far more benefits to ... Read more

There’s more to cycling than just club rides

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Club  rides  are  good I get it – there’s a certain thrill to be had from being head-down, riding as fast as you can go in a tight pack. Road bikes are sleek speed machines, and for a short while, you become an inextricable component of something bigger, while you focus on keeping the gap ... Read more

Eurovelo touring

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Eurovelo  routes Eurovelo routes are a series of often amazing, long-distance cycle touring routes, criss-crossing the continent of Europe. Some of these you may already know (or at least have heard of) like the Danube Route, or the Rhine Route. Those two follow two big rivers in Europe. The Eurovelo network is brought to you ... Read more

Beginner’s Guide To Planning A Cycling Tour

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So  Will,  how  do  I plan  my  first  bicycle  tour? Unless you are one of the idle rich, retired, or have absolutely nobody who depends on you in any way, chances are that you will have limited free time. Many people believe that money is the biggest limiter. That’s not the case – it’s time. ... Read more

Brighton Bimble – a Travelling Ouballies ride

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Will, from WillCycle, cycle touring along the Brighton Bimble GoCycle route
Brighton  Bimble The Brighton Bimble is the latest in my growing series of GoCycle route guides, and will soon be published. This is the story of when I went to cycle it the first time. Gentle  Adventure I’m a huge fan of what I call Gentle Adventures. These are multi-day rides, though usually only around 100 ... Read more

Policing climate change

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Climate  change  is terrifying During the summer of 2022, the UK (and much of Europe) saw high temperature records smashed in a great many places. In the UK, we saw temperatures of an unheard of 42 degrees Celsius. The latest IPCC report on climate change makes for terrifying reading. Remember, if you thought the summer ... Read more

Brighton Bimble – the start

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Brighton Pier
Brighton  Bimble? A have a slowly-expanding list of highly-detailed cycle touring route guides, called GoCycle guides. GoCycle bike touring route guides don’t simply show you the way. No, my bicycle touring guides act like a tour leader, and tells you about the landscape through which you’re cycling. A GoCycle guide will keep you on track, ... Read more

Back to basics – how to wild camp in the UK

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Where are you legally allowed to wild camp in the UK? In most of Scotland, you’re allowed to wild camp, but there are limitations. In England and Wales, with the exception of almost half of Dartmoor National Park, wild camping anywhere is against the law. Immediately, that sounds dreadful, like you’ll be led away in ... Read more

The Rhine – a logistical nightmare

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Cycling  the  Rhine The Rhine is one of Europe’s biggest rivers, and is steeped in history and folklore. From spectacular Alpine views, around the source of the river in Switzerland, to battle-scarred WW2 (and earlier wars) fortifications, to fairy-tale castles, beautiful valleys adorned with vineyards, plus much more, it has something for everyone. No wonder ... Read more

Old is the new new

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Old  is  good Some five weeks ago I had a serious crash, breaking my collarbone in two places. I also broke four ribs. I don’t know exactly what happened, as I was knocked unconscious and I have a gap in my memory. From the damage to my bike’s front wheel, it seems something got caught ... Read more

Footprints

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Footprints in sand.
We  all  leave  footprints The only difference is what kind of footprints. By now you will know that I’m a huge fan of wild camping and cycle touring. Like everything else, both those activities can and do leave footprints. Some  footprints  shouldn’t  last When wild camping, the number one rule is simply this: Leave No ... Read more

But what about your privacy!!?

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Is  live-sharing  your  location  always  bad? I recently created a Where’s Will Now page. That page contains an embedded map. When I manually switch on live-logging, the RideWithGPS app on my phone will update that map, and anyone looking at it will be able to see my location. Some will think that in doing so ... Read more

Bampton Cycle Shelter

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The Bampton Cycle Shelter
A  cycle  tourer’s  dream What’s a Bampton Cycle Shelter? Is it a new kind of cycling infrastructure? Well, yes, and no. Many cycle tourers, like me, prefer to wild camp when touring. Wild camping brings with it some challenges: for starters, in England and Wales, more often than not, wild camping is trespass. Though I ... Read more

Wild camping and the new PCSC Bill – a guide for cyclists and hikers

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Is wild camping in the UK a crime?
Did  the  PCSC Bill  turn  wild  camping  into  a  crime? Such a deceptively simple question, but it turned out to be rather difficult to get an answer to it. Well, at least a straight, reliable answer. I’m a huge fan of wild camping, and personally find the UK’s new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill ... Read more

Welcome To My Garden

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An  alternative  to  camp  sites I only recently became aware of Welcome To My Garden, and I already think it’s a superb site. So what is it? That’s easy to explain: much like Warmshowers offer overnight accommodation to cycle tourers, Welcome To My Garden offers a camping spot for the night in people’s gardens. In ... Read more