But travel is for the rich…

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Let us be honest: it will cost a lot of money to take a few years out to go cycle around the world. Mark Beaumont’s latest world record cost over £250 000, placing even an attempt well beyond the reach of most people. Even if your budget was to survive on just £10 per day, ... Read more

Cycling Home From Siberia – Rob Lilwall

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Cycling Home From Siberia - Rob Lilwall
I’m not sure that I’d want to cycle in the Siberian winter, and even if I did, I’m quite sure I wouldn’t simply rely on an untested postie pair of winter over-trousers to keep me warm. Clearly, Lilwall and I have different approaches, but I’ll freely admit his approach makes for a better story. Camping. ... Read more

A cycle tourer’s guide to stargazing in the UK

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Image from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumpolar_star
There’s something magical about ending a long day in the saddle with your tent pitched, water for coffee bubbling on your stove, and the night sky slowly revealing its secrets overhead. For cycle tourers, stargazing isn’t just a bonus – it’s part of the adventure. Whether you’re wild camping in Wales or tucked into a ... Read more

Cycling Horoscopes: Zodiac on Two Wheels

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So, you’re interested in your zodiac sign, are you? Well, aren’t you lucky, as here I have the Cyclist’s Zodiac Signs revealed in all their detail. How accurate is yours? Aquarius (Jan 20–Feb 18) The alt-bike oracle. Commutes on a bamboo bike, tinkers with belt drives, probably invented their own saddle. Loves solar lights and ... Read more

A Dartmoor Gravel Adventure

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Princetown Railway
Last week I set off from Princetown, following the course of the old Princetown Railway. On my bike I had my tent, and two full panniers, as I was planning on camping overnight. As the route isn’t particularly long, I set off fairly late in the day. It was a Monday, and I finished work ... Read more

Colliers Way traffic-free cycle route

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Colliers Way Cycle Route Overall Rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) Colliers Way is a disused railway in Somerset. Sustrans says it stretches for 17.5 miles from Frome to Monkton Combe. However, from Radstock to Monkton Combe is mainly on-road, albeit mostly on ... Read more

Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal

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Slough GUC cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Slough arm of the Grand Union Canal branches off the main canal. I started this route right by the Slough railway station, and it ends at the West Drayton train station. ... Read more

Llama Drama, by Anna McNuff

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Llama Drama, by Anna McNuff
Anna McNuff is a British adventurer, perhaps best known for her barefoot, long-distance running. She had this idea of using a scooter (the type that you push with one foot) to travel down the length of South America. To accompany her, McNuff enlisted a friend of hers, Faye. When initial testing (in the UK) showed ... Read more

Up where we belong…

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Hills. Love them, or loathe them, but hills undeniably make cycling more interesting. The thing that determines how you feel about hills isn’t found in your muscles. Instead, it exists in your mind. If you view hills as punishment, and obstacles, then they will seem bigger, and more difficult. But it doesn’t have to be ... Read more

Kit Review: DJI Neo drone

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DJI Neo drone
A few months ago, on the recommendation of a friend, I purchased a DJI Neo drone. There were several reasons behind my decision to buy the Neo, and that started with them recommending it highly. Why a drone? That’s simple to answer: I recently started doing videos, to supplement my traffic-free cycling route guides. Using ... Read more

The Tricky Bit – Peter Charlesworth

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This book is unusual in that you don’t often read of a father-and-son cycle touring combination. Charlesworth writes of when he joined his son – who was cycling around the world – to cycle through Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan and India. For any would-be cycle tourers, now would be a good time to get out a ... Read more

Pick your sites with care

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I’m a huge fan of wild camping, and by default will wild camp when cycle touring. Yes, even in England and/or Wales, where people will tell you wild camping is illegal. Of course, when wild camping, you will want to pick your sites with care. After all, if nobody knows you’re there, nobody can ask ... Read more

Project Rebuild: The result

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In the previous post, I explained the reasons why I decided to rebuild my bike. The big concern was the threads for the bottom bracket. With those having been damaged by the numpty I entrusted to replace the BB some 6 months ago, it was important to get it fixed by an expert. In practical ... Read more

Project Rebuild – the beginning

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My bike is a 2016 Genesis CdA 20. It started life as a gravel bike, but I’ve made extensive modifications, to turn it into a touring bike. I don’t treat the bike with kid gloves, and I ride on all sorts or terrain, some of it quite rough. As a result, my bike’s taken a ... Read more

Roads, cars, road danger, and congestion

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If I had £1 for every time anyone in the UK said “They should widen this road to help with congestion”, or “Cycle lanes cause congestion”, I’d be a very rich man! However, it’s easy to see why so many people make those same basic mistakes. At least on the surface, it seems to make ... Read more