Will’s Bookshelf
Reading a good book is one of the best things in the world. If you cannot go on a particular adventure yourself, then you can still vicariously share in someone else’s adventure, by reading about it.
Here are a number of books mostly about cycle touring, from my bookshelf. I suspect you will enjoy them as much as I have.
The books are listed in the reverse order I reviewed them, so the first one is the most recent book I reviewed on here.
- A Time Of Birds, by Helen Moat
The TL:DR version of this book is Moats and her 18yo son cycled across Europe, to Asia, unsupported. And to be fair, that alone should give you plenty of reason to read this book. After all, how many long-distance cycling tales of a mother and son combo have you heard of, let alone read? A wordsmith Moat is a particularly gifted writer, who uses words like an artist mixes paint on a palette. She’s also remarkably open and … Read more - The Great North Road, by Steve Silk
I recently reviewed another cycle touring book by Steve Silk, and that reminded me I never got round to doing a review for The Great North Road, despite having purchased my copy quite a while ago. Harper Silk is a great fan of the writings of Charles G Harper, who in 1903 published a book about cycling the Great North Road. A great deal changed in the more than a century since then, and Silk regularly refers back … Read more - Go West, by Steve SilkAfter reading the account of a bike ride to Milford Haven, over 100 years ago, Steve Silk set off to replicate that adventure, and this book does an excellent job of telling that story.
- Baguettes and bicycles – Steven Herrick
When the blurb for a book start with “Award-winning author”, you immediately have high hopes for the book. In this book, Herrick tells of when he crossed France by bicycle, from west to east. The book is somewhat unusual in that Henrick didn’t do a continuous 1 200 km journey. Instead, at times he hired a car, to drive to a different part of France, for example, to go cycle Col du Galibier, amongst others. Given that he … Read more - Far Sweeter Than Honey – William SpencerWilliam Spencer, and his mate Brian, were young men when they decided to set off from 1970s England, and cycle to India. Inspired by what he read about Auroville, in India, Spencer developed a growing interest in meditation (though it wasn’t something he could actually do). Newbies The pair weren’t very experienced cycle tourers, but what they lacked in experience, they more than made up for in enthusiasm. Carrying one heavy tent between them, the pair crossed France, … Read more
- The Road Headed West – Leon McCarronDuring the economic crash of 2008, Leon McCarron was in a predicament: jobs were few and far between, and after a 6 month stint of working in New York city, he’d had enough. What he needed was an adventure, and what better adventure than to cycle across the USA? This book tells the story of that ride. However, when he finally made it to the Pacific, he decided he wasn’t quite done yet. As a result, he turned … Read more
- Cycling Home From Siberia – Rob LilwallI’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. At -40 Celsius Can you imagine camping in temperatures of -40 Celsius? No, me neither! But that’s exactly what Lilwall, and his friend … Read more
- 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 the disadvantages of using scooters, they changed their plans, and switched to bicycles instead. Not the easy way I doubt there’s actually an … Read more - The Tricky Bit – Peter CharlesworthThis 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 world map. The area we’ll be focusing on is the “Stans” – Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. These are some of the … Read more
- Fat bloke on a bike, by Paul J Parsons
The blurb on this book hooked me from the start: “Paul is more than your average cyclist. About five stones more.” It goes on to say it “follows Paul’s novice attempt at cycle touring”. So far, it sounds great. The start The book starts with Parsons describing cyclists who carry almost nothing on the bike, doing “credit card touring”, and he says “I want to be that kind of cyclist”. He continues to describe other cycle tourers, who … Read more - Gears for QueersGears for Queers is a book by Abigail Melton and Lilith Cooper, or Abi and Lili, as you’ll get to know them. In the foreword, the authors say the book was “written specifically for the queers, for other fat, disabled, trans, female, femme and non-binary people”. While it may have been written with all those people in mind, this is a book for everyone! The start The authors never went cycle touring before, then planned to cycle to … Read more
- Africa Solo, by Mark Beaumont
Africa Solo tells the story of Mark Beaumont’s record-setting ride, down the continent of Africa. He rode 6 762 miles, to complete the race (and a race it was) in 41 days, 10 hours and 22 minutes. Beaumont set the round-the-world cycling record in 2008, and set a new round-the-world record again, in 2017. That should set the stage for the calibre of person he is. The Challenges Beaumont was going for a record that he knew would … Read more - Reading to Reading, by Tim MillikinMillikin cycled from his hometown of Reading, in the UK, to Reading, in Pennsylvania, USA. Why end there? Purely because of the name, which seems as good a reason as any. His journey of 46 500 kilometres took him three years, with a budget of just £6 per day. The beginning Millikin set off with his girlfriend. When you go cycle-touring with someone, you’re in their company for 24 hours per day. Some relationships flourish, while others don’t. … Read more
- The Life Cycle, by Kate RawlesIn a nutshell, The Life Cycle tells the story of Rawles’ 8 000 miles ride along the length of South America. However, that’s only a fraction of what the book is about. As a dedicated environmentalist, Rawles’ bike ride was more than a sigh-seeing trip. Along the way, she diverted regularly to meet local people involved in all sorts of projects to protect the environment. Stories within a story Rawles is undoubtedly a tough, mentally resilient explorer. Add … Read more
- Riding Out, by Simon Parker
Riding Out tells the story of when travel writer Simon Parker decided to cycle from the UK’s northernmost point, Muckle Flugga, in Shetland, to the southwesternmost point, Bishop’s Rock. The catch? It was during the height of the pandemic. Parker barely made it to Land’s End, when Lockdown 1 scuppered his plans. When restrictions were being lifted again, Parker travelled down the the Scilly isles, and travelled northward, around Britain’s west coast. This book is the story of … Read more - Round The World On A wheel
Round The World On A Wheel is the story of when John Foster Fraser, along with two others, cycled around the world. They set off in 1896, when the British Empire was at its height (Empire features much in this book) and the world was a very different place than it is today. Record-breaking ride Fraser and companions travelled a claimed 19 287 miles, clocking up the longest recorded bicycle journey at the time. The entire adventure took … Read more - The Book of TrespassRight from the outset, you need to know that this book isn’t (directly) related to cycle touring. Alongside that, you need to understand that The Book Of Trespass, by Nick Hayes, is probably the most important book in the UK. That’s a very bold claim, but once you read the book (and you really, really must read it!) you will understand why I said that. In simple terms, this book peels back the layers, one by one, and … Read more
- One Man And His Bike – Mike Carter
When Mike Carter was cycling to work in London, following the bank of the Thames, he had a thought. What if he simply kept going, keeping the water to his right? He’d end up cycling to the coast, then follow the coast all around Britain, to eventually end up back in London. From that simple idea, an epic adventure was born! How long? Ordnance Survey says the coastline of the island of Britain is 11 073 miles. However, … Read more - Life Cycles – Julian SayarerWhen Mark Beaumont set a new round-the-world cycling record, he managed to get corporate sponsorship to finance his record attempt. One London cycling courier saw that as an affront, and was determined to set a new world record on a self-financed, shoe-string budget. That courier is Julian Sayarer, and Life Cycles is the book that tells the story of that ride. A staggering achievement Sayarer is mentally and physically extremely tough. At times, after having cycled over 150 … Read more
- A Bike Ride, by Anne Mustoe
In 1983, the head teacher of a posh girl’s school in Suffolk was on holiday in India. Out the window of the tour bus, she saw a cyclist, and instantly decided that she wanted to cycle not only across India, but around the world. This was Anne Mustoe. In 1988, she finally quit her job, then got on her bicycle. By her own admission, Mustoe wasn’t athletic, wasn’t a cyclist, didn’t know how to mend a puncture, and … Read more - Potholes and Pavements, by Laura LakerI must confess a few things I thought before reading this book:1) Laker is a journalist, and British journalism is probably at it’s lowest, and least trustworthy, ever. As a result, not knowing Laker’s work very well, I was seriously apprehensive.2) I’ve written about Sustrans and the NCN before, so thought there wouldn’t be much to this book. I’m happy to admit that I was wrong on both counts. Honest From the outset, and throughout the book, Laker … Read more
- Le Grand Tour – by Andrew P SykesI’ve a confession to make, right from the outset: I’ve read all of Sykes’ books, and I’m a big fan of his work. Why am I starting a book review with this disclosure? Simple: this will be a positive review. However, it’s a positive review because it’s a great book, and not because of his previous books, which I reviewed here, and here. Cycle touring done wrong Sykes and I have different views on how to go cycle … Read more
- Book review – Wild Camping the Wild Atlantic WayEvery traveller’s journey is unique to them, and is a snapshot in time. This book tells the story of when I cycled the bottom half of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. If I had to cycle exactly the same route today, I’d end up with a completely new, and different experience. This is my adventure, and when you go cycle the route (and you really should!) your adventure will be different again. This is not going to be like … Read more
- This Road I Ride – Juliana Buhring
In this world, very few people truly get to be trailblazers. Juliana Buhring is one of those few people. This Road I Ride tells the story of Buhring’s record-breaking round-the-world bike ride. If you’re a man, you may not like me saying this, but Buhring is an exceptionally tough person – likely far tougher than what you or me could ever be. That toughness she displayed physically, but more importantly, also through serious mental strength. Cult Born into … Read more - Book review – How To Cycle Canada The Wrong WayHow To Cycle Canada The Wrong Way is a book about cycle touring across Canada, written by Lorraine Lambert, who also has a blog here, and I suggest you go read that. The Wrong Way? Like just about anywhere on earth, Canada has prevailing winds, and those mostly blow from west to east. Lambert cycled across Canada, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, which is east to west. As a result, she had weeks of battling very strong … Read more
