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The Spirit Of Adventure
January is pure evil: for starters, it's grey, wet and miserable. To add to that, we all get paid before Christmas, making January a month that can feel 90+ days long! We really could've done with January being the shortest month of the year.
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But enough moaning! We're over halfway through winter (or summer, for you lot in the southern hemisphere) and I'm SO looking forward to warmer weather and brighter days. Winter's a dangerous time for me, as that's when I dream up all sorts of adventures I want to tackle in the summer.
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As you may know, I'm planning on cycling the bottom half of the Wild Atlantic Way, in Ireland, this May. I'm hoping the new Kraken COVID variant don't ruin those plans, but time will tell. My fitness level isn't remotely near where it should be for that ride, but I am slowly working on building up to it.
I'm fortunate, in that I still have time to get fit enough, but of course that also means there will be at least some suffering ahead for me, over the next few months.
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You probably heard about the result of the court case, where a hedge fund manager and blood-sport fan, Alexander Darwall, took Dartmoor National Park to court over the implied right to wild camp on the roughly half of Dartmoor where it was permitted. Darwall won, effectively making wild camping (without explicit consent of the landowner) against the law.
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That's a huge loss for ordinary people. It impacts even on those who never went wild camping on the moor.
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That ruling also had immediate impacts for my WeCycle guided wild camping experiences, but things have moved on again: the Dartmoor National Park Authority have entered into some agreement with landowners, to pay them to permit wild camping. While I think that's a cop-out, I'm nevertheless happy that the area where my WeCycle weekends go now allows wild camping again. Probably the most annoying part of this is that the land owned by the Darwalls is included in that agreement!
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May all the cafés you stop at have an empty table available, within sight of your bicycle.
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The Blast From The Past button is quite straightforward: with every edition, I link a random old WillCycle post to it. If you click it, you will see what old WillCycle post it takes you to.
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The button will only ever point at WillCycle.
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The Good News
Scientists created a new type of artificial pancreas, and it vastly improved outcomes for people with Type 2 diabetes who used it.
You can read more about that here.
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Did You Know...?
If I asked you how many natural satellites the earth has, you'd answer "Just one - the moon", right?
Except, that wouldn't be right at all! A recently-discovered asteroid has been orbiting the earth for over 60 years, though scientists believe it's only a matter of time before it escapes our gravity field again, and flies of into outer space.
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What Did You Miss On WillCycle?
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Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System
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Water: the source of life I needed a personal water filtration system, and picked the Sawyer Mini for good reasons. You consist of 55% to 60% water, and your blood is around 90% water. You need to drink water every day (even if it's contained in other drinks, such as coffee). Though there doesn't seem to be totally clear consensus …
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Making a good Op Snap report
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What is Op Snap? In most of the UK cyclists can report bad or dangerous driving captured on their helmet cam to police, via an Op Snap portal. Not all UK police forces allow this, though. In Scotland, police remain determined to lag decades behind the times with regards to helmet cam video submissions. Why make a report at all? …
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This T-shirt is different, in that the print is on the back, so approaching drivers can see it.
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Ward off winter blues with this stylish hoodie
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Random Internet Link
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Here's a challenge for you: think of a real (but reasonably well-known) or fictional character that won't be correctly identified by a web site called Akinator! It's strangely addictive, and I expect you'll be amazed at its accuracy.
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Will's Unexpected Bike Hack
If you don't have a garden, or access to an outside tap, and therefore find washing your bike difficult, you still have options. The 1st is simple: get a collapsible bucket and cycle to the nearest church (not cathedrals or similar!). Audax riders will tell you that churches usually have an outside tap. Fill your bucket and wash your bike, then ride home on your squeaky-clean bike.
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Do you have any hacks to share? Well then, don't be shy! Simply reply to this email. I'm fast running out of useful hacks to share so I can really do with suggestions.
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And Finally...
I spend considerable amounts of time producing The Spirit Of Adventure, and you receive it for free. Please do me a favour and forward it to someone else who you think will appreciate it?
And if you received this newsletter because someone forwarded it, you can subscribe quickly and easily at www.willcycle.com
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