Five times pro riders used a spectator’s bike during a race
There are strict rules about where a pro rider can get assistance from after a mechanical. It doesn’t technically extend to borrowing a spectator’s bike. Sometimes, however needs must…
What is… Bikepacking?
What is bikepacking? There are many opinions on how extreme travelling with a bike is before it is classed as bikepacking. Here’s our view.
Travelling with your bike on a train
All of our cycling trips this year involved travelling with our bicycles on some kind of a train. But what does it take to get a bike on a train. This article looks at the what you might have to consider with bicycles and trains in the UK.
North Coast 500 | Day Seven | Thurso
A day of changing plans as we are forced to divert from our route…
North Coast 500 | Day Six |Tongue
Another day of changing plans on our NC500 trip. This time the beach was too tempting to ignore.
North Coast 500 | Day Five | Scourie
Today we tackled over 24 short, Sharpe climbs, climbed 2,000 metres, met with masticating midges. The memory of these days improves with time.
North Coast 500 | Day Four | Ullapool
A later start to a seemingly easier day with just three noticeable climbs in the offing.
North Coast 500 | Day Three | Gairloch
Day Three of the North Coast 500 turns out to be a day of contrasts. Short, steep hills in the first half turn to long, easy climbing in the second.
North Coast 500 | Day Two | Applecross
Day Two of the North Coast 500 sees us tackling the highest mountain pass the route had to offer.
North Coast 500 | Day One | Lochcarron
Cycling the North Coast 500. Starting out in Inverness and trying to get to Applecross, follow us on the first day of our trip to see how we got on.
Essex Paris Essex: Return Journey
In order that we didn’t miss our Ferry, we let the train take the strain to Dieppe. It didn’t stop the journey being a little worrisome though.
Essex Paris Essex : Le Tour
Having arrived in Paris yesterday evening, today was the day of two tours. We set off in to the heat to try and view at least one of them.
Essex Paris Essex Day Three : Paris
After diverting away from the Avenue Verts, we take the ever busier roads before arriving in an ever more chaotic Paris.
Essex Paris Essex Day Two: Amiens
After an effortless, early morning run through Dover Ferry Port on our bicycles, we finally set foot on French soil and head towards Amiens, 160 km closer to Paris.
Essex Paris Essex Day One: Dover
With the most exciting Tour de France since the last most exciting one, we had to get over to Paris to be part of the background. This is the UK leg of our journey.
Toerversie Amstel Gold Race
Our 4 am wake up call came after a long day of travelling and cycling based procrastination to Valkenburg for the start of Toerversie Amstel Gold Race. Although, the night before, we had prepared our bidons with concoctions of water, … Continued
From Roubaix to the Cauberg
The Toerversie Amstel Gold Race somewhat sneaked up on me. Not only because time flies, but also, I didn’t really think it would ever happen. In fact, right up to the point we were sitting on the start line at … Continued
Time Trial Part Two: From boxes to bicycle
The call to N+1 was too great and I succumbed to getting a TT bike in preparation for the new season. To justify it to myself and make it feel as if I deserved it more, I took the decision to build it up myself.
Time Trial
In the time trial world, everywhere you look, you will find the synonymous phrase ‘the race of truth’ to describe an event that places each competitor in complete control of the destiny of their own race. There is no hiding … Continued
Route planning and riding in the UK
To get the best out of a ride you need to understand how to plan your route. Whether off road on on tarmac, understanding what all the map symbols mean will keep you away from busy traffic and on the right side of the law.
What is a Cyclist Anyway?
The binary argument between drivers and cyclists just doesn’t make sense in a world where a lot of people do both. We ask what’s in the ‘cyclist’ name.
Length of England Day Six: Islington to Newhaven
Despite waking in our own beds, we put thoughts of forgetting the whole thing to one side and were on the road by a respectable ten past nine. With another short day and with no more than 900 metres of … Continued
Length of England Day Five: St Neots to Islington
A positive outcome of our hotel being shunted ten miles further down the route than expected is that today’s leg would be ten miles shorter. At a nudge over 60 miles with just 680 metres of climbing, our run in … Continued
Length of England Day Four: Lincoln to St Neots
With our now well oiled morning routine held up as an shining example with which to shame our dried out bicycle chains and my treating the bikes to a little lube being likened giving our rides breakfast, the start of … Continued
Length of England Day Three: York to Lincoln
Our third day on the road started a little differently than usual. Notwithstanding that we were applying suntan lotion for the first time on the trip, we were still following our routine of waking at seven o’clock, eating breakfast, packing … Continued
Length of England Day Two: Keld to York
With Sunday morning picking up where Friday evening left off, the weekend in the Dales had become a sunny day sandwich stuffed between two slices of wet and windy bread. The weather, determined to be an influence in today’s journey, … Continued
Length of England Day One: Gretna Green to Keld
As we were living by the philosophy of Komoot for the next few days and, with that philosophy clearly stating we would be travelling at a mere ten miles an hour, we needed an early start. Alarms were set for … Continued
Isle of Wight Day Two: Around the Island
We hadn’t really thought about which way around the island we were going to cycle, however, as clocks are wise, this seemed a good way as any. Besides, a lady with a dog, interested in our bikepacking bags in Portsmouth … Continued
Isle of Wight Day One: Escaping the Triffids
The plan was simple: cycle from Woking to Portsmouth to get to the IoW Ferry in time for a 4pm crossing. With a 7:45 start and an alternate route designed to avoid the environmental protesters on Waterloo Bridge, it didn’t … Continued
Coast to Coast Day Six: Scarborough? Fair.
Lying on the field at the National Park Centre yesterday, we pretty much dismissed any notion of cycling the 80 or so kilometres from Whitby to York for our final stopover. Since last night then, we had been weighing up … Continued
Coast to Coast Day Five: There’s Moor to Come
Interestingly, we had spent the night nestled just inside the westernmost boundary of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park and, it being in national park, meant that with the new day came yet another hill start. A 14% one at … Continued
Coast to Coast Day Four: All In a Dales Work
Rest Day! Sort of. We still have an 73 km ride with 660 metres of elevation ahead of us, however, if you look at the profile, barring a tiny little bookend of climb at Osmotherly at the end, it’s down … Continued
Coast to Coast Day Three: Yurt Not Going to Believe This
Packing the bikes ready for bike packing and gorging on another Full English aside, the day started with more crisscrossing of the A66, and a short, sharp uphill. Despite being forewarned of this during yesterday’s pub visit, it still hurt, … Continued
Coast to Coast Day Two: Vertical Limits
Day two started with the obligatory Full English whilst staring out of the window at Dent Hill coming and going depending on the intensity of the early morning downpour. With checkout not until 11am, we weren’t exactly in a hurry to … Continued
Coast to Coast Day One: Heavy Weight
We would have to endure a four and a half hour train journey from London before we could start cycling from Carlisle to Cleator Moor. This is the first stage of our ride across England, more or less following Wainwright’s Beeline to the East Coast.
Trip to the Tour 2018 Day Three: Caravans & Champions
When I first went to see the final stage of the Tour de France in 2010 it was to witness the end of an eventful Tour. Team Sky brought with them more hype than baskets, only to find their solitary … Continued
Trip to the Tour 2018 Day Two: Across town on a couple of donkeys
We awoke early(ish) in the morning to the sound of Paris which, despite what we are told, aren’t all that romantic. Unless, of course, the sound of rubbish being collected over the desperate tones of a whirring floor failing miserably … Continued
Trip to the Tour 2018 Day One: Lightning, but not fast
Hopping on the Eurostar to watch the end of Le Tour should have been easy. If it wasn’t for tonnerre et la foudre causing power cuts and delays to services. The only question was whether we would arrive in Paris before Stage 21 actually started.
Mr Porter Nocturne
Waiting for the off Get to the corner first Picking the line Brompton Race Brompton Back Markers Santander City Bike Race Penny for your thoughts
The accidental cycling holiday
Well, since buying the Brompton in March; many, many miles have been travelled on the little folder. It was becoming so much part of the furniture, I could barely bare to leave it behind for my week long trip to … Continued
Minoura Gravity Stand
Finding solutions for storing bicycles in a small flat. How does the Minoura Gravity Stand stack up?
New Bike. Old Bike.
Many, many exciting things have happened in my world of cycling in the last month or so. I have been out riding in ever increasing circles on my newly serviced Ribble and I have bought a new bike: A Brompton … Continued
Back on the road
Inspired by my week cycling in Mallorca, I was itching to get my Ribble Sportive 7046, which had been idle in a garage for one year and collecting dust in a bedroom for three, back on the road. So on … Continued
Craft Brewing in Mallorca
It’s always been my opinion that your San Miguel is great at your Monts, Mounts, Islands and even own brand Marks and Spencers’ clothing, but in my humble opinion he’s not so good at producing a notable cerveza. Originally not … Continued
Mallorca 2018 Day Eight: Summer in the City
The last day of our holiday was greeted, when we opened the curtains, with a distinct lack of inclemency in the weather. The storm that had us pinned down for 24 hours had gone its prevailing way as quickly as … Continued
Mallorca 2018 Day Seven: Waterworld
We had done our prep. Walked out to the Playa de San Joan and, cycled up the switchbacks to the Ermita de la Victoria. We’d seen signs for hikers all over the peninsular and had acquired enough maps from the Port … Continued
Mallorca 2018 Day Six: Cliffhanger
The ride started a little differently today. We came out of the apartment going with the one way system. Granted, only about 30 metres before cutting across the square to the old town and along the road we walked back … Continued
Mallorca 2018 Day Five: Moulin Rouge, Blanc et Bleu
With Alcudia being where Alcudia is, getting in and out means, generally, travelling on the same roads. So once past the largest Burger King sign that apparently only I can see, and along the coast road until Can Picafort we … Continued
Mallorca 2018 Day Four: Blazing Saddles
So it would seem I didn’t put enough chamois cream on yesterday. I know this because for the first couple of miles I was figuratively in tears every time my bottom even hovered anywhere near the saddle. That first world … Continued
Mallorca 2018 Day Three: Put me back on my bike
But before you do, let me apply a little bit of chamois cream on me bottom to help prevent chafing. This was the first cycling related thing I haven’t done for a number of years until this point. The second … Continued
Mallorca 2018 Day Two: Planes, Trains and Autobuses
Hilariously, although ten minutes by courtesy bus, the Hampton by Hilton Hotel is a mere two minute walk (five minute wobble) from the terminal so, needless to say, after a ridiculously early breakfast, we started our journey on foot. Once … Continued
Mallorca 2018 Day One: Around the Airport in 80 Circles
When Sandra asked me to come with her on a cycling holiday to Mallorca I couldn’t think of any reason not to. Well, apart from the fact I hadn’t ridden a bike for around four years. After all, you can’t … Continued
Just add water
Having ordered just six days before, it was a touch optimistic to think my new home brewing equipment would arrive before I was due to go on holiday and, as the Friday approached and went with no change in the … Continued
1500 Miles in 2017
The 1,000 mile challenge set by Country Walking magazine. What can I say? Smashed it. To all manner of smithereens. 500 to be precise, having passed the 1,000 miles on the 9th of September, I pushed on. And on. And … Continued
Brian and the Yorkshire Three Peaks
According to the Met Office website, on the 21st of October 2017 the resulting weather system after the Hurricane Ophelia resulted in Storm Brian being given its name by Met Éireann. As fate would have it, this was also the weekend … Continued
Five Peaks and a Zip Wire
London must have started spinning. Not only that, it must have started spinning at such a rate that it is has developed its own gravitation pull to such an extent that, on Friday 3rd August 2017, it was almost impossible … Continued
June & July 2017 Monthly Babble
Well, not only have I been rubbish in art of blogging recently, I have also been pretty shocking in actually getting out there and walking. This should pick up with August upon us and a summer holiday packed full of … Continued
May 2017 Monthly Babble
Since coming back from the West Highland Way and making sure I didn’t incur the wrath of medical professionals, I have been mainly resting up to avoid any lasting effects from injuries sustained on the West Highland Way. So although … Continued
Days Nine & Ten: What the Fort William am I Still Doing Here or The only West Highland Way is Essex
Saturday 22nd April. 7:45 in the morning. Waiting for a coach to Glasgow. I have waved goodbye to the bronzed statue of the walker at end of the trail and walked up the high street one last time. A week … Continued
Day Eight: West Highland Waving goodbye to the trail
As Ash and I wanted to get started on our final 15 miles to Fort William at 8 am, the morning ritual of bag packing started at its usual, ridiculously early time with the customary undoing of Gigantor’s disgorging from the … Continued
Day Seven: Taking the stairs all the West Highland Way to the top
My first look out of the Hobbit Hut at 7 am showed a landscape bereft of the mountains of the previous night. Somebody had clearly stolen those to the left, right and centre of me and if it wasn’t orcs or hobbits, … Continued
Day Six: A huge West Highland Weight off my back
So, although yesterday was hard both physically and mentally, the luxury of two showers in the space of twelve hours, fluffy white towels, someone else cooking breakfast and the slim, but still potential, chance of seeing a troll as I … Continued
Day Five: West Highland Way, hey, hey, it's magic
And the way to get your own back on the people that keep you up all night? Firebomb them with a burning Jetboil at 6am. Boom! (Not literally, thankfully). I am not entirely sure what happened, but my beloved camping … Continued
Day Four: Hoping not to lose my West Highland Way
Exciting day on the trail: I get to change my socks for the first time. I mean, obviously, I am still wearing the same pants and T-shirt, but if I packed too many of those, I wouldn’t be able to … Continued
Day Three: The Wet, Wet, West Highland Way
The morning started as it meant to go on: with extremes of weather: inside my tent, dry, warm and calm; outside, wet, cold and windy. This was a pity as it meant I had to overcome an overwhelming desire to … Continued
Day Two: What's the West Highland Way that could happen?
Oh the Irony should it be raining at the end of this day’s walk, then there wouldn’t be a dry woman, let alone Drymen in the house. Well, it would be ironic if it wasn’t for the fact that it … Continued
Day One: Doing it my West Highland Way
Day One travelling to Milngavie for the start of the West Highland Way.
The West Highland Way
So, here’s the thing: in a mere 17 days time on the 13th April 2017, I will be travelling up to Glasgow and then on to Milngavie to start The West Highland Way – a 95 and a half mile journey … Continued
Thames Path Challenge: Injury and Irritation
Did I ever tell you about the time I developed tendinitis after walking the 62 mile Thames Path Challenge? No? Well, it’s not an exciting story, but let me begin anyway. . . One of the things that I may … Continued
The Thames Path (Ultra) Challenge
This isn’t a walk I was particularly looking forward to. In my training, I decided that my preferred distance, depending on the terrain, is between 15 and 20 miles in a day, with anything over 25 becoming a definite slog. Imagine, … Continued
The Thames Path Challenge: The Final Countdown
With the empty feeling that the Coast to Coast was definitely over my thoughts, mainly sweary ones, turned to my next big event: The Thames Path Challenge. A 100km charity walk from Bishop’s Park, Fulham, to Henley-on-Thames along, yup, you guessed, … Continued
Day 13 of my walk in to the sea
At 6.30 when I was all packed up and ready to leave Intake Farm, I was excited and saddened in equal measure. By around 11am I was going to be able to say that I had done the Coast to … Continued
Day 12 of trying not to stray of t'path
It was literally freezing when I woke up this morning at around 5am so I decided to pack up and get moving as quickly as possible. When I say ‘literally’, I am using the word’s modern meaning of ‘metaphorically’, but … Continued
Day 11 of saying goodbye to friends
There are no shops in Ingleby Cross, the Blue Bell Inn only serve campers breakfast if they pre-book (which, apparently, is at an undisclosed point before the previous evening) and I was down to my last flapjack. I was going … Continued
Day 10 of playing on the motorway
I am going back to the whole ‘on paper’ thing again for a moment, because ‘on paper’ this stage seems really great: a 20 mile hike across the Vale of Mowbray. Loving a pork pie as I do, imagine the … Continued
Day 9 of being a local
Solid caravan though it was, it was clear, from the constant rattling of the windows overnight, that the wind had picked up and reports coming in from those not lucky enough to be sleeping on a sofa were that the … Continued
Day 8 of Mountain Bikers and Caravans
It was a cold night last night with the clear skies of the evening going on long in to the early hours and beyond, resulting in temperatures dropping to just below the comfort level of my two season sleeping bag. … Continued
Day 7 of Cream Teas and Yurt Gardens
Rather than overpay for the food offerings from the youth hostel, breakfast consisted of a protein and carb rich, highly nutritional Ginster’s Cornish Pasty from the local Co-op, where I was also able to stock up on supplies for the … Continued
Day 6 of being haunted by an overactive imagination
Despite being confused by the luxury of my really comfortable bed and not sleeping as well as I have been doing in my tent, I reluctantly left my nice warm B&B room and set out in to the unknown not quite … Continued
Day 5 of surviving bad decisions
I don’t know if it had been raining all night or whether the cloud had just been so low that it had shrouded everything in wetness, but when I got up things seemed a little damp. I managed to find … Continued
Day 4 of resting up and reading the paper
The night in the wild was a pretty peaceful one and despite a smattering of awakenings due to the wind picking up and a few spots of rain I managed a massive 10 hours sleep. Opening the tent revealed low … Continued
Day 3 of getting lost and sleeping rough
The last time I stayed in a dorm room was in France on a University field trip around 20 years ago and, to be honest, I don’t think I have been missing out. Now, even in a tent, distant snoring will … Continued
Day 2 of being at the beck and fell of the outdoors
Day 2 of my epic journey of discovering things people have already seen before. Today, a 13 and a half mile jaunt from the Fox and Hounds at Ennerdale Bridge to Borrowdale Youth Hostel, Rosthwaite. Having been in bed by … Continued
Day 1 of my trip to the countryside
Preston, Lancashire to St Bees, Cumbria Today I waved goodbye to Preston to make the final leg of the starting prologuey type section of the journey to St Bees (eloquent, eh)? If I’d known I was having to go Carlisle … Continued
Day 0 of my Coast to Coast Adventure
Brentwood, Essex to Preston, Lancashire Difficult to know where this adventure actually begins. I can’t see that it started the moment I set out from home as, admittedly, I don’t normally carry a large backpack to work and I have … Continued
Jubilee Greenway
After the relatively short London Day Walk Lindsey and I did last week, this is the first really long walk we have done together in preparation for the Thames Path Challenge in September. A test of many, many things: our … Continued
London Day Walk
London Day Walk 16.5 miles / 26.5km 10:00 15:10
Mountnessing March
Not a lot to say about this walk really, except it is getting really difficult to name them. I am going to have to go with the slightly dull, but nevertheless alliterative, Mountnessing March. The actual route is based on … Continued
A weekend off!
No walking for me this weekend as I headed of to the Download Festival, Donington Park to experience the joys of music festival camping in the British summertime! Surely not at all relevant to a blog about hiking I hear … Continued
New Boots!
Today was a good day as I took delivery of my new Brasher Supalite II GTX boots to replace my Supaleaky II boots. As well as being Supalite, they are also SupaNew and smell SupaGreat II. Can’t wait to try … Continued
Brentwood to Brentwood
This is my second loooong training walk for the 100km Thames Path Challenge. The first being 30 miles from Brentwood to Witham on the 30th April 2016 in which I discovered that it is much better to end up at home … Continued
Brentwood to Witham
I had been wanting to do a 30 miler for a while as it is roughly half the distance of the THAMES PATH CHALLENGE. So with the route set in Memory Map, the May Day bank holiday weekend upon me, a bout of … Continued