Ride all the OS mapsFrom the top of the highest mountain on the Isle of Man, Snaefell, it is said that you can see seven kingdoms: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Kingdom of Heaven, Neptune’s Kingdom and the Kingdom of Man. And yet this island, which has over the centuries changed hands from Norse to Scottish to English rule, […]
September will be a month of two distinct halves. From 1st to 13th, I have been taking time out to be with my wife and family, including an 8 day trip to Slovenia, which was delightful. I thoroughly recommend it if you haven’t been. This period is also a time to catch up, carry out […]
I am now with my family in the beautiful country of Slovenia, in the middle of what I expect to be my last major break from cycling before the end of the whole trip. Since I am currently still not quite through the first half of the 204 maps, you will see that the next […]
Today was a special day for a few reasons. For starters, I would be riding in the company of my good friend Rob, with whom I share many interests (including cycling and exploring new places). It would also be my last day of cycling before a break to join my family on a short holiday […]
I went to Barnard Castle today to test my eyesight. Well, like with our friend Dom, the first part of that is true. And jolly nice it is, too. No wonder it was the place of choice for a lockdown birthday drive in the countryside. I didn’t knowingly break any rules in my visit today, […]
The C2C is rightly one of this country’s best know and most impressive long distance bike rides. There are a couple of possible start and end points, and various off-road options; but the route I have always followed in at least three previous rides is Whitehaven (on the coast of Cumbria) to Sunderland (at the […]
I very much doubt whether the Roman Emperor Hadrian ever had a cycle: but he now has a cycle way, and today I spent a fair amount of my time following it. I enjoyed another fantastic day of cycling through beautiful countryside, and then right through the middle of Newcastle, with more great weather, and […]
Today I have once again reconnected with family who I haven’t seen very often over the years. We were up late chatting, so my post will be necessarily brief. Sorry about that. It was another day of great cycling. About 85 miles. Quiet roads, pleasant countryside, nice towns (Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas, Dumfries, Annan, Brampton) and […]
Tonight I am staying in the lovely artists’ town of Kirkcudbright, in the region of Galloway, and it will be my very last night in Scotland before leaving it behind for the remainder of this cycling adventure. I feel mixed emotions about that. Sad, because I have got very used to Scotland since early May, […]
I am finally through all of Scotland’s islands and crossing the country just got quicker. Or so I am finding. I have a break coming up in early September for a family holiday, so before then I am aiming to pack in a good number of maps. I should be in Whitby by the end […]