137 miles, Whitehaven to Sunderland C2C is the original coast to coast route, and is the UK’s most-popular long-distance cycle route. The name is actually not short for coast to coast, but rather sea to sea – it runs from the Irish Sea to the North Sea (or vice versa). Of all the coast to … Read more
Hurry, hurry! Rush! C’mon, we need to move! But… do we? Do you? Rush hour If ever there was a ridiculous concept, it’s rush hour: millions of people going far slower than normal, precisely because they’re all in such a hurry! Most of us don’t have much a realistic choice for never getting caught up … Read more
I previously reviewed the TyreKey – a complete rethink on the humble tyre lever. For those of you who didn’t read that review, the TyreKey is a great bit of kit. When see that it looks like, you will instantly understand where it got the name from: it looks a bit like an oversized key. … Read more
Did I get the title sequence wrong? Quite obviously, what we should be most concerned about is the impact of our activities on climate change. Climate change is man-made, real, speeding up and is frankly terrifying. Still, for the purposes of this post, I’ll focus on the impacts of climate change on cycle touring. Is climate … Read more
Are you planning your first cycle tour and feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Cycle touring can be a fantastic way to see the world and have unique travel experiences, but it’s normal to have questions and concerns about how to plan your trip. To help you get started, here is the ultimate guide … Read more
The Ugly Truth? If you visit this site regularly, you’d know that I’m a big fan of cycle touring, and for good reason, too! I wrote many times about the sense of freedom you can get while cycle touring. Yes, even from very short tours. Especially when wild camping – as I prefer to do … Read more
A map aimed at hikers? Well yeah, the Rail-Hike-Camp map was created specifically with hikers in mind. The idea is simple: a map showing camp sites within a day’s hike from a train station. Obviously, that allows hikers to greatly expand where they go adventuring, by using trains. The benefit to cycle tourers The Rail-Hike-Camp … Read more
Did you think cycle touring is not for you? Many people think cycle touring is only for people who are happy to go cycling for weeks without access to showers, and sleeping on the ground each night. To be fair, many thousands of people do exactly that each year, but it certainly isn’t the only … Read more
What are the 7 common mistakes people make when wild camping? Wild camping is great. Just you, and nature all around you. Sheer bliss! However, there are mistakes that many people make when wild camping. Do you do any of these? Remember, strictly speaking, and with the exception of around half of Dartmoor (and even that’s under … Read more
Unsupported long-distance cycle touring With the end on 2023 rapidly approaching, I’m slowly preparing for cycling the bottom 700 miles of the Wild Atlantic Way in May ’23. The Wild Atlantic Way apparently is the longest signposted coastal route in the world (a record that’s simply begging to be beaten) and it gets its name … Read more
What is cycle camping all about then? The clue, as they say, is in the name. Cycle camping is when you go camping, and you cycle to your camping spot, carrying all your camping gear on your bike. Different types of camping I’m South African and when we say “I’m going camping” we mean what … Read more
A small adventure is still an adventure We live in a hyper-competitive world, where (almost) everyone is constantly trying to outdo the next person. UK politicians are forever bleating about “world-beating” this and “world-beating” that. But you know what? It doesn’t have to be this way. Bigger isn’t always better, and even when it is, … Read more
Traffic-free gravel routes Lots of people (including me) enjoy gravel routes. Gravel cycling refers to a middle-ground between road cycling and mountain biking, and gravel bikes are generally dropped-bar bikes with chunky tyres. However, for gravel routes, I’m not at all fussed with the type of bike you’ll use to ride the routes. Instead, I’ll … Read more
No reasons, no excuses, no pretences A Coffee Ride is just a bike ride, with one difference thrown in: somewhere along the ride, you’ll stop to brew your own coffee. That’s right, it’s not a coffee shop ride, but we also don’t want to get stuck on rules. I’m aware that leaves it quite woolly, and … Read more
Aren’t you tired of getting yet another pair of “cycling” socks? Christmas is about giving, but let’s be honest, receiving worthwhile presents is also nice. Maybe you’re looking for a present for a cyclist in your life. Perhaps you’re looking for a present for yourself? After all, Christmas is a great excuse to get yourself something you … Read more