Book review – All Downhill From Here

All  Downhill  From  Here,  by  Paul  Waters This book tries to be both a “hilarious” account of the author’s JOGLE (John O’Groats to Land’s End) ride, as well as a “How to” guide, for those aspiring to do the same. Waters’ writing style will be enjoyed by some, but I’m not in that crowd. Instead, ... Read more

Go for a Coffee Ride!

Admit it – you love coffee almost as much as you love cycling. That simply makes coffee and cycling a perfect match! Your  very  own  Coffee  Ride Oh, bike rides with a café stop are great, and we all love them, but that’s not what a real Coffee Ride is about. Oh no! A Coffee ... Read more

Cuckoo Trail Traffic-free Cycle Route

Cuckoo Trail Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Cuckoo Trail runs from Heathfield to Polegate, passing through Hellingly, Horam, and Hailsham. The trail got its name from an old tradition of releasing a cuckoo at the Heathfield Fair, and offers 14 miles of traffic-free bliss in East Sussex. This is a disused railway, and so ... Read more

Forth and Clyde Canal Traffic-free Cycle Route

Forth and Clyde Canal Cycle Route Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ The Forth and Clyde Canal links Glasgow with Falkirk, and most of the 35 miles of towpath is tarred. It is a stunning, flat (as you’d expect from a canal towpath) route, but it’s not perfect. For a significant part of the canal, the towpath is ... Read more

Autumn blues

The  melancholy  of  autumn While autumn is unquestionably a beautiful season, each autumn I get a sense of melancholy, a sense of almost sadness. I’m not referring to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – though winter certainly isn’t my favourite part of the year, I’m fortunate enough not to suffer from SAD. Perhaps it’s the passing ... Read more

Cycling tattoos

My bicycle tattoo, immediately after it was done
Get  inked! Tattoos are a highly personal, and sometimes emotive subject. Some abhor them, some love them. I’m in the latter group, but of course it’s OK for you to not like tattoos. However, we all like cycling, don’t we? And what better way to celebrate cycling than with a collection of cycling-related tattoos? Cycling  ... Read more

The quest for power

Satisfying  your  off-grid  cycle  touring  power  needs Off-grid cycle touring is exactly what the name suggests. Just you and your bike, going places, wild camping along the way. There’s no access to mains power, so you either have to carry sufficient battery capacity with you, or find a way to generate power along the way. ... Read more

Four Ferries & Freedom

Cycling  Penzance  to  Plymouth I spent three days cycling from Penzance to Plymouth, wild camping along the way. I wanted to do this route for ages, but kept postponing to go cycling elsewhere in the UK instead. The reason for that’s simple: I know Cornwall reasonably well, but there are large swatches of the UK ... Read more

SheCycles – Sarah

The SheCycles pic of Sarah
Sarah,  in  a  brand-new  SheCycles  post In case you still didn’t know, SheCycles is a growing series of posts highlighting women who cycle. They’re all quite different, and all totally amazing. If you haven’t yet, do go read all the other SheCycles posts! Sarah Sarah was born in Lincolnshire, and now lives in Northamptonshire. She’s ... Read more