Fear regrets, not failures

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We all live in fear The difference is what you fear. Some people fear the dark, some unfortunate souls fear open spaces. Many of us fight Imposter Syndrome on a daily basis, and fear being found out. Some fear being inadequate. Most fear death. A surprising amount even fear success. Almost everyone fears failure. And that ... Read more

Disaster on the Grand Union Canal

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The Grand Union Canal I long wanted to cycle the full 144 miles of the Grand Union Canal. The plan was to set off from Paddington Basin, right next to Paddington station, then follow the Paddington branch of the Grand Union Canal (GUC for short). The reasoning was simple: though a branch of the GUC, ... Read more

April 2022 Cycling T-Shirt Giveaway

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Win a FREE WillCycle Cycling T-shirt! We all like a freebie, don’t we? Well, during 2022, I’m doing 12 freebies! That’s right – I’m doing ONE cycling T-shirt giveaway per month. How to enter Entering is simple, but requires a Twitter account. Just follow WillCycle on Twitter, browse through the T-shirt designs available and pick ... Read more

The Power Of Travelling Slowly

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Cyclists riding slowly along a lakeside
Travelling  slowly Remember, even if you win the rat race, you remain a rat. Life comes at you fast, and that pace will only ever get faster. Yes, there’s a thrill to be had from ducking the knocks life throws your way in time, but there’s something even better: taking time out. Step out of ... Read more

Kit Review: Tyre Glider

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Tyre Glider tyre level kit test
Tyre Glider – A new tool in the battle of  fitting a tyre If you’ve ever struggled getting a very tight-fitting tyre on, or off a rim, then you will know it can indeed be a battle! Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres are probably the tyre most people complain about, though on the plus side, they ... Read more

But Will, you never cycled around the world!

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Rural bliss while cycle touring the Grand Union Canal
But  REAL  adventurers… There is this enduring image that people have that to be a real cycle tourer, you should at least have cycled around the world. Barefoot. On a unicycle. That is, of course, utter rubbish. Simply put, a cycle tourer is someone who went touring on their bicycle, regardless how long, or short their ... Read more

Kit Review – Podsac Fork-mounted drybags

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A Podsac fork dry-bag
Good reputation Podsac has built a well-deserved reputation for great kit. Indeed, while cycling the Grand Union Canal, my mate Dom found that Podsacks are so waterproof that they made his bicycle float! As a result, I didn’t have any reservations when I ordered these from Planet-X. For clarity, I bought these at full price, ... Read more

Wild camping & cycle camping in the UK

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Cycle camping (mainly wild-camping) and cycle touring tips and advice
What is wild-camping? Wild-camping is camping away from formal camp sites. In the UK, wild-camping is legal in almost all of Scotland, but against the law in England and Wales (with the exception of parts of Dartmoor), unless you have explicit permission from the landowner. Here’s where things get a bit complicated: yes, wild-camping is ... Read more

The Impact We All Can Have

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We are all free. We are free to make up our own minds. We are free to make our own decisions. We are not free from the consequences of those decisions. For example, I’m free to try and rob a bank, even though that’s against the law. When I get caught afterwards (bank robbers always get caught) ... Read more

The art of gentle adventure

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Cycling around the world We all would love to go cycling around the world, but life has a way of putting obstacles in the way. Most of us will never go cycle touring around the world. You can choose to see that as a terrible thing, or you can accept the reality of the situation, ... Read more

Coleman Performance Gas review – best avoided!

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Avoid Coleman gas cartridges!
Camping gas explained Gas cartridges for camping stoves mostly use butane gas, which is cheap, and in mild to warm temperatures offers good performance. The trouble with butane is that it really performs poorly in the cold, and your gas stove may completely fizzle out just when you’re most reliant on it. Manufacturers of such ... Read more

March 2022 Giveaway

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We all like a freebie, don’t we? Well, during 2022, I’m doing 12 freebies! That’s right – I’m doing ONE T-shirt giveaway per month. How to enter Entering is simple, but requires a Twitter account. Just follow WillCycle on Twitter, then browse through the T-shirt designs available and pick your favourite. Next, click the link ... Read more

Earth, wind, fire and ice

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Cycle camping at Redlake, as part of a mini cycle tour
Cold-weather camping I’ve been forced to delay a planned winter camping trip on Dartmoor by a combination of having to do out-of-hours work over several weekends, and the severe weather we’ve been having for a while. Seriously, going camping in such a remote spot as I was planning to, while there were 80+mph gales blowing, ... Read more

The Truth

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“I learned the truth at seventeen That love was meant for beauty queens And high school girls with clear skinned smiles Who married young and then retired” These are the lyrics to a beautiful, if rather sad, song called At Seventeen, by an artist called Janis Ian. I included the YouTube video at the bottom. ... Read more