I didn’t make much of a secret of my lack enthusiasm for this race. ‘Lack of enthusiasm’ is rather an understatement! I’d been so unkeen and grumpy in the build up to it, particularly in the last week as the looming race meant that plans for long chatty rides weren’t made, I’d had to put […]
Self Supported Cycle Touring – My Kit list
I thought I’d share this kit list here as it’s something I’d have certainly found helpful when I was getting ready to go! Camping Equipment Sleeping mat – OEX Traverse IMX Sleeping Mat & Dry Pump I found this amazing (and bright yellow!) sleeping mat in GoOutdoors where as ever the service was fantastic. I was […]
Supported or self-supported cycle touring?
My first two cycle trips were fully supported. My first in 2012 was a bicycle adventure from Grenoble down to Die for a weekend, when we had two friends driving down in their (coincidentally matching) cars as support vehicles. This meant we could pack what we needed (including formal wear for a planned kayaking trip) […]
Scotland Tour 2019 Day 3: Sallochy to Inverarnan
I’m not sure what is possible on foot, but on a road-ish bike it doesn’t seem to be possible to cycle close to the shoreline all the way around Loch Lomond. This meant that instead of continuing up the Eastern short of Loch Lomond and then on, we had to start our day by doubling […]
Scotland Tour 2019 Day 2: Blackness to Sallochy
After the previous afternoon’s rain, I unzipped the tent on Friday morning to a beautifully sunny Scottish morning. Looking out I could see the long grass, the blue sky and the bicycles thankfully still there after their first night outdoors. For one of the first times in my life I’d had a good night’s sleep […]
Scotland Tour 2019 Day 1: Edinburgh to Blackness
I had a relaxed start to the day. After breakfast with Ruth and Alex, I took the time to try and make sure my belongings were sensibly stowed in my pannier bags before setting out to explore. I felt so joyful as I cycled along the cycle paths we had covered the day before, through […]
Scotland Tour 2019 Day 0: Oxford to Edinburgh by 🚂
I’m counting my journey to Edinburgh as the start of my Scottish adventure. After some last minute packing and adding a few extra things in (I decided that my diary would be worth taking as a luxury item!), I cycled down to Oxford Station, going a little faster than usual on the downhills! I was […]
LEJOG Day 12 – Tain to John O’Groats
LEJOG day 12 : we made it! Yesterday we completed our epic journey from Land’s End go John O’Groats and it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come! We’ve cycled 935.74 miles (1505.9km) in just 12 days and climbed 52283 ft (15936m) which is nearly twice the height of Everest! This time last week only […]
LEJOG Day 11 – Fort Augustus to Tain
LEJOG day 11 : the day the rain came! Today we cycled 65 miles and actually climbed a little more than yesterday at 3432 ft, heading along Loch Ness and up to Tain. Arriving back at the hotel earlier than any other day at around 3 we actually felt a little guilty, having ‘only’ cycled […]
LEJOG Day 10 – Crianlarich to Fort Augustus
LEJOG day 10 : foxgloves, ferns oh and some of the most breathtaking mountain scenery I think I’ve ever seen! Today was our longest (and fastest!) day yet, cycling just over 85 miles with 3317ft of elevation with an average speed of 14.7 mph. This took us halfway across Scotland from Crianlarich, through Glencoe and […]