Thorn Cycles Forum
Community => Cycle Tours => Topic started by: Templogin on February 27, 2015, 05:32:43 pm
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After suggesting that I maybe touring one route or another and them failing due to one thing or another, I have finally booked the ferry tickets and will be riding the eXp from Shetland to Worthing. The first bit is dead easy-ish, 17 miles from Voe to Lerwick for the ferry down to Aberdeen. I will then ride through Scotland over to the west-ish side of England, dropping in on the rellies in Telford, then down to Horsham to see my family, then onto Worthing. After about 12 days pottering around I will ride back mostly up the east side of England and then into Scotland.
I have been spending a fortune on kit, including an MSR Hubba Hubba tent, MSR Whisperlite, Thermarest z-lite pad, down bag, Heibe Chainglider, Rohloff oil change kit, etc. etc.
My greatest worry is finding campsites that accept tents on the way down. After the amount that has gone on kit I would really like to use it. I am staying in a Travelodge whilst I am in Sussex to make it easy on myself. I have set a relatively easy target of 50 miles a day, but I hope to be doing much higher distances after the first few days. I am well overweight so hope to drop a few pounds as well as gain some strength, if only for the sake of the spokes. I fear that the bike is going to be heavily loaded, even without me!
I set off on a Saturday late in June. Arriving to Aberdeen traffic is much better early on Sunday morning. The distance is roughly 650 miles each way so I should be in Sussex for the 4th of July.
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What a wonderful trip ahead for you!
All best wishes for a safe and enjoyable time. Will look forward After to hearing how the new equipment worked for you.
Dan.
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Best wishes for your trip.
I think i met you last year? I had a weekend on Shetland before I did my 4 corners of Scotland trip in July.
Unfortunately I am away during June & July.
But let me know if I can be of any assistance in any way.
Matt
Shetland was only just beaten to my top favourite island by Eigg.
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Thanks a lot guys.
Yes it was me Matt, along with Monica.
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It is my experience that a lone cyclist arriving at any campsite, will be given a bed ( bit of grass) for a night. Otherwise, you might have a mid campsite night at the side of a field / loch / hill etc.
All a great part of the story on your return.
sounds like heaven . Enjoy the trip
Eddie
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Sounds like a great trip -- enjoy! You've (I've) spent a bit on gear, to be sure, but in my experience, cheap/crappy stuff is a false economy, and if unreliable can be dangerous. Putting it a bit differently: buy quality or repent at leisure. The quality gear you've got should serve you well and last a long long time. (F'rinstance, my daughter is still using the down bag I bought in 1998, a nice 3-season (-7C) item bought from MEC in the latter years of the last century.) Gear that works well, and feels good, is a joy to use. Your tent, bag and stove should keep you warm & dry in "what the English sportingly call summer." (The words of Colin Fletcher, walker extraordinaire, so they must be true.) Look forward to stories & photos. :-)
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Campsites generally accept tents, and even if they are 'full' they will usually squeeze a lone cycle camper in. Caravan-only sites tend not to, as they often do not have toilet facilities. The Camping and Caravan Club will take cyclists at backpacker rates - you do not have to be a member. CycleCamp (http://www.cyclecamp.co.uk/default.htm) is quite useful though it doesn't list many Scottish sites.
it sounds a great trip - have fun, and let us know how it goes!
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Sound like a great trip!
When I completed the North Sea Cycle Route in 2013 I cycled up National Cycle Route 1 from Dover to the Scottish Borders. Camp sites became easier to find after leaving the south of England. Many camp sites in the southern half of England are registered as Caravan Parks but are only allowed to take five caravans and tents are not allowed. These are usually registered as members of the Caravan Club not the Camping and Caravan Club. Try and find the latter or independent camp sites.
http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk
Also, if you are using a GPS you can freely download Archies Camp Site Points of Interest file. It will show nearby camp sites and has telephone numbers so you can call ahead and check they will accept tents/have a space/are open/etc.
http://www.archiescampings.eu
Have a great trip!
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Andy.
I am back in Aberdeen on 26th July so if your trip takes longer than planned I insist you call in for the night and we catch up.
I'll always remember your kind hospitality when I was in Lerwick.
I live 18 miles from the Aberdeen ferry.
Matt
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Finding a campsite with space should not be a problem, as I've found they can always 'squeeze' a lone cyclist / walker in, and as this is outside the main holiday season makes it even more likely.
Carlos
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I love Voe and I've stayed there many times but its not the same without the floating boathouse and with Guido the eccentric Belgian..........Nice folk there though especially all the regulars in the Pier Head!
Sounds like a nice trip and if you're on the 76 near Dunbar(East Lothian) you'll cycle right through our farm............Give me a shout for a coffee(I'm a member of the ZMCC)
FP.
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My greatest worry is finding campsites that accept tents on the way down.
With it being mid-summer, it'll be quite light till gone 10pm, so that gives you lots of time to find a spot. I have found camp sites overpriced. You will likely pay about a tenner - that's my guess.
The couple of times I've been in the UK cycle-camping, I've just left it late (found a village pub!) and then looked around for a quite place to pitch the tent, out of sight and where I'd not get disturbed.
Best of luck.
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Hi Folks
Thanks a lot for the advice and wishes.
@Matt - I will try to catch up with you this time on the way back. You must just about be going off on your big trip now. I think that it is this week, but memory rarely serves me well these days.
The buying has continued with some charging stuff from PowerTraveller, but it may be polite to mention it elsewhere in the forum, under a more specific heading.
I will add the links to my list of Trip Information, which I have set up in Omnifocus on my iPad.
Training has not got off to a good start. I have only done 4 training runs since the beginning of the year, and none of them have been over 9 miles. One was only 1.5 miles when I realised that my stomach wasn't fit for the task that evening. Never mind, today has brightened up, so I should be out this evening, hopefully for a longer ride.
I don't seem to be getting replies to the thread, so I will have to go and see what is going on. Perhaps GMail is marking the emails from this forum as trash!
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Hi there.
I set off on May 23rd.
Let me know if you are passing back through Aberdeen before then
Matt
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I love Voe and I've stayed there many times but its not the same without the floating boathouse and with Guido the eccentric Belgian..........Nice folk there though especially all the regulars in the Pier Head!
Sounds like a nice trip and if you're on the 76 near Dunbar(East Lothian) you'll cycle right through our farm............Give me a shout for a coffee(I'm a member of the ZMCC)
FP.
I think that I will be heading straight down from Edinburgh to Carlisle, but I may be coming back that way. I will let you know nearer the time.
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Templogin,
I live just 9 miles south of Edinburgh at Dalkeith, near the A7 and NCR1, both of which will initially take you south from Edinburgh towards Carlisle.
There is a camp site half a mile away by the A7.http://www.scottishcampingguide.com/link.php?n=99&c=31 (http://www.scottishcampingguide.com/link.php?n=99&c=31)
My offspring and myself have cycle camped a couple of routes from Dalkeith to Carlisle.
Direct down the A7, the easiest with best road surface and gradients, but with the worst traffic.
Indirect over back roads via Innerleithen, Melrose, Hawick, Newcastleton, and Longtown/NCR7 - very scenic, quieter roads, but quite hilly and longer.
If you are planning on stopping around this area then you are most welcome to stay with us, or even camp on the back lawn if you insist on using the tent.
Julian.
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That's very kind Julian. I have been contemplating both routes funnily enough, and still not made a decision. I will contact you nearer the time if I am going your way.
Andy
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The big day has arrived and I sit here in my cabin writing this. The rear carradice panniers have been upgraded with Arkel cam clips, still not as easy on-off as those ubiquitous plastic panniers that everyone uses, but I can't remember the name of, but an improvement on Carradice's efforts. I put the chainglider on, but as I read, only after I bought it, this device is too narrow for the chainwheel so there is added friction, so it has come off to be hung in the shed.
The bike is loaded front and back with panniers, with a canoe bag strapped across the back. Judging by the way that it sways at low speed, I might have to move more weight to the front, otherwise fast downhills, let there be many, will be white knuckle stuff.
(http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb177/shetlink/a5d5d80db664269af597518736f598a9.jpg)
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You're looking good, and that is a beautiful yellow bike.
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I'm sure I can hear the tune to High Plains Drifter! Brilliant photo.
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Wonderful picture! I've just scanned a copy of Cycling Plus and glazed over contemplating the homogeneous Lycra-ati, so great to see a cyclist in more traditional touring attire.
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Wot no cycle clips ?
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That's very kind Julian. I have been contemplating both routes funnily enough, and still not made a decision. I will contact you nearer the time if I am going your way.
Andy
Andy,
The bike and rider look good. Have a great trip.
I found a similar ‘feel’ to the bike fully loaded with a good load on top of the rear rack.
I have now downsized some of the gear and packing list, dropped the rear rack top bag, moved heavy metal items to a frame bag (Revelate Tangle Bag) and bedroll to a Revelate Sweet Roll under the handlebars.
The fully loaded bike now rides a lot nicer.
If you are coming my way and hoping to stop then please be aware I am away until Wednesday evening.
I am away celebrating my mother’s 95th birthday in Grange-over-Sands in the Lake District.
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That's a class photo of man and machine you look like u havent a care in the world.
sure hope u get excellent weather have fun and stay safe 8)
anto.
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Have a great trip, really liking the bike colour scheme.
Carlos
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Shetland to Worthing
Saturday 20/06/2015
Northlink ferry to Aberdeen
21/06/2015
Aberdeen to Monifieth. 70 miles. Found myself in a Greggs in Montrose, not in a spiritual way you understand. Stayed at the Barry Downs Holiday Park - £20. Pissed it down most of the day and night. Roads badly flooded. Lots of wet kit, trainers, tent etc. Stopped every hour to eat food, drink squash and wring out socks. Carradice Super C panniers have been brilliant in the rain. The very thin Robens down sleeping bag has turned out to be good, although I sleep in some thin dry clothes for the inevitable trips out of the tent in the night.
22/06/2015
Monifieth to Cupar. Knees and bum painful. Wearing wet clothes probably didn't help. Rode across the Tay Bridge, as I missed the signs for the cycle track, to much honking of horns, but only once I passed the halfway point. There would have been no turning around though. Met 2 cyclists at the cafe on the south side. One took pity on me and offered me his old overshoes. He said that he had trainers similar to mine, but only wore them to the shops, not on a cycle trip to the other end of the country! I thought that it was summer everywhere other than Shetland. Another cyclist suggested that I could get more kit on my bike if I really tried. I would like to see where. Took train from Cupar to Edinburgh Waverley - £12.30. Rode to Newtongrange. Total mileage 75. Cycled 33. Stayed at the Lothian Bridge Caravan Park - £8. Very clean but a lot of noise from adjacent A7. Had dinner at the Sun Inn gastro pub - £29 including 2 small Magners, artisan bread, squid and pig plate. It's opposite the caravan site, and they do breakfast too. Discovered that a bottle of water has leaked into one of my panniers turning one of my small atlases to a soggy clot. Panniers appear to keep water both in and out. The Chinese version of the expensive folding chair has broke already. It was £30 instead of £90, but as it only lasted an hour it wasn't much of a bargain. I can't be bothered to go through all the hassle to send it back, especially as wifi has been fairly non-existent so far. No sense in replacing rubbish with more rubbish. I will enjoy tossing it in the bin though. A bit less weight. Contemplating sending the MSR stove and fuel bottles back and just keeping hold of the gas-fired boiling cup thing for the occasional brew when on campsite. AAA batteries gone flat in radio. Spares also seem to be flat, or radio has died on me. I don't have the correct tip with me to adapt a cable from the PowerGorilla, so I will have to manage without radio 4. Plan to ride to Hawick tomorrow. Just 40 miles. Another campsite, then treat myself to a B&B possibly the next night. Apologies to those that have suggested that I contact them on the way past, purely wifi unavailability rather than rudeness.
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well your certainly having a time of it. weather can make or break a tour personally i hate the feckin rain sure a lot to be said for going to a country where your guaranteed sun and feck all wind.
the UK is beautuifull as is Ireland but the weather wow give me a break its cat baloo.
Still no matter what your here to tell the tale i just hope things get better ::)
anto.
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24/06/2015
I awoke at 6 am with a headache to be proud of and rain spattering on the tent. Although I was where I expected to be I was 50 miles ahead of the planned target, helped by the train journey of course. I would rethink my options after more paracetamol and a couple of hours more sleep. At 8:30 with the head still throbbing and the rain still dripping I got up and paid for another night at the site and took to my bed, coming to the conclusion that I really should have done more training for this venture! I was up again at midday, having some breakfast and contemplating what is going wrong. Other than the physical ailments, I need to improve my sleeping. The Thermarest Z-lite mat is far too thin for a habitual side sleeper, and I need to work on the pillow arrangement. A B&B might be a luxury that I could get too easily used to though. I need to work on the diet too. There is fruit in there and bacon rolls, but a lot of cakes too. I know cyclists are famous for their cake consumption, but I think that this is leading to sugar highs and lows in me, so I need to eat some proper meals, which also means stopping for a break. At the moment I am pushing myself too hard, stopping for breaks of a couple of minutes far too often, racing against the clock. Realistically, if I end up x miles short of my destination at x date I can always hop on the train to catch up. I am so glad that I chose not to seek sponsorship for this. I don't feel that I have much that I could send home, so reducing the weight is not an option. One thing that I am missing is my internet access. I had a couple of quids worth last night to collect my email and to upload my last missive. My partner has gone off to Paris to deal with a family matter, so there will be little communication with her without net access. If I am sounding downcast, then rest assured everything is fine. It looks as though the rain is about to restart so I must get the iPad etc. under cover.
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This reminds me of my disasterous france tour . monsoon rain for 3 days solid.
my probem was known what food to eat sounds mental but im the worst cook on the planet and i soon got fed up with pitza's and pasta.
so my advice for what its worth find a local ask the best place to eat proper food not 5 star resturants wants you get the food sorted your going to sleep and feel much beter..
my wife is in america for another week im looking after meself i havent cooked a decet meal yet seems everything tastes the feckin same ::)
if u have room in your panniers go into a store and buy a good quality pillow i'm serious it will get u to sleep in jig time when your on the last day just bin it.
oh yeah pop into the butcher ask to make them a steak and kidny pie i done this in the uk shared it amonst my feel club buddies they all thought they went to heaven.
anyway hope things pick up look at it like this it cant get any worse ,
hope u got your headache sorted i suffer with cronic headaches only thing that cures me is solphidine
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Pillow case stuffed with spare clothes is my normal pillow....
Everyone will have their own preference what to eat but me I tend to carry nuts / fruit to graze on whilst riding, a couple of packets of couscous / rice / noodles (not the batchelors variety) and some cans of fish (tuna / mackerel being my favorite). Big believer in breakfast sets you up for the day, usually porridge / weetabix / shredded wheat. Lunch is in a cafe or sandwich / pie from a local bakery. Tea is either pub supplied or a tin of fish with the rice / noodles / couscous Oh and tea can't start without my cuppa.
Pick up the milk and some eggs before / at campsite, boil the eggs while having breakfast, gives something else to snack on during the day.
Carlos
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Sorry to hear of the poor weather in Scotland. If it's any consolation it has been mainly dry and bright in northern England so things should get better as you go south. Important to remind yourself that cycle touring is not an endurance challenge. There's no shame in using trains and bed and breakfasts. Better to splash some cash and look after yourself than risk the tour.
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yeah food is important right enough,but its getting the proper food thats the trick .
myself i know what i like but i just can't cook it ::) im the worst cook on the planet.
but on tour getting local adviceon where to eat is a good idea.as for the buying a real pillow its surprizing how small you get it if you have a good stuff sack worth its weight in gold.
i use a thermarest medium compressable pilow great bit of kit.
anyway keep the flag flying good weather heading your way ;)
anto.
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24/06/2015 Continued
I decided to get the personal admin sorted out so went into Hawick for some shopping. A camping shop sorted me out with some nail type tent pegs as I was destroying the Alpkit Y pegs each day, I bought a blow up pillow and the difference is amazing, I also treated myself to a mallet as hammering the pegs in with my head is probably what damaged them. I spent a lot of time trying to find something to charge my elderly Nokia phone. I have seen a holder that you can put an AA or PP3 cell in with a plug that fits the phone. It's a bit of a bodge, but the PowerGorilla is giving me problems and everything is bare minimum charged at the moment. I could buy little powerbanks, with presumably nimh batteries in them that you could then charge from a USB source, but this put me no further forward. I went to Boots for a knee support, but baulked at the price £20. I used to work for a company that dealt with Boots in a supply role. Our prices to Boots used to include a 30% addition for the hassle of dealing with them. I suspect other suppliers may be the same. I went over the road to Superdrug and got one for £9, which instantly appeared to make no difference, in fact it dug into the back of my leg. That will teach me. Hawick seems to have a dearth of restaurants. I was determined to have a reasonable meal without all the timbale of rice, with chef's famous apricot and beetroot jus rubbish, and as far as I am concerned you can't go far wrong with a decent Italian restaurant. I had to lurk around town until it opened, but when it did I took a table at Sergios. Smoked salmon to start, a very generous portion, lasagne for mains, disappointed with the paltry amount, no bigger than one of those 99p micro meals, although much better tasting, pana cotta for dessert, probably a poor choice, but the others were all ice cream. I am not actually a big eater, but I still felt hungry at the end of this and tempted to go back around the menu again to make a point. I picked up some food from Morrisons and topped up that way. The ride back to the campsite was a bone jarring affair in the broken surfaced roads. I checked the nuts and bolts when I got back and some were loose. I should have loctited them before I left, but it was yet another job that didn't get done.
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25/06/2015
I slept much better with the new pillow as well as some other clothes and my Alpkit jacket. I was still woken by the little boys in their hatchbacks giving it beans along the road next to the campsite. I would quite happily pay to have all of their exhausts fixed if it gave me a really good nights sleep. I stuffed myself with fruit and oaty cereal bars, packed up and headed off out of the campsite after the rush hour. It was a day of headwinds and getting in and out of the waterproofs. I left my lovely Tilley hat in a layby and point blank refused to go back for it. They have a pocket inside the top of the hat and I slipped an emergency £20 note when I first bought it along with a card with my name, mobile number and Skype address, so it may come back. They are more than welcome to the £20 as a reward, and I will cover their postage. I have a waterproof beanie hat that will do in the interim. I will buy another Tilley if this one doesn't come back. There has been one lovely hill in particular, but I was left frustrated by having to pedal down it. My spirits have been lifted though by resting more often, which has improved the knee situation. Either that or the knee brace has broken me in. I also stopped for lunch in a cafe in Langholm. The burger was made with proper beef and tasted great, as did the apple pie and ice cream that followed. A can of fanta and a pot of tea brought the bill to about £8, which seemed fantastic value. I plodded on through Carlisle, stopping at the Co-op for a pint of milk and croissant and looked at the options. It didn't look like I was going to have the strength to reach Penrith so I kept an eye out for a B&B, but there were none by the time I reached the Travel Inn at J42 of the M6. Booking into one of these late feels as close to rape as I want to get so I kept heading along the A6 looking for a likely field, but I came across a pub first, so I dropped in for a swift one and asked if there were any B&Bs in the area. The hive mind couldn't come up with anything, but eventually one of the customers suggested the Fox and Pheasant in Armathwaite, and rang forward booking a room for me. It is in the Eden Valley, and with the wind not in my face for the first time today, and steep hills to boot, I hurtled along for 2 miles of the journey at breakneck speed. When I arrived at the pub the rear rack had become detached from 2 of the fittings and had swivelled back, only being stopped from scraping along the floor by the fact that it was resting the weight of the two panniers, canoe bag and rack against the back light and carbon fibre mudguard. Another scar. The poor old mudguards look like I just don't care. I have fixed the problem temporarily, but will have to have a closer look. I have spare bungees, which could effect a tensioning around the seat post. The room in the pub is lovely. I turned down dinner as I feel full enough today. The shower was a joy, as was getting into some clean and dry clothes. The butt is in need of some sudocrem. I hope you don't wake up screaming thinking about me bent over ...
I am reading everyone's comments and advice, even if I am not responding to them all individually, but I appreciate the input. Thank you
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It's turning into an epic ride! Sorry about the hat and hope you get it back. Have a good night's sleep and better luck in the morning.
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i would have turned back for the hat. :'(
things are getting better by the day, your eating better sleeping better as soon as u get better weather your away in a hack.
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I would still even now turn back for the Tilley Hat!!!
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well gone at this stage John only hope if an honest person finds it.
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26/06/2015
This goes on a bit so I will treat you to some paragraphs.
I had spent the previous evening checking my emails and researching what to do next. Armathwaite is the second station on the Carlisle to Settle railway, and as I never find myself over this side of the country usually I decided that this would be an opportunity to ride it, but just as far as Kirkby Stephen, as any further would take me out of my way.
I had breakfast in the Fox and Pheasant, but I was having difficulty getting it down. My body was just saying no more. How annoying. I packed up the kit and took it and the bike outside into the car park, where I wielded a spanner and allen key to tighten the rack bolts up. Then I visited the shop for an ice cream and a bottle of lucozade, which left me feeling green. I should have listened to the messages.
At the station the access to the platform was level, but only if I was going the other way. Mine was more challenging, with two short flights of stairs and a very steep path. To take the panniers off or have an early morning work-out? Naturally I chose the work-out and I won.
The station had the look of a restored railway, everything spick and span with a stone waiting room, where walking in I was greeted by the croak of a frog. It was dim in the room, I could half see the frog but couldn't work out if it was real. It wasn't, the IR detector in it set off the croaking when I walked in. I bet kids found this very funny. Turning the other way there were a display of books and magazines to while the time away until the arrival of your train, most of them on the subject of trains, many on the saving of the Settle to Carlisle railway. The non rail enthusiasts had a selection of Take a Break and the like. A polite notice asked you to leave the books for the next passengers, and the fact that the system was obviously working gave me a warm glow.
It was two hours until the train arrived, and I pushed the bike onto the train pleased that I was not having to fight for a bike space with a pushchair user. My son is now 25, but when he was young pushchairs used to fold and be put in the overhead racks. Now I understand that wheelchairs users have been denied access to busses when a mum refused to fold her pushchair that was taking up the wheelchair space. Sad times. I looked for a free seat. It appeared that they were all occupied by either passengers or their rucksacks. I contemplated getting into the luggage rack, but others may not have shared my humour, so instead I asked one of the passengers, a Kiwi, if she would like me to put her rucksack in the rack, she didn't as she was using it, so she put it between her legs.
Two stops along the inevitable pushchair wielding mum got on with screaming child and huffed and puffed because someone had taken the bike space for her pushchair. The noise balanced out the two yorkshiremen having a conversation at a staggered angle across the carriage about their days driving Seddon Aktinson, and other trucks of that era. It was a conversation that I could appreciate having driven some of the Army's "finest" vehicles, but when they started talking about how there's no comparison with modern day trucks, I thought that it was about to descend into a Monty Python sketch.
I continued to sip at the nasty cup of tea and munch on a reasonable chunk of shortbread. Every time I looked out of the window the Kiwi must have thought that I was looking at her so she peered at me. I tried this a few times, but with the same result. I cast around for something to settle my gaze on and noticed a woman further up the carriage with a lovely bone structure, most of her face sadly masked with a massive pair of sunglasses. I caught a faint smile cross her lips as her head turned in my direction. Being one not to miss any opportunity for outrageous flirting I started to wonder about an excuse to be at her table, then I noticed another smile and a shuffle in the seat, and realised that she was probably just releasing wind. So much for the flirting opportunity.
Kirkby Stephen arrived and the train ejaculated passengers onto the platform: one half of the two yorkshiremen, his wife, the screaming child/pushchair/mother combination and bike/I. I had missed the best part of the journey, which was to come later, the Ribblehead Viaduct.
The path took us out of the station to the road and absolutely no indication as to where to go. Much aligning of the map was wasted as this new glovebox atlas didn't have train lines or contours on it. I knew that there used to be a trick of lining up the hour hand of your watch with the sun and then the minute hand would point at a boy scout, of whom you could ask directions, or he washes your bike for a shilling, gets a stone out of a horses hoof or some such thing, but no boy scout was to be spotted.
The cloud was so thick that I had no idea which way to go, so I turned right, which was in fact turned wrong. The hill down into Kirkby Stephen is fantastic and I was soon doing over 40. All good things must end though and I soon found myself heading out of town and wondering who had put the signs the wrong way around. I spun the bike around and accosted a man for directions. I just didn't have time to ask two women. Of a similar age to me, he asked about my trip and told me of his LEJOG when he was in his twenties. He was able to confirm that my u-turn now had me headed in the right direction, so back into town, money drawn from bank, at the same time realising that this trip is costing me a fortune, or at least considerably more than my waving my finger around in the air guess had me believe. I bought myself a bottle of fanta, as by now my stomach was feeling odd, and headed off up the hill.
What I can come down in excess of 40mph I have to push back up, stopping every 100 paces for a breather. By the time I had got back to the station turning an hour had passed from the last time I was there, and the skies were becoming ominous. Lejog man had mentioned the word downhill a lot so I was looking forward to the easy ride. For the first 3 miles the road undulated, in an Aberdeenshire way, just more so. I felt absolutely worn out and the rain was coming down. This time though I was dressed for the occasion with full waterproofs, but missing my Tilley hat, a lot. I stopped at the side of the road and threw up, and felt better for it.
The ride was long and dispiriting into headwinds that were more like those in Shetland. I can now see why there are so many more LEJOGS than JOGLES. Mile after mile I ground on, the feet soaking, the pedals spinning me along at very slow speeds. There were plenty of downills, but the wind was making them less of a pleasure than they should have been. I sailed past the sign for the Cross hill campsite. I then did what people who are too tired to make a rational decision do, I kept going onto the next one, which although the sign said tents, didn't seem to want to welcome a tent-bearing weary traveller, and pointed me back up the road to the campsite I had missed. It was only a mile and a half, but it might as well been 100. At that moment there was no way that I could make it. A lot of money spent on a top class touring bike does not a touring cyclist make.
I headed away back to the junction and noticed some benches and tables. I sat down for ten minutes just relaxing, then got out the flapjack chunks, the water and the lucozade. Every mouthful was just turning my stomach more, but I just plodded on. I got back on the bike, my butt making me silently howl inside with a burning pain and headed off back to the campsite. After a mile I came across the picnic spot I had stopped in before, dragged the bike up to a table and laid down on a bench. The midges were out in force, but at least the rain had stopped. I laid there for 20 minutes, then got up and rode the last half mile, not sure what I would do if there were no room. In the end I had the field to myself, the other field being full of the more common motorhomes and static caravans. I had only ridden 18 miles, but I felt like I had gone 10 rounds with Bruno Brookes' mother. The tent went up and I went in it, to sleep, perchance to dream. I got out of it at 11pm to visit the facilities and make a brew with the Jetboil, before going back to sleep.
27/06/2015
I have always prided myself on being able to sleep anywhere, no matter how much noise there is, but I have woken every 15-20 minutes every night of this holiday, whether I was in the tent, on the ferry or in a hotel bed. I will be glad when it passes.
I was in a real quandary whether to move on today or wait another day, using the day to rebuild some strength and get my stomach under control. In the end I paid for another night and went for a shower. Judging from the screaming from behind the shower door an unwilling toddler was being cleaned by his father. I would just manage with a wash for now. The council sign said all water on site should be boiled. More flapjack cubes followed a cup of coffee, then feeling altogether better than yesterday I got on the bike and headed into Sedbergh.
The narrow high street is mainly cafes and I chose one that seemed to have elderlies coming and going. At least I would look young and fit compared to this lot, unlike how I compared to the dozens of lycra clad cyclists zooming along in a race through the place.
The menu was split into sections by time of day, and it appeared that at this time of day I could have a fried egg roll or a bacon roll, but not egg and bacon on a plate. I ordered the bacon bap, but struggled with swallowing the bread, so just chewed the bacon to death, washing it down with a cup of tea. I bought a replacement hat, a baseball one this time for a tenner. It says Weird Fish on it, and by wearing it I am apparently escaping the ordinary. With glee in my heart at the thought of the special life ahead of me I strode down the high street under the hat. I dropped into a bistro cafe and had a latte and a piece of lemon cake, so far so ordinary. A table full of lycra-clads, this time more my age and shape, looked miserable, bemoaning their lack of enthusiasm for the event. The young square-jawed ones had long since scythed through the town. These senior gentlemen were more resigned to the passing of time And waistbands. They had the carbon fibre bikes, but it was not turning them into Tour de France hopefuls. I felt their pain. The hands of time had slapped the buttocks of misfortune.
Waiting for my change I went to pop my hat on, noticing the piece of cardboard stiffening still in the hat I realised that this might be what was stopping the special getting through. I removed it, but the difference must have been insignificant for my feebleness to pick up on.
Greengrocers still exist so I picked up some bananas and a bag of broken brazil nuts not sure why they were £3.25, when the whole ones are £3.45. Someone has saved me one bite, surely I should be paying more?
Back at the site I decided to write up my notes. Whilst covertly slinging a used teabag into thick bushes I noticed that I had been spotted by a man who had put his tent up on the opposite of the field unnoticed by me due to the farm building between our tents. He is a DoE leader and has a party of youngsters stopping here overnight. They are 17 year olds apparently, so it will hopefully not be too bad.
More maintenance was needed on the bike, to the rear rack again where it attaches to the rear dropouts. This time I went through the bolt collection, mostly wrong sizes, and managed to find some in the correct size and slightly longer. Along with shake-proof washers and nuts I hope to have solved the problem until I get to Sussex when I plan to get more Loctite and actually use it this time.
As I bask in the acre or so of space that I have for my tent, motorhomes arrive and leave, presumably rejected through lack of space. A hook up, a hook up, my kingdom for a hook up. I envy them their chemical toilets though, although using one one the back of a bike may seem impolite in company.
A youngster has been brought along from the motorhome side to play on the swings. There is also a climbing frame in the shape of a plane, but little to do for adults except relax. I asked the farm owner if there was a casino on site. He said there were two, and that I should just follow the flashing lights. Not spotted them yet.
Bright and sunny here today, but clouding over with rain tomorrow, followed by a week of heatwave, a word not used in Shetland. When it gets to 20 degrees C (70F) I start to fade, so interesting times ahead. The plan is to ride to Lancaster then have a think about what to do next. It is a city that I want to see for its history.
28/06/2015
The switch has been thrown and I have started to sleep better, 3 hours without waking at one point. Perhaps my body has forgotten the memory foam mattress waiting for me back in Shetland.
It was raining at 7am and I laid there thinking about what to do. Logic said stay another day. I knew that by the time I was packed up and a few hundred yards down the road I would be wet through, and once I arrived in Lancaster, assuming that I made it that far, I would then be trying to dry out. For once sense prevailed and I added another day to the number spent in Sedbergh. There was enough to eat for breakfast, but I would have to make my way into town to get lunch, dinner and breakfast sorted.
The road past the campsite is not busy so I decided that a walk might do me some good. It was only a mile and a half, but I would get into my waterproofs and wander along the road, sticking my thumb out at passing motorists. If I unzipped the neck of my jacket my fleece got wet, so I did the jacket up and suffered a tropical environment inside. Cars came and went. Out went my thumb, but the only thing that happened was my thumb got wet. No-one was offering me a lift. As I came around one bend I noticed the car stopped on the other side of the road with its nearside indicator flashing. As I got closer I was about to walk across the road to offer assistance when the car jerked forwards in a kangaroo-stylee, and I realised that someone was probably having their first driving lesson.
It wasn't long before I was in the High Street looking for a cafe and some information. The first came quickly, a bustling cafe where I was eventually able to order ham and eggs on toast and a steaming mug of tea. Apparently I had arrived after a large influx so there would be a wait. Not a problem as waiting time is also drying time, and puddles were forming under the sleeves of my jacket on the cafe floor. When the meal turned up I devoured it with gusto. The cafe had started to clear, but I knew that my table was needed for a reservation so I didn't hang around, just got up and paid the bill. I sought advice on a likely wifi connection and was told that they had one there and suggested that I sat back down and surfed away. I just wanted to download my email and let my other half that I was still in the land of the living.
Being Sunday there was little open on the street, and the sole choice for food was a shop full of Happy Shopper produce. Having no choice I picked up a few items including a couple of tins of sardines, a packet of Mash potato powder, some peanut butter, cream crackers, biscuits and a couple of packets of liquorice sweets. Walking absentmindedly down the street I reached into the shopping bag for a bag of liquorice and opened it up, dived my hand in and quickly realised something was wrong. I had opened the Smash - damn. I had no way of sealing the bag up so it went into the nearest bin, and I went to the bus shelter to sulk and await the opening of the tourist info office.
I sat there wet and miserable, wondering when this tour would actually get underway. Buying the Smash had been a disappointment, a, has my life really come to this, moment, but having it cruelly snatched away had made my plans for fish and mash for dinner turn into just fish. A long stream of people passed by dressed to the nines in little summer frocks, or at least the women were so dressed, obviously part of a wedding party, and their faces suggested that they were no happier than I on this dismal day.
As life crashed to another low ebb it could only bounce upwards, and that bounce came in the tourist information office, which turned out to be a bookshop that gave tourists information. I asked the old lady behind the counter about a taxi service and she advised against taxis as they were so expensive. I explained that I had already walked into town, failing to thumb a lift. Samantha then introduced herself from behind me. Blonde, about 21 years old with a thrusting chest barely held in position by a top too skimpy for the inclemency of the weather and a skirt that surely she would catch a cold in if she were to bend over in, I instantly found myself admiring her wonderful personality. She told me she was thoroughly disappointed in the poor time that I had spent in Sedbergh, and she wanted to take me somewhere warm so that we could discuss the finer points of Cumbrian tourism, and did I like hot baths, soapy suds, champagne and candles? Sorry, it's the effects of the rain. The reality was the woman who introduced herself was a retired teacher who offered me a lift back to the campsite. She wasn't even going my way. I took up the offer and got a lift back. She wouldn't take the fiver I offered for petrol, so I asked her to give it to her favourite charity, she took it for the shop as all the information staff are apparently volunteers. A good cause then.
The afternoon brightened up immensely and brought with it some more DoE kids, a bunch younger than yesterdays, and considerably more vocal. With none of them more than 10 feet away from any of the others the group's conversation was louder than it needed to be. I also noticed that if the number of kids was x, and y=x/2 then no more than y kids should be speaking simultaneously as at least y kids should be listening. Sadly this rule was not working as most of the time I observed where s is speaking kids that s>y and sometimes s=x. I sat there hoping to observe s=0, and finally did so at 22:30. My day then improved.
For some reason my radio started working and I was able to get a Radio 4 fix, even if it was only Feedback, but at least they discussed Chris Evans turning his breakfast show, to which I am subject daily to by the bus driver on my travels to work, into an advertising arm of Top Gear ad nauseum. It's enough to get me into the car again, almost.
So the plan for tomorrow, once again is to forge forth to Lancaster, about 35 miles away according to the caravan site owner. My brother in law tells me that trains from there go to Wolverhampton. I think more of this trip is going to be spent on the train miles-wise than riding Fermat.
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29/06/2015
I woke up to a completely different day today. Cloudy, but dry with light winds. I washed, breakfasted and packed up. Before I left I thought that it would be good to go and have a chat to one of the DOE leaders about the behaviour of the kids. She instantly expected a complaint, but I was happy to say what a lovely lot they were, boisterous at times, but went quiet at a sensible time. She asked me to write to the headmaster as there were plans afoot possibly to stop doing DoE courses, which I think would be a shame. I have never done it myself, but you can tell the kids who have put themselves through the hardships.
As I made my way across into Lancashire the wind picked up, but the clouds also started to clear and it became a lovely sunny day. How it lifts the spirits. I stopped several times to keep topping up on foods, but more importantly fluids.
I pottered around Lancaster for a while looking for an ice cream, but couldn't find a proper ice cream shop. I soon found the railway station and went for a recce to see if I was going to be able to get the bike onto the platform easily, yes, there's lifts from the bridge level to the platform level. Notices said that cyclists needed to make sure they had a bike reservation for the Virgin trains, and a ticket to prove it.
Just outside of the station there is a b&b which had a vacancies notice up. All was falling into place, accommodation a hundred yards away. I rang the bell and there was no answer, then a bloke came along with a ladder and told me there were no vacancies. I pointed to the vacancy sign and he told me that they don't bother to take that down when they're full. Well, no sense putting yourself to any inconvenience I suppose.
I soon found the TIC and they rang around for me, but everywhere was full, so they suggested Morecambe. It's a 3 mile trip down a tarmaced disused railway line, so I was there in no time. The first guest house I called on had a room vacancy so I booked in for the princely sum of £32, which I happily paid and had a quick shower and wandered off down the promenade. I dropped into a pub and ordered a Magners, but was served a Guiness. I have never had this before, but it seems OK. Having said that, I would have sucked the moisture from the bar towels had no drink been available. Perhaps Magners doesn't exist in this part of the world.
So, all in all a good day, much improved by the weather, still the headwinds, but more manageable.
Whinge of the day is bike paths. When is a pavement a bike path and when isn't it? Some that I have ridden on today have had brambles growing right the way across them, in fact in Lancaster som of the yellow lines on the road are obstructed by bushes growing over them, which is a shame as they seem to have done a lot for provision of cycle lanes around the town.
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30/06/2016
It had been a hot night in the hotel. I had the window of the room open, and the sound of traffic seemed loud, however it soon settled down and the boy racers went to be early.
Breakfast was served by a lovely young Romanian woman, with a smile that would gladden even the stoniest of hearts. The egg of my egg and bacon was perfectly circular, and this seemed to go well with her obsession of making sure all of the knives and forks were perfectly straight.
I was soon packed up and heading off back into Lancaster along the path, well-used by both walkers and cyclists. I dropped into the tourist information centre to say thanks a lot for the advice and used the cafe in the building. I decided that despite being a couple of hours early I should go to the station and sort out the cycle reservation that I had been unable to print off from my iPad.
At the station I had a number of conversations with the platform staff and we agreed between us that as the bike was loaded at the back of the train and I was sitting at the front of the train in the air conditioned luxury of first class, i should leave my luggage on the bike, they would load it on the train for me and I should just wait at the front of the train and board when it came in. Simplicity itself.
Hardly had we moved out of Lancaster that train slowed to 10mph and we were told that the driver had been asked to inspect the line. Eventually we stopped, an obstruction was removed from the line and we carried on at normal speed. It was announced over the tannoy that we were going to be late because of the line inspection procedure, and I realised that I would miss my advance purchase connection, with which I was supposed to travel on a specific train. I asked a ticket inspector coming through the carriage and he wrote something on my ticket that would allow me free passage. He then noticed that I had a cycle reservation ticket and asked if I had loaded my bike on the train. I explained the negotiations between the staff and I at Lancaster, and he said that he didn't think that a bike had been loaded, and went off to check. He was back before long apologising for the cock-up, saying that he had contacted Lancaster station and that the staff would load it on the next train, which meant an hour and a half wait in Wolverhampton. There was little point getting ratty, it wouldn't serve any purpose.
The temperature in Wolverhampton was an outrageous 30 degrees. I introduced myself to the new shift coming on duty and went for a walk into Wolverhampton city centre to get some cash from the bank, then came back and sat in the sweltering station. I really don't do well in the heat. It took too long for me to spot the first class lounge, but when I did I took advantage of its air conditioned loveliness, drinks from the fridge and snacks. I had my cycle shorts on under my trousers so was sweating profusely and uncomfortable.
The train arrived and my bike was on it. Everything was how I had left it, so at least that was a bonus. Sadly the train had arrived in a few minutes late, just in time for me to see my train go out. I got the bike over to the other platform to find that the next train for Telford was going to be even further into the rush hour. When I jostled the bike onto the train there was much moaning, but at least people gave way to let me get on. I could understand the moans as the train was hotter than Hades, and the moaning continued as the train rumbled along.
Tomorrow it will be as hot.
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So how's it all going, TL? You seem to have had more than your fair share of problems. I keep wondering how you are getting on and hope that you are making better progress now.
Bon Voyage -- keep those wheels turning!
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I arrived at Telford and stayed a few days with the relatives, whilst I scratched my head contemplating the options: return to Shetland, continue cycling down to Sussex or take the train down to Sussex. In the end the latter won, and so I am using the already paid for Travelodge booking. The Travelodge is well out of town, but my son was around on Saturday and Sunday, so was ferrying me about in his car. Eating out three meals a day is costing a small fortune so I wandered along to the nearest village, Billingshurst, to get some food, but the supermarket that I went to is being rebuilt and the nearest shop was devoid of any proper food. I ended up in the bakery cafe eating a sausage roll and a gingerbread woman.
I was under the impression that there was no bus to this side of Horsham, so I have been contemplating buying a bike to ship back to myself. I have found a decent fairly new Brompton, but it is the best part of a grand, which blows a big hole in my budget. Either that or buy a cheapie Chinese bike and bin it at the end of the 12 days here. Hire bikes are £10 a day. That seems outrageous compared to £2.50 a day for a Brompton. Sadly Brompton hire has not reached this far south yet. I would have considered hiring an ebike, but I haven't found anyone close hiring them out. I am keen to try one out.
The Travelodge room is much the same as the rest of them, looks like the place has just been burgled. The laundrette has closed here so I am relying on others to put my clothes through their washing machine. As I have got so few clothes with me I am going out to buy new underwear, socks and t-shirts tomorrow. At least I will be able to hand over a decent washload then. I was tempted to buy a drying rack and handwash the clothes, but the hotel might not approve, so I put that idea on the back burner. The extra clothes will be shipped back home before I leave.
I have plans to leave Five Oaks on 16th July and take the train back to Telford, before riding north again. I will try to figure out a route that will take me over to the left side of the country. At the end of this I hope to be able to let you have a mileage for the tour, but it will be considerably lower that the 1,300 miles originally planned. I think I bit off more than I could chew, but now the temperature has settled down, riding will be much more manageable.
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The Towel has been Thrown In!
I spent 12 days in Sussex going out on day trips from the Travelodge that I was staying in. The Thorn had been left at Telford so it was a case of scrounging lifts, the local busses, a taxi or Shank's Pony. You need to be wealthy to be able to afford the bus here. To get into Horsham, the nearest main town was £4.40 or £6.90 return. I think that it is about 5 miles door to door. Compare this to Shetland, where I travel discounted each day on a 34 mile round trip for £3.30. A bargain. The busses in Shetland are full of workers and students. In Sussex they are full of OAPs, who are obviously travelling for nothing. I found that if I walked 1.8 miles to the nearest village with a train station I could get to Horsham and back for £4.50. I needed the exercise as I didn't have the bike, and was eating out.
I bought myself a Walkstool and a device to spread the load over a greater surface area. With postage it was a few pennies short of £95, but came well recommended on this site and at crazyguyonabike, by the same person admittedly. The stool is pure quality, but at that price you should expect it. I had learnt my lesson from my cheap (£33) Chinese knock off of the Helinox One chair.
Near the end of the time in Sussex I looked at what my profligate spending was adding up to - just over £100 a day. This tour was supposed to be cheap, but was working out anything but, so I decided that it was time to throw in the towel. I took a train to Telford, where I was re-united with the bike, stayed a couple of nights, then took another train to Edinburgh, then on to Inverkeithing, where I had hoped to find a B&B. Somehow I managed not to and ended up riding to Dalgety Bay, where I ate in a Chinese restaurant, then found some woodland between a railway line and the road, sufficiently hidden by the trees, although only a dozen feet from the road at most. It rained heavily throughout the night, and although the trains stopped running the cars and trucks didn't, but as the road was straight I wasn't plagued by boy racers.
I was up and away by 9am, heading back to Inverkeithing. I managed to take the coastal path by mistake. Don't do it. There are too many steps to lug the bike up and down. Eventually I found my way back out onto a proper road and made my way to the station. The platform was full of geriatrics, all wheeling suitcases that could have accommodated a family, which they shoved in the designated bike space on the train, of course, despite me shouting please leave the bike space free. So I stood in the middle of the walkway holding my bike, wobbling every time we went over a set of points.
At Edinburgh Waverley the place was heaving with altogether too many Fred Perry polo shirts and Farah slacks. I was soon advised that the Open golf tournament was on. I had booked my train later in the day, so most of this lot were on their way by the time my train left. I took the opportunity to have a pastie, 2 coffees and a flapjack for breakfast.
I managed, through intelligence gathering, to find out which train I needed to get on before the masses were told by the information board. Ah ha! I managed to secure a space in the dedicated bike space before it was filled with pushchairs and luggage. It's funny how the pushchair pusher complained about my bike being in the dedicated bike space. Do they all do this?
Whilst on the train I tried to get my ferry booking changed to today, but no outer cabins were available, so I decided to stay in Aberdeen for 3 nights until the next outer cabin is available. At least I will be able to do some retail therapy for a while.
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Just read Matt's final report on the Stans so I thought that I would steal his summary layout!
Panaracer Pasela tyres - no punctures.
I still haven't worked out the mileage that I cycled, but I suspect it will turn out to be well below 300.
Total spend was just shy of £4,500 but this included equipment that I bought specifically for the trip including tent, mat, down bag, cooker, cooking pot etc. I was away for 35 days and spent just shy of £100 per day, but I did spend £96 on underpants and socks (don't ask!) and £95 on a folding stool.
Never had any problems with food and drink, well I was in the UK. The greatest difficulty was not putting on too much weight. Took too much gear, but I always do. I just need to limit myself to 2 panniers. I sent my cooker back, but picked up another one on my way that I had bought previously and had shipped to the mainland. Lost my Tilley hat, which was a disaster.
The roads were mostly good, with some shocking exceptions, but this was by UK standards and have nothing on the Stans I'm sure! The only problem that I had with the bike, other than the rack bolts coming undone, was trying to ride along with the elastic strap around the brake lever. That 10 miles was hard going. I just thought that I was feeling weak that morning.
Since arriving back I have thought about why the tour didn't go as planned. I reallised that I am a guy who enjoys his own company and spends many hours alone in the normal run of things, but being on the mainland I felt disappointed that I had no-one to share the experience with for much of the time. I also missed being on Shetland, which is so much quieter than the mainland, and generally the drivers give you a wider berth.
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Hi Temp'!
I've so thoroughly enjoyed the updates on your tour as they rolled in, and now the summary.
I'm sorry things did not always go as planned, but that is part of the Adventure and is always a learning experience (I learn something new with each tour, even after 35+ years of going...). "Next time" is always easier as a result.
The good news is you're now a seasoned cyclo-tourist, you've have a grand adventure, and you've got the equipment to have more! The whole world awaits, perhaps starting with a tour 'round home/Shetland.
Take care, and thanks for bringing us along on your travels.
All the best,
Dan.
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I have really enjoyed reading about your adventures. It surprised me on my own trip how being on your own for so long affects you, even if you are usually perfectly happy with your own company. Sometimes it is not that you actually feel lonely, it's more about having a companion to share the highs and lows with. I am sure if I toured with others, I would become irritated at times as much of your flexibility disappears.
I also found that Scotland was the best part of my trip, with spectacular scenery, cheaper and better campsites and quiet roads. Everything seems so much more expensive as you head to the south of the country and public transport is a nightmare, especially if you have a bicycle.
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good read this one!
then found some woodland between a railway line and the road
where on earth were you, this is my part of Fife, living in Aberdour as I do!? If its where I think...thats no place to camp man :)
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There wasn't much in the way of facilities.
There was a very long empty industrial building opposite, something or other interiors. Amusing as the building was so shoddy on the outside. If I had have known you were so near I would have camped in your garden!
Andy
Shetland
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you would have been more than welcome, i wouldv'e given your thorn a check over too!! You were opposite a factory that was occupied by a shopfitting company called havelock europa, in scrub forest (with about 3, 100+yr old scots pines remaining) between the a921 and the east coast mainline railway. If you (or others) plan to be in this part of Scotland passing through or whatever, plan ahead a bit and let me know ;D The shed is always open and the garden plenty room for a 1 or 4 person tent!
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The undergrowth is full of spikey trailing green stuff, but I survived the horrors!
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£100 per day!!
Is that a typo?
I know England is expensive but I struggled to spend £10/ day in Asia.
And that was staying in a guesthouse.
Sorry your trip ended on such a note. But as Dan says, you know k ow more than when you set off.
I certainly learnt a lot about myself as well and camping / touring tips.
One strange, rather personal thing was how emotional I got when people showed me kindness.
More often than not they were folk who hardly had 2 beans to rub together.
There were quite a few times I shed tears.
I had to give myself a good talking too! Man up!!
One time I was slogging up a never ending road, higher and higher. No tarmac, mud and pot holes all over the place. Every time I turned a bend I thought I was near the summit. But no. It went on and on.
I knew it must be near but I was shattered.
And then the first car of the day appeared. Coming towards me so it must know how far I had to go .
It was an old Lada. Inside, at least 8 folk. Man driving + 7 women in black burkhas.
They stopped and offered me water. Neither of us spoke the others language but I worked out there were 3 more bends and 4 Km to go. I was at 3,000m but it was the fact that now I knew what was ahead, that was so useful.
When they went to drive off, the car wouldn't start. So some of the women got out to push start it.
And of course, when it did, they had to run even faster, to jump back in. Looked so funny.
But there kindness really touched me. I had tears rolling down my cheeks but for mixed reasons.
Ah well, memories.
Matt
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One strange, rather personal thing was how emotional I got when people showed me kindness.
More often than not they were folk who hardly had 2 beans to rub together.
There were quite a few times I shed tears.
I had to give myself a good talking too!
All familiar to me as well, Matt, and for the same reasons. People treated me so kindly on my double crossing of Europe last summer, and I was deeply touched and will never forget. Those who had the least to give, gave the most and most freely. I bonded quickly and parting was...well, tears were shed on both sides but a bit more from me. Man up!!
Well...I think it is the person secure in themselves who can appreciate a situation and react appropriately; sometimes, tears are appropriate. Nothing more manly than that. Ah well, memories.
The most precious part of any trip, and the ones you can hold and keep close to your heart for a lifetime.
I thought long and hard on such things as I rode along. So much of what we worry about and use to occupy our time counts for nothing in the scheme of things. It is the basics so often neglected int he hustle and bustle of daily life -- Kindness, Love, Hope, and Time spent, with a generous dollop of Compassion -- that really count.
= = = = = = =
Going through Serbia, I stopped at a little market and bought a small bag of hard-shelled peppermints with chocolate filling. For no particular reason, I have them away. An old man on a bicycle pedaling with a couple big propane tanks on the back rack got a couple, shedding tears down his cheeks and thanked me with a quavering smile. I stopped at a cemetery where the old groundskeeper was sitting briefly in the shade, knackered from his efforts. I zoomed in, put out my hand with the candy and he immediately grasped it in a handshake of friendship, as was so common there. When he opened his hand, there was the candy and he sat looking at it for a long time, the tears quietly dripping down his cheeks. When I left, he gave me a hug. A couple motorcycle gang members with "HUNGARY" tattooed on their foreheads got more, as they got off their motorcycles at an ice cream parlor. They passed me on the road sometime later, and waved me out of sight.
= = = = = = =
Little, unexpected acts of kindness really count, and they're not so little to those who receive them. I know, as recipient of many.
Good stuff. Really good stuff, Matt.
All the best,
Dan.
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No typo there Matt - £100 per day. I was shocked at how little you had spent. £10 a day would have bought me lunch and left a little change for the pocket. i didn't scrimp though!
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No typo there Matt - £100 per day. I was shocked at how little you had spent. £10 a day would have bought me lunch and left a little change for the pocket. i didn't scrimp though!
I was a bit anal about costs - well, keeping a record of them - I never went without and treated myself to beer and wine from time to time.
Hostel was £5.50 a night ( showers to blow your socks off, free wifi and communial kitchen/fridge - even a large pool to flop into )
Beer, 60p / bottle, wine £2.50, bread 40p fruit, cheese all cheap.
From my diary.........
Hostel cost +
17 June £1.45
18th £3.23
19th £3.25
20th £7.60
21th £10.48
Guess its a super cheap place to stay.
Matt
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If you could get beer in Sussex for 60p it would be served in a shot glass!
No more UK touring outside of Scotland for me. Just too expensive compared to eastern Europe/Asia.