Hi Ian!
Thanks for the update on your plans...I was wondering how things were coming along for you and hoping for the best. It seems preferable to take "a" trip rather than "no" trip. Bottom line, you're answerable only to yourself, and plans change. No problem there. In fact, it is a very good idea to keep this in mind once underway. Weather can be a factor, things can sometimes break, holiday schedules or border disputes can cause delays or rescheduling...and no one can better judge what to do than the person in the saddle.
Openly mulling plans and getting feedback is all part of the process, and fun for the rest of us as well. Always nice to lean back away from the computer screen and ponder all that is possible with a bicycle. I'm glad to hear your plans are rearranging to fit your needs; all for the good, methinks.
I was originally going to cycle from UK to Cape Town, however several reasons have caused me to rethink this.
1. Money, being on the road for at least a Year is expensive, this was something I never really thought about until I started to plan.
Though ofttimes cheaper than life at home, traveling has its own expenses -- especially if one also has to maintain "home" while "away". Rent has to be paid in one's absence, as do taxes (you'd be astounded how many people forget about taxes due while they're away. Things like monthly residential phone and electrical service bills come due as well. They don't stop just because one is gone...not unless you make special arrangements, disconnect the service or sublet while away as you were pondering earlier).
2. Fear of taking too much on and failing.
Very understandable, Ian, but this trip will tell you much. With the experience of this trip in hand, you'll know better After what you want or like to do. Shorter tours are fun, too. And -- looked at rightly -- can any aborted tour rightly be called a "failure"? If nothing else, it would be good fodder for future stories. I've had my share of Disaster Tours; all were great in retrospect, though not what I had planned or had in mind at the time.
3. Safety and Health, not sure about some of the countries and at 53 I am not sure about medical facilities in the third world.
Again, a reasonable concern for oneself, and everyone has their own comfort level to accommodate. By the way, I am chasing you age-wise and will catch up in about 3.5 months. I just received a very stern doctor-lecture, some treatment, some biopsies, and a less than completely happy diagnosis for my sun exposure, but I'm not staying home. Sun-protective clothing, yes. Staying home? Uhhh, no. I love riding and touring too much. I'd do it swaddled in gauze if necessary.
I'm not sure age itself is a factor if one is in generally good health. Of the other hand, you're a little farther into the "warranty period" and if it runs out while on-tour...well, you're more likely to have problems. May I suggest a complete medical checkup sometime before you depart? Earlier might be better than close to departure, in order to detect and correct anything that might be a problem.
For the areas you're considering, medical care can be more basic when available. It can also be very, very good and appropriate if properly applies. Look at Forum member NZPeter's experience with pneumonia while racing in Africa. He nearly didn't make it, but pulled through with good care applied in the nick of time. Doing a Forum search for his posts will fill in the details. Things can happen, even to young, really healthy and fit people like Pete. It is part of Life, and a risk to be minimized when possible. Be sure to get your needed inoculations before departure.
So now I am going to cycle from UK TO Africa...I will catch a ferry to Morroco.
Sounds like a fabulous trip to me!
Assuming I reach Morroco I will then make a decision with 3 options available...
Ian, you'll know much more by the time you get there. Let experience be your guide, and re-evaluate. Don't forget...you can always take the same Big trip in multiple legs even over a period of years. This next/first tour might take you to Morocco. The next year, you could fly to Morocco and then ride to Namibia. The following year, Namibia to Cape Town. *Then* fly home and get drunk! You'll certainly deserve the celebration!
On the rest, I agree completely with what Andy said; good advice from him, as usual. A friend who is an avid fisherman got in Big Trouble for "casual fishing" in France.
Your planned kit all looks good to me. So long as you're within cell-tower range and have a data plan, your smartphone should do you in good stead so long as you can keep it charged. There's tracking/reporting apps available for the iPhone.
At the minute the timescale for the trip is next Sept, however it could well be brought forward if finances and situation allows
Sounds ideal for where you're going and the weather should hold without being oppressively hot.
To take a cycle helmet or not....
Though I
always wear a helmet and won't even throw a leg across a bike without one on my head on (really), I very much believe it is a personal choice and not something subject to lecture. We each go our own way on the helmet issue. However, I will point out that if you choose not to carry a helmet and then wish you had one, they can be very hard to obtain once in Africa. If you carry it (and don't mind the dead weight), then it can always be a) used, b) given away, or c) mailed home. If you don't currently have a helmet, you may wish to pick one up to try on your local rides and see if it fits your needs (and your head and cycling lifestyle!). If it is a nuisance and spends most of its time in the closet at home, then it probably won't work for you while on-tour. There is another factor to consider as well: Concussions result in cumulative damage, and I've had a bunch of big ones, even wearing a helmet. I don't have much leeway in this regard. If you don't have a history of closed-head injuries, then you may wish to weigh that in your valuation. I have ridden with people who didn't wear them and then got hurt in ways they wouldn't have had they been wearing one. It is a great worry and inconvenience for tour partners when that happens. All things for you to consider in making your decision.
How easy is it to wild camp in France/Spain....
From what I know (France) and have read (Spain), it is very easy. In the NL and BE, not so much, though still very possible if one is alone and discreet. However, it is so easy to ask permission in those places and is often granted, particularly by friendly farmers.
Why is there only one monopolies commission...
Dunno. There's some gaps in my knowledge and this is one of them.
After not cycling for eons, how long will my backside take to get used to it before I stop crying in pain...
See Andy's very excellent suggestion to break-in your saddle at home. That said, if you get your setup right and also choose the right saddle
for you, there's no need to suffer at all! My backside seems very happy to start 2,000-mile tours on brand-new Brooks B.17 saddles. I hope you will have similar success. Trying such things at home first is a wonderful way to work out the bugs in any touring system before hitting the road and having to address them then.
This is exciting, Ian, and I hope you'll keep us in the loop as your plans gel and then take flight. All best wishes your way and remember: Adventure awaits no matter the tour's length, itinerary, or destination.
Dan. (...who'd dearly love to take this same-exact route someday)
