A ride less ordinary
Adventure Biking & the art of Going Slow & Getting lost
Category: Uncategorized
Midges, Grace & Wild Camping
This is a story about one of my early adventures, in the days when cycling was a minority interest, when the internet and mobile phones weren’t even distant dreams, fuel was something you put in your car and GPS was when you had more… Continue Reading “Midges, Grace & Wild Camping”
All about the bike
‘It’s all about the bike’ ……. an often-quoted phrase in the cycling world, which I happen to think is an over simplification. This blog post, however, is unashamedly all about the bike because I have just bought a new one. It’s been a long time coming.
Diary of Sufferings
A 12-day trek in the Langtang region of Nepal. A holiday where a line was drawn. There was me before the holiday, and me after the holiday; my post-holiday version of myself being more in awe of nature and what humans endure to live… Continue Reading “Diary of Sufferings”
Ain’t no mountain high enough ……..
………Ain’t no valley low enough, except when it comes to Nepal, which has the highest mountain and the deepest valley in the world, and probably a whole host of other records involving height and depth. My impending trip to Nepal, however, doesn’t scale the… Continue Reading “Ain’t no mountain high enough ……..”
North of Watford Gap
I opened the living room door to find a room full of people on their mobile phones interacting with a quiz show on the telly. There were disney-esque purple princesses throwing green slime at astronauts, gaudy castles and exploding pyramids, all set to tension-inducing… Continue Reading “North of Watford Gap”
A Girls Own Adventure
My recent cycling trip to Sri Lanka was peppered with ‘firsts’. It was the first time I had planned an independent road-bike trip outside of Europe, it was also the first time that I hadn’t booked accommodation in advance, and the first time I… Continue Reading “A Girls Own Adventure”
Street-view Sri Lanka – a cycle tour
I have been to Sri Lanka twice before, once on a minibus and beach holiday, and once on an organised bike tour. So why a third time? The reason is a tad on the nerdy side. Sri Lanka happens to be one of the… Continue Reading “Street-view Sri Lanka – a cycle tour”
Seven Days in Provence
When I lived on the Island of Bali, we used to regularly witness a phenomenon locally known as ‘Bali Magic’; the unsuspecting tourist would arrive on the Island, and its irresistible lure would make such an impression on them, that life-changing decisions would be… Continue Reading “Seven Days in Provence”
Freewheeling
Sometimes not having a plan can lead you into trouble, and other times it can lead to a pleasant surprise. Yesterday my unplanned and rare shopping trip yielded a pleasant surprise. On returning from my trip, my shopping bag consisted of a Throw from… Continue Reading “Freewheeling”
Tandem Adventures
The house is strangely quiet, the skies are leaden; perfect conditions for a quick blog post (it’s that or clean my chain!). I’ve just said good-bye to my brother Stephen, and Sister-in-law Kate, after a weekend visit with their 30 year old tandem called… Continue Reading “Tandem Adventures”
Who needs an Adventure Road Bike?
Is it really necessary to invent yet another type of bike? Well, all I can say is that I am definitely coming around to the idea! At first I thought it was just another marketing ploy to convince cyclists with a lot of spare… Continue Reading “Who needs an Adventure Road Bike?”
An Adventure Bike tour of South London
A friend of mine recently returned from an epic adventure, cycling alone from Amritsar, via the Hill Stations of North India, to Kathmandu, and having returned home to no job, I invited her on a mid-week adventure road-bike ride. I wrongly assumed she would… Continue Reading “An Adventure Bike tour of South London”
Not quite the Pilgrims’ Way!
My recent trip to Whitstable along the Pilgrims’ Way re-ignited my plan to complete the entire ‘track-way’ in a series of day trips. In retrospect I could have benefited from knowing where it started and finished. I decided to complete the section from Rochester… Continue Reading “Not quite the Pilgrims’ Way!”
Cycling from Whitstable to Ramsgate
I woke early in a static caravan on the outskirts of Whitstable. It was another perfect summer’s day. The kind of day that as a kid, you would remember as the best day of the holidays; sunburn, ice-cream, getting sand in your knickers &… Continue Reading “Cycling from Whitstable to Ramsgate”
A Pilgrims Tale
This is the story of the Bella Velo Cycling Clubs summer trip to the sea. It was a road ride full of unforeseen adventures that pushed us all to various limits. We conquered extreme heat, punctures, thigh-burning hills, came close to mutiny and possibly… Continue Reading “A Pilgrims Tale”
Ladies Triumph Tourer
Back in the days when having 5 gears on your bike was aspirational, I suddenly found myself in possession of a 3-speed Ladies Triumph Tourer. I was 11 and it took me a year to grow into it, but during that time, I started… Continue Reading “Ladies Triumph Tourer”
Porto Impressions
Here is a snap-shot view of a long weekend in Porto. I went with very little knowledge of the place and returned with a handful of impressions, that would almost certainly change if I lived there. Observations of a city that seems to be… Continue Reading “Porto Impressions”
Tour de Hollande
Holland conjures up lots of iconic images in my mind, like windmills, dykes, tulips, coffee houses, brothels and people with a fascination for the colour orange, as well as, and much more importantly, bicycles. So after much virtual ‘recccying and googlage’, I put together… Continue Reading “Tour de Hollande”
Up the Ravensbourne
….and down the Darent. That was the plan. As part of my scheme to ride to the source of all the rivers entering the Thames along its passage through London, I thought I would start at Deptford and finish at Dartford; going up one… Continue Reading “Up the Ravensbourne”
Strava, Streams & the Serra de Bernia
…….and so it came to be that I found myself on a road-biking holiday in Calpe, a resort just along the coast from Benidorm. I had confessed my love of the road less traveled to the group leader (Keith the honorary Bella Velo), so… Continue Reading “Strava, Streams & the Serra de Bernia”
A ride less ordinary 