A Day Out, Directed By Stephen Frears, 1972

Posted on May 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

The recent death of actor & comedian Paul Shane brought a few mentions of this film into the press. It was made in 1972 for BBC Television, written by Alan Bennett & centred around a cycling trip during Edwardian times by a group of cyclists from my own home town of Halifax. As the cameras rolled in West Yorkshire, a few miles away I was just beginning to learn how to walk & talk. The cycling came later…

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Cycling The Eurovelo 2 In Wales

Posted on May 21, 2013 | 2 Comments

Steve White has posted a comment on the Eurovelo 2 section of CyclingEurope.org and I think what he has written is worthy of elevation to the main blog. Over to you Steve:

7999058846_9f64b92a5a“Back in April I cycled part of the Eurovelo 2 route. From Bangor, North Wales to and across the Severn Bridge on National Cycle Network routes 8 and 42. I thought some route information may be of use to anyone planning to do the route. This is promoted as a ‘challenge route’ by Sustrans. I covered the 225 miles in three days and it certainly was a challenge. The 30 or so miles from Bangor to Criccieth follows mainly old railway lines and closed lanes with good surfaces, no traffic and no steep hills, although a fair amount of height is gained and lost. From Criccieth the route heads to the hills with steeper climbs before crossing a river by an interesting toll bridge before heading for the hills in earnest. After crossing the main road you are faced with the first section of 20% plus climbing after several miles you find yourself high above Harlech on quiet mountain lanes with fantastic views of the coast and mountains including the Snowdon Horseshoe. After the massive climb and views there is a long descent back down to sea level and the run down to Barmouth.

Barmouth has all amenities that should be needed. The railway bridge across the Mawddach Estuary should not be missed, although the cycle path to Dolgellau is not the best having a loose surface and awkward gates that are difficult to negotiate with a loaded bike. For information I stopped at Kings Youth Hostel just outside Dolgellau which I found more than adequate. Again Dolgellau has a full set of amenities.2013-04-21 10.03.22

The route out of Dolgellau climbs quiet lanes and surfaced bridleways around Cader Idris and other mountains to Corris and Machynlleth, a good place to stock up before climbing for the next 5 or so miles to the top of Plynlimon with yet more fantastic views and plenty of fresh air to refill the lungs. After the long descent the road then undulates to Llanidloes, again all services.

My trip this day was cold and wet so at this point I abandoned the official quiet and undulating route for the main A470. Although a faster route definitely not a pleasant one, it was a case of head down and get to Builth Wells with as few lorries passing as possible. En-route Rhayader is well worth a visit. I stopped the second night just beyond Builth Wells at a great B&B, with the largest breakfast ever.

The ride from Builth Wells from to Hay on Wye is pleasant and undulating and warms the legs before the long climb to the top of the Gospel Pass (more 20%+ sections) high in the Black Mountains. Make sure you stop up here to admire the views. The pass runs gently down almost to Abergavenny before the route loops around the base of the Sugar Loaf Mountain before finally dropping into the town. Abergavenny is a pretty town with all the necessary services. From Abergavenny the route climbs out of the town and on to Usk before detouring to take one more big climb through Wentwood, yet more 20% climbing.2013-04-20 16.00.18-1

Finally the route drops down to Chepstow where there is a good cycle path to take you down to the old Severn Bridge where you can cross on either side, although the Northern path will be more convenient.

Overall I thoroughly recommend this route although with a heavy load 75 miles per day will be pushing things to the maximum. As I said at the start, hopefully this will be useful to someone planning their route.”

I wonder if Steve has ever considered the full length of the route all the way to Moscow… If, like Steve, you have a Eurovelo (or non-Eurovelo) cycling story to tell, please get in touch. I’m usually more than happy to publish what you write.

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Pinch-Point Documentary Film: Motorists & Cyclists In Cambridge

Posted on May 20, 2013 | Leave a comment

A reflective film about cycling in Cambridge from a film maker called Bradley Stearn. Worth ten minutes of your time. See more of Bradley’s films by following this link. 

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The Parthenon Sculptures… The British Museum View

Posted on May 18, 2013 | 2 Comments

Some critics were disappointed by ‘Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie‘ as it was just as much a travelogue as a book about cycling. Well, I’m sorry, but if you were one of those critics you might want to stay clear of book two based upon this summer’s trip from Greece to Portugal. It will hopefully be very much a travelogue. I prefer to think of Good Vibrations as a book about a journey that happened to be made on a bicycle rather than a book about a cycle ride. I’m currently in the process of trying to make sure that I seize as many opportunities as I can to delve into local culture as I cycle. Much will happen ad hoc as it did back in 2010 but there are certain encounters that I am planning. The first of these will be in Athens where I have found a guide to show me around The Parthenon. She is non other than the leading light in the ‘give us back our marbles’ campaign and I will be meeting her on the 2nd July for my guided tour. I have to say that I’m sympathetic to the return of the Parthenon Marbles (it’s no longer appropriate to refer to them as the ‘Elgin Marbles’ by the way). When I first saw them in the British Museum many years ago I was left cold by how out of context they felt. Earlier this afternoon when I was in London I went back to the museum for another look at the friezes and statues that constitute the ‘marbles’ and I haven’t really changed my mind. That said, the British Museum do have their arguments for keeping hold of them and I was able to get hold of a leaflet that explains why. This is what they have to say;
“The British Museum exists to tell the story of cultural achievement throughout the world, from the dawn of human history over two million years ago until the present day. The Museum is a unique resource for the world: the breadth and depth of its collection allows the world public to re-examine cultural identities and explore the complex network of interconnected cultures.
Within the context of this unparalleled collection, the Parthenon sculptures are an important representation of the culture of ancient Athens. Each year millions of visitors, free of charge, admire the artistry of the sculptures and gain insights into how Ancient Greece influenced – and was influenced by – the other civilisations that it encountered.
The New Acropolis Museum allows the Parthenon sculptures that are in Athens to be appreciated against the backdrop of Ancient Greek and Athenian history. This display does not alter the Trustees’ view that the sculptures are part of everyone’s shared heritage and transcend cultural boundaries. The Trustees remain convinced that the current division allows different and complimentary stories to be told about the surviving sculptures, highlighting their significance for world culture and affirming the universal legacy of Ancient Greece.”
To their credit, the British Museum go on to point interested parties in the direction of the opposing argument as set out by the Greek government at the Hellenic Ministry of Culture website.
Discuss!

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…And A Video On Cycling From The President! (Of The CTC…)

Posted on May 17, 2013 | Leave a comment

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A Statement On Cycling From Her Majesty’s Government

Posted on May 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

(Insert playing of the National Anthem here)

Screen Shot 2013-05-14 at 06.17.54Dear Andrew P. Sykes

The e-petition ‘Promote cycling by implementing the recommendations in the ‘Get Britain Cycling’ report.’ signed by you recently reached 57,759 signatures and a response has been made to it.

As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response: The Government welcomes the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group (APPCG) inquiry and report. We will look at the recommendations carefully and respond in due course. The Coalition Government takes cycling very seriously and is committed to leading the country in getting more people cycling, more safely, more often. Many of the recommendations in the report mirror those shared with Government by the Cycling Stakeholder Forum members. In the last 12 months we have allocated £107m of new money to support safety and community links that encourage more cycling. This is over and above the £600m Local Sustainable Transport Fund where 94 out of the 96 projects contain a cycling element. We have also introduced measures to make cycling safer, including flexibility for Local Authorities to introduce 20mph speed limits in residential areas and a process for applications for further rural 40mph zones. Furthermore, we have made it easier to install Trixi mirrors to improve the visibility of cyclists at junctions. The Department for Transport has been co-ordinating a cross-departmental effort to promote cycling, in particular with Defra and the Department of Health. For example Transport and Health Ministers shared a platform at the Leicester Active Travel Conference in November to promote better working between public health and transport planners. We now plan to take this further by establishing a project team involving more departments and stakeholders. We are working on making our towns and cities more cycle friendly. In January we announced the Cycle City Ambition Grants and have invited cities outside London to bid for a share of a £42m grant. The guidance requires cities to demonstrate local leadership and set out a 10 year ambition for more cycling. Successful bids will receive a cycling budget equivalent to £10 per head, which is the level of support the APPCG inquiry report recommends. The £42m grant will also benefit National Parks who have been asked to develop schemes to improve cycling facilities to help support cycling as a fun leisure activity as well as a healthy way of getting around. We will announce the successful bids in the summer. This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.

View the response to the e-petition

Thanks,

HM Government e-petitions 

(Billowing union flag to fade…)

So, if you haven’t signed yet, it’s not too late!

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Crossing Europe On A Bike Called Reggie: Review Round-Up

Posted on May 12, 2013 | 4 Comments

I’m fairly open about reviews; I don’t expect everyone to enjoy reading Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie and where justified criticism is offered, I take it on board as helpful advice. I am in the fortunate position of having many more positive reviews for the book than negative reviews but one of the latter came a couple of weeks ago from a blog called Podium Cafe in an article written by ‘fmk‘. You can read it here.

Meanwhile at Amazon, three more positive reviews. Let’s kick off with Monty Carlow (great name – I hope it’s not a pseudonym!), a man who loves his ellipses even more than me…

“I wasn’t expecting to enjoy a book written by an ex-accountant and a… how do I say it… a… teacher! But hey live and let live and all that… but I did give him the benefit of the doubt, as being a fellow Ridgeback Panorama pedaller I was keen to see how the ever patient and certainly over looked Reggie fared.

Of course he takes second place throughout to Andrew’s (I feel I can call him that now, after all we’ve travelled so far together) wonderful descriptions of the places en route, the architecture, people, food and wine and of course campsites. Poor Reggie, I can only assume Andrew was feeling guilty at the end and decided to give him a passing mention in the title of the book… perhaps Reggie has accepted this as I understand that they are off again together on the Eurovelo for another short jaunt… Together Andrew… together… And If I read in the next book that Reggie was left tied to a radiator in a bus station office again… I will be disappointed in you – but I will read it, oh yes, this was a gripping read and my first on the iPad Kindle which I’ve ever managed to get to the end of, so now I’m motivated both to hit Europe with my own nameless Panorama and to read another kindle book.”

A nameless bike Monty? Shame on you… Monty’s review was number 100 which is completely meaningless of course (it is no more significant than review number 47 or 83), but it seems worthy of a little mention as it marks a little step along the road to literary greatness. Kind of…

Next up is Mr. John A. Hilson, a man who loves his middle initial as much as me!

“This is an excellent read and which works well on a couple of levels. Firstly the descriptions of the people & places Andrew and Reggie encounter are both well-written and interesting. In addition to that, the fact that Andrew decided to do this trip on his own (notwithstanding Reggie’s rather necessary presence) is pretty inspirational and has made me re-assess what might actually be feasible if you put your mind to it.

For those that don’t know, Andrew & Reggie are about to set-off on another Trans-European jaunt in the next few weeks and I, for one, am looking forward to stories that will inevitably result.”

‘Stories that will inevitably result‘. Mmm… I too wonder what those stories will be and in the middle of the night when I wake up and start to ponder the question as to what I’m doing cycling 5,000km across Europe (again) with only a modicum of planning, they tend not to be the nice ones. We shall see.

The third and final review from Amazon comes from the Amazon.com site and more specifically from Justin Sher in Plymouth, Michigan, USA. It’s great to think that my little story of cycling from the south of England to the south of Italy is being read by someone who lives within spitting distance of the Great Lakes. Here’s what Justin has to say;

“This is a great travelogue of an average guy traversing from his home in the UK to the south of Italy by bicycle. A good read with some great stories along the way. Makes me want to start my cycle touring sooner!”

That’s me, just an average guy! Thanks to all who have reviewed the book whether you liked it or not. Your feedback is very much appreciated.

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