Tag Archives: Weather

Wet Weather: A Tale Of Two Months

Posted on April 30, 2012 | 1 Comment

On the BBC’s Countryfile yesterday afternoon, the weatherman shown here explained how April 2012 had been very wet indeed. He used this graph to explain that in southern England since January 2010, there had only been three months that had received above average levels of rainfall. Of those, August 2010 was by far the wettest. It made me smile. August 2010 was, of course, the month that I chose to cycle from southern England to southern Italy along the Eurovelo 5. I can confirm that eastern France & Switzerland were just as soggy… More details in Good Vibrations: Crossing Europe on a Bike Called Reggie.

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Posted in Cycling, Eurovelo 5

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Sun Day & Sunday

Posted on June 26, 2010 | 3 Comments

We are currently going through a mini heat-wave here in south-east England (confirmed by the fact that earlier this week the first hose-pipe ban was announced…). Temperatures are predicted to soar to around 30 degrees today (in the shade). I cast my mind back to a similar sun-drenched period early last summer and then a miserable middle and end of the summer. But make hay while the sun shines! And it’s only three weeks (tomorrow) until I set off. Still much to do (I wrote something similar last weekend and not much progress in the last seven days), especially my stage plans which haven’t progressed past Lille yet. I’ll hopefully crack on with that later this morning. The bit from Lille  to Luxembourg is a bit of a mystery as that is the portion of the Eurovelo 5 that I have changed and cut off Brussels and most of Belgium.

I continue to be heartened by nice people who send me messages like this one from Thom Swift via Facebook;

Hi Andrew.
Have just discovered your blog with great interest. I myself am cycling from Sussex to Malta and am planning on cycling partly on the Eurovelo 5. The original plan was to walk to Malta but I unfortunately had to abandon it after 3 days in a French hospital. Planning on leaving on the 17th July from roughly where I abandoned my trip, about 150 miles in. Only planing to do 30-50 miles a day so perhaps will bump into you somewhere along the route. Interested to know what is your expected daily mileage??
Good luck with your efforts. Your blog has been an amazing find!

It would be ironic if I were to literally bump into him and he ended up back in hospital… But I’ll send him a message back and look out for him (“what will you be wearing?”).

Do you remember me mentioning Alain from Boulogne-sur-mer in France? He contacted me via Warmshowers at the start of June…. and he is due to arrive tomorrow!!! He said at the time;  I’m cycling to my friend Phil’s birthday party in Shrewsbury later this month. I hope to be in Reading on the 27th during the afternoon. I’m easy-going, do not smoke, travel extensively on my bike and can hopefully host you on your journey to Italy. I hope he likes watching football as there is a little match taking place tomorrow afternoon in South Africa… The French probably just want the World Cup to just go away but he sounds like an anglophile so it should be OK. :)

OK. Off to do the household tasks and then the route planning beckons….

 

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Spring has Sprung!

Posted on March 15, 2010 | 4 Comments

The sun streaming through the window of my study, window open to keep the tempearture down. I went out earlier and could have left the gloves and probably the coat at home. Please don’t get cold again!

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Snowy Commute

Posted on February 1, 2010 | 1 Comment

The light dusting of crisp, dry, white snow was actually quite fun to cycle on. Not really very icy at all. And across the Oxfordshire countryside, the nearly full moon was reflected off the white layer on the ground to make the morning feel, ironically, almost spring-like.

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Come back Sun, all is forgiven

Posted on January 26, 2010 | 1 Comment

I’m beginning to miss the sun. Cycling back from work this evening, the sky was clear (and the evening, as a result, cold) and the moon was about two-thirds of full. It was sufficient to cast a shadow and light up the pot holes that I now have to negotiate thanks to the effects of the receding snow. But it did remind me of the sun, casting shadows and bringing with it the heat I crave. The clocks change in March – the last Sunday – and that is now only two months away. Then the next thing to look forward to is the longest day, then the heat of a continental summer…. I am beginning to dream….

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I used to love the snow

Posted on January 17, 2010 | Leave a comment
I did! And I probably will in the future, but I am so glad that, after about three weeks of snow hampering my New Year good intentions to get into serious training for the summer, it has finally gone. Well, apart from a few anorexic snowmen which look more like modern art than anything else, hanging to life on now green grass. Yes, green grass! I haven’t seen it for weeks. It’s a bit like when you have been abroad to a hot, dry place where the ground is all brown and yellow and you return to the UK to find everything so green. That’s a maritime climate for you. As you can see from the forecast, we are not quite safe yet – heavy snow for Wednesday – but look at that temperature for today – 8 degrees! That is nearly double digit. I am so much looking forward to getting back out to do my run this morning but more than that, back to cycling tomorrow morning to work. I have barely touched the bike (or should I say barely been able to touch the bike) since before Christmas. What a brilliant way to celebrate having over 7,000 visitors. And I am intrigued who Michael may be; he has left a message over there in the chat box. Come back at 8pm tonight Michael and we will chat.

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Deep Virgin Snow: Wonderful!

Posted on January 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

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The Guardian: Topical advice for cycling on snow

Posted on January 7, 2010 | Leave a comment
Travel disruptions mean cycling, with a few adjustments, may be the best bet for getting to work vaguely on time.
Snow, for many, is already here. And after I’m done writing this, I’m going to put the knobbliest tyres I have on my bike for this morning’s commute.
I’ve got used to riding with a big crowd of cyclists on my way to and from work, but I suspect that as it has snowed overnight in London, the rank and file of two-wheeled commuters will be thinned out substantially.
But really, there’s no need to leave the bike at home, just because of a bit of the white stuff. In fact, with bus, train and London underground services reduced by the inclement weather, cycling might be about the best bet for getting to work vaguely on time. Read more

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Happy Christmas…

Posted on December 25, 2009 | Leave a comment

…from a very snowy Yorkshire to all readers of my blogs.

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In this weather?

Posted on December 24, 2009 | Leave a comment
Knowing that I had cycled from the North East to Derby earlier in the year, someone did ask me last week if I were planning on cycling to Yorkshire this Christmas. It had crossed my mind but then I thought better of it. Winter long distance cycling really is for the very hardy. That’s why today I’m on the train.

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