Swine flu is a bit worrying…. let’s hope we all make it to August 2010. A British Airways member of cabin crew is reporting flu like symptoms after having returned from Mexico City and has been hospitalised. Mmmm…
Anyway, my new friends in New Zealand have replied:
“Thanks for that it gives me a good start for my reasearch. We are going to use National Cycle routes from Gatwick (our plane from NZ arrives there) via the south coast to canterbury – from there we will use Paul Cole and Babette Gallards guide book to Rome – this seems to be excellent and there are way points on their web site that can be dowmloaded on to a GPS – also has lists of possible accommadation camp grounds etc. We plan to camp most of the way (the NZ dollar shockingly low against the euro at the moment) Total weight of all our gear (including camping gear) is 26kg so only 13kgeach – means that we wont have to use front panniers which is a help. -plan to go for a weekend tour round here to test it all out in the next week or so before winter arrives.”
13 kgs! That is impressive. The guides she refers to are the Lightfoot guides. I think she means Paul Chin. Hope she keeps in touch – would be useful to know how they got on.
My application to the Yahoo Groups group for the Via Francigena has been accepted and I have been sent a very long list if rules about using the group, including the following:
“…this is not a place to discuss the following:
A) Politics
B) Religion
C) Sex
Unless, they relate to the route.”
What a wonderful appendage that last comment is. I just watched the third part of David Starky’s documentary all about Henry VIII. There was a Canterbury – Rome link in the prgramme: an emissary was sent by the Pope to London to help decide the legitimacy of Henry’s first marriage to Catherine of Aragon. And the love affair with Anne Boleyn and its denouement was riddled with politics, religion and sex. I’ll try not to mention old horny Henry in the Yahoo Group.
I’ve just begun to sniffle…