I predicted a few weeks agp that it would be a summer of no (long-distance) cycling, and that’s certainly turned out to be the case. Today is Sunday 23rd August and there’s a week of the school summer holidays left before I return to work as a teacher on September 1st. Much of my summer has been taken up with recording the audiobook versions of the three ‘on a Bike Called Reggie’ books of course. The first two books – Crossing Europe… and Along The Med… are complete and 55% of Spain to Norway… is also done. It’s a shorter book that the others so I’m hoping that tomorrow – my final scheduled day of twelve in the studio – will see us complete the remaining 45% of that book as well. The final book – Le Grand Tour… is going to be recorded over several Fridays in September and October (as I don’t work on a Friday).
So, I had been hoping that on Tuesday of this coming week I would be able to get away for a few days with the tent and the bike. However…
That’s the BBC forecast amd it does tend to be a bit pessimistic. The Met Office symbols are a bit more hopeful but the percentage chances of it raining for much of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are still well above 50%:
I’m no cycling martyr so I’ll be staying home and perhaps escaping locally on a few rides. That said, I have managed to get out on the bike and have cycled much of the way to Apperley Bridge (where the audio studio is located) a few times (aided by the train through the hill that incoveniently separates Halifax from Bradford):
My mind has, however, not been completely without thoughts of future (very) long-distance cycling. A couple of weeks ago we experienced the partial eclipse of the sun here in the UK. The next total eclipse in Europe is next August, in southern Spain. How about this for an idea?
On the image I have suggested a departure from the north-west of Spain in late July (after a ferry journey to Santander?) but the more I think about it, the better way to complete such a tour of littoral Spain and Portugal would be to start in Valencia and cycle clockwise. The eclipse is in southern Spain (just) and the chances of making as far Malaga or Gibraltar or Tarifa or Cadiz would be greater. It would also mean not having to rush down the western edge of the Iberian peninsula, none of which I have previous cycled. The total eclipse of 2017 will the last one for several decades in Europe so, unless I wish to travel further afield, next year might be the time to do it (along with no doubt millions of others…).
In other news… there are a couple of new podcasts that should hopefully be published in the next few weeks so watch out for those. The last podcast – episode 102 – was a very long chat with a chap called Chris Molland but I’ve recieved some very positive comments from people who have managed to stay the course and listen to the whole thing:
Listener Rob had the following comments to make:
Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the epic conversation with Chris Molland. I had to spend 2 hours in the car yesterday, so it was the perfect antidote to the M25. Chris’s semi-planned approach to touring resonated with me and reminded me of how loosely I would plan my own tours in the pre-Covid days, reaching a T-junction and mentally tossing a coin or taking an interesting-looking road just to see where it went.
I found your discussion of arriving at campsites with a ‘dodgy’ feel particularly amusing. I’ve fortunately only once had that experience, at a B&B in Scotland, of all places, when I made an immediate decision to ride on to the next potential accommodation. I wrote in my notes that night: ‘the couple running the place seemed like the kind of people who would fill in at Bates Motel while the owner was away’.
By the end of the podcast, I was mentally listing some possible destinations for A-B trips and wondering what the chances might be of negotiating five or six weeks away from the family for a juicy round trip. I read the other day that there’s a possibility of direct ferry services from the UK to Norway being reintroduced, which would certainly appeal. If I do it, I’ll let you know!
It would! Thise ferries to Norway would be a god-send for touring cyclists.
Finally, talking of good things, the Cycle Touring Festival is back! There will be both virtual and in-person events taking place later in 2026 (the virtual festival) and an in-person event in May 2027.
So, although it’s been a quiet summer for me in terms of cycling, there’s much to look forward to in the coming months.
Le Grand Tour on a Bike Called Wanda, was published in May 2024 and recounts Andrew P. Sykes’ journey around France, into the Alps and down the Rhine in the summer of 2022. It is available as a paperback and as and eBook from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com (and other international Amazon sites). The paperback is also available from Waterstones or Foyles and the eBook from Apple iBooks.
Since 2009, CyclingEurope.org has established itself as a valued, FREE cycle touring resource. There’s now even a podcast, The Cycling Europe Podcast. If you enjoy the website and the podcast, please consider supporting the work of CyclingEurope.org with a donation. More information here.
Since 2009, CyclingEurope.org has established itself as a valued, FREE cycle touring resource. There's now even a podcast, The Cycling Europe Podcast. If you enjoy the website and the podcast, please consider supporting the work of CyclingEurope.org with a donation via Ko-Fi. Thanks if you do!
