Author Archives

Andrew

Erectile Dysfunction: The MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person Backpacking Tent

By on • ( 1 Comment )

I’ve done it again. I have a new tent… In fairness I haven’t actually purchased a tent for quite a few years; the previous one – the excellent Vango Force Ten MTN 2 – was donated. The only downside of that tent was its weight and pack size. Not massive by any stretch of the imagination, but when you know other, lighter and less bulky tents are available, it plays on the mind. (I know there are people out there who have been using the same tent since the 1950s and if you are one of them you will be raising your eyebrows gently as I justify my profligacy in adding another tent to my expanding collection…)

A Game Of Three Halves: Advice Needed

By on • ( 7 Comments )

Saturday was a game of, err… three halves. Apologies for the skewed mathematics in order to squeeze in a reference to the football. But basically I did three things; a 33km cycle in the rain in the morning, a shopping trip to the outdoor shops of Skipton in […]

white bicycle road sign

What Does Being A Cyclist Say About You?

By on • ( 7 Comments )

Yesterday I went out for a walk and I happened to bump into a chap called Ian. He was cycling an eBike and we stopped to chat next to a large hole in the road that had been dug to repair (I imagine) the deep sewer. Such was the size of the hole that it had required the closure of the road. Marvellous! I love road closures. Gone were the cars racing up and down Saddleworth Road in Greetland near Halifax; peace and tranquility had returned, albeit temporarily to the valley… As we gazed into the hole, we set the local cycling world to rights. The dangerous pinch points on Stainland Road should go; a cycle lane installed along the road’s entire length (especially in the upward direction); car parking banned on the tight corners… Our chat made me feel better about our car-dominated world.

The Cycling Europe Podcast: Episode 036 – Maike Brinksma – The Amazon Of Europe Bike Trail

By on • ( 1 Comment )

Maike Brinksma is an athlete, academic, environmental activist… and cyclist, from The Netherlands. In the summer of 2021 she will be one of the first people ever to cycle the ‘Amazon of Europe Bike Trail’. She talks to the podcast about her plans to explore the riverine landscapes of the Mura-Drava-Danube UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. She also reflects on the joys of being a Dutch cyclist. (Or is she?) Plus: Caroline Burrows, the Bristol-based Scottish poet and cyclist, recounts her experiences of cycling to work in her short story ‘False Flat’.

Episode 036: Maike Brinksma – The Amazon Of Europe Bike Trail

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Maike Brinksma is an athlete, academic, environmental activist… and cyclist, from The Netherlands. In the summer of 2021 she will be one of the first people ever to cycle the ‘Amazon of Europe Bike Trail’. She talks to the podcast about her plans to explore the riverine landscapes of the Mura-Drava-Danube UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. She also reflects on the joys of being a Dutch cyclist. (Or is she?) Plus: Caroline Burrows, the Bristol-based Scottish poet and cyclist, recounts her experiences of cycling to work in her short story ‘False Flat’.

EuroVelo 19: The Meuse Cycle Route

By on • ( Leave a comment )

I cycled a bit of this way back in 2010. It was an impressive, if rather damp, section of the route to southern Italy, my version of the EuroVelo 5. The EuroVelo 19, coming in at around 1,000 km is a manageable length and takes in cycling through three countries; Belgium, Luxembourg and France. Here’s a new video from the European Cyclists’ Federation to promote the route.