I wish the people who moan about the council not having invested in sufficient snow clearing equipment (see any newspaper letters page a few weeks ago) could see this. Some chump – you can ring them if you want – presumably bought some snow chains for their car […]
I honestly don’t write this blog for anyone apart from myself and to begin with that was fortunate as no-one else read it. However, as Google began to pick me up and as links began to appear elsewhere on the Internet directing people to this blog, I have […]
When I first posted this picture, the title was “Bad cycle storage design” but actually there is nothing wrong with the design. There is everything wrong with the placement of the bike sheds; at the back of a brand new prestigious development in Reading town centre (soon to be the […]
I sometimes wonder how many people have cycled in the past or are planning to cycle in the future from the UK to at least northern Italy. It doesn’t take long to find other blogs. Here is another: Oli Robbins, who cycled a fairly direct route from Essex to Venice […]
41/4 miles this morning with three short breaks….47 minutes worth of running. I’m not going to break any records here. Slight extension to my route – along the Thames from Reading Bridge to Caversham Bridge and back.
Abbey Wood Campsites Federation Road, London, London, SE2 0LS
Here it is; Cycling Day Date (w/e) From To Time Kms Cum. 1 18/7 Reading London 4h35 65 65 2 19/7 London Canterbury 6h41 94 159 3 20/7 Canterbury Dover 1h54 27 186 3 20/7 Calais Saint Omer 3h08 44 230 4 21/7 Saint Omer Lille 4h40 65 […]
…but it’s a beautiful morning in Reading. This is the view looking down the canal towards the town centre. I live in the block of flats behind the camera. Which you can’t see. And actually it’s a phone. I’ll shut up.
This organisation have their annual meeting in London at the start of March. I wonder if it would be worth going along? I don’t consider myself a pilgrim due to my complete lack of any religious belief, but could be interesting. It describes the meeting on their website: “The Practical […]
Following on from the previous post which refers to academic research in the USA, I have just received this interesting email from Todd Rygh in Washington State along the same lines. Most people who contact me via this blog have questions about the route or the bike or the equipment […]
This refers to the children rather than the teachers – see the extract from the CTC weekly email – but after another week of winter commuting to work, I am aching for the Spring to arrive with its lighter mornings and evenings and slightly warmer temperatures. Whether I am still […]
What a great web page – so colourful!
I asked my boss today if I could have three days (unpaid) leave at the end of the academic year – Monday 19th to Wednesday 21st July. She said yes! So the date of departure is fixed: Sunday 18th July 2010. This gives me a full six weeks […]
This is a great blog (not mine, the one in the title, although mine is OK too…): blog.ch3.gr . Georgios writes: “In August 2009, after being in the Uk for 7 years, I decided it was time to move back to Greece. My ambitious plan was to cycle […]
A photographer, Patrick Taylor, appears to be a fan of the Ridgeback Panorama. Have a look on his website. Here is one of his pictures:
Iain Harper has contacted me via the Bike Radar forum I mentioned yesterday. There is some really useful practical advice in his email and it is worth the read. As the list of “tags” at the end shows, he manages to pack in a whole host of different […]
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.
Here’s an interesting twist on cycling to Rome, or in this case cycling from Rome. Lawrence Dallaglio, the former international rugby player is on his bike for charity. This is from his website (click on the picture to visit it): “OK, so there are easier ways to take […]
Just found a forum on this website discussing cycling from London to Rome, I’ll add my thoughts once I’ve registered with them. One guy seems to be very anti-camping which in my humble opinion is bizarre. I would have thought that anyone who relishes the freedom of cycling […]
My free transfer from Blogger (sponsored by Google) to WordPress seems to have gone well and I haven’t lost my readership. At least I think I haven’t; the statistics supplied by WordPress for the first week are in the picture and are at least comparable with my latter days […]
Back home now, sinking my first beer of 2010 – 4% Stella Artois so I can still feel a bit virtuous (although by the time the bottle of Shiraz I bought to accompany my evening meal is demolished later, my argument may fall down a bit) – and reading the posts […]
This could be what I am looking for: The Ridgeback Panorama. It kind of ticks all the boxes although not the ones about being sleek and swish. Panniers back and front – that was the demise of the Bianchi – sturdy steel frame that will ‘last for years’. […]
Not sure why I bother to trapse around all the other shops when I always end up here: AW Cycles in Caversham. The best selection, the best advice. People have said they are pricey but you get what you pay for.
Just seen a very retro-looking Ridgeback in here. It looked sturdy and up for the job. But I want something that is a bit more sleek and swish. Problem is that in the cycling world those words don’t fit comfortably with mundane words like touring and panniers. Mr […]
There is a site, run by CTC where you can report your pothole. I’ve just done it and my pothole is officially number 27775. Go to http://www.fillthathole.org.uk to see it in all its glory. This is becoming an obsession.
This is a pothole. But not just any pothole. It is the pothole that my bike has fallen into twice this week. I say “fallen into” in the loosest sense of the word – the hole is probably 4ocms long but when you are cycling in the dark, […]
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 […]
Ian Hendry is planning to cycle the Eurovelo 5 this coming summer – a bit earlier than me – and as you can see, he has bought a new bike….
How does it look?
I’ve just spent the last few hours creating a new home for the blog. See previous entries detailing my recent frustration with Blogger. I’m not saying that I have left them for good – the big disadvantage of moving to WordPress is that I will lose my http://www.puglia2010.com […]
Blogger is playing up; I’ve mentioned the disappearance of my counter already today and now my voter numbers over there on the right have dropped from 50 (this morning) to 43 (this evening). It’s also taking a long time for some of the widgits to appear. All very […]
It’s a month since I registered with Google Analytics and the picture you can see here is not a cross-section of a particularly strenuous day on the Eurovelo 5 but the visititor numbers in the last 30 days to this site. Interesting that people stay for an average of […]
Jimmy Clark writes in blue, I respond in red…. Hi Andrew, Hope you don’t mind me emailing you, absolutely not!!! This blog would have died a death a long time ago without them I think 🙂 I found your email on the your blog on ctc.org. Mmmm… Makes me wonder if […]
Michael in Canada writes: Hello again. I have scowered the internet and came across the same info you were kind to show me in your blog. I am working on four main logistical tasks at the moment. Time and money, trying to get fitter, flight coordination and developing a […]
This website is playing up…and pissing me off!!!!!
I did, this morning on ice in the bottom of a valley near Henley which has its own microclimate. Everywhere else on my route to work – the first time I have been able to cycle for over a week due to the cold, snowy weather – was […]
Andrew Just got back from the first ride of the year. It was alot harder than i remember. Not helped by the potholes in the roads. I’m fortunate to live on a cycle route so at least there’s not much traffic. Loads of cyclists though. Found myself in […]
It feels like a spring day today with the snow gone and the temperatures soaring to 8 degrees so time for the website to get a bit of a new look. Can you spot the difference? Not too tricky…
It looks like I am not the only one who is relieved to see the back of the snow and ice. Richard, my cycling companion from Brussels to Strasbourg(ish) writes: Hi Andrew Hope you’re keeping well. Can finally get out on the bike today. Just thought I’d give […]
If you have read the previous post, I was wondering who Michael was (he had left a brief message in the chat box). Now I know; he has sent an email. He writes in blue, I answer in red: Hello Andrew, Hello Michael – thanks for the email […]
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 […]
I need to remember this: Sanoodi mapping. It is a way of recording your route, en route and showing it live via the Internet. Oli Broom (Cycling to the Ashes) appears to use it (although it is credited on the map on his site with two other companies: […]
In the comment to the previous post, George Jemmott has explained what WWOOFing is: WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms)ing is awesome. Work while you travel, see http://www.wwoof.org/ . Actually he doesn’t really explain what it is does he? But if you visit the website it explains […]
Just recieved the following email. Rob’s comments in red, my comments in blue: Hi Andrew Just been looking at your blog which is very helpful and inspiring. Thanks! Me and my girlfriend are planning to cycle London to Istanbul in May (for our honeymoon) and are considering route […]
I picked up the final map – see earlier post – from Stanfords in London this afternoon: 363 Puglia, an event so great that it merits re-posting the fancy graphic that I created a couple of weeks ago when I bought the others! This time, all the boxes, […]
This list of cycling blogs was in last Saturday’s Guardian Guide. As you can see, I didn’t make it to the final list of six blogs. Perhaps I was at number 7… Cycle Chic Sartorial elegance and bicycle advocacy in a single package on the streets of Copenhagen. […]
I just signed a pledge at this website to always stop at red lights when cycling. Why not do it yourself? You can see a full list of all the previous pledgers by visiting their website.
The email that people use to contact me is puglia2010@hotmail.co.uk (use it!). However, I only periodically trawl through the junk mail and junk mail filters are not perfect. Fergal in Ireland has become a victim of the over zealous filters at Microsoft but I did manage to pick […]
A couple of new cycling-related books I have just bought. I will report back in due course…
Hi George Thanks for your email – your enthusiasm is infectious! I’m glad to be in touch with another person who is interested in the Eurovelo 5. My initial enthusiasm was not the Eurovelo 5, simply an interest in cycling and a wish to do something a bit […]
Just received this interesting email. George has also commented on the earlier post about maps: Hi there Andrew!I just found your site about EuroVelo5, and I’m rather excited. Introductions first – I’m George Jemmott, a silly American who is similarly interested in EV5. I think we might be […]
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. […]
There was an article in Italian National Geographic dedicated to the Via Francigena last summer. Someone on the Yahoo Groups Via Francigena page has put up the photos and, as you would expect from National Geographic, they are very beautiful. You can see all the pages from the magazine […]
I mentioned a few posts ago that I might contact a couple of people who I know who may be interested in meeting me en route to Puglia in the summer. One of those people was Claus, my friend in Stuttgart. I trained as a teacher with Claus in […]
You know when you look at websites and you think wow, that must have taken ages to set up and get working…. Well it doesn’t! I set up that chat box down there on the right hand side (just below the advert for my friends’ yoga retreat in […]
Today was a first: I recieved an email from someone who I actually know and who has contacted me as a direct result of seeing this blog! The person concerned is James or “Jim” as he now is. He is my sister-in-law’s brother (or, as he reminds me […]
I drew up the training schedule shown here just after Christmas. It has, unfortunetly been through several versions since. My lingering cold gave me an excuse, if one were needed during the excesses of Christmas, to change and delay the start several times. Anyway, it kicks off tomorrow […]
From: RichardTo: AndrewSubject: Maps Hi Andrew, Hope you’ve had a good Christmas. I see you’ve been busy on the blog. I’ve started telling people about my plans and am very much committed and excited about the trips. I think I will plan to try meet you in Brussels […]
Happy New Year 2010! I woke up feeling very groggy this morning, not because of any excesses of New Year’s Eve but because my cold has dragged itself into the new decade. Switching on the radio after a long night’s sleep courtesy of the soporific effects of “night […]
As you can see, piecing all the maps together in a long line would have been impossible in my relatively small living room, but here they all are stacked up on one another. I have followed the route from Calais and the good news is that there is […]
My trip took a major step forward this morning: I bought some maps for most of the route from Calais to Brindisi. I say most of not because I have missed out the bit from Reading to Dover (I should be able to do that with Sustrans maps), […]
Amazing! This guy has apparently been approached to appear in a Hollywood film.
…but too many glasses of white wine prevent me from remembering exactly what their reaction was!
Between now and the 18th July 2010 is a mere 200 days! The proof is over there on the right… I can remember writing on here when it ticked over to 700 days to go. It really doesn’t seem that long ago. A bit disappointed in all that […]
I’m on the train en route home after Christmas with my family and thought I would use the time to pull the strands of my preparation for my trip to Puglia in the summer together. Let’s kick off with the route. That is more or less in place: […]
…from a very snowy Yorkshire to all readers of my blogs.
I just opened my Christmas presents (it didn’t take long) and I have received a new bike! Here it… could be. As it’s not actually a new bike for me buy for someone who needs a new bike more than me in a developing country. The Oxfam Unwrapped […]
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 […]
I just had a good telephone conversation with Richard Burton, the guy who contacted me last week and who is interested in doing some of the journey from the UK to Puglia with me next summer. Here is his picture from his own website! We chatted about different […]
If this guy, who is 6 months older than me – he is 41 on the 3rd January 2010 – can make a return to Formula 1 driving, I can certainly run a half marathon in March and then cycle to Puglia in the summer!
Nothing to do with cycling but as it rarely snows like this in England, worth a mention. It is wonderful! I did see one cyclist by the canal – complete with shorts: respect!
It’s been a while since I have mentioned any of the cycling adventurers who have inspired me over the past 18 months or so….Mark Beaumont: he is in Peru and still going strong. Not sure when he is due to arrive in Ushuaia, Argentina – his final destination. […]
Canada, The USA, The UK, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg, Denmark, Switzerland, Poland, Austria, Portugal, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Thailand, Australia, Japan… plus all the others who have been and now gone from the map. Amazing who is interested in this drivel!
Just found this description on Bicitalia: perhaps my initial thoughts of following the Ciclopista del Sole were a tad premature as number 3 follows more closely the Via Francigena…N°3 La Via dei Pellegrini (The Pilgrim Route)This route is along the old Via Francigena as far as Rome (thus […]
…so no school today. What better way to finish the term than this? An escape from all those end of term Christmas rituals that have no educational value whatsoever. Perhaps we should do this every year, snow or no snow. I sense a potential Facebook campaign. I’m struggling […]
I was only thinking earlier this week that no-one had been in contact for quite a few weeks about the blog and cycle to Italy…. and then this happens:From: “Richard Burton”Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 3:17 PMTo: AndrewSubject: Puglia 2010 Hi AndrewI keep getting drawn back to your […]
I have been contacted by a certain Richard Burton. Could it really be the man himself emailing back from the dead? More to follow soon….
Windows 7 allows for a rotating series of desktop backgroups. These are the six scenes available for the Italian themed set of desktop wallpapers. Not sure where they were taken in Italy but they do tick all the boxes of stunning Italian scenery, especially the one in the […]
Winter is well and truly here. Yesterday was the first cycle to work which I would describe as numbingly cold. The kind of cold that actually hurts. I am well wrapped up and have four thin layers to keep me warm, but when I arrived at work I […]
You don't see the best side of the outskirts of Birmingham while sitting on a stationary train.
The book with this name records great explorations since time began, whenever that might have been. I was browsing through it in the travel section of Waterstones this afternoon – the same corner of the bookshop where I struck up conversation with Mary Bryant a few weeks ago. […]
What a name! He does, however, go by the more humble “Fred” and he has been in contact: Dear Andrew,I read with some considerable interest your plans for next year’s cycle to Brindisi. I’m planning to restart my journey from Rome to Jerusalem in April but as a […]
…or “The Slow Movement” which has nothing to do with a difficult bowel situation and everything to do with walking and cycling. A nice concept for a “movement”. There have been a few people visiting this website via the website of “Il Movimento Lento” so I went to […]
The following post was on the Via Francigena Yahoo group – it’s quite relevant (usually they talk about walking rather than cycling):HiMy husband and I completed the Via in mid Oct. Assembled our bikes at Gatwick then rode to Canterbury and then to Rome – it took about […]
…not in the rain.
It’s nice for someone to email again about the cycling next summer – it’s been a while since anyone has done so.Chris Hammersley writes:Just out of interest, how have you come up with this route? Have you avoided going down the east coast of Italy for a reason?I […]
A slightly longer run this morning… continued down the Thames path instead of doubling back via the canal. It added another mile or so to the run but did require a few stops (the bits in yellow) to catch my breath. The last stretch – all the way […]
I don’t often swear on this website (if at all) but I have just signed up to run the Reading Half Marathon on 21st March 2010 with a friend. Fuck! I now have to get fit four months earlier than previously planned.
…giving a talk about her trip (see below) in the glamorous surroundings of Reading Library. Must make a start on her book! She has agreed to come and speak to Year 9 students at school so I’ll make sure I get through the European leg of her journey […]
I wandered into Waterstones this afternoon as I often do and trawled my eyes across the Travel section books (the only section of the bookshop where I can say “yes, I’ve read that one, and that one, and that one too… don’t fancy that one… oh, I wonder […]
….this is being sent via my new i-pod touch. It is an amazing piece of kit which is so incredibly well designed. It really has brought surfing the Internet to the sofa for the first time without having to balance a laptop on your knee or strain your […]
Will I cross its path in 2010? Probably not, but it does head in the same rough direction as me from north to south…. an alternative route to follow to Italy?
