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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
…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 […]
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?
Here is another cyclist to follow: Oli Broom (from Maidenhead of all places – not too far from me!) is cycling, as it says on the tin, to Australia: Cycling to the Ashes. From the BBC website: A cricket fan has begun a charity cycle trek from Lord’s […]
Just arrived back home from my visit to the Cycle Show at Earls Court in London (see entries below). A little bit disappointed: it is cycling pornography – undeniably beautiful objects everywhere; brushed chrome this and carbon-fibre that… but little of practical use that will help me in […]
I forwarded Jean-Marie’s detailed maps to my two contacts in Australia and received the following replies: AndrewI only have a brief minute to reply, but thank you ever so much for these maps!!!! Outstanding details!!! I’ll reply in more details shortly. As we are overdue some enthusiastic conversation […]
My countdown clock on the vote widgit keeps me informed of the days as they count down. It doesn't seem very long ago that it was at 700 plus. Too tired to write more. I am already in bed sending this update via the mobile. Yawn…
Jean-Marie Vion has come up trumps with the map that you can find in the previous post. He writes: Bonjour Andrew,Voici l’itinéraire qui à été fait pour une de mes connaissance pour le trajet Bruxelles – Aoste (Italie). Peut-être intéressant pour toi.Jean-Marie Indeed it is Jean-Marie! Thanks. I’ll […]
Brussels to Aosta
My commute home continues to be faster and faster! I’m down to 21 minutes and 30 seconds. Amazing. The journey in the other direction is proving more difficult to improve upon: it hasn’t budged since the 18th August. Anyway, more news from Jean-Marie in Belgium. He’s sent me […]
Just been using this map and the information in the previous post to update the Google Map a bit. It’s a long term project to finalise the route…. Note the possibility of either following the route 1 (Ciclopista del Sole) or route 3 (Via dei Pellegrini – the […]
The following are the key details from the ECF EuroVélo map about EV5 with identified cycle routes in red, linked to sources of information on the net:England (180 km)Reading to London – NCN 4London to Canterbury to Dover – NCN 1Northern France (140 km)CalaisCanal de Calais to Saint […]
I do actually know more about the route of the EuroVélo 5 than I thought: I have just dug out the ECF EuroVélo map itself and on the back is the following route description. “This is another pilgrim route, also called Via Romea Francigena leading from Canterbury to […]
“Ian invited you to join the Facebook group “Bugger off Facebook, it’s warm outside…!!”.” That was the email from Facebook. I joined but did point out on the group that I was not in Australia and that my days are getting colder. Although not today! Bright sunshine and […]
I don’t end to have the time (or energy) to post mid-week in term term but today is an exception as it’s been a busy Puglia 2010 day. Recieved a couple of emails, one from Kevin Payne at CTC who has pointed me in the direction of someone […]
Frustrated in my efforts to find detailed information about the details of the EuroVélo 5 route, I have gone to the top and just sent an email to the European Cyclists’ Federation asking for any updates.Rue Franklin281000 Brussels,Belgiumphone: +32 2 880 92 74fax: +32 2 880 92 75office@ecf.com […]
They forgot top tip number 1,001: think twice before buying this book, especially if you live in the UK or any country that drives on the left. I assume that the book was first published in America. No problem with this you may think until you read a […]
John Davies, the Audax cyclist from Willsden has emailed back with some more details of the Audax route from Calais to Brindisi. He writes: Attached is an article from the most recent edition of Arrivée, the magazine of Audax UK. It doesn’t really give you much information about […]
Tomorrow is the 1st September: in my mind that marks the start of Autumn. Met Basil & Liz Ford this afternoon for a beer – they have just returned from Puglia – to catch up about summer: mine in the north of England, theirs in southern Italy.The 1st […]
Bought a magazine yesterday published by Cycling Weekly – it was a special called “Health & Fitness”. It certainly works as I lost 6 pounds when I took it to the till! Gripe apart it has some interesting bits & pieces inside if you can ignore the acres […]
If you look back at the post I made on Friday 29th August 2008, it was the last one I made until April 2009. I suppose the initial enthusiasm of cycling to Italy had started to dim after the frenzied activity of August, the leaves had started to […]
Some more useful information from “Audax John” who was in touch a couple of weeks ago, including a clarification about what “Audax Cycling” actually is:Audax is a slightly clandestine activity, with riders slogging through the lanes of our land at the dead of a night. No sag wagons, […]
I was just having a look at Mark Beaumont’s updates on his blog and noticed he had a terrain profile of one of his stages – it was provided by a company called Topocoding. So I followed the link and plugged in the main towns that make up […]
Stanfords‘ map & book shop in London is a great place to spend an hour or so in central London. I never remember where it is exactly and always end up wandering around the streets near Leicester Square tube station for a while until I bump into it. […]
Just received an email from a chap called John Davies in Willesden. He writes: I am also planning a ride to Italy next year. I will be starting from Shropshire, where my father was born and riding to Rieti (about 50miles) from Rome where my mother was born. […]
I’ve just about finished reading Mark Beaumont’s book The Man Who Cycled The World. It’s a cracking read and doesn’t fall into the trap of being a repetitive log of getting up, cycling, eating and then sleeping which, in effect, is what he did for 195 consecutive days. […]
http://www.warmshowers.org/This is a site mentioned by Mark Beaumont in his book. I am emailing this to the blog from my phone so I don't forget to investigate it when I get to a computer!
Lance Armstrong tweeted that he was going for a ride in Paisley, Scotland…. and 300 people turned up!Watch the video. What a nice guy! And he’s a fellow Trek man (although his is probably not “Made in Taiwan” like mine).
One thing that I really missed while doing my recent Pennine Cycleway journey was an ability to accurately measure the distances travelled. As a result, I have just bought a “Cateye Micro Wireless” thing (the title of the gadget isn’t long enough – there should be at least […]
John Calver emailed me a few months ago asking for information about the route I was planning on taking. I emailed back at the time explaining that I hadn’t really got that far. He was planning to cycle from Calais to the Italian border in July this year, […]
Need to get back to thinking about next year’s little adventure to Italy. I am so glad to have completed the trip this summer, albeit a much shorter journey and over a longer period of time that I will need take next summer. I did 350 miles over […]
Arrived in Derby and waiting for my train to Reading. Feel as though I have achieved something but sad that my little adventure is over… There are however, greater adventures planned!
Just outside Derby
Very wet. Paused in Ashbourne for a coffee before heading to Derby and the train home. I envisage issues with the trains but I live in hope.
I'm staying in a stately home!
This is more like it!
Pause for lunch. Haven’t enjoyed this morning much. Bad weather to start the day and lots of uphill! I am missing the Dales. But I am making good progress albeit by not following the 68 and taking the mainly A roads. Very scary in the fog this morning! […]
Climbing the hills just outside Holmfirth – Last of the Summer Wine country and the official start of this part of the journey. I’m back on the 68!
Almost. Setting off again tomorrow for my most taxing day of the trip: a 65 mile journey from Elland to Ilam, near Ashbourne in Derbyshire. I'm booked into the YHA place in Ilam. Looks like a stunning place to stay. I hope I get there before nightfall to […]
I have enjoyed every minute of it – far more than I actually thought I would. The cycling, the places, the scenery, the people, the weather, the accommodation, the relaxation, the fun…. I could good on. I can’t fault any of them! I would even go so far […]
… in Hebden Bridge.
Into familiar territory.
Early start. The longest day is here….
Writing up today’s events for the book (once I secure that elusive publishing contract… I’m open to offers) and planning tomorrow’s cycling. Day 7 will see me back in familiar territory: West Yorkshire and my family so at least I am guaranteed a sprung bed to sleep on. […]
My pub crawl of the Dales continues… although this being lunchtime I kept off the beer. Another beautiful ride, despite another section of pushing just after Settle. Over the tops I came up with the idea of not just cycling to Puglia next year but of cycling around […]
I stayed here in 1979 for a few days when I was at primary school: it doesn’t appear to have changed!
Not another pub but an addition to the signage here in the Yorkshire Dales. Prettier they may be, but far less frequent than earlier in the journey.
I could be anywhere on the continent. Beautiful evening sunshine as I write my diary waiting for a very unsummery steak and ale pie.
My thumb shows my position on the map – about half way along the full length of the Pennine Cycleway route. Arrived in Ingleton at 4pm. Despite the spectacular short cut from Appleby to Tebay over the moors which knocked about 8 miles off today’s planned 44 from […]
Beautiful
Crossing the M6 just south of Tebay.
And with a view like this, Yorkshire can't be far!
I'll no doubt pop in here later.
I did two of the walking tours recommended by the tourist office and have now seen what Appleby has to offer. The rain has come again and I have been forced into this pub for a pint of Black Sheep beer. Dam you rain!
Today it has rained for the first time seriously and I am wet. Not that I mind – it’s all part of being a cyclist. However the sun is just coming out and having arrived ridiculously early – only just past midday – in Dufton where I am […]
You can understand why people go to Greece when you stand on top of this hill. Just cycled up and had breakfast in a cafe that Bill Bryson would write a whole chapter about. It’s now downhill most of the way…
Skies are a grew and there is a home wind.
The last 5 miles were frustratingly complicated and at one point I was lost. All down to the arse who has blocked one end of the Lambley Viaduct. The route then went to pot. A lack of signs didn’t help. This drink x 2 plus two cans of […]
I know you are envious of the UK’s cycle network Ian. Here is a sign showing who paid for it – the National Lottery!
I am still in the very north of England!
A steep climb to kick off the day – the steepest of the day I hope. In the distance is last night’s stopover: Bellingham. Alston here I come.
Arrived in Bellingham about an hour and a half ago. It has been a long, tough day of cycling but that only makes the arrival more fulfilling. The bunkhouse is great – fellow residents just as friendly as last night. Sitting writing my diary in the local pub […]
Bridge just outside Wooler. It saved me getting my feet wet at 9am – the road passes through the river!
Everything has gone to plan! Arrived at the hostel at around 6pm, showered, ate and am now relaxing with the other hostel dwellers, none of whom appear to fit the description of being youths. The first guy I met was 82 and he had just arrived from South […]
The start! 2pm on 1st August 2009.
'I have never been a fanatical cyclist. Furthermore, I am a lousy mechanic. When I decided to cycle around the world I had never ridden a race and hardly knew the difference between degreaser and a derailleur. I didn't want to cycle around the world, it just kind […]
I just wish I knew whether or not they were complimentary…
A while since I was at Kings Cross but it still has the feeling of a northern enclave of London with the northern accents and northern names. Getting used to balancing the bike while it is heavily laden – I was a bit anxious about getting on the […]
Does that back wheel look as though it is smiling? Set off at 6am tomorrow.
Here is the weather forecast for Appley – the half way point more or less – and it looks OK. Nothing more than that. The wind is 15-20 miles per hour… Could be worse. “Sprinkles” is an amusing way to describe the rain. Thursday and Friday look the […]
Both Ian Hendry and Jonathan Scott have now got their blogs up and running! Ian has chosen the name “Hendo2010” and Jonathan “Cycling Via Francigena“. Ian is cycling London to Rome but probably a bit earlier than me in summer 2010. Jonathan is cycling Rome to London in […]
That was easier than I thought! All the accommodation is now booked – all YHA apart from Wednesday 5th when I will be staying at a place called Stackstead Farm: they have dormitory style accommodation for a very reasonable £11 per night. I think my camping mat might […]
Spent the day at Hampton Court with a friend – very impressed – they have special things going on as it is 500 years this year since Henry VIII acceded to the throne. Before setting off I emailed the six YHA hostels at the places listed on the […]
Mark Beaumont never had these problems…
