Episode 010: The Isle Of Wight

The Cycling Europe Podcast is heading to northern Spain but pauses en route for two days of cycling on the Isle of Wight. Andrew P. Sykes follows the Round-the-Island Cycle Route in an anticlockwise direction before hooking up with the Red Squirrel Trail for a return to Cowes […]

Cycling Europe 2019: Day 13, Porto

It’s a non-cycling day. Indeed I haven’t set eyes upon Wanda since I locked her to a large pipe in the underground car park of my hotel here in Porto. I hope the authorities never read that last sentence out of context. She’ll be released in the morning… […]

Cycling The Isle Of Wight: The Plan

I’ve mentioned the upcoming trip to Spain and Portugal a few times here on CyclingEurope.org recently, but I haven’t yet said much about what I’ll be doing immediately beforehand, which is spending two days and two nights cycling and camping on the Isle of Wight. Here’s the basic […]

The Trans Pennine Trail

It was an epic 115 km by the end of the day, albeit not all on the Trans Pennine Trail itself. That was ‘just’ the portion from Dunford Bridge to Wentworth Woodhouse (and back). Good preparation for hitting the continent at the end of the month…

Episode 009: The Yorkshire Coast

The Cycling Europe Podcast hits the road and heads along the Yorkshire section of the EuroVelo 12, otherwise known as the North Sea Cycle Route, from the iconic Humber Bridge on the southern edge of Britain’s largest county to the coastal treasure that is Whitby. It was a […]

The Cape Wrath Fellowship And You

There was an interesting snippet in this week’s email from Cycling UK regarding something called The Cape Wrath Fellowship. It caught my eye as a few years ago I travelled to Cape Wrath as part of a cycle trip along the northern and western coasts of Scotland. This […]

…Go: EuroVelo 12 In Yorkshire

It seems fitting that the 3,000th post on CyclingEurope.org – that’s this one by the way – sees me return to the EuroVelo routes that have guided me across Europe three times. Here I am on EuroVelo 12, the North Sea Cycle Route, in Hull. Alas I won’t […]

An Encounter With An Outspoken Cyclist

I’m not so outspoken although the ridiculous shooting-yourself-in-the-foot nonsense that is Brexit gets my blood boiling and my current issues with Vodafone have me using creative language that would shock your grandmother, and then there’s the idiots who park on cycle lanes* and the pavement – often both… […]

The F10 Xenon UL2+ V. The KarTent

I love my F10 Xenon UL2+ (it’s a tent, not a fighter jet…): But how about one of these? They are from a company called KarTent: Here’s a report from BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat about how they could revolutionise the throw-away culture of festival tents. Interesting… Which do […]

Wanda WorldTraveller: Ready To Wander…

Yesterday I put the final pieces into the jigsaw that is the new cycle touring set-up as I refitted the panniers and installed an old-style (well, pre-smartphone) odometer (which is far more practical that said phone to monitor distances and speed without unlocking the phone). The east coast […]

The UK’s Top Ten Cycling Blogs

Today, on a day that “number 10” is on everyone’s mind, I’m channeling Geraint Thomas and I’m with the Welshman at number 2… If you like your numbers, keep reading. This is post number 2,990 on CyclingEurope.org. I’m hoping that post number 3,000 will be published during my […]

Escaping…

I escaped today’s further descent into right-wing populism… (I mean… why? What has happened? Wasn’t the referendum and then that idiot Trump enough? Now ‘you’ – probably not ‘you’ personally but I can’t exclude the possibility that some visitors to CyclingEurope.org are utterly stupid – think all your […]

Out Of Office | Bikepacking Dartmoor

When I head off on my travels later in the summer – to the Isle of Wight, Spain and Portugal – I won’t be writing a book about the whole thing. Well, unless I get kidnapped by remote Asturian villagers and spend months in captivity, learning the local […]

“Cyclists: Scourge Of The Streets?”

If Brexit wasn’t bad enough… Last night’s ‘cyclists vs. drivers’ offering on Channel 5 was a rather predictable hatchet job on the former group of travellers. Although the voices of two pro-cycling contributors were featured (including a police officer), they were far outnumbered by a rather aggressive group […]

3 Ethical And Sustainable Cycling Brands

By Aaron King Whether you’re entering cross-country cycle events, commuting to work or just enjoying a relaxing ride in the forest, there’s one thing every cyclist needs. And that’s the right clothing. Having the right clothing is what helps you battle the weather, keeping you warm in winter […]

Cycle To The Cinema… Comes To Halifax

UPDATE: Tickets for this event now available on the Square Chapel Arts Centre website: click here! Now here’s an interesting concept… Aside from being an international star of the cycle touring writing world [are you sure?] and an acclaimed supply teacher [you are joking, no?], I spend much […]

Episode 008: Buying A New Touring Bike

The Cycling Europe Podcast returns with a new touring bike special. Andrew P. Sykes visits CycleSense in Tadcaster, Yorkshire to pick up his new Koga Signature WorldTraveller bicycle and chats to the owner David Stainthorpe about his purchase. We hear from Koga brand ambassador Alee Denham from the […]

Spain / Portugal 2019

The world of (brace yourself)… work feels as though it has interrupted things with the new bike this week. Although I used the Koga to commute to work on Monday, I’m feeling frustrated that for the past two days I’ve been working in schools and that has necessitated […]

BREAKING NEWS: Wanda Is Born!

Just received an exciting tweet from CycleSense in Tadcaster. She’s arrived a week early! I’ve now spoken to Dave who runs the shop and I’ve arranged tomorrow as hand-over day. Expect a few photos from the cycle home tomorrow afternoon… Just as I ordered!

Cruising The Rhine: Day 2 – Speyer

I can’t ever remember knowing about the existence of a place called Speyer until it was mentioned in the pre-visit briefing last night. Mannheim, yes. Cologne, of course. Dusseldorf, obviously… but Speyer, never. So this morning’s stroll around “one of Germany’s oldest cities” was nice. A bit like […]