Category Archives: Europe

Utility cycling and long distance cycling

“Utility cycling encompasses any cycling not done primarily for fitness, recreation such as cycle touring, or sport such as cycle racing, but simply as a means of transport. It is the most common type of cycling in the world” I recently cycled from Dover to London and from London to Stevenage on the way [...]
Also posted in Constructive Ranting, England, Expedition Journal | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Travelling back from Georgia for Christmas

I travelled back to the UK from Georgia by public transport to spend Christmas with my family. The journey was an adventure of it’s own. I took overland public transport instead of flying because of the environment impact of flying from carbon emissions. I also find flying quite boring and psychologically disagreeable especially after [...]
Also posted in Asia, Expedition Journal, India | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Weddings, unlike lightning, strike in the same place twice…

This is the first post in a while to the Ride Earth blog because I’ve not been cycle touring recently. I returned via Public transport back from France to Tbilisi  at the end of the summer. I met Tom in Venice and we spent a long and strange evening sleeping on a bench drinking wine with [...]
Also posted in Asia, Expedition Journal, Georgia | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Two Month Storm

Long time since I wrote, I know. In fact I’ve been spending a lot of time in front of a computer. I’ve been writing every morning and now have written 95000 words of my book. I met one of my sister’s friends a couple of days ago who has just finished writing a book she [...]
Also posted in Climate Change, England, France, Georgia, Mountain Biking, Switzerland, Turkey, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

8 Days at an Ashram

I feel a bit like I haven’t been telling the full story through the blog in terms of what’s been going on. This is mainly because I’ve had to do everything from internet cafes and time and expense are a factor. December involved a decision to get off the main highway and spend some time exploring [...]
Also posted in Expedition Journal, India, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Air pollution becomes an everyday problem

I have noticed quite clearly that since I entered Pakistan and India the significant drop in air quality in general. In Pakistan if I blew my nose I would get similar coloured nasal mucus to if I had spent a day in Central London.
Also posted in Expedition Journal, Hungary, India | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Istanbul Movements

We arrived in Istanbul after cycling through 75km of suburban sprawl along the dangerous highway. It was a traumatic experience. We rewarded ourselves with a gourmet kebab that we couldn’t afford from a small place full of old men drinking, smoking and chatting. It had become dark in the city, after watching [...]
Also posted in Expedition Journal, Turkey | 2 Comments

Looking Back, Moving Forward

I am in Kadikoy on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. We have reached Asia by bike. Today commences our third week in Istanbul. It is a multi-layered and vibrant place, enough to make one consider staying longer. The open road and adventure beckons once again.
Also posted in Expedition Journal, Turkey | 1 Comment

Roam in Romania

The first few days in Romania were mentally tough. We donned full wet weather gear and ventured into the terrible weather that the first day offered us. It was overcast, drizzle, cold and miserable. The road away from the border was full of lorries, one after the other, spraying bucket-sized amounts of [...]
Also posted in Expedition Journal, Romania | 5 Comments

Romania beckons

We arrived in Romania a couple of days ago. We crossed the border and had a long night after realised we had crossed at a place we shouldn’t have.  We had to return to the official crossing and cross there.  It was dark, wet, lightning was striking around my feet, again, and the officials were [...]
Also posted in Expedition Journal | 2 Comments

Ride like lightning

Sitting on a park in Vienna after a huge thunderstorm during which I feared for my own life, I find a moment of tranquility and reflection.
Also posted in Austria, Expedition Journal | 3 Comments

Getting Into A Rhythm

Its been six weeks now and I’m settling in to the lifestyle. Each day is is a mind expanding experience. The creature comforts such as shower, comfortable bed, etc that I was once used to are now an occassional luxury. Each day is limited only by our own decisions in each moment, [...]
Also posted in Expedition Journal, Switzerland | 3 Comments

Turn On, Tune in and Pedal On

Another day on the road. I drink a large coffee, pack the trailer and panniers pedal on to the next big adventure. Each new experience is challenging my preconceptions and leaving me with an excitement and anticipation for the next one. The most difficult thing so far is the challenge of working in a [...]
Also posted in Expedition Journal, France | 7 Comments

Rutland Water

On Saturday I biked around Rutland Water and went windsurfing. The biking was great. 16 miles in about 1.10 hours. The wind was not in the right direction for the launch beach. I think it was North Westerly and therefore blowing offshore. The wind started about 8 mph and dropped. Not ideal conditions but I [...]
Also posted in England, Expedition Journal, Mountain Biking | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Scotland biking expedition kit list

This is a kit list I dug out for the Scotland biking expedition in May 2005. I am currently in the process of writing up my journal which I will post here when finished.
Also posted in Mountain Biking, Scotland | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment