I'll explain the title now then shall I?
When I first got my bike last spring and discovered that despite a lifetime of embarrassingly poor athletic performance that I could actually go some distance on it, I jokingly nicknamed myself Thunder Thighs. I don't particularly care that it is a silly name and that nicknaming yourself is within the realm of D+D dweebs and Paul in middle management, I'd never exercised without a crowd of giggling pointers before. So I celebrated childishly. It's what I do.
So it was with particular glee that I set out on the first big(ish) ride of the year on Saturday and found Thunder Thighs alive and well.
Me and Aimee set off from her house in Walsall and rode over to Sutton Coldfield's lovely park. Including a meander in the park and the trip back we managed eighteen and a bit miles. The roads were a fair test with endless undulations and the odd decent climb thrown in for good measure. I won't lie, I seemed to need to breathe more than usual and my legs did whinge, but it felt good.
I am being a little casual here, I am most certainly not as fit as I was. The summer saw me riding between twenty and thirty miles a day through the Lancashire hills, and I celebrated that stint childishly by going to the beach albeit via the width of England. That tarmac munching version of Thunder Thighs is long gone. But on Saturday he assured me he'd be back very soon.
I really enjoyed Aimee's company on the road, despite her self professed bad moods. It's a pleasure to see her determination, and I love having her to share the experience with. We had little races and bickered. I loved every moment of it.
This ride also reassured my motives for the whole trip too. The main bulk of the planning so far has been done as a distraction from these cold winter days. But being back on an unfamiliar road, and seeing Sutton Park Model Aero Club's finest dip and soar above us, I reminded myself of why I'm doing this:
To see our Island and the wonderful people within.
By this summer they will be paid a momentous visit.... from Thunder Thighs!
P.s. On the way home to Manchester I solved a mystery that has been bugging me for years, namely the location of the Quiet Zone on a train?
It is most definitely not in the carriage labeled "Quiet Zone". That carriage is populated by mobile phone ringtones, rubbish music from leaky headphones and a singular screaming baby whose mother obtusely observes silence like a nun.
It is in fact in the bicycle storage. By the time I had my bike secured the train was moving and I was overcome. Not a drop of noise made it's way to me from the carriages around me. The only sound was that of my bike which knocked like clockwork on the sides of it's compartment. It lulled me in to a state of deep happiness. I plonked myself on the floor with my book and had the nicest train ride in years.
Monday, 25 January 2010
Sunday, 17 January 2010
Then There Were Two...
I had a feeling she'd end up doing this with me. My long-suffering better half Aimee had been lamenting that I was popping off for a good slice of her summer holidays without her. Plus she's always been a bit sporty underneath her lovely stay-at-home personality. Needless to say, this week she nervously told me she wanted to come along.
What a result!
Aimee does however seem a bit nervous about this. She's not quite approaching it with the same "so what if we have to shit in the woods in Scotland" carefree attitude that I am (more on forest defecating in a later post I'm sure). Plus on her new blog, she mentions that this journey will mark a significant turning point for her. For me it is more an exercise in freedom and a simple will to travel. Considering I've never toured with anyone before I don't know if our two different agendas will have any repercussions for the trip. Will we argue over where to camp? Can our relationship survive the twenty-four seven contact that touring inevitably brings? The new dynamic she will bring will add an excellent learning curve I’m sure. What I do know is that Aimee is wonderful with anything that comes under the dreaded banner of "organisation", so her involvement will no doubt ensure our safe and easy passage through Britain.
And I've got to say, having her along to share the experience with will be great. She's my favourite lady and I'm so pleased that she will be a part of this!
Bicycle Touring 101 has a piece on choosing your touring companion. I'm sure me and Aimee will be addressing much of what it says in the near future.
Meanwhile, the route planning is in its infant stages. I have penned a rough route as far as the middle of Wales but with Aimee on board this route will likely change to accommodate both of our interests. I bought five Ordnance Survey maps covering most of England and all of Scotland. At great pains I have covered them with sticky back plastic and hung them on my wall. This means I can plan the route in a very freehand way, jotting on notes and circling points of interest with a whiteboard pen. It is a task I savour. Having the length of Britain free to scribble over without consequence is lovely. I recommend all journeys to be planned this way.
On a completely different note, I have just finished reading Ted Simon’s Jupiter’s Travels. What a stunning book. For anybody with the travel bug, following his round the world trip by motorbike is a joy. And it has inflamed my wanderlust to no end.
Go get your copy now.
What a result!
Aimee does however seem a bit nervous about this. She's not quite approaching it with the same "so what if we have to shit in the woods in Scotland" carefree attitude that I am (more on forest defecating in a later post I'm sure). Plus on her new blog, she mentions that this journey will mark a significant turning point for her. For me it is more an exercise in freedom and a simple will to travel. Considering I've never toured with anyone before I don't know if our two different agendas will have any repercussions for the trip. Will we argue over where to camp? Can our relationship survive the twenty-four seven contact that touring inevitably brings? The new dynamic she will bring will add an excellent learning curve I’m sure. What I do know is that Aimee is wonderful with anything that comes under the dreaded banner of "organisation", so her involvement will no doubt ensure our safe and easy passage through Britain.
And I've got to say, having her along to share the experience with will be great. She's my favourite lady and I'm so pleased that she will be a part of this!
Bicycle Touring 101 has a piece on choosing your touring companion. I'm sure me and Aimee will be addressing much of what it says in the near future.
Meanwhile, the route planning is in its infant stages. I have penned a rough route as far as the middle of Wales but with Aimee on board this route will likely change to accommodate both of our interests. I bought five Ordnance Survey maps covering most of England and all of Scotland. At great pains I have covered them with sticky back plastic and hung them on my wall. This means I can plan the route in a very freehand way, jotting on notes and circling points of interest with a whiteboard pen. It is a task I savour. Having the length of Britain free to scribble over without consequence is lovely. I recommend all journeys to be planned this way.
On a completely different note, I have just finished reading Ted Simon’s Jupiter’s Travels. What a stunning book. For anybody with the travel bug, following his round the world trip by motorbike is a joy. And it has inflamed my wanderlust to no end.
Go get your copy now.
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Where, Why, How?
In anticipation of a few questions, here's a few answers for you all:
Why Land's End to John O' Groats?
In short, the journey between these two extremeties (south west-north east) mark the longest distance you can travel on our fair island. You can read a bit from good old Wikipedia here. You can get both further south (Lizard Point) and furhter north (Dunnet Head), and even further northwesterly at Duncansby Head. So it's a complete mystery as to why everyone is obsessed with getting to John O'Groats. There must be something there even more special than the other two points. I'll just have to go there and let you know...
Either way, people have been doing it on bicycles since the late 1800's. Ion Kieth-Falconer did it in 1882 in 13 days, on his trusty penny farthing no less. Puts my plans rather to shame...
Why not take the bus?
Well people have. Richard Elloway managed to do it for free using his bus pass. If I can be up to such heroism at his age, I'll be a happy man. But I want to cycle it for a good reason. Forgive me while I get a little misty eyed here...
I'll be favouring the self supported cycle touring style. What this means is that everything I need will be on my bike including clothes, maps, cooking equipment and my house. The benefit here is I'll be almost completely self reliant. No matter what the circumstances I will have food, shelter and transport. The feeling of freedom this provides is something else. No bills, no job to attend, no obligations other than those defined by me? Yes please. An added bonus is that a fully loaded bike looks pretty cool.
The bicycle itself is a joy. Despite being cheap to run (no fuel!) the fact that it's your own self that gets you to where you go provides an immense sense of satisfaction. "I got myself here" is a sentence which ran wondorously through my head atop many hills on my Coast to Coast ride in the summer.
To boot, you are completely exposed to the weather, sights and smells of the land you travel through. When I get to Scotland, I'll be able to tell you how Scottish rain differs from English, how the south of England smells different to the north. This may sound a bit hippy-trippy... and it absolutely is. We have a beautiful climate here in England. I'll get to know it well. I may hug a tree.
Finally, it's all about having the time to drink in the sights and meet the people. 15-20mph is much nicer than 70mph when your admiring the scenery, believe me. And the lack of a steel cage and windows between me and the great British public makes it much easier to say "hello".
Why now?
Well as I alluded to in my last post, I bought a bike last spring. It's nothing too special. Picked it up from Halfords on sale for £220. It's lovely to ride and gets me to and from work every day. In September I rode it from Workington to Hartlepool, completing the Coast to Coast in three days. I had my tent on the back, and got rained on quite a bit but I loved it. I'm doing this trip now simply because I love cycle touring already despite my limited experience. I just want to put some of the world under my wheels.
Simples.
Why Land's End to John O' Groats?
In short, the journey between these two extremeties (south west-north east) mark the longest distance you can travel on our fair island. You can read a bit from good old Wikipedia here. You can get both further south (Lizard Point) and furhter north (Dunnet Head), and even further northwesterly at Duncansby Head. So it's a complete mystery as to why everyone is obsessed with getting to John O'Groats. There must be something there even more special than the other two points. I'll just have to go there and let you know...
Either way, people have been doing it on bicycles since the late 1800's. Ion Kieth-Falconer did it in 1882 in 13 days, on his trusty penny farthing no less. Puts my plans rather to shame...
Why not take the bus?
Well people have. Richard Elloway managed to do it for free using his bus pass. If I can be up to such heroism at his age, I'll be a happy man. But I want to cycle it for a good reason. Forgive me while I get a little misty eyed here...
I'll be favouring the self supported cycle touring style. What this means is that everything I need will be on my bike including clothes, maps, cooking equipment and my house. The benefit here is I'll be almost completely self reliant. No matter what the circumstances I will have food, shelter and transport. The feeling of freedom this provides is something else. No bills, no job to attend, no obligations other than those defined by me? Yes please. An added bonus is that a fully loaded bike looks pretty cool.
The bicycle itself is a joy. Despite being cheap to run (no fuel!) the fact that it's your own self that gets you to where you go provides an immense sense of satisfaction. "I got myself here" is a sentence which ran wondorously through my head atop many hills on my Coast to Coast ride in the summer.
To boot, you are completely exposed to the weather, sights and smells of the land you travel through. When I get to Scotland, I'll be able to tell you how Scottish rain differs from English, how the south of England smells different to the north. This may sound a bit hippy-trippy... and it absolutely is. We have a beautiful climate here in England. I'll get to know it well. I may hug a tree.
Finally, it's all about having the time to drink in the sights and meet the people. 15-20mph is much nicer than 70mph when your admiring the scenery, believe me. And the lack of a steel cage and windows between me and the great British public makes it much easier to say "hello".
Why now?
Well as I alluded to in my last post, I bought a bike last spring. It's nothing too special. Picked it up from Halfords on sale for £220. It's lovely to ride and gets me to and from work every day. In September I rode it from Workington to Hartlepool, completing the Coast to Coast in three days. I had my tent on the back, and got rained on quite a bit but I loved it. I'm doing this trip now simply because I love cycle touring already despite my limited experience. I just want to put some of the world under my wheels.
Simples.
Friday, 8 January 2010
Genesis...
Well there is a lie from the off. This isn't genesis at all.
The idea for me to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats has been knocking around in the old brain for a while now. Ever since I bought my bike last spring the idea that I'd undertake some kind of long distance cycling tour has been ever present, niggling at me. I have a set of wheels after all, the road is now mine.
I expressed this selfish notion during the summer gone by cycling the width of England, from Workington to Hartlepool. This was partly to see if cycle touring was for me and partly just to see some lovely and steep bits of England. Me, my bike and my tent took three days to put the Lake District, the Pennines, and the flat bit thereafter under rubber. It was great albeit thigh-burningly, crotch-rubbingly hard. Still, now I'm hooked. I can't so much as glimpse a map without seeing routes. "Hmm, I COULD ride from Sydney to Moscow..."
But this blog marks a real world genesis of sorts. It coincides with a few of decisions that are bringing the actually attainable Land's End - John O'Groats idea closer to reality:
1. I told my family/friends/girlfriend I'd do it.
2. I told my boss I need the time off.
3. I bought maps.
I am now holding myself accountable. If I don't do it now, I will have to face endless questions at Christmas from disappointed relatives, endless ridicule from the man who pays my bills, and a waste of hard earned (...) money.
Best get on then eh?
So here begins the diary of my planning and executing of this venture. I'm hugely excited! I'll let you know the nitty gritty of my journey from plan to finish line. And by writing this, I'm making anyone who reads an active part as I'll be asking for ideas, advice, and no doubt support along the way.
Big love x
The idea for me to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats has been knocking around in the old brain for a while now. Ever since I bought my bike last spring the idea that I'd undertake some kind of long distance cycling tour has been ever present, niggling at me. I have a set of wheels after all, the road is now mine.
I expressed this selfish notion during the summer gone by cycling the width of England, from Workington to Hartlepool. This was partly to see if cycle touring was for me and partly just to see some lovely and steep bits of England. Me, my bike and my tent took three days to put the Lake District, the Pennines, and the flat bit thereafter under rubber. It was great albeit thigh-burningly, crotch-rubbingly hard. Still, now I'm hooked. I can't so much as glimpse a map without seeing routes. "Hmm, I COULD ride from Sydney to Moscow..."
But this blog marks a real world genesis of sorts. It coincides with a few of decisions that are bringing the actually attainable Land's End - John O'Groats idea closer to reality:
1. I told my family/friends/girlfriend I'd do it.
2. I told my boss I need the time off.
3. I bought maps.
I am now holding myself accountable. If I don't do it now, I will have to face endless questions at Christmas from disappointed relatives, endless ridicule from the man who pays my bills, and a waste of hard earned (...) money.
Best get on then eh?
So here begins the diary of my planning and executing of this venture. I'm hugely excited! I'll let you know the nitty gritty of my journey from plan to finish line. And by writing this, I'm making anyone who reads an active part as I'll be asking for ideas, advice, and no doubt support along the way.
Big love x
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