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.
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Mate, I'm so psyched you're going together. Brave but I anticipate it'll pay off :) and I am wishing you all the luck in the world.
ReplyDeleteAlso - I'm loving your writing style. You've got an admirable lightness of touch without making the words vacuous. Tough balance. Looking forward to reading more of your thoughts.