Well, probably the last. There is enough material once again, from the last few weeks of poking around on two wheels, to make a post worthwhile I think. The weather continues to be quite unreal.. no doubt in advance of a summer to be defined by wind-driven drizzle. A friend… more »
Still in the West
It’s been a month and I probably have enough material for another spell of idle rambling… and with work at a standstill, or rather absent, it’s not like I don’t have an excuse for not finding the time. For someone with a history of depression, being able to get out… more »
In The West
Strange and unsettling times indeed. Because of my asthma and less than stellar history of chest infections, and with the wellbeing of my family and friends in mind, I started avoiding people over a month ago when it became clear what was going to happen. With no plans to travel… more »
Dummy Weekender
With a rare spell of high pressure in the forecast it was very much a case of throwing some camping clobber at my Big Fat Dummy and pedalling off to make the most of it for a long weekend before the return of the inevitable gales and perma-drizzle. It’s been… more »
Dartmoor
Fear, I think, is one of the greatest obstacles to doing ‘stuff’ in life; fear of what might happen, or what people might think for example, whether it’s changing jobs, trying something new, or disappearing off for a bike ride “somewhere else”…. There has always been a little bit of… more »
Wayfarer Centenary Ride, and weekend
Should you delve into the annals of the history of cycling in the UK then you’ll find Cornwall doesn’t really feature at all. Historically little of two-wheeled significance happened here (a point on which I stand to be corrected), and major events rarely venture this far west. As such living… more »
Mental Health Loop
The town I live in has been, and still is, the butt of many jokes within Cornwall. With the collapse of the tin mining industry its fortunes declined dramatically and it became ripe fodder for jokes around the perceived lack of ‘sophistication’ of the heart of west Cornwall. It is… more »
Galloway Gravel: part 2
Back in Cornwall as of last night and I’ve completed my compulsory tasks for the day, essentially to eat breakfast, drink coffee, and go ride a bike for a few hours, so as promised here is the part two to the part one of a few days ago; also a… more »
Galloway Gravel: part 1
Aside from the riding itself one of the best things about bike touring is the sense of community around it and the valued friends made as a result. From time to time I get to host travelling cyclists in my home in Cornwall via the Warmshowers network for example, and… more »
A couple of days of Dorset
I recently caught up with @whileoutriding for a couple of days/nights exploring the trails of southern Dorset on two wheels with an emphasis on great pub and cafe stops, and a good opportunity to do some more bag testing. It’s a part of the world in which I’d not done any… more »
Three Moors
Having been busy at the sewing machine recently the end results needed a decent shakedown ride so a riding buddy and I decided to take the published Two Moors bikepacking route and turn it into a Three Moors adventure by riding home via Bodmin Moor as well. Exmoor in particular… more »
Spring. Maybe.
After my last post I had thought I might follow up with some apparently intelligent thoughts around things I wanted to say but on reflection realised that all that would have come out would have been an angry rant around a particular set of topics.. for example the environment, consumerism, the… more »
October Early Weekend
Thursday morning dawned filthy wet and misty, the forecast promised better however so when the rain began to ease around midday, and with the encroaching winter very much in mind, camping gear, food, and fishing clobber was hastily thrown at bikes for a cheeky early weekend at a favourite spot just… more »
January Kayak Sheep…
It is seldom that sea kayaks and sheep appear all wrapped up in the same story but that’s what happens I suppose when one ventures north of the border into Devon, which, if you’re from West Cornwall, really is like visiting a foreign country.. they talk funny and do cream teas… more »
Revisiting Summer
Having been utterly lacking with regard to motivation to write anything recently I thought I might make the effort to tell a very brief story of a regression to the summers of my childhood. Not that I ever grew up or anything it’s just that those warm summer days with… more »
Summer Nights
Just a couple of snaps from the just past weekend local ‘adventure’ with friends. I was going to include them as part of a post I’m working on that, for once isn’t about me, ha, and that also, for a change, requires me to think a little about what I’m… more »
South to Mingulay and Beyond
Just an advance warning – this post contains a lot of pictures, including a number of grey seals that may make you just go “aww..”. It just means the page might be a little slow to load. So with that out of the way… Following from my post of a few… more »
A quick spin north
When I last wrote the long range forecast suggested a weather window might form for a sea kayak journey to explore the uninhabited islands and islets that form the most southerly limits of the Outer Hebrides. With a few days in hand in the meantime I decided to hop on my… more »
Early Spring Lunch
Last weekend Cornwall was still very much in the grip of winter, but spring does appear to have since arrived… yesterday the sun was warm, the wind was light and the lanes were fragrant with the scent of flowers.. so a spin out for lunch with a riding buddy was in… more »
A brief interlude of summer
I’ll finish the five photos thing later this week, for the minute however a brief interlude of summer.. it’s been something of a scarcity recently so perhaps deserves a mention..
a late summer weekend
Now that racing has finished for me for the season making the most of what is left of summer to catch up on some paddling. We weren’t able to get on the water until after lunch on Saturday so stayed local with a quick 17 mile dash west in idyllic… more »
A joint training exercise with the Penlee Lifeboat
The sea kayak community down here in the far west of Cornwall, and in particular my friends from Coastal Adventure Training, have some close ties with the local RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution). Last night we all got together for a joint training exercise as with the growth in sea kayaking… more »