There once was a man from Devizes

While I was on Tour…

While I was on Tour… I had practically reached the end of my cycling tour, riding from the UK to Cape Town in South Africa when I had an email ping in and ask me if I’d be willing to be interviewed for a Ride cycling Magazine in South Africa. Tim the editor of the…

Another screw comes out of the ortlieb

Travelling and Living with Ortlieb Panniers

  Travelling and Living with Ortlieb Panniers, there’s no doubt that Ortlieb panniers are right up there when it comes to quality and popularity as a choice of panniers for the touring cyclist. Although travelling and living with Ortlieb Panniers can at times be less trouble free as one would like. Don’t get me wrong…

Thank You

Thank You

Thank You, Merci Beacoup, Gracias, Shukran, Jeri Jef, Tana Te, Abaraka, Nawari, Asante Sana, Ke a leboga, Ngiyabonga, Ndiyabulela After 10 months on the road I’m now back in the UK.. with a bump! Gone were the brilliantly blue skies when I started compiling this list, warm days (compared to Africa!) and beautiful evening sunsets,…

Stripping down the bike in Cape Town for the flight home

Good Bye Africa

My remaining time in Cape Town being a tourist, just like many others before me and also meeting other tourists in the places I stayed. I stayed the last few days at the Amber Tree Backpackers lodge, recommended to me by Maurice Raleigh whom I had met at Jollyboys backpackers in Livingstone. Maurice also on…

This is taking a while - Time for a brew!

The Argus Cape Town Cycle Tour

Malawi, Nkhata Bay and I was talking to Dominicue, a very affable friendly fellow travelling with his family though Africa. After several minutes exchanging our thoughts and details of our respective travels we moved onto discussion of the future places we were looking to travel to and through. Dominicue casually mentioned a cycle event I…

Sunset in Gordon's Bay - Wild fire improved the colours!

Cape Town Here I Am

Its been almost nine and a half months, but finally Cape Town, here I am! When I set off from the UK on May 14th 2014 I hadn’t said I was definitely going to Cape Town, the distance was large and I didn’t want to set a goal that I may not have achieved, I…

Catching baitfish in Struisbaai harbour

Not Far Now

Not Far Now and the weather has been very good to me. Most of the time I do not suffer bad weather, luckily being stopped or able to shelter from inclement weather. My luck continues to hold as I near the end of my African journey and as I move further along the coast and from…

I am the ....

The Garden Route

Kenton on Sea was a lovely place but merely a taster as I entered the Garden Route, an area in South Africa on the Southern coast stretching from Storms River to Mossel Bay. The climate seems to change as does the fauna and flora, pine trees being grown for wood harvesting and sawmills giving off…

Kenton-On-Sea - view along from the beach

Tapering or Just Going Slow

My slower rate of journey continued in Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape. With Cape Town in sight I’m not sure if I’m tapering or just going slow! Either way it’s nice to see places for a while longer and Port Alfred’s a nice friendly town, quiet, not too busy and the home to a…

Malawi and the Lake

Malawi and the Lake The Sahara difficult? No it was easy, much easier than I thought it would be. Now parts of Tanzania, er yes parts of Tanzania have been hard. Hot, dry, arid and in some places windy, mostly blowing from the wrong direction oh and hilly. Whilst food and water stops are easy…

Baby Elephant

Mt. Kenya and Karen

My first week in East Africa now completed, and I found circumnavigating Mt. Kenya quite an experience, crossing the equator twice, once back into the Northern Hamisphere on the east side of the mountain and back into the Southern hemisphere on the west side. For most of the route, the mountain is obstructed from view…

The Gambia & Jole Rider Visit

While staying with Cherno and the cycling club, we were able to catch up on some things like washing clothes, bike repairs and taking time to see the beach at Gunjur. Cherno and his wife fed us well with African food, rice with fish, black porridge (rice with sugar and groundnut) and Cherno’s wife’s famous…

The road to Dakar and The Gambia

After a lovely week resting at 7 Palava, it was time to get going again. Another cyclist from Belgium Wouter arrived a couple of days before and he was planning on heading further into Africa. Wouter had been in contact for a while after being told by a Moroccan Gendarmerie checkpoint that there were cyclists…

The Sahara & Mauritania

Riding into the Sahara during summer isn’t something most cycle tourists do, most go through either before or after (I’d originally planned before). Luckily the route you take which starts in Morocco, follows the coastal route for much if the Moroccan part which helps to keep temperatures at a manageable heat. Throughout the crossing the…