14th December 2014 Long roads with miles and miles between towns and settlements, the peace and tranquility and sense of being alone in Botswana was welcome after riding through densely populated Malawi and the tourist areas of Zambia. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s Summer in December and with the summer comes the rainy season.…
9th October 2014 I had been cycling around the highest mountain on the African continent, Mount Kilimanjaro. The tarmac slowly disappeared to gave way to rocky tracks, where a careful path had to be picked to remain upright on the bike. The traffic had disappeared as I’d ridden past the last main town Sanya Ju.…
Date: 6th August 2014 07:57 Country: Senegal Location: Goree Island (île de Gorée) Photo Background The previous night had been spent in a tent in a small island just off of Dakar, Gorée Island. A small island no longer than 900 x 350 Metres that’s was synonymous with with slave trade but in reality only…
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…
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, 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,…
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…
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…
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…
During my travels and cycle tour along the Garden Route, taking in the scenery and beauty of South Africa I was contacted by a fellow Chippenham Wheeler and cycling friend in the UK, Jay Olsen. Jay has ridden some challenging road rides, one of which I was set to do myself with my ex employer…
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…
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…
Visas on Tour What a right pain in the butt they can be! It was a subject I found very hard to find quality up to date info about during the run up to my ride in Africa. I tried googling for information but it was hard to find current information.. Visas, costs and requirements…
Dolphins swimming along Sea View Coast Kim my warm warm shower host knocked on my door to see the large pod of dolphins swimming along Sea View Coast. So far in the trip I had yet to see any Whales, Dolphins or other large sea mammals or creatures. Dolphins were high on my list of…
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…
Loading a Touring Bike Loading a Touring Bike – during my travels I have met lots of people, comments or questions I hear repeatedly is “How do you fit all that stuff on your bike?” or “You have everything you need in those bags?”. The wonderful thing about touring on a bicycle for an extended…
I See the Sea – Bloemfontein to Port Alfred Cycling to Bloemfontein was relatively easy and straight forward, rolling along the N5 from Bethlehem to Paul Roux, through Senekal, Winburg where I stayed at Danke Schn, onto the N1 and Bloemfontein. The main road although not the best place to cycle nor the most scenic…
Decisions Which Route – Cycling South Africa After recovering from my bout of Tick Bite Fever whilst I stayed with Chris and Brenda in Johannesburg, it was time to get back on the road. In all I was stopped for 13 days in Jozi, my bike sat unused in the porch. Chris advised a good…
Cycling into Johannesburg for Christmas No one told me Johannesburg is so hilly. Starting several miles out the hills start, combined with high temperatures made for a tiring ride into the largest city in South Africa, also referred to as Joburg or Jozi, home to around 13 million people. As I neared the Golf club…
Travel Medicines and Health on Tour An essential part of the preparation and planning before going on tour is Travel Medicines and Health considerations.Being Ill on tour, it’s not fun and can certainly add to the challenge, if a challenge is what you are after. There is a lot to think about for this part…