Uluru - Aires Rock. Taken just before sunset.
Preparing the bike for the next leg of the trip from My Aunt's in Hobart, Tasmania, back to the mainland.
Touring by bike is without doubt the best way to travel. It is the ideal pace, faster than walking, but slower than car. It is a similar pace of travelling as in medival days when people travelled on horseback for several days stopping off overnight along the way. There is a lot more to see as sat on a bicycle seat is a more elevated position to being slumped in a car seat. Much more of the countryside can be accessed and much time can be taken to take everything in instead of flying by. Small animals, unstartled by bikes, remain from hiding while you glide by. The quiet and stillness of the countryside can be appreciated while breathing the clean air. You can read about a few of my adventures below, most notable of which was my year cycle touring round Australia.
'Rider' by Andy Norris. The tale of my year cycle touring round Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, and California in 1996.
Uluru - Aires Rock. Taken just before sunset.
Preparing the bike for the next leg of the trip from My Aunt's in Hobart, Tasmania, back to the mainland.
You can see a video log at http://www.andynorris.co.uk/Lejog.wmv.
I attempted this ride with Martin Hart just before Easter 2009. We set of at 5:30am and Saturday 4th April to cycle from Lands End to John O' Groats in 7 days. On day 5, Martin had to pull out because of severe knee pains which he had already endured for a day and a half. It was the right decision as the Highlands brought big hills, head winds and rain. Martin has vowed to give it another go next year! Here is how our trip went:
Day One: Lands End to Taunton. 150 miles. There is no signpost at Lands End at 5:30am, so we had our photo taken with a post! Honest! The first 100 miles were along the A30. The traffic was not too much trouble, but we picked up 4 punctures between us from cycling on the hard shoulder. At lunch we were met by Debs, Rueben and Oscar at Oakhampton. Refreshed, we finished the day over rolling hills to a B&B in Taunton for a meal and a pint!
Day Two: Taunton to Church Stretton, Shrewsbury. 140 miles. A 6:30 start to Bristol, over the old Severn Bridge and then up the picturesque Wye Valley. We had a lunch break st Monmouth, before pressing on up the Welsh border to a Youth Hostel in Church Stretton.
Day Three: Church Stretton to Wrightington near Wigan. 85 miles. Today was Monday and heavy traffic on the A49. Lots of trucks and traffic lights, and the start of knee pains for Martin. We met Paul Connor near Whitchurch, and the Wendy, Josh and Daniel at Newton-Le-Willows, before at arriving at Ange and Gaz's at 4pm for a relaxing early finish.
Day Four: Wrightington to Gretna. 115 miles. Today was very tough early on, Martin was in quite a lot of pain with his knee and achilles. A great lunch break at Kendal and a long climb over Shap Fell seemed to work miracles as Martins pains seemed to settle and we made good progress and extended our planned stop by 30 miles to reach Scotland and a B&B in Gretna, right next door to a pub :o)
Day Five: Gretna to Crieff. 125 miles. Very early on it was clear that Martin wouldn't be able to make over the Highlands with his injuries he had picked up. He had all the energy, but his knees wouldn't let him and the pain was too much. Martin was no sooner on the train than headwinds and rain started. The next 50 miles was the lowest point as the weather turned and without Martin for morale. But the afternoon brought better weather and the start of the nice(!) climbs. Disaster struck when I got a puncture just as I left the A80 and then my pump broke. Fortunately I was 1/4 mile from town to after knocking on a few doors, I met Huw Beers who dug out an old pump that he said was over 50 years old. It worked a treat and he said I should keep it as a momento of Scotland! I finally made it to Crieff just before sunset to stay with Merv and Val who are two cycle tourists who are retired and off cycling round the world in a few months!
Day Six: Crieff to Invergorden. 145 miles. Huge day with plenty of long climbs and fast descents on minor roads. I was wringing the rain out of my gloves to try and stop my hands freezing. The final climb up to Aviemore was on the A9 as the pace increased, with a long descent to Inverness.
Day Seven: Invergorden to John O' Groats. 97 miles. A 5:15am start as I had to make it to Thurso for 4:30pm for my train home. The wind kept changing direction and there were many coastal climbs a little like the Corwall coast. But I made it to John O' Groats for 12:20. Again there was no signpost, but a sign saying to call the photographer to come. A beautiful day to finsh, sunny, but with a cold Scottish mist on the wind battered coast. All that was left was a 20 hour train journey home!
My first adventure occured in 1990 when I was 16. Myself and 2 friends, Frank and Richard, decided to tour Wales for a week. Our confidence was not great, but we didn't let our parents know that, and they bravely let us go. We did not let them in on the full extent of our plans. We were to cycle 7 days with one days rest, staying at Youth Hostels which minimised the amount of gear we had to carry on our bikes. The route was planned very roughly around which hostels we could reach in a days ride from one to the next. We started at Crewe, cycling across Wales to Aberystwyth, then SE to the Black Mountains and finally back up to Crewe. We were relieved and amazed that we never got lost once. Our bikes made the distance, although Frank spent a few days on a bike that was not securely attatched to his front wheel, but was just resting on it! We all had our share of punctues. On the first day we repaired a puncture 3 times before we suceeded, but not before it had started to rain. At one point we gave up as the rain was hampering any attempts to glue a patch on, so seeing the funny side we started to dance in the rain. Passing motorists were bemused by 3 people, wearing shorts and rain coats, dancing round a pile of 3 bikes. And that sums up the rest of the tour really. I may write more later.
My second adventure occured in 1994 when I decided to go to visit some friends in Galway. It seemed like a good trip to do by bike. Frank joined me for the ride and we set off from Queensferry near Liverpool. The first day took us along the top of Wales to Anglesy, a very long ride in the rain that nearly killed us. We were to camp out every night, but the extra weight meant that our bikes became more fragile. My wheel collapsed as we rode into Rhyl, but fortunately we found a bike shop that could fix it. A short second day took us to the ferry, then straight out of Dublin at 10pm to set up camp after midnight. We felt like we could have cycled all night, but the roads became pitch black and pot holes and trucks became lethal hazards. The rest of the trip to Galway took 3 days through beautiful coutryside, but with typical Irish weather. 4 days in Galway saw all our hard work go to waste as we drank copious amounts of Guiness with our Irish friends. The return journey took a little longer as we detoured through the Burren to the Cliffs of Moher. We found some choice spots to camp as we stopped at farms to ask for a field to camp in. One farm we found up on a hill overlooking the River Liffey. At Dublin we visited one more friend who showed us the sights and the pubs. Unfortunately we got too drunk and missed our ferry, but it wasn't for the want of trying. We got on our bikes with plenty of time to reach the ferry, swerving along the road shouting at peolple for directions. Passers by lead us closer and closer to Dun Laoghaire, but we didn't reilise that our ferry left from Port Dublin. So it was that we boarded the ferry at 7am the next morning with a blasting hangover, but having enjoyed one fabulous trip.
My ultimate adventure occured after I graduated from University. The whole account of my year cycling round Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii and California has been put into a word document for printing off - 'Rider' by Andy Norris. Or a browsable version can be found on my University web page which I set up when returned to England and started my Physics PhD - Uni Pages
The next year I joined Frank for another tour. We had decided to go to London to watch the penultimate night a the proms (Far better than the last night) and what better way to go than by bike. We cycled the 5 days from Lancashire to London stopping off at friends along the way. It was great to have somewhere to stay each night, but there was one drawback. Each night we had to go out, drinks loads of beer, and then get back on our bikes the next morning. Every night we stayed with a different person who we hadn't seen for months and so each night was very long and each day even longer. And there was no time for rest in London as we spent a week visiting friends and promenading at the Albert Hall. Cycling around London was fantastic. It was like shooting the rapids. We saw all the sights by bike which is the fastest way to get around in London. The return to Lancashire was done in 4 days with more people to see and more beer and tequilla to be drank. Definately the way to go. Thanks go to all the people who put us up and got us so drunk.
I set up a website for a friends cycle shop in Down Thomas near Plymouth. Please visit www.alltraxcycles.co.uk
