Malaga to Ronda

This trip was a bit of a disaster, my intention was to cycle from Malaga to Ronda, Gibralta, Sevilla and then make my way back to Malaga, but in the end I had to cut it short.

The flight to Malaga was delayed for over three hours and once the plane touched down I found that my bike had been damaged by baggage handlers (the swines!). At half one in the morning, there was nothing much I could do except accept the situation and push my bike into Malaga (5Km) where I had hoped to find somewhere to stay for the night, this proved to be an impossible task as everything appeared to be closed, so I spent the night on the beach where after a few hours sleep I felt inspired to solve the problem myself - Had I not watched most of the episodes of A-Team as a child I probably would have pushed the bike back to the airport and caught the next flight home!

With the bike up and running again, I had a quick look around town (nice place, good beach, castle etc...) and set off along the insainly busy highway towards Torremolinos and then onto Alhaurin de la Torre and Coin. On the map it looks flat but in practice the hills roll long and high.

Eventually I cycled upstream along the Rio Guadalhorce passing the Castle at Alora and onto the tiny village of El Chorro at the foot of the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes where I set up camp. I spent the next couple of days here walking in the hills, and waiting for the rain to stop. If ever you are in this area the Bridge at El Chorro is worth a close look - but make sure you take good mountain climbing equipment!

A few days later I decided that I would have a go at cycling over to Gibraltar to visit a friend, but it soon became apparent that the damaged derrailler was going to slow me down, I had about 3x4 working gears (the others had a mind of their own) - when you cycle over mountains you need them all to be in good working order.

After a phone call from the agent (he had some work waiting for me back in England) I decided that I had either two weeks battling with the bike or just another two days. So I decided that after Ronda I would head back to Malaga Airport to catch a flight back home.

That evening (after a 1190m climb over Puerto del Viento) I set up camp on the Mirador del Guarda Forestal; a viewpoint overlooking the Parque Natural de la Sierra de las Nieves, an area covered in pine forest. It is always creepy sleeping in the wilds, but I find that you can always sleep more comfortably when you pitch your tent in a discrete spot hidden from the road (which in this case was 100m away). The good thing about touring on a bike is that it does not take much effort to be discrete!

The following morning I headed back to the El Chorro campsite where I waited for further instructions on the job I had agreed to do the previous day. Along the way a wrong turning took me over the Sierra de los Merinos which was worth every effort to climb as the view from there was like that from a picture postcard.

Campsites are not the most exciting places to stay at, most are utilitarian and this one was no exception; the bar only served one kind of beer (the cheap stuff with the additives in) and I soon got board hanging around, so I decided to set off on an unloaded cycle into the hills to have a closer look at the tower overlooking the campsite. After an hour or so I reached the top to find that half of the mountain had been blown out to house the water used to power the turbines a couple of hundred metres below.

The final day was an easy one, downhill for most of the way I headed back to Malaga Airport where I caught the next flight home. On arrival in Gatwick Airport I found that the baggage handlers had been up to their usual tricks and broken one of my brake levers - so I had no gears going there and no brakes coming back... great!

If I had the opportunity to do this trip again I would take the whole bike to bits and package it like bone china, an hour rebuilding the bike is better than twenty-four in a place you had not planned to stay at!

Route map:

To view mini slideshow, click here.
To view detailed slideshow, click here.

2006 Cat & Fiddle Cycle Challenge

Today I was one of over 1,300 people who took part in the 2006 Cat & Fiddle Cycle Challenge in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Together with two friends I set off from Brian Rourke's Cycle shop in Stoke-on-Trent on a 55 mile cycle through Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and the beautiful Peak District National Park, including the infamous Cat and Fiddle climb (7 miles long).

It was a good day out, everyone was friendly and atmosphere was relaxed - it was great to see Seán Kelly there too!

For more info on the event, click here.

Route Map:

John O'Groats to Lands End

Towards the end of June 2006 I cycled from John O'Groats to Land's End.

I chose this route not to break any records, but to explore the UK. As a Londoner my UK cycle trips have only taken me as far north as Borhamwood and as far south as the Isle of Wight. During a conversation with a friend I discovered that I knew nothing about UK geography (in comparison to my French geography), so I decided to change this situation by cycling the length of the country.

Normally I would make my bike trips up as I'd go along, but this time I made an exception and felt the need to plan ahead - every day was noted down. The whole routed was printed out from the Michelin website with notes and arrow written over the top so that I would not take a wrong turn and waste energy enroute.

On the big day I caught the Sleeper Train from Euston to Inverness. As the sun set the train departed for Scotland.

Once it arrived in Inverness, I found that I had over an hour spare, so I had a stroll around town to see what was on offer and grab a breakfast, before boarding the next train to Wick. After saying 'goodbye' to my bike (it had to be taken by van) I caught the train to begin the final leg of the journey to the start line.

From Inverness the train trundled further north through the barren windswept wilderness and along the seal colonized coastline to Wick, this was where I collected my bike from the van man, and cycled over to the Youth Hostel in John O'Groats to get a good nights sleep before the start.

Anyway, in the end I cycled 1822Km in 14 days. Here is a brief summery of the rest of the journey:

Day 1 - John O'Groats to Tongue (122Km)

Plenty of rolling hills along the way, being the first day I didn't want to overdo it and decided to take it easy. The view of the Kyle of Tongue, Ben Hope and Ben Loyal, (and not forgetting the pint waiting for me in Tongue) was worth the effort!

Day 2 - Tongue to Inverness (172Km)

A very difficult day. The wind was against me the whole time and soon discovered that I had under estimated the distance. But saying that, the whole day was one of the best on the journey.

Day 3 - Inverness to Loch Lochy (70Km)

Compared to the previous day, this was an easy one. From Inverness I took the quiet road on the south side of Loch Ness, there was a major climb from Loyers but nothing too taxing. In Fort Williams I stopped for fish and chips before taking the towpath along the Caledonian Canal to the YHA in Laggan (nr Invergarry).

Day 4 - Loch Lochy to Oban (104Km)

It rained for most of the day, but the clouds did create some impressive views (however, it made Ben Nevis rather difficult to appreciate!) I spent the morning on tow paths and the rest of the day on rather busy main roads, but it was good to see someone more crazy than me - a chap driving an old tractor from John O'Groats to Lands End, I wonder if they ever made it!

Day 5 - Oban to Lochranza on the Isle of Arran (100Km)

What a day, it rained the whole time and only eased off towards the end!

Day 6 - Lochranza to Minnigaff (147Km)

My only regret (apart from not starting at Land's End) was that I didn't take many photos on the Isle of Arran, such a beautiful place, maybe it was all a bit overwhelming or something (or maybe it was the fact that I was in a rush to catch the boat back over to the mainland). The rest of the day was spent following the Sustrans route 7 cycle route avoiding the busy main roads. From Ayr it took me through the Galloway Forest Park to the youth hostle in Minigaff.

Day 7 - Minnigaff to Carlisle (189Km)

I have never cycled through so much gale force winds and rain in my life! It started off well on the off-road route through Cairn Forest but by midday, it just was not funny anymore. By the time I reached Carlisle the England v Sweden World Cup match was in full swing and everyone was on the street and there was a good mood in the air - or maybe that was the smell of the chicken kebab I manage to sneak into the B&B?!

Day 8 - Carlisle to Kendal (75Km)

Very easy day. I stopped in Penrith for coffee and supplies (bananas, bread and chocolate) and cycled up the Shap Fells with ease. Going down the other side was another matter, the gales nearly knocked me off a number of times and stopped me in my tracks at one point - it was that strong!

Day 9 - Kendal to Liverpool (127Km)

Even though it rained for most of the morning, once the sun came out it took a short time to dry everything out and I found myself cycling most of the way to Preston and onto Liverpool on the Lancaster Canal tow path.

Day 10 - Liverpool to Shrewsbury (132Km)

After crossing the Mersey on the ferry (well it had to be done) I followed another one of those Sustrans cycles routes from Burkenhead to Chester, then normal roads to Wrexham and onto Shrewsbury, where (after I had been all over town) I finally found a bed for the night. I think the stress of the trip was starting to show as I woke up to find my nose bleeding - leaving my bed looking as though I had been visited by the mafia!

Day 11 - Shrewsbury to Hereford (143Km)

When you are on a bike you prefer to take the road less traveled, for an hour I couldn't find that one, instead I had to settle for the trunk road to Ludlow until it was found. Along the way I helped an ambulance to the scene of an accident, thankfully it was nothing serious. In my notes I also have written that I got lost in Wales too, so I guess today was the day to get lost!

Day 12 - Hereford to Bridgewater (140Km)

This route took in the River Wye, Severn Bridge getting lost and somehow ending up in Bristol, and a high speed chase down the Cheddar Gorge.

Day 13 - Bridgewater to Okehampton (111Km)

I visited St Johns Street Cycles in the morning, the shop I purchased my Thorn Nomad bike from. The rest of the day was spent in the rain on roads to Taunton and Tiverton, where I met a couple on a tandem doing the Land's End to John O'Groats (same as me but the other way around) who were shocked by the hills in that area. After exchanging tips on what to expect we parted and I made my way to the rather odd looking youth hostle in Okehampton - an old railway station conversion.

Day 14 - Okehampton to Lands End (190Km)

The final day, at last. What a relief. Traffic wise this was one of the most trickiest of the whole journey, I soon got the feeling that everyone in Cornwall must own a car. The roads were far too congested (even by London standards) and people were far more reckless than anywhere I had experience along the way. I didn't take much in (or many photos) as I found myself concentrating on not getting knocked off or driven into the hedgerow. But saying that, it was great to reach Land's End in one piece, 1822Km in 14 days is not bad and to say that you have cycled the entire length of the British Isles is even better!

To view mini slide show, click here.

To view detailed slide show, click here.

Isle of Wight Randonnee

Every year many hundreds of cyclists flock to the Isle of Wight to take part in this event, which in essence is a 100Km bike ride around the whole of the Isle of Wight on minor roads and lanes. Along the route there are a dozen or so checkpoints where you have your card stamped (great as a keepsake, and proof that you didn't cheat!) a bite to eat, and a chat.

1445 people took part this year, some raced against the clock but most (myself included) treated it as though it were a leisurely tour. We braved the unseasonably cold weather (it felt like an English February!) and toiled over the rolling countryside, but the views and meeting people along the way made it worthwhile!