Stories from
the road
(and beyond!)
Broken down and befriended
The 'walk of shame' through the Warren, as I cursed my having said only yesterday that we were 'due a mechanical', reminded me just why we do what we do on holiday. People with few clothes and many tattoos, poorly behaved dogs and children, carrying cheap-jack inflatables and the spoils from the arcades. I reckon I would sooner visit hell itself than spend a week in a static caravan in Dawlish Warren. What they would make of our kind of holiday, one can of course only conjecture at!
Our guide to what you forgot to bring on your bike tour
This is the bit of the trip where I always think of the MacCallisters on their plane to Paris. We can be sure we've forgotten something - it's just a question of what, whether our guesses are right, and how severe it is.
Here we have the Family ByCycle guide to things you forgot, with apologies to Donald Rumsfeld...
Data, Data, Everywhere
We haven't decided if we want to pay the data charges in France, given that calls and texts are free on our contract, and in any event there is a good chance that data signal will be as scarce as WiFi. Hopefully, one or two of the places we are staying at will be able to help us out with some connectivity.
Power is everything
Inescapably, trying to take pictures and film, whilst using modern technology to navigate and sometimes to entertain the residents of the trailer, all uses power. We take it for granted at home and yet when we're on the road, whilst not life-or-death, it does become a preoccupation when battery levels are running low. We are always on the lookout for the next socket, and rationing our usage to match our charging expectations. Depending on the circumstances, it swaps places with food in the hierarchy of needs!
Lumbering Up
The trip, then, became a case of making a route up to fit between two fixed points and times, in a place I had scarcely visited, a language I do not speak, in the peak holiday season, with three children, one of whom, in Thomas Ivor's case, would be riding their own bike for the first time, on the other side of the road. Not much to go wrong there!
Donkeys, parking, 'splash and crash'
ed with the prospect of riding on into the now steadily falling rain, for more miles, away from the bridge, that might be fruitless and force us to retrace, I looked dead ahead as I waited at the junction for Katie to catch up, and something told me the hotel I was facing was worth an enquiry.
Getting out of the door
With a growing family (numerically and in stature!) it follows that you are forced repeatedly to break one of the golden rules of bicycle touring - get to know your kit and your capabilities, and once you have a setup that works, stick with it unless there is a compelling reason. It's just not possible to do that long term, when the number, size and capabilities of your 'team' is ever-changing.
A night out on Tiree
Tiree had such a friendly air, perceptible as soon as we rolled off the ferry. Lots of locals were there meeting friends, family and guests from the boat. Our trailer and trailer bike outfit drew a few glances, and kind enquiries.
We cycled a couple of miles from the quay and pitched our little tent in the dunes…
A car crash and an anxious inspection
It's fair to say that we had an inauspicious start to our trip to the Outer Hebrides. An hour's drive up the road to Scotland, I stopped the car at a red traffic light on a busy roundabout on the outskirts of Stoke on Trent. The Yodel van behind me did not spot the traffic lights and did not stop.
Shakedown
Baby sleeping bags are made of cheap material and don't compress anywhere near as well as adult bags. We have seen other people suggesting buying adult bags and re manufacturing them to baby size. With a bigger budget, I think we would start again and crack out the sewing machine.
Getting some more miles under our belt
Yesterday, we nipped out for a ride before the tail end of tropical storm Bertha hit. We set off down the cycle path along the disused railway line from Stanwick Lakes to Thrapston, turning off the path and taking to the road to ride through Denford and Ringstead.
What did we learn on our first cycle touring trip?
We packed up our tent, sleeping bags, mats and little cooker in our panniers and in the back of our bike trailer and set off yesterday afternoon, a little anxious about whether we were fit enough to pull off cycling with all our gear and the trailer.
We made it! That's the good news. The girls were comfy in the trailer…