This spring I tried to make two significant ‘life’ things happen: No. 1 is a work in progress. At the time of writing, I’ve left for at least a few months but the hope is that it will be considerably longer. That’s all paperwork depending, so I’ll tell you about that when I know what … More The Trans Cambrian Way: Off-Road Wales (01/04/24-03/04/24)
There was something quite charming about Cork. I arrived at a budget hostel in the early afternoon and had the rest of the day to wander through town. The sun was out, which helped. I picked up a brochure for a self-guided walking tour and strolled through town, along the river, past the university campus … More Britain and Ireland Part 2: The Thomastown Curse (Cork to Dublin 26/04/22-06/05/22)
Well, it’s only taken me half a year to get this up. By the time I wrote most of this, I was doing my third 10 day isolation in 10 months. Don’t feel too sorry for me – two of those were post-travelling abroad having gone to see family in Denmark, still… that’s more than … More King Alfred’s Way: British touring in COVID times (02/04/21-05/04/21 & 31/05/21-01/06/21)
Amongst many other cancelled plans for 2020, I’d hoped to ride the Torino-Nice Rally in early September. Of course, that was postponed until next year way back in spring. For much of the year, it looked like any holidays would be impossible, but in late summer we did get a little respite from COVID-restrictions and … More The Cairngorms Loop: Pandemic respite in the Scottish Highlands (29/08/20-04/09/20)
By the time I write this, in late 2020, the brief respite we had from COVID-19 in the summer months seems a distant memory. Sometime in July, I hopped on my bike to tackle a bikepacking route that I’ve had on my ‘to ride’ list for a couple of years. I’m not sure where I … More The Smoke Ring: A Bikepacking Circle around London (03/07/20-05/07/20)
It’s been quite a while since I last posted here! It seems I managed to have an entirely blog-free 2020. Since I wrapped up my experience at last year’s Transcontinental Race, my life has been more-or-less the same throughout the year. The same probably can’t be said for the rest of the world… I didn’t … More South England Mega-Grav: London to The Coast and Back (05/06/20-07/06/20)
Scotland inspired me to try and explore some more of the UK off-road, so I collected a list of mountain bike routes that had enough mileage for a long-weekend this summer. Although I did a couple of weekenders along both the South Downs Way and the North Downs Way, I never found the time to … More Lake District: An Off-Road Lakeland Loop (16/11/18-19/11/18)
On the second half of the trail I passed a few places I visited on my last ride down through Scotland. The first of these places was Kylesku Bridge, which crosses Loch Cainbawn. I’d been coming down the coastal rode last time but then changed my mind and followed the main road to Lochinver, rather … More Highland Trail 550: Part 2 (23/08/18-29/08/18)
JKB's Bike Ride 