Travel
I really do love visiting new places and cultures, it’s something about the novelty and difference that makes my head switch on and pay attention. I prefer adventure and culture rather than sit-around-for-fortnight breaks.
It’s something I don’t do enough of so it’s a life-goal to change that. And given my career is basically sitting in front of a computer why can’t I do that in more interesting places?
I’ve had long standing ambitions to do a north-south tour-de-France on the bike if only so I can send a post card back with “Dear Nieces, it’s nice in Nice” but I’ll need to up the cycling fitness first. And wait for the CovID19 thing to sort out.
A few days in London the visit the RAF museum, the Natural History and the Courtaulds gallery.
A visit to Kew gardens in London was a rather drizzly affair but there was still plenty to impress.
The Imperial War Museum has several satellite locations including the WWII airfield at Duxford, just outside Cambridge. For a limited time they had collected 11 airworthy Spitfires in the one...
As the summer of ‘21 (such as it was) drew to a close I decided on a small break of routine to visit the Cotswolds. It was also a bit...
Finally got around to a must-visit for a computing techi, I visited Bletchley Park, the home of the legendary British effort to break Nazi ciphers during WWII. That effort was...
The UK is unappetising in November so headed off on a winter warmup to Spain. With a mid-afternoon flight from Birmingham there was the comparative luxury of a reasonable start...
I’d long wanted to visit this land so rich in history and culture, and so organised a trip to Athens. It was also exceedingly hot. A flight direct to Athens...
As Spring 2018 arrived I felt need to take off somewhere for a break, so took a few days with a tent and bike to cycle part of the Norfolk...
Having cycled from Venice to Florence and handed the bike back to eurobike it was time to explore under my own steam.
Time for an adventure. Two weeks in Italy with the first half on a self-guided cycling tour from Venice to Florence then a week ‘on foot’ visiting Florence, Pisa and...
Since I still seemed to have way too much holiday to use up, I took a few days break and did a cycle cross the peak district. The idea was...
Recently I attended the European Conference on Complex Systems (ECCS’12) in Brussels. While of course the conference took the majority of the day, there was chance to go explore a...
Recently took a short trip with my Mom to the top end of Scotland to see a bit of scenery. She’s always wanted to see that part of the world,...
Summary of the trip with suggestions on what to carry and what to do different. Essential kit The Sustrans map. Not as a route finder but as visual aid to...
Monday Parkhead Station -> Tynemouth 64km 6hrs Parkhead had kindly arranged a tyre, so fitted that before breakfast and used the original spoke punctured tube. I think the spare tube...
Sunday Garrigill -> Parkhead Station house 39km ~11hrs After breakfast fixed up the bike with Richard’s kind help as best possible, but having walked the bike on the flat tube...
Saturday Greystoke -> Garrigill 50.5km 9hrs Chance to try the porridge for breakfast, perfect with tons of sugar and then off to Penrith and a massive climb out of the...
Friday Cockermouth -> Greystoke 49km 8hrs Ah, but waking up in a fresh morning field, washing and collecting water from the river was just fantastic. Got the stove going for...
Thursday Workington -> Cockermouth 23.9km 2h:30m Caught the 15:15 from Coventry to Rugby for the 15:42 to Carlisle. The ideal plan had been to catch a very early train to...
In June 2005 my friend SueA and I cycled the (infamous?) coast to coast. Approximately 225km (~140 miles) from the Irish sea at Workington, across the Pennines and down to...
In November 1997, I travelled to Florida, USA to begin to gain a private pilots licence (PPL) Arriving I arrived in Fort Lauderdale around 4pm Friday and collected the hire...
I had considered flying over to Ireland and hiring a bike and panniers once there, but surprisingly the costs didn’t work out terribly cheap and you’ve still got to get...
the return Fri 17 sept Total ring distance=241.2km (150.75 miles) The return was horrid. Even the ‘dry’ clothes were damp. Then the return ferry ran late, missing the direct(ish) train...
Day seven Thurs 16 Sept Kenmare, Gap of Dunloe, Killarney 44.0km 4h 30min The last cycling day closing the ring back to Killarney was the hardest, it started with torrential...
Day six
Wed 15 Sept
Sneem, Blackwater, Kenmare
39.0km 4h 30min
Heading East and a nice gentle day.
Day five Tues 14 Sept Waterville, Caherdaniel, Sneem 39.0km 4h 30min After a steep climb it’s mostly downhill with a tailing wind. The downside is the route is on the...
Day four Mon 13 Sept Portmagee,Waterville 31.4km 5h 40min A massive climb out of Portmagee which took ages was a bit disheartening, but after that good progress with a bright...
Day three
Sun 12 Sept
Cahersiveen, Valencia, Portmagee
16.0km 4h 30min
Next to no distance covered as the headwind and rain make progress slow and exhausting.
Day two Sat 11 Sept Killorglin, Glenbeigh, Cahersiveen 43.1km 6h 30min Heading for Caherciveen and the headwind is making this leg a real drag. Sudden heavy showers alternating with bright...
Day one
Fri 10 Sept
Killarney to Killorglin
28.7km 2h 30m
A nice easy day to get in the flow of things.
The options were to travel light and hire the bike in Ireland or take my own. Opted to take my own bike so trains and ferry it is. Arrived in...
Having got back into regular cycling, I’d thought about tackling this trip for a while, but as the year passed it became a case of just book a ticket to...
As 2003 drew to a close I decided I needed a decent holiday. Normally I’d plan and organise myself but sometimes you just want to be looked after, so this...
Took a few days off in May 2003 to go to Hay-on-Wye, a famous ‘book’ town (though living in a city I’d say more ‘hamlet’) Perhaps inevitably, my home city...
These were taken at the northampton balloon festival 98 with the old SLR camera before I went digital so they are scans of photographs.