MAKING PLANS FOR 2016

This year I plan to use my bike rides to celebrate wild places.  For me, there is always a thrill with wild places.  It is not difficult to find rugged scenery, woodlands with huge trees, fast flowing rivers and the coast when on a bike.  I enjoy cycling on a new route and discovering what is round the next corner. Despite what seems to be rampant development, there remains a sense of timelessness in many of our landscapes, towns and villages.  This year will be a journey of discovery.

In this country I will mostly use the National Cycle Network and I am planning a trip into Europe.  I hope that you will follow my travels and be tempted to enjoy the great outdoors on a bike.  Why not follow me on twitter

EXPERIENCING DEVON'S LANES IN WINTER

Winter so far in Devon has been unusually mild. The mists that come with this weather can be quite atmospheric. I am seeing birds starting to pair and primroses have been flowering far too early. When I go out on my bike, I always seem to wear too much and take off an unnecessary layer quite quickly.

Today, I am on my new mountain bike to savour some of Devon's green lanes. The leaves are now down and surfaces wet but cycling in the late afternoon with the light fading offers a different insight and it is one which I enjoy. Tim Peake might be enjoying his first full day in space but I too am having a great time.

On this short ride, my only encounter with traffic was three sheep on this trail who ran ahead in front of me until a gate blocked the way. Then they turned the other way and ran full throttle past me no doubt thinking that I would take them for my dinner

FIVE COUNTRIES, MY TEN FAVOURITE IMAGES

In 2015, my ambition was to cycle in all five countries of the British Isles.  These are a few of my experiences in each of the countries seen from the saddle.

If happiness is the score, England is right up there.  These are images from PCyC Retro Ride on 12 September

In Wales, my nephew Gareth and I meet two Australians on a very long tour

Wales has the most laid back dogs anywhere.  This is my German friend, Dagmar.

In Ireland, it is the way of life that entrances me.  This is Castlebar.

This is MacCarthy's Bar

As Dagmar and I left Eire to cycle into Northern Ireland, we discovered the magical North West Trail, a sheer delight in Sligo, Donegal and Fermanagh.  I must cycle this route again

With Dagmar, I discover the beautiful Antrim coast

Our trip into Scotland was too brief.  We cycled the Isle of Arran which is said to be Scotland in miniature

Glasgow was my final destination in Scotland and this journey too finished with a smile

There is something for everyone on a bike in the British Isles.  There are towering hills, epic scenery, wildlife seen from the saddle, long distance easy trails and always interesting people. 2015 is not finished yet and I will be out on my bike in South Devon

AUTUMN COLOURS ON THE PUFFING BILLY

Back home from Wales, I cycled up the Puffing Billy trail to see what Autumn looks like here. It is a former tramway starting below Western Beacon, Dartmoor's most southerly torr. This is the view looking up from Filham near Ivybridge on NCN2.

The tramway is about 8 miles long and a mountain bike is needed for the stony trail.  It was built for a china clay works about 120 years ago at Redlake which is near the head of the River Avon.  I had chosen a bright sunny day with a cool light wind coming from the north.  The Beast has been left at home and I am riding for the first time a new mountain bike with 29" wheels. This is my first view of the trail

Setting the scene the views are enormous. Behind me the sea shimmers and I can see the coast from Cornwall down to Start Point and on to Torbay.  I do not cycle far and Bodmin Moor comes into view while a little further I can see almost to Exeter.  Ponies come into view as do Belted Galloway cattle, sheep and lots of birds. There is no traffic noise except from a distant aeroplane. I have passed Butterdon and find Hangershell Rock, a good vantage point

Three Barrows is where the tramway takes me next and this is the distant hill in this photo. However I must take a photo of my bike to send to Dagmar, my German friend.

I come across a herd of ponies

My journey's end is Leftlake. I could have gone further but decided that will be for another day

There is another ride near here that shows a completely different aspect to Dartmoor which I want to do shortly. It is to Piles Copse, one of Dartmoor's three ancient woodlands dating back 10.000 years. Judging by my enjoyment of this new bike, this ride could be soon

AUTUMN ON A BIKE IN WEST WALES

The day's are shortening and shadows getting longer but the sun keeps shining.  It feels slightly surreal.  Autumn colours have been in full swing as I move into mid-west Wales.  I had a close call with a squirrel yesterday.  The squirrel saw me coming and in its panic ran straight at my front wheel.  I braked hard and the squirrel ran under my front tyre.  This happened once before when a squirrel ran into the wheel, got caught in the spokes, to which the bike stopped dead and I went over the top.  When I recovered, the front forks were bent in the opposite direction.  These are a few images seen with my bike:

This cyclist seems out of place in Dolgellau

Views from cycle route NCN8 around Dolgellau

I enjoy cycling on the National Cycle Network because of the stunning choice of routes and low volumes of car traffic.  Many of these routes are traffic free such as around Cadair Idris and many are challenging rides such as NCN8.  There is always time to stop to take photographs and immerse yourself in the area.  The next are images on the Ystwyth Trail (NCN82) further south:

My rides in Wales can be found on maps supplied by Sustrans Shop.  I will be back in Wales next year searching for new routes

AUTUMN CYCLING IN THE WELSH BORDERS

The Welsh borders are fast becoming one of my favourite destinations and here I am again.  Even the sun is shining.  These are a few of my images:

A friendly welcome from my B+B

Autumn colours in Powys

Distant views from NCN825 across Powys

Autumn colours at Presteigne on NCN825

Claerwen Dam on an afternoon ride close to NCN81

I always look out for giant trees.  This one is near Gilwern beside the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

I regularly find fascinating towns, villages and countryside cycling through the British Isles and much of it is c/o the National Cycle Network. 

CELEBRATING 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL CYCLE NETWORK ON THE DARTMOOR WAY

"I never knew some of those hills existed and will be using this as a great training ride" said Shaun.  Adrian added "We really enjoyed the group ride.  It's good to join up with people and follow a trail because it pushes us, the kids, to stretch that little bit further, without giving up and turning back."  These were participants on one of three community group rides on the National Cycle Network that I helped to organize earlier this year for  PL21 Transition Town and Sustrans.

 
There are 10,000 miles of roads in Devon.  This is enough to cycle from Lands End to John O' Groats ten times.  We cycled 24 miles in our morning's rides.

There are big hills in Devon that test top cyclists like Chris Froome and Lizzie Armitstead. Our riders aged between 11 and 81 were tested too and climbed hills totaling 800m with steepest at 20%.

Mostly Devon has quiet little lanes, ideal for happy cycling.  This was entirely true on our events.

The Dartmoor Way is a challenging route 95 miles long that Shaun cycled twice after his ride.  Our group rides were on the southern fringes and all three were fully booked before the starts. As luck would have it, one was cancelled because of heavy rain but the weather was ideal on the other two. The organizers pledged to cycle at an easy pace with a back up car just in case anyone's legs gave out and I think that this was one of the attractions
This is one of Dartmoor's ancient farms.

 We stop to look over Dartmoor's rolling landscape

 The lady in this image seems to have a sheep on her back as she set off on this long downhill.  There are plenty of sheep on Dartmoor and I wondered if this one had hitched a lift?

There is an ice cream van in the background.  It is another 7 miles before we can have a pasty.

Another hill!

 We make it.  There are smiles at South Brent on our route back to Ivybridge

This is what I think cycling is all about. It is being out in the fresh air in wild places. There is no reason to hurry.  Two of the best things are food on route whether it is a pasty or a cream tea and a pint of cider when I get home.  I hope to help organize more rides like this next year