We need you! Travellers’ Cycle wants your Travellers’ Tales. Write or email the editor – details on page 78 – to find out what’s required. tales An Australian C2C Andrew Dickson recalls his 4,000-mile crossing of Australia last year On 21st August, I dipped the bike’s wheels in the Indian Ocean at Fremantle. That’s spring in Australia, so I was hoping things wouldn’t get too warm. The plan was to cross Australia and take in as many cities as possible. As I was using a tourer, my route would stick to surfaced roads. I travelled solo, mainly wild camping so I could stop at almost any spot. I ended up pitching my tent at coastal headlands, beaches, rainforest and eucalyptus woods, mostly under gloriously clear, star-studded skies. After reaching Kalgoorlie, I headed south to Norseman and then east for the 12 days it took to cross the Nullarbor Plain. Ceduna saw me leave Highway 1 for the more scenically pleasing coastal route round the Eyre Peninsula. After using the ferry to cross the Spencer Gulf, I made my way to Adelaide for the first of my rest stops. It was then onto Melbourne, River Tauber mainly following the coast on the splendid Great Ocean Road. Canberra was next, with the odd roaming hill north of Cann River making this Riverside cycle paths in Germany let you ride leg a little more challenging. The gently back in time, as Joan Green explains route to Sydney brought my only mechanical mishap: a broken chain. m in my up the valley of the damage from the North of Sydney and things started to ’seventies now Tauber. How lucky! It Second World warm up, but sticking mainly to the I and can’t ride up was wonderful. War having been coast helped keep things pleasant mountains and over There are wooded repaired. enough. North of Australia’s most tracks like I used to. hills and winding Each year, during easterly point at Cape Byron and the But I still love touring, valleys reminiscent of the first weekend Gold Coast holiday resorts, I arrived especially in Bavaria. the Welsh Borders or of September, the in Brisbane to dip my wheels in the By using the Rhine, the Wye Valley. The townspeople organise Pacific Ocean on 24th October. Two months I had a great time with no bad Main and Danube dedicated cycle paths a historical festival after leaving cycle paths, I can have are for the most part with markets, street the west coast, experiences and no punctures. I also just as good a time as perfectly surfaced and tableaux, craft Andrew arrived at had the pleasure of being invited Australia’s most when I was younger. gently undulating, and exhibitions, a torch-lit easterly point to stay overnight by people I met. The Rhine Valley there is no main road procession, music, Conditions were ideal; the only three is scenic but noisy. through the valley and dancing. The days of very wet weather saw me in Huge barges chug up to carry the noise townsfolk dress in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. and down the river of trucks. It has the period costume, Details of my trip are online at day and night. Busy tranquillity of England ranging from the bikingacrossaustralia.blogspot.co.uk railway lines run 50 years ago. year 1000 to 1800. along both sides and The Tauber River Beyond main roads flank the rises near Rothenburg Rothenburg, the railways. The cycle and ends at Wertheim, route continues for paths are jammed where it enters the another 100km and in between. On one Main. The route can be extended even holiday, I turned off around Rothenburg is further. Every three Following the main artery, where quite hilly, but the hills for four kilometres, riverside cycle paths, it’s the River Tauber are short. Rothenburg the path leads through possible to enjoy joins the River Main is a walled medieval villages well supplied mountain vistas without riding at Wertheim, and for town of 6,000 or so with campsites, hotels, over them no particular reason people in a state of B&Bs, shops and cafés. chose to cycle a path perfect preservation, It’s ideal.

CTC.ORG.UK cycle 81 Travellers’ tales All around our island In the wettest summer ever, Jamie J spent four months cycling around the coast of Britain

Cycling around the coast of the UK can’t be done. Not quite. There are not enough roads or tracks running parallel to the sea. Farmland also gets in the way, and then there are those vast areas owned by us all but managed exclusively by the Ministry of Defence. I gave it my best shot, pedalling 6,194 miles in just over four months on a fully-laden, too heavy to lift, £350 Dawes Mojave. I’m not yet sure if I actually enjoyed myself. I was relieved rather than elated to cross the finishing line. 64 years ago… Memories of the misery induced by the challenging climbs and descents Hugh Foulstone recalls his first cycle tour, a week of South West England remain. camping in the Lake District in 1949 I was lucky with the weather, though. While my home town t 17 and 16, Copper Mines, who were coming flooded twice, I was baked on the Brian and I Ennerdale, a luxury the other way when west coast of Scotland. I was only A decided to B&B at Braithwaite, we realised we were halted in my tracks for two days take a week to tour and more hostels in outside the gates. We by the late September deluge whilst the Lake District. Troutbeck, Penrith washed in a stream making my way along Cardigan Bay. Jamie’s Neither of us had and Ingleton again. that night, with sunny pitch at There were some real highlights been there before, Our route took us hurricane lamps to Sandwood Bay, too: the deserted beaches of on the far north but we had a pre-war up Wrynose Pass, guide us to our beds. west coast of Sandwood Bay at Cape Wrath; Cycling touring guide which was unsurfaced At Ambleside, we Scotland the amazing wildlife at Newburgh book and a ½-inch at this time and had a cheated a bit and estuary; an idyllic morning spent Bartholomew’s map gradient of 1-in-4. We took a steamer down drying out at Aberdour; and of the Lakes. We had had to push. We tried Lake Windermere to overwhelmingly courteous motorists. joined the YHA and to freewheel down Bowness. Brian went Over the trip I had only four booked our overnight the 1-in-4 slope on for a row on the punctures, but needed two new stops well in advance. the other side, with lake, despite being tyres and one rear wheel. My These cost 7/6 [37½p] stones shooting out a non-swimmer. pannier rack cracked near each at this time. in all directions, but It went fine until a Aberystwyth, though I was We had one pair of gave up. So we walked tired swimmer tried fortunate to receive an excellent panniers between us, down to Wrynose to heave himself free service, about half way into to be carried in turn, Bottom, forking right into the boat and the trip, from Dave the volunteer plus a saddlebag each. at Cockley Beck Bridge nearly upset it. Even mechanic at Middlesbrough’s superb In 1949, there was to head up Hardknot now, more than sixty It was a soggy Cycle Centre. summer overall, very little traffic on Pass, soaring above us. years later, Brian of course. This is the roads as the motor More loose stone and still remembers the Jamie enjoying industry was still more pushing! swimmer with horror. the beach at Bournemouth trying to recover after At Ennerdale, we He can swim now, the war. It was ideal couldn’t find the however! for cyclists! We stayed hostel. We were about It was a memorable at Ingleton, Coniston to ask some hikers first cycle tour.

Dropping through your letterbox in two months: budget commuters laid back tourer next Practical cut-price town bikes ICE trike on test

issue great rides accident & complacency Must do rides if you’re in Bolivia Why the system is failing cyclists or, you heard it, Birmingham – and what can be done about it

82 cycle APRIL/maY 2013