cycling
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Cycling London to Berlin, Day #2: Tooting to Harwich International
“Once you’re tired of London, you’re tired of life,” as my Dad once told me, quoting Samuel “L” Johnson out of Blackadder. He didn’t tell me this was a quote, of course. I found this out much later. And I didn’t know the full quote until now: “When a man is tired of London, he Read more
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Cycling London to Berlin, Day One: London St Pancras to Tooting via Westminster, Vauxhall and New Malden
Day #1: St Pancras to New Malden via old haunts, then New Malden to Tooting. 23 miles in total. Legs: fine. Butt: pretty much fine. I’m cycling to Berlin to raise money for the RNLI, in memory of my Dad, Adrian, who died this summer. Dad loved the sea, and never quite made it to Read more
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Lewes to East Grinstead by bike, via Forest Row
I’ve gazed at the High Weald from the top of Ditchling Beacon many times, wondering when I’d finally make it there. And, like unlocking a new section of map in Tears of a Kingdom, that day finally came. The section along the coast from Worthing to Brighton I’ve already written about; so too the rather Read more
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Brighton to Southsea by bike
This was an emergency cycle. I had got my ASLEF and RMT strikes mixed up, and thought Friday was the “reduced service” rather than “no trains whatsoever” day [1]. I set off slightly after 4pm, down the hill and around the ruins of the Royal Albion hotel and then out along the seafront through Hove Read more
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Eigg to Oban: a tale of three ferries
I was up on Eigg for Lost Map’s Howlin’ Fling festival – you can read my review of it up on the Morning Star website [1]. This blog post is about what happened after I left, covered in midge bites and having enjoyed all the island’s many tourist activities (amazing music festival, rocky outcrop walk, Read more
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Brighton to Lewes (the scenic route)
“I shall again be coming to Lewes. But I may come over the Downs next time.” Those words were written last November, after cycling the recommended, direct route from Brighton, which takes one grimly along the edge of the thundering A27. The Downs route is more indirect but much, much nicer. First one cycles along Read more
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Cycling in Oxford: LTNs, active travel, and all that jazz
I returned from Oxford this week, saying an emotional farewell to a cat who will have already forgotten who I am. While I was there, the cat’s owner lent me an old Dawes road bike, which I used to pootle about the place and explore the place, with its river meadows, dreaming spires, and future Read more
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Oxford wanderings
I am in Oxford with a cat. I have been left with a bicycle, for exploring purposes, and more books than I will ever be able to finish. I chose the bike. My friend, the cat owner, lives in a Low Traffic Network, decried by the fascist-adjacent as an exercise in freedom elimination. The sun Read more
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Visiting every county cricket ground #3: Hove
I had never been to the county ground in Hove, despite having lived in Brighton for a year. Sure, I’ve cycled past it. Circled it. Peeked in from the car park, longingly. But all these activities took place in the off season – my life, geographically inconsistent, never lined up with seeing the oldest county Read more
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Where the past belongs
The weather was sunny but my mind was cloudy, and I decided to cycle into the past. I have quite mixed feelings about revisiting Nottingham, and specifically the area I grew up in. But I was up in town anyway to see some old friends and celebrate a child’s first birthday, and had some hours Read more
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