Month: September 2025

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Bicycle Touring England: Brockenhurst To Langton Matravers | Travelsonabike2

Boats on blue water with a cliff in the background

September Is Sepsis Awareness Month

My latest bicycle touring update: cycling in England, Brockenhurst to Langton Matravers. 42 miles. I had a nice leisurely ride today, especially along the eight-mile flat cycle route from Southbourne to Poole. It must have taken me nearly two hours. It was absolutely gorgeous along there.

Even with taking my time, I was still at camp by 2 o’clock. A nice short day. But I did have some mountains to contend with after Poole! Well, maybe not quite mountains, but there were some hills. The Purbeck Hills, which, to be honest, I didn’t find too bad. These new drugs are working a treat!

Boscombe Pier

I Shouldn’t Be Here

Anyway, I’m glad I’m here rather than where I should have been. A couple of weeks ago, I got a date through from the hospital to take my gallbladder out, which was for today. No chance, I’ve hardly been anywhere this year. And especially as I was unable to get away in September. No, I wanted to be away, even if it is only to some of my regular haunts before they close for the year. They can operate on me later in the year! It’s not as if it’s giving me any grief. In fact, it hasn’t troubled me for a couple of years now, hence why I’m in no rush to have it removed.

Sepsis Awareness Month: Learn The Signs

September is Sepsis Awareness Month, as it is every year. And as a sepsis survivor myself, I want to promote it as much as possible. So, people recognise the signs, and we can save as many lives as possible. It takes 5 minutes to learn the signs of sepsis.
Slurred speech or confusion
Extreme shivering or muscle pain, fever
Passing no urine all day
Severe breathlessness
It feels like you’re going to die
Skin mottled or discoloured

Please learn the signs. It’s really important as it could save a life. 1 in 5 people don’t know the signs. Don’t be that person. Learn the symptoms, and spread the word as much as possible so others can be as lucky as I was.

I’ve also made a few short videos of my experience with sepsis, to accompany this month of sepsis awareness, which are available to watch on YouTube.

Ride Information & Updates:

Follow & Support

If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. Or subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.

Follow Garry on his travels

Subscribe to my email and follow me on my travels

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Bicycle Touring England: In Brockenhurst | Travelsonabike2

Horses by a tree

September Is Sepsis Awareness Month

My latest bicycle touring update: cycling in England, on Monday, the 29th September 2025. Brockenhurst. It was good to be back in the New Forest, albeit for one day. But I might return again later this week. Although it wouldn’t be here, they close for the season tomorrow.

No, if I do return later in the week, it would be to the Long Meadow campsite across the road. Although after saying that, I could hear the deer last night making their rutting noise or whatever it is. So at Long Meadow, it would be a lot worse because that’s right next to the deer Park. I’ll see later in the week.

Everybody I spoke to this morning was asking if I was alright last night. Apparently, it was pretty cold. Haha, I never noticed. I slept straight through. Although I must admit I did think it was a little chilly when I got up.

For some strange reason, there are loads of Robins everywhere

I’ve not been up to much today. I had a walk through the campsite this morning. Then rode into Brockenhurst to get tonight’s supper and, obviously, other essential supplies, i.e., beer. Then just a ride around the campsite this afternoon. A very lazy day. It’s so peaceful down here, there’s not many on the campsite.

The plan for tomorrow, as it stands tonight, is to head down to Swanage. Although by the time tomorrow comes, I may well have changed my mind.

Sepsis Awareness Month: Learn The Signs

September is Sepsis Awareness Month, as it is every year. And as a sepsis survivor myself, I want to promote it as much as possible. So, people recognise the signs, and we can save as many lives as possible. It takes 5 minutes to learn the signs of sepsis.
Slurred speech or confusion
Extreme shivering or muscle pain, fever
Passing no urine all day
Severe breathlessness
It feels like you’re going to die
Skin mottled or discoloured

Please learn the signs. It’s really important as it could save a life. 1 in 5 people don’t know the signs. Don’t be that person. Learn the symptoms, and spread the word as much as possible so others can be as lucky as I was.

I’ve also made a few short videos of my experience with sepsis, to accompany this month of sepsis awareness, which are available to watch on YouTube.

Ride Information & Updates:

Follow & Support

If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. Or subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.

Follow Garry on his travels

Subscribe to my email and follow me on my travels

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Bicycle Touring England: Bognor Regis to Brockenhurst | Travelsonabike2

Sunrise over the sea

September Is Sepsis Awareness Month

My latest bicycle touring update: cycling in England, on Sunday, the 28th September 2025. Bognor Regis to Brockenhurst. 62 miles. Finally, I’ve managed to get away. It’s been a bit of a wet ride down here. But hey, who cares? I was just glad to get away.

I had hoped to have cycled somewhere a lot earlier in the month, but I’ve just been having a nightmare. Like an idiot, I agreed to some work for an old client, thinking it would just be a quick job. It wasn’t, it’s taken me nearly the whole of September, admittedly, a lot of the delay was down to bad weather. But it was also a lot more involved than I thought. But with the help of some new painkillers and some good weather, I finally finished it.

It had to be a picture of some ponies. I’ve not seen them for ages

Short Update For The Past Month

As I previously mentioned, I’m taking some new painkillers, Tramadol. Not entirely new, I’ve taken them before, just before contracting sepsis! I don’t think the painkillers had anything to do with it, although they obviously masked how much pain I was in. Hopefully, history won’t repeat itself.

I was in so much pain after working the morning I’d come home, and have to lie down for the rest of the day. I even struggled to cycle to the supermarket, which is only a couple of miles away. And to ease the pain (which it wasn’t), I was taking Oramorph (liquid morphine). But I was starting to take way too much, hence why I phoned the doctors to get something stronger. What a difference it made. It was unbelievable. I’d liken it to toothache, you don’t realise how bad the pain is until it’s gone.

I was unsure if the pain was really coming from my hip or whether it was my back or neck. But I got confirmation the other day when I went to see my hip surgeon. I was there to get the results of my hip aspiration, which thankfully came back as negative. There wasn’t any sign of infection, but my hip is definitely loose and moving around, which would explain my pain. Unfortunately, he doesn’t think I’ll be operated on until next year. Looks like it’s going to be a long, painful year!

Sepsis Awareness Month: Learn The Signs

September is Sepsis Awareness Month, as it is every year. And as a sepsis survivor myself, I want to promote it as much as possible. So, people recognise the signs, and we can save as many lives as possible. It takes 5 minutes to learn the signs of sepsis.
Slurred speech or confusion
Extreme shivering or muscle pain, fever
Passing no urine all day
Severe breathlessness
It feels like you’re going to die
Skin mottled or discoloured

Please learn the signs. It’s really important as it could save a life. 1 in 5 people don’t know the signs. Don’t be that person. Learn the symptoms, and spread the word as much as possible so others can be as lucky as I was.

I’ve also made a few short videos of my experience with sepsis, to accompany this month of sepsis awareness, which are available to watch on YouTube.

Ride Information & Updates:

Follow & Support

If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can always support me by buying me a beer. Or subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And for an insight into the gear and logistics that keep me on the road, see my Life at 10mph Guide.

Follow Garry on his travels

Subscribe to my email and follow me on my travels

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Sepsis Awareness Month Video Playlist September 2025

Sepsis Awareness Video September 2025 Garry McGivern

September Is Sepsis Awareness Month

As a sepsis survivor myself, I’m keen to promote sepsis awareness month as much as possible. As many of you already know, I contracted sepsis in the summer of 2018, but I was lucky; I survived. Thanks to the wonderful staff of St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, who recognised the symptoms early and managed to get me the treatment I needed. I will forever be in debt to the hospital and its superb staff.

Sepsis awareness month is held annually in September to raise awareness of sepsis, which is a life-threatening condition that can lead to organ failure and death if not recognised and treated quickly. And just because Sepsis Awareness Month is over, don’t forget to learn the signs. It could just save somebody’s life, or even your own.

I’ve made a short series of videos charting my journey through the ordeal of sepsis, which I hope may help others. In some respects, I was the lucky one. I knew nothing about what was going on. Indeed, throughout the worst part of my journey, I was away with the fairies in a coma, dreaming about riding my bike. In fact, I remember being on a ferry in Thailand, touring in Morocco, and flying in a World War II bomber! Don’t ask. But it was my family and friends who suffered the most.

My daughter Vicky took all the photos and videos of my time in intensive care.

You can watch the videos below or on my YouTube channel. But honestly, it won’t be any more enjoyable wherever you watch the video! You can also subscribe to my channel. You’ll then be amongst the first to know when I release new videos.

Sepsis Awareness Playlist September 2025

Subscribe to Garry’s YouTube channel.

Sepsis Awareness Month: Learn The Signs

Please learn the signs. It’s really important as it could save a life. 1 in 5 people don’t know the signs. Don’t be that person. Learn the symptoms, and spread the word as much as possible so others can be as lucky as I was.

Slurred speech or confusion

Extreme shivering or muscle pain, fever

Passing no urine all day

Severe breathlessness

It feels like you’re going to die

Skin mottled or discoloured

Please learn the signs. It’s really important as it could save a life. 1 in 5 people don’t know the signs. Don’t be that person. Learn the symptoms, and spread the word as much as possible so others can be as lucky as I was.

Follow Garry’s Bicycle Touring Adventures

(proof that there is life after sepsis)

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest, where you’ll find more photos and videos from today. I’m also on Flickr, where I’ll publish the photos from this tour once I’m home. Pictures from all my tours and monthly photos can also be found on Flickr.

You can also follow my progress and see where I stop each night by visiting the Where’s Garry web page; there, you’ll find a map of the route I’ve taken so far.

Follow Garry on his travels

Subscribe to my email and follow me on my travels