Author: Garry

Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is bicycle touring in England on Friday, the 13th-September-2024. Bognor Regis to Brockenhurst. 60 miles. Had I looked at the date before leaving home, I might have stayed put. But so far (touch wood), I’ve not had any bad luck. And perhaps I’ll quit while I’m ahead and stay in my tent for the rest of the day.

There was a lot of traffic today. The roads seemed very busy to me. Luckily, I wasn’t on too many. I was good and stuck to the cycle route, which is just as well. I don’t know if it was because of the busy roads. Or I’m having a bad day. But I felt as though I was weaving all over the place. I just couldn’t seem to cycle in a straight line.

Hopefully, I’ll be away for more than one night this time. I’ve got a week roughly before I have to be home. So I might spend a couple of nights here in the New Forest (I like it here), then head down to Swanage. And maybe head a little further west.

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, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. 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.

This week’s Travelsonabike2 bicycle touring on this day post comes from Scotland on the 13th-September-2014. It’s a rather damp Scotland.

Saturday 13th September 2014. Blair Atholl to Daviot East. 71 miles.

I didn’t want to get out of my sleeping bag this morning. I was too cosy and comfortable. And even toyed with the idea of having a late start. One so I could stay in bed longer, and two to dry my tent out a bit. It’s not been dry since I camped in that pub garden four nights ago. The mornings are just too damp, and I’m up and gone before the sun rises, and usually, by the time I stop, the sun’s gone again. In the end, I decided to get up. After all, I’ve barely seen the sun in the past two days, so waiting would be pointless. It’s just been misty much of the time. Although the mist cleared today, and the sun has been out all day.

I was aiming to get to Inverness today, but when I saw a sign for a campsite just a few miles before Inverness, I thought I’d see if I could camp there. My luck was in; there was loads of room. And I’d managed to stop while the sun was still out so I could dry my tent out. It didn’t last long, though, and the mist soon came down. But at least I managed to half-dry things out.

It’s felt like I’ve been riding uphill for most of the day, and it’s been a bit of a hard slog. However, I’ve picked up a nice cycle path, which I’ve been on and off all day. It’s the old A9 road, which runs parallel to the new busy A9. Although I did hop on the new A9 in places. Usually, when the old A9 went on a detour through a town or village, it’s been an enjoyable day.

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, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where photographs from all my tours are.

If you want to find out if Garry’s away touring at the moment and check his location, visit the Where’s Garry web page.

September is Sepsis Awareness Month, and September 13th 2024, is World Sepsis Day, 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.

In 2018, I was lucky enough that the wonderful doctors and nurses at St Richards Hospital, Chichester, recognised the signs of sepsis and saved my life. I was in a coma and in intensive care for a month. And it was touch and go for a while. But I’m here now to tell the tale. It takes 5 minutes to learn the signs of sepsis, which are;

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 discolored

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. That’s why I’m promoting Sepsis Awareness Month to encourage as many people as possible to get Sepsis Savvy this September. I was lucky; let’s promote World Sepsis Day, learn the symptoms, and spread the word as much as possible so others can be as lucky as I was.

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. I’m also on Flickr, where I publish photographs from all my tours, along with a monthly photo gallery.

You can also follow my progress and see when I’m away touring and 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.