Cycling England in The Spring
England bicycle tour, April 2018: with the country experiencing a mini heatwave, it seemed the ideal time to go away cycling, especially as Garry had now been forced to give up work. Garry was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in his right hip. And was waiting to go into hospital to have it replaced. But without a date or sign that his operation was going to happen soon. Why not go away cycling? But where?
After a bit of thought, Garry decided to head to Swanage. The town Garry cycled to on his first-ever long-distance ride. Unfortunately, 40 miles from home, Garry’s saddle broke. Finding it too uncomfortable to carry on, Garry jumped on a train and headed home. Luckily for Garry, he had an old saddle. Which, although it wasn’t brilliant, it served its purpose, allowing Garry to get back on the road.
The following morning, with his old saddle fitted to the bike. Garry caught the train back to Southampton. Where he had left off the day before. Garry finally made it to Swanage after cycling 49 miles.
Not feeling particularly keen on cycling too far, Garry headed to the Isle of Wight. For his second night. Where, overnight, Garry was caught in a dramatic thunderstorm. That raged on for more than three hours.
Feeling tired after being kept awake by the storm and a leaky tent! Garry headed home. After a much better night’s sleep, Garry decided to catch a train to London. And camp in London, at the campsite in Crystal Palace that his friends were working at. Garry was due to leave the following morning, but he was in too much pain. And decided to stay put for another night.
It’s Hard To Cycle
After a day of rest, Garry moved on the following morning. But it was a struggle, and Garry only managed to cycle 25 miles! And it took a further two days for Garry to reach home. Cycling 28 miles on one day and only 20 miles on the following.
Despite finding the cycling and camping hard going because of his back and hip, Garry still enjoyed the trip. And took the view it was better to be struggling and in pain on the road rather than sitting at home in pain.
Total miles cycled: 292.
Garry’s Bicycle Tour Photographs
Bicycle Tour Map
April 2018 Bicycle Tour videos
Follow & Support
If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel Garry’s next mile, you can always support him by buying him a beer. Or subscribe to his blog and follow him as he travels around on his 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 Garry on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. Garry’s also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all his tours, along with regular photo updates that he generally publishes each month.
If you want to find out if Garry’s away touring at the moment and check his location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And after thousands of miles on the road, Garry’s condensed everything he’s learned into one place. So if you’re planning your own cycling adventure, read his reality check on long-distance touring.
Garry McGivern is a solo, self-supported bicycle tourist and the creator of Travelsonabike2. Having cycled over 70,000 miles worldwide on his trusty bike, Passepartout, Garry documents the reality of long-distance travel. Follow along for updates, gear insights, and the daily highs and lows of bicycle touring, whether he’s camped beside the road or in the luxury of a hotel. Join Garry on the road, and be inspired to start your own adventure. Read more.