Tag: Monthly update

It’s been a nice busy month with a couple of camping trips, a trip to Wales which unfortunately wasn’t for the best of reasons and a day out at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

At the beginning of the month, I went to Wales which unfortunately was to attend the funeral of my auntie.

Auntie Norma was a good age (87) and had led a happy and colourful life, in fact, her funeral was a very colourful affair with everybody dressed in bright colours, a white hearse and a purple coffin for auntie Norma, so although it was sad that she died it wasn’t as mournful as a lot of funerals! It’s going to happen to us all at some point; it’s the one thing that’s guaranteed in life!

It was also nice to catch up with my cousins who I hadn’t seen for a few years.

I had another weekend away down in the New Forest (just for a change!) which is always good, I just wish I could find a different route to cycle there, I think I’ve exhausted every possible way that there is to get there! Even the campsite staff recognise me now! I also spent the following weekend down in the New Forest, this time with Julie so we drove.

It doesn’t matter where I am or what I’ve been doing I always get up early and camping with Julie is no exception, so while Julie was still asleep it gave me a good opportunity to look at some maps and plan some future rides.

Ever since I completed my big ride around the world I’ve been bugged by the fact that I never actually rode the entire first leg which was from England to Bangladesh I ended up having to get a flight from Turkey to India missing out Iran and Pakistan due to political reasons.

Well, just recently it’s been playing on my mind even more so because now you can cross into Myanmar (Burma) by land from India which again on my original trip was just not possible and again I had to get a flight!

So every now and then I look at the maps in the hope that I can find a way to cycle all the way to and through Myanmar!

But unfortunately, it still looks a no go. Iran looks ok until you get near the border with Pakistan then the British Foreign office advises against all travel there, Pakistan isn’t too bad and looks fairly safe well the route I would be taking anyway, but then that doesn’t matter as I’d never get there because of the situation in Iran.

Another way I was looking at going was through the top of Iran and into Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and onto China then down the Karakoram Highway but again that’s a no goer as you have to get a bus from Gilgit in Pakistan and I don’t want to do that I want to cycle! Also, the travel advice isn’t very good from Gilgit to Islamabad!

One other possible route was to go again through the Stans and into China, but this time go through Tibet and Nepal and then into India that way, but once again political reasons are in the way! You can’t cycle through Tibet without a guide which would sort of be ok the only problem would be the price about $10,000 or more so that counts that route out and besides if I was paying that much to do it I’d want to do it my way without a guide!

I find it so frustrating and annoying that I can see a way that I could cycle but due to political reasons or terrorist activity it just can’t be done! Still, I live in hope and will keep studying maps and checking the foreign office website in the hope that I will find a route through at some point!

I know I could always go through the stans and into China and back to Kunming but then I don’t pass through Myanmar or India, I think basically what I want to do is my original route to India then pass through Myanmar to Thailand which was never an option before. Maybe I should just go for it and go through Iran and Pakistan and see what happens after all whats the worst that could happen??

On the last Sunday of the month Julie managed to get us some tickets for the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed billed as the largest motoring garden party in the world it brings together a mix of cars, both old and new, stars and motor sport royalty all doing a timed run up the hill past Goodwood House.

The Honda display made like the Fisher Price toy garage

Sculpture in front of Goodwood house celebrating the BMW centenary

An old Mercedes

Looking up the hill at Goodwood

Julie and Garry at Goodwood

Ferrari F1

Dodge Charger

Celebrating 100 years of BMW

Bugatti Chiron

We had a really good day up there and as much as I like riding my bike I do like cars and motor sport and the Festival of Speed is a good place to see all different types of motorsport from the Formula 1 cars of the modern era to 100-year-old vintage classics. The paddocks are open to everybody and you’re allowed to just wander around them, the noise some of the cars make when they fire up is unbelievable and goes straight through you! The only downside to the day if there was one is that when Nico Rosberg decided to do some doughnuts in his formula 1 car right in front of us for some reason my video of it didn’t work!

Garry McGivern’s May 2016 update. Well, at least this month has been a bit better on the cycling front. I’ve managed to get away on a couple of the weekends and also had a few nice day rides.

On The Isle of Wight

The first weekend of the month got off to a good start with my annual cycle to the Isle of Wight. Once again, it was only me but that’s fine it’s good to keep it going and I always enjoy cycling on the Isle of Wight. Although it did turn into a bit of a pub crawl this time!

At lunchtime, I stopped off at the Chequers Inn at Rookley for something to eat. But it was too busy for me, and I couldn’t be bothered to queue up for the carvery. So I just had a pint of beer instead. Unfortunately or maybe not, depending on your point of view. I was starting to get a real taste for it, and after my third pint, I decided that I’d better get a move on. Or I’d never leave.

By the time I’d got to Shorwell, about another 6 miles away, I was starting to get the munchies. So I decided to stop off at the Crown Inn and get something to eat. And another couple of pints to wash the food down! By the time I left Shorwell, it was getting really late in the afternoon and I probably should have gone straight to the campsite. But I had to pass one more pub. The Three Bishops in Brighstone. It would have been rude not to go in there as well! Needless to say, by the time I arrived at the campsite, it was early evening. I was probably a little worse for wear, so I just put the tent up and retired for the evening!

Another Ride Out

I also had my overnight cycle ride to Winchester, and then, this past weekend, I cycled to Crowborough for Julie’s uncle’s 70th birthday party. So at least I’ve been able to get a few miles under my belt this month. I’m hoping to go away a bit more next month.

Fitness

On the health front, it’s not been particularly brilliant. Not only did I get cellulitis back again this month. But I now seem to have picked up some other allergy or something!

For the past couple of months, I’ve had this really angry rash on my arms and neck, which has been driving me mad. It’s been itching so much and I’ve been going to the doctor nearly every week. Trying to get something to ease it. They kept giving me different pills, potions and creams. But none of them seemed to work. In fact, some of them seemed to make things worse and just inflamed it!

Let’s See Somebody Else

Eventually, I’d had enough and went to see a consultant dermatologist. Who thought it was some form of airborne allergy or some photo-allergic reaction to some of the tablets I take for my back. To hopefully cure it, I’ve been put on a course of steroids for a month. Which meant for a while that I was taking 30 tablets a day, 30 is that a record? It probably isn’t but it’s still one hell of a lot of tablets to take. I was taking 18 at breakfast!

Maybe I should change the tagline of the website to “travels on a bike 2 not very far due to the amount of medication that needs to be carried these days!” Although now, at the end of the month, I’m only on 15 tablets a day. And the itchiness and rash have nearly gone.

I think that life is just the wrong way round! When you’re young, fit and able to do things, you just don’t seem to have enough time to do them. What with bringing up a family and providing a home. Yet when you have more time you can’t do those things because you’re not fit enough to do them!

But life is good and at least I’m still able to ride my bike!

Garry McGivern’s April 2016 update. Apologies for the late update this month. I’ve been having trouble with my internet connection and haven’t had a chance to get it sorted!

Friendly sign on the Isle of Wight

Steam train at Swanage

It’s been a really quiet month as far as cycling goes. only managing the one weekend trip away at the very beginning of the month down to Dorset and the New Forest; the rest of the month has been spent working even at the weekends!

River Frome at Wareham

Garry at Swanage Bay

On one of the days that I did have off. we went up to that there London town. This time it was to go and watch the London marathon. Julie’s daughter’s boyfriend was running in it. The idea was that we would travel up by train and meet her daughter there. As she was already in London, they would then go and watch the race while I went and did my own thing (I wouldn’t have been able to do the walking or standing around due to my back!) And I would meet them all at the finish.

Nothing Is Simple

The day really didn’t get off to a good start! Firstly halfway to the railway station I realised that I’d forgotten my phone and we all know that we can’t be without them these days! So we had to turn around to go and get it, this made things a little bit tight for catching the train so it was a mad dash back to the railway station to catch the train which we made with literally only a minute to spare, only to then found out that the train had broken down and it wouldn’t be leaving on time!

After a 20-minute wait, a replacement train arrived, and we were on our way. Midway through the journey, the conductor came on over the PA system to announce that the train wasn’t going to go to London after all. And would terminate halfway. So we would now have to change trains! We eventually arrived in London and made our way to meet Charlotte, Julie’s daughter. Charlotte was also running late (it’s a family trait!)

We decided to go to a café for a cup of coffee (I wasn’t allowed a pint!) But with no cafes about we had to buy a coffee from one of the little coffee stalls. And have it in one of those paper cups that everybody seems to have to carry around these days, which really winds me up! What is the point? Why? Are they really that busy that they can’t just sit down and drink it? You see people struggling to walk down the street pushing a pushchair, carrying bags and on the phone. Or, in a lot of cases, all three at the same time. But they still insist on carrying that stupid cup of coffee! They just can’t be seen to not have a cup in their hand, idiots! Rant over with!

After finding a seat to sit down and drink the coffee (I certainly wasn’t going to walk around with it). I went to take off the plastic lid and proceeded to spill half of it! If that wasn’t bad enough, when I went to put the sugar in, that went all over me as well!

After meeting Charlotte, Julie and Charlotte went their way, and I went mine. I’d decided that I was going to use the Boris bikes to get around. The underground would have been too busy. And besides, I’d not been out on one of those for ages.

Out On The Bike

I had a good day cycling around London town, and with very little traffic around it was rather pleasant. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get anywhere near the finish of the marathon to meet them all, which wasn’t really much of a surprise. So I met them all back at the railway station. While I was waiting at the railway station, I felt right at home. Everybody else was hobbling along in a lot of pain after they’d run the marathon. Perhaps people would think that I’d run it also!!

Dan Charlotte’s boyfriend completed the marathon in 4 hours and 16 minutes, which for the first time, I thought was pretty good.

I’d forgotten to mention last month about my new discovery on Twitter, I can now post short videos! This modern technology is marvellous!