Bicycle Touring England

This week’s Travelsonabike2 bicycle touring post comes from England on the 14th-February-2019. I’m in England, still getting used to cycling after my brush with death the previous year.

Thursday 14th February 2019. Sandown to Swanage. 56 miles.

Another day and another puncture! Although I don’t think I was quite as useless today, probably because of my practice run yesterday. And when I think back, that was possibly the first puncture I’ve had to fix since I was in Nepal in 2016. Maybe I should think about getting a new tyre.

As I was fixing my puncture in a layby on the island, the coastguard, the council, and then a marine biologist turned up. There was a dead dolphin washed up on the beach; poor thing, it made me feel a bit sad. But apart from the puncture and the dead dolphin, it’s still been a good day. The weather’s been gorgeous, with lovely warm sun all day, it’s felt spring-like.

Old Friend

I had a good ride along the south coast of the Isle of Wight and saw my mate Gordon, the alpaca, as I rode past Grange Farm campsite. I didn’t stop to speak to him; he was too far away, anyway, he probably wouldn’t remember me. After cycling across the Isle of Wight, I caught the ferry to Lymington.

I couldn’t believe how busy the roads were. I don’t remember them being that busy last year. But maybe I was too drugged up with all the medication I was on back then. I’ve decided that I’m not entirely over this sepsis thing after all. My legs are constantly aching, and everything I do is a major effort. It’s my reason for not camping tonight. The cold doesn’t worry me; it’s just everything involved in camping. Putting a tent up, walking across a field to shower, crawling in and out of the tent, and then packing it all away the following morning. No, I think I’ll give camping a miss for a little while yet! Although saying that, I still have it in my head that I’m going to camp tomorrow. So, instead of camping, I’m staying in a youth hostel tonight!

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