Pick my brains

“Wait, you’ve never driven a motorbike before?”  I shook my head at the question, wondering why it had taken until this point in time to ask. I had in fact already paid the man and currently held the key in my hand.  My firm response didn’t seem to bother him and after a 30 second introduction to this alien machine, he encouraged me to join the traffic.  Thank god I had opted for an automatic. …

Hoi An is one of those places you arrive in, overwhelmed instantly by the flurry of colour and intrigue. And aside from the expected street markets and hand-made lanterns, this ancient city has hidden gems that can be fully appreciated by each and every visitor if you just take the time to look.  Step inside to the Reaching out Teahouse, located down one of the peaceful old town streets. As you…

(Apologies for the lack of photos – I am currently backpacking and will add my SLR shots once I reach a computer).  Before arriving in Bangkok I imagined hustle and bustle, interesting smells and street food galore. It was however a city that had never been on my ‘list’ of places to see, due mainly to the frequent press of full moon parties and drunk foreigners – it just isn’t my scene. But when…

Now that I have had time to reflect on my first cycle tour adventure, I feel as though I saw and experienced a lot more when comparing my time to that of a typical tourist; by which I mean tourists that travel by car, coach, motorbike and motor-home. For me, the pace of the bike allowed the acceptance of slow(er) travel and with it came the freedom to stop whenever and for however long I fancied.…

I cannot stand carrying around anything for a long period of time, only to realise it has not been used. During my last week in Iceland, I was reminded whilst unpacking for another night of camping that my newly purchased Bivvy bag had so far gone unloved. It was time to render this.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I had been putting it off somewhat. Somehow being in a tent created a pseudo sense…

Nothing can really prepare you for the wonders of a glacial lagoon just metres from the main road. Especially when the 20km run up is nothing but flat, bland countryside that takes your thoughts to far away places.  For this particular entry I have attempted to paint with pictures, rather than words. I still don’t feel an iPhone can do it (or anything) real justice but I don’t believe the magic…

There are actually too many brilliant reasons to go on a cycle tour; the never ending sense of freedom, unlimited thinking time and a perfect pace to absorb everything around – just to name a few that are key. But I thought I would highlight some of the most fun which bring me joy each and every day on the open road. You can sing at the top of your lungs without a care in the world.  Most of the…

The tourist scene is still very young in the beautiful fishing village of Husavik and it is evident from the small cafes and lack of attractions in the area – but this is a refreshing thing to see. The one attraction that is increasing the annual flock of people is the mineral rich bay of Skjalfandi and its many whale resident species, including the big blue.  A must see is the Whale Museum down…

When a wooden shaped shark pointed the way to the museum, I had a feeling this was a must-see.  The Bharnarhofn Shark museum sits below a dramatic mountain side, by the coast on the north side of the Snaefellsnes Peninsula. From afar, you would think it was a typical Icelandic farmstead. In actual fact, this is the place where roughly 60 Greenlandic sharks per annum meet their end to satisfy the…

As the longest day of the year approached and I found myself in Iceland, I hoped I’d be lucky enough to see the sun hug the horizon for a mere 2 hours before rising back up.  The fairies must have been listening because I got what I wished for and a whole lot more.  With my tent set up just metres from the incredibly still ocean, nestled between high rising mountains, I lay down with my head…

The natural reaction would be to freak out, cry and perhaps turn round and go home. I won’t pretend all three things didn’t cross my mind.  However, the whole point to coming to Iceland on my own for a month was for an adventure. And what is adventure without the odd mishap? A pretty serious one I admit, but like my friend pointed out; one to tell the grandkids.   All that was going through my…

It was great fun setting up a little competition to win Charlie the bike. As I expected, most of the applications hit my inbox late Sunday evening before the 12am deadline – the passionate emails from strangers started my day off with a smile. The most interesting thing to note was that all but one applicant was female which totally trumps the preconception that there aren’t many female cycle…

    Today at work the big boss walked in to find me and a colleague chatting. His face turned stern and he mimicked my posture and ‘joked’ that all we do is natter. As my colleague went on to mention “she’s leaving us this week to go to Iceland”, the big man interrupted and said “I know! She gets to go off and live the life of luxury”. This got my back up and in defence I replied: “Yes that’s…

When I reluctantly (at least as first) signed up to photographing my friends wedding in 2014, I never thought this would lead on to doing the same for my unexpected University friend’s big day. Alas, as with the first wedding I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed being the person to help capture the moment, and one that drifts by surprisingly fast. Here is a small collection from the day; I…

Bike and touring gear up for grabs

Right then, the moment of quitting my job to pursue a 4 week cycle tour around Iceland is almost upon me. And once I return, Charlie the scrapyard touring bike will need a new adventure (he doesn’t enjoy it when his tyres go flat) and more importantly a new, loving owner who will take him to see new sights! When Tom Allen first saved Charlie to venture off on the #freeLEJOG challenge I don’t…