It might seem strange, but all of those emotions are flying through me at the moment. Over the years, I've travelled many miles, using various forms of transport - pretty much everything from walking to flying.
But, I've never before undertaken such a journey by bike.
As with walking and running, you're completely in touch with what's going on around you. The views, the weather, the scenery and the smells.
30 to 40 miles a day can be readily achieved. However, as I've already found out, seeking somewhere to stay overnight, isn't quite so easy.
Many campsites are still fully booked, even at this time of year.
Kids! Aren't you all supposed to be back at school?!
That combined with the very simple fact that we don't know exactly where we'll be stopping each day, makes booking a pitch in advance, almost impossible.
Even the latest online OS maps aren't too helpful. They don't show all campsites, and some of those they do, are no longer there! That little blue caravan and tent symbol, is often next to useless!
As a result, the distance we travel the first day, may not be as far as I'd originally anticipated.
There are a number of campsites close to the route, but only one - one of the nearest - appears to have last-minute pitches available. Others are either fully booked, or don't bother to answer phones or reply to emails!
When they do bother, there's a remote possibility that you may have the following, albeit brief, conversation:
Them: "Do you have your own toilets?"
Me: "Er, no! We're on bicycles!"
Them: "Sorry, you must have your own toilets..."
And that was from an official, apparently club "certificated" campsite, close to the South Downs National Park (popular with hikers and cyclists), not a "wild camping" site.
I know I've covered such sanitary issues in an earlier post "the sensitive issue of being caught short", but, I certainly wasn't expecting such a response from what purports to be a "proper" campsite!
I've stayed in some pretty basic campsites before, but this is the first time I've actually been expected to provide my own toilet! On a bike!
"Just pitch up in the nearest field!" you say.
Unfortunately, in England, it's not that easy, except on Dartmoor - and, we're not going that way.
On open access land, as defined in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act), camping without the express permission of the land owner, is not permitted.
We will be passing through part of Exmoor National Park, but even there, "wild camping" is not, theoretically, allowed. Although, there are reports that park rangers tend to turn a blind eye to a single overnight stop - so long as nothing is left behind, apart from footprints, and nothing is taken away, apart from memories and photographs.
So, on occasion, we might just have to seek out a friendly farmer, and ask permission to hunker down in one of his/her fields.
Either that, or risk being woken up in the middle of the night, only to be told to "move on!" I'm beginning to feel a bit like a vagrant!
It seems the cycling bit is the easy part - it's the overnight stops that are causing the greatest issue!
Oh well! The experience will be interesting...
Happy cycling!
Additional information and links
The JustGiving pages for the dementia charities can be found at:
Alzheimer's Society page - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/martyn-feather-as or text ASDP84 £2 to 70070 (if you wish to donate more just enter a different figure after the £ sign - e.g. £5)
Dementia UK page - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/martyn-feather-duk or text BIJJ81 £2 to 70070 (if you wish to donate more just enter a different figure after the £ sign - e.g. £5)
We are now also raising funds for a West Sussex based charity, Dementia Support
Dementia Support MyDonate page - https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/martynfeather1
@inmemoryofmymum can be found on both Facebook and Twitter, so you can follow the ride there too. You can also find me on Facebook - Martyn Feather (Skippy), and Twitter - @ZkidooKreativ
The text and photos contained within this blog are the intellectual property of Martyn Feather, unless otherwise indicated. © Martyn Feather 2017
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