Most of the time, people ignore my efforts, especially family. I don't think this is an unusual situation, and it is one that I have become quite used to; nowadays I actually quite enjoy being an unseen and unsung force for the common good, whether it's doing the...

6th: I have been trying to think through what one would need to make a journey of two months by bike. Obviously the amount of clothing would depend on the season; a change of underwear, a warm sleeping bag, pillow, some form of mat to lay on, and a tent or hammock...

5th: I have been making plans for my first road trips. Claudio Magris’ Danubio and Defoe’s A Journey through the Whole Island of Great Britain have somehow caught my imagination. The trip along the Danube would be around 2,500 km (1,800 miles) and assuming that I...

3rd: Back to UK. For some reason, I arrive in the UK with the soundtrack from the Beatles song Back in the USSR ringing in my ears. The ferry journey has been unusually pleasant, with fewer than usual passengers, most of those on the boat being truck drivers from all...

We drive back via Rouen, stopping on the way at Monet’s garden at Giverny, and then reaching our gite at St Martin de S. at around 7 pm. It has been a long day’s driving, and the glass of Estabel red wine tastes particularly delicious as the sun goes down. The car is...

31st: Trip down to Gourgas with Luke. Luke is up for the round trip to St Etienne de Gourgas, but at Grandpa’s recommendation we decide to do the side-leg to Gourgas as well. We set off without too much fuss, and we negotiate the steep hill down to the D25 without...

21st to 29th: We drove down to Montpellier to see Emily off at the airport on the 20th, and then collected Luke about two hours later. He had done the journey from Gatwick and seemed typically unphased. As usual, I buy a copy of La Recherche magazine at the airport....

19th: The next day, Jenny has recovered and we set off to do the circuit from Soubes to St Etienne and then back along the other side of the river to Soubes. I admire Jenny for her perseverance, and although the initial leg to St Etienne is a struggle, we manage...

18th: Now Jenny has decided to “get on the bike”. She has been cycling a few times in Canada and on holidays in the UK, but my impression is that these trips have been at a fairly gentle pace. We decide to take things step-by-step, so our initial effort is to cycle...

17th: Emily and I select our preferred cycle helmets from the three in the store room. She has chosen the metallic blue model, and I have selected a worn out matt gold helmet. Neither fits very well, but they will keep us safe in the unlikely event of an accident. We...

16th: After a day recovering from the drive down by the poolside, I dig out the bikes lurking at the back of the shed halfway down the garden, nestled between an apple tree and the olive trees all over the plot. They are both sturdy, and three out of their four tyres...

We catch the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry at 9 am, and by 2 pm we are on the road from Dieppe heading south. After days of confusion, we have thrown caution to the winds. Before we made our escape, the French Corona virus infection rate had soared, and there were constant...

Insurance finally secured with Cyclesure. A tremendously nice woman called Jan has fixed it up for me, and it gives me protection against theft, as well as liability cover if I am involved in an accident. They even give me a discount if I join Cycling UK, which I will...

Jenny and the family are back from Dorset. Sadly the holiday has been spoiled by a theft. A thief or thieves have knocked in the windows of a row of cars parked on a quiet country rode and looted whatever they could get their hands on. Jenny’s bag containing her...

Insuring the bike has proved much more of a chore than I expected. I had imagined that home insurance companies would be falling over themselves to insure your electric bike, given the virtuous appeal and sustainability of this means of transport. In particular,...

Today, I walked into town to buy a pump for the bicycles. I was astonished by the overwhelming range of models available. Bike pumps range in price from the basic £9.99 model that I finally settled for to high tech contraptions that cost upwards of £40. It therefore...

3rd: Back and forth between home and allotment My confidence has improved and I feel the wind is in my sails. Today I went down the allotment at 6 am, hardly any traffic on the road. Rather than the 45 minutes prep time I needed on previous trips, I am getting used to...