When we get it right in the UK… well we just get in right. Mary and I have just come back from Kimmeridge and the South Coast footpath with the dogs and the tent and the van. It will be one of those “where were you when you heard” trips as we raised a glass to the passing of Queen Elizabeth.
Or “Day Trips on the XT660Z in Mid Wales”… Just down the road from the Overland Workshop is Llyn Brianne, test rides and day trips over the Epynt Army Range will lead inevitable to the circular route round Brianne, and in all honesty it is possible to ride a few hundred miles in 7 or 8 hours and avoid most of the traffic on the coastal roads running south from Aberstwyth. I have like many, missed the opportunity for overseas tours so have been making the most of what we have to offer here in the UK, which to be honest, is quite a lot. I dragged the XT660Z out of the workshop and loaded up the MetalMules with lunch and randomly set off on a back road bumble – 7 hours later I was back home… time flies for me on the bike – its a great mental health reset.
In my opinion, there is nothing quite like it… end of a long day, cold beer in hand, sitting round a campfire with friends and colleagues, sharing a tale or two of travels completed and actions yet to take. It got me thinking of the things I love most when on the road so in no particular order… the sound of rain on my tent, snuggling back into my Rab Sleeping Bag on a cold morning, that first cup of coffee (maybe in the same sleeping bag), the jet like roar of my MSR XGK-EX stove, clean socks and pants after a long day on the bike, therapeutic bike maintenance the morning of the ride (and the strange reassurance of correct tyre pressures) and the soothing rustle of my Terra Nova Quasar – maybe its just me then…
