There is no better way to start the day than getting on your bike and cycling into the office. Of course we all have images of the bedraggled fluorescent cyclist trudging his or her way through dark streets in the pouring rain, but having commuted by bike off and on throughout my career I can safely say that the days you get totally soaked are in fact very rare. There was one notable exception when I cycled back from my office in Singapore in a tropical storm but that is another story.

My most enjoyable commuting experience was cycling to work down the Bow River valley in Calgary, Alberta. The rush of the bluey green glacial water, the crisp cool mountain air and the occasional sighting of some exciting wildlife all added to a great 30 minutes or so. Offices have made great strides in recent years, installing changing rooms and showers and safe parking spaces for bikes, but we are still a long, long way from anything comparible with our European friends.

So it was actually a real pleasure the other day to cycle into work with my son Graham who lives in Manchester. His offices are near Stockport and I did have visions of battling with trucks and cars through congested streets. Graham is fortunate that his offices do have secure bike parking, showers, a changing room and a canteen for some breakfast. If only all offices could offer such outstanding facilities.

I was however pleasantly surprised to find that the streets were on the whole wide enough to allow cars to pass comfortably and in most places there was a cycle “right of way” marked on the side of the road. These did have the annoying habit of disappearing when the road narrowed, which was exactly the place you most needed them. The poor road surfaces made riding tough with pot holes and deep drains and I fear with all of the ongoing cutbacks that is only going to get worse.

There were a few other commuting cyclists out there so the average Manchester driver is used to seeing cyclists and I have to say most were very considerate and the trip was made without incident. On my return trip though, a fellow cyclist though did the usual trick of cycling through a red light, behaviour which completely baffles me. He risked life and limb, just to save possibly the 10 seconds we had to wait at the light. I would recommend he watches the first episode of “A Single Parent” on BBC to see the impact of what can happen when somebody runs a red light.

I have always wanted to cycle in Peaks district and so took this opportunity to explore National Cycle Network Route 55. I had to overcome some busy traffic on the ride from Stockport up to Marple and after cycling round the station a few times at Marple, I did finally find the well concealed entrance to the cycle / horse / path. The 10 mile path is called the Middlewood Way and links the town of Marple to Macclesfield in the south. It is a great place to take the family for the day or if you are a novice rider it offers a traffic and hill free environment to learn and get comfortable with cycling. There are a number of picnic areas and the Macclesfield Canal follows close by.

I stopped off in the industrial town of Bollington, and took some time to take in the spectacular view from the viaduct which passes over the town. I found some relatively quiet country lanes on the ride back which again being so close to Manchester is a marvel. By the time I arrived back at Didsbury a warm coffee and bagel were very welcome.  

The Woodford Way is a little hidden gem, and offers an opportunity to cycle in peaceful seclusion with the bustling metropolis of Manchester easily forgotten.

Having participated in the Bath 100 some years ago I knew that these events were really well organised by the Action Medical Research charity and a pretty tough challenge. You have the choice of cycling 100miles or 100 kms in a loop in a single day. The thought of trying to do 100miles in one day was a little bit extreme so Cycle Tours UK opted for doing the 100km route which was much more sensible, although still quite a challenge.

An early start from Sparsholt College just outside Winchester, in rather dull and cool weather got the blood circulating and cycling in a threesome helps reduce the effort involved. However when you hit the hills, of which there are many, the organisation of the small peloton soon disintegrated as we all gasped for breath. It is always amazing how many hills there are in Hampshire, in what seems relatively flat countryside. It was therefore a great relief when we came upon the first coffee stop. Guilt free consumption of cakes and biscuits was the order of the day and helped re-establish fitness for the rest of the ride.

As the morning wore on, the weather deteriorated and as we approached the New Forest we were riding through heavy rain. The New Forest always seems a bit of an anomaly to me. It is always the “cycling destination” of choice in the south, however on the few roads that criss-cross the National Park there is always lots of traffic and in the open moorland there always seems to be a head wind. I believe however that the off-road trails in the New Forest are fun to cycle. As we rose up onto the moor out of Fordingbridge, today proved no different and the standard head wind hit us, but fortunately the rain had stopped.

It was hard going but again situated in just the right spot was the second and last coffee stop for the 100km riders. We joined up with the 100mile riders at this point and with the weather conditions as they were, we were very glad not to have taken on those extra 60kms. Strangely on longer rides keeping hydrated is more of an issue than hunger, but a home made sandwich and biscuit were more than welcome and thanks to all those who came out and volunteered to support the event.

Thankfully the weather had cheered up somewhat for the final 30km ride back to Sparsholt through the beautiful Test Valley. There is no avoiding the hills around Winchester and so it was a pretty tired team that eventually arrived back at the finish line.

Courtesy of my Garmin Edge, I can tell you that we completed the 100km course in a total time of 5 hrs and 50 minutes. However with stops for snacks and a puncture the total moving time was 4hrs 35minutes which is an average speed of 22km/hr. We also climbed over 800m during the day which is the reason we all felt pretty tired at the end.

It was a really well organised event and thanks to all those who came out and volunteered their support. I have it marked into the calendar for next year.

A time trial in France? Moi??? All I had ever seen of time trials were the close up shots on TV of the Contadors or the Armstrongs pounding the road in an hour of extreme physical endurance. I guess in a way it is sport in its purest form. It is somewhat equivalent to the 800m or 1500m athletics races. Basically flat out sprinting for an extended period of time so that speed, physical endurance and mental toughness all play a part. Fancy bikes, pointed helmets and lycra help a little but ultimately it is down to you.

The top pros do the 50 odd kilometres in about an hour so do the maths. The Duo Normand was a little bit easier with pairs, so that you can slip stream with your partner (in theory). It was still however a 54km course with lots of hills. It is set in the sleepy little village of Marigny in the south of Normandy and makes a great weekend away.

This was a massive change in activity level for me, from the relaxed daily outings guiding tours around Hampshire, Dorset and Devon, but a challenge that I couldn’t resist. I thought I had better do some training and worked out a 30km course from Winchester to Bishops Waltham that didn’t involve many hills. My first attempt was a satisfactory 1hr 11mins giving an average speed of about 26km/hr. My partner, Matt, had completed the 54km course the year before in 1hr 35minutes so I had to gain a lot of speed and strength to achieve that kind of level. I did some more runs and then on the Thursday before the event did my final training run. I completed it in 1hr 12 minutes! How depressing. There seemed to be a physical and mental limit to what my body could achieve.

Still with light hearts we caught the ferry across from Poole to Cherbourg along with some other cycling hopefuls and had a most enjoyable day in the sun on the coast of Normandy. We stayed in the beautiful chateau at Le Castel, close to Marigny, but had to be sensible the night before and not blow out on good food and wine.

The early start was a little tough on the wives (the support crew), but the weather was perfect and we couldn’t have asked for better conditions. After warming up I started to get a bit of a complex about my cycling shorts and t-shirt. I was surrounded by the “lycra” crowd with tri-bikes, hard wheels and every form of cycling paraphernalia. It did make you think that the big winners in the cycling world were the dealers!

The start is timed off a ramp, (a totally new experience pour moi) and you head straight off up a short hill. The wives were in the following car and it was difficult not to wave and say hi as we started past, (very unprofessional). The first 30kms were basically flat with a few undulations and I knew I had to control my partner Matt, who was keen to get on and build up a good speed. His calls from behind of “oh my goodness we have reached double figures” were not encouraging! Exactly how slowly we were going was only realised when the group behind us came whizzing past after only a few kilometres. This spurred Matt on and our speed started to edge ever upwards.

After 30kms you suddenly hit the hills and it is like somebody has just whacked your legs with a cricket bat. All oxygen on the universe suddenly disappears and the lungs that were working so well only a few moments before are now gasping for the slightest hint of air. Suddenly a yawning gap materialises between you and your partner and although the mind says “catch up”, the body says “not on your life”. Fortunately Matt slowed and we did move ahead as a pair but now the reality of the event had truly materialised.

The route passes back through Marigny and then completes the final 10km loop up and over a hill. Gaining a second wind we ploughed up the hill in good form and then roller coasted down the other side at a fare speed. But hang on what was this? We were actually gaining on the pair that had passed us not too long ago. Should we overtake them? Just at the critical point my calf muscle cramped. The pain and embarrassment of not being able to push on the pedals, especially when overtaking. The pair duly passed us again shortly thereafter as we climbed the final ascent back to Marigny. And then glory be, the top and the sign that said only 1km left. We tried to cycle as fast as possible into Marigny to impress the crowd but I think we were less than impressive. As I crossed the finsh line I thought the timer had said 1hr 46minutes. Surely not. I would have been satisfied with 2 hours. I think the fastest time in those early skirmishes was 1hr 18minutes. Rather extraordinary.

Sitting over a glass of wine and dinner in the evening, the banter was mainly around old slow coach Dawson and what an easy day’s ride it had been for Matt. Could be true but none the less my interest has been sparked and I will definitely organise a trip back next year.

Cycle Touring in Hampshire in the autumn is poetry in motion.  It’s a fantastic time for getting on the bike and heading off into the countryside to do a little hunting and gathering amongst the hedgerows for Blackberries.  At Cycle Tours UK we encourage our guests to take a break from cycling, get off the bikes and into the hedges to feast on nature’s bounty.  Nothing could be sweeter!    

A Sunday afternoon in September found us cycling out of Winchester towards Easton where we know the hedgerows are easily accessible from the road and are guaranteed to be brimming with Blackberries.  I made sure I had lots of 1 litre Ziploc plastic bags in my panniers, and a bottle of water which would come in useful in the picking process.

 A hazy sun was shining warm across my shoulders, a mild breeze was blowing, and the fields were scraped back and bare of the crops recently harvested.  We cycled past a field where a tractor stood in the middle of it, the farmer leaning up against his great machine, gazing out over the  Hampshire landscape relaxed and satisfied with his work.  It’s mildly hilly out Easton way, and swooping up and down over the rolling landscape I could hear the raucous crows cawing sharply in the air as they wheeled over head diving into the fields to glean grain. As we cycled Chris pointed out two deer also feeding left in the fields, heads down foraging for the tasty treat of grain that had escaped the combine.  

Reminded of our mission, and I began to pay more attention to the hedgerows to find the big, sweet berries we were after.  Pushing the bikes up against the hedges off the road, we got out our Ziploc bags and began the ticklish job of pulling the berries away from their thorny branches.  This is a tricky business and your fingers are going to get pricked again and again as you pull the fruit away.  This year the blackberry crop is lush and abundant – big juicy berries are heavy on the branches and it was easy to fill up six bags as we stopped, foraged, then cycled on to the next big patch.  I’m a bit of a ‘one for me and then one for the bag’  type of picker.  I love the taste of the warm fruit, the juice sweet with sun and rain and earth.  The water in my bottle came in very handy after a while to rinse off the sticky juice from my hands and face, but it doesn’t remove the purple stain from your finger tips and under your nails.  The little prickles from the thorns made me feel like I’d  ‘earned’ my berry booty! 

I noticed as we cycled that the rose-hips are spectacular this year – their glowing reddy - orange berries are huge, forming dense bunches of colour in the hedges.  The richly purple-black wild damson plums are also heavy on their branches – and those make fantastic damson jam!      

Hunting and Gathering done for another season, it was time for a break, and on this cycle route you are spoiled for choice.  Should you stop at The Cricketers Arms pub in Easton for a relaxing pint, or perhaps The Running Horse further on for a drink in the pretty beer garden, or should we push on a bit further to Avington House where tea and cake is served on Sunday afternoons?   The Sunday Hunt and Gather route was a green route by the CTUK  grading system,  mostly flat with manageable hills. 

I shall leave you with something the famous English poet John Keats dashed off on the back of a beer mat having been walking in the Winchester Water Meadows one fine September day in 1819 :

Ode to Autumn – John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'erbrimmed their clammy cells.’

The Monday morning of the August Bank Holiday was sunny, warm and a bit breezy, perfect for a day’s cycle touring in the New Forest.  We started our ride at the Brock Hill picnic site, deep in the woods near the Tall Trees Trail.  A paved road winds it’s way through a section of the new forest that was once the private land of the Rheinfield family and was planted with exotically foreign giant Redwood trees from California and the mighty Douglas Fir found in West Coast Canadian forests.  The sun played through the thick canopy dappling the huge ferns, reddening the bark of the towering Redwoods.  The Douglas Fir Trees some of which would be almost 150 years old have a shaggy, crusty bark, deeply carved by the elements.  The woods were cool and shady as we craned our necks to see the tree tops.  We welcomed the warm sunshine and big open skies as we burst onto Whitefield Heath.  

The heath was an ocean of dusty purple heather at this time of year coming into life as the summer foliage dies back. It was busy on the heath,  the holiday weekend brought out hundred’s of families for picnics, walking and watching the wild ponies who dot the heath, their bay coats shining and their black tails swishing. Grazing contentedly the ponies seemed oblivious to all the human activity around them. 

We carried on our way toward our destination – Milford-on-Sea, and it was gratifying to see so many families out on their bikes, tootling along enjoying the last day of summer hols before the new school term.  There was a Bank Holiday fete in Brockenhurst, with bands and parades and lots activity, another village was having a scarecrow competition, and we saw some amusing scarecrows decorating front gardens, and the Musketeer Beer Festival almost tempted us to stop – but we didn’t want to get done for drinking and peddling.

Arriving at Milford-on-Sea, we were good and ready for our picnic, which we had on a bench overlooking the sea, with a view of the Isle of Wight.  Food always tastes better when seasoned with salt air and sea breezes.  Down below us on the beach, children were frolicking in the waves, their laughter sparkling like the sun on the sea. 

On our way back we came across lots of hunter-gathers foraging for blackberries in the hedgerows by the side of the road.  We love this time of year for berry picking while out for a cycle and try and remember to always have a plastic container with us in a saddle bag.  The berries didn’t look as ripe as they will be in another week’s time warmed by more autumn sun, so we’re looking forward to our next ride when the berries will be sweeter and juicier. 

That was the view from between the handle bars at the end of August.  Next month’s blog will explore another route describing the English countryside as the summer slowly rolls into the ‘mellow fruitfulness’ of autumn.   

The summer of 2010 has proved to be an exciting time for Cycle Tours UK. What was simply an idea in 2009 has now blossomed into a fully functioning company developing cycle tourism in the Hampshire, Dorset and Devonshire regions.

After the company launch in February, we have hosted visits from both local and overseas journalists whose articles have helped develop the basic principle that cycling in the UK is a most enjoyable experience.

The UK is not considered a prime cycling destination and it is the single goal of Cycle Tours UK to transform that attitude by offering safe low traffic routes, beautiful quality accommodation and fantastic food.

We hosted a Canadian journalist and after cycling through Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Exmoor, her articles were published in various media outlets throughout Canada. It is safe to say that she was literally blown away by the variety and beauty of the countryside we cycled through. The rolling hills of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight contrasting so dramatically with the wild moorland of Exmoor. On one day we happened upon a delightful little pub in the heart of Exmoor, called the Royal Oak in Withypool which had the log fire and local beers on tap creating the quintessential English experience. It has now become an essential part of the Exmoor tour.

The Canadian articles resulted in some families booking up tours as an alternative to the normal itinerary of spending their vacation in London. The tours are very much suited to overseas tourists because all they need do is show up with a suitcase and Cycle Tours UK looks after them from then on. We supply the bikes, helmets, saddle bags, rain gear and can even pick them up from either Heathrow or Gatwick. There is a choice of venues to stay at, the base in Winchester being Lainston House Hotel. Needless to say the luxurious surrounds of Lainstons makes a very attractive start to the vacation. One of the families decided to spend 4 days cycling in the Winchester area and staying at Lainston House for the duration. Another family decided they wanted to experience Exmoor and so Cycle Tours UK drove them to N Devon for a very different cycling challenge. All accommodation is chosen for its luxurious rooms and great home cooked food. It is terrific after a day’s bike ride to be able to relax and enjoy the meals without any sense of guilt.

Additional press tours in the latter part of August with both local and national press are helping to develop the idea that cycling in the UK is a most enjoyable thing to do. In the coming weeks we will update this blog with cycle days that we enjoy and other experiences along the way. I look forward to your company.