All Points North 2021 Race Report
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All Points North 2021 Race Report

Intro All Points North 2021 is a self-supported, ultra-distance, endurance race. It’s a really unique race in that there isn’t a set route – there isn’t even a set direction! The only criteria is you must ride to each of the 10 checkpoints, which are dotted – not very evenly – around the north of…

Dales Divide 2021 Race Report
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Dales Divide 2021 Race Report

Intro The Dales Divide is a 600km coast to coast (and back again!) off-road bikepacking adventure through the Yorkshire Dales & North Yorkshire Moors. It follows quiet back lanes, smooth gravel tracks rough hardpack field crossings & unforgiving rough-stuff bridleways – all the while taking in some of the finest Yorkshire vistas. This blog has…

Scrambling in Snowdonia: Exploring Lesser Known Routes
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Scrambling in Snowdonia: Exploring Lesser Known Routes

What better way to change the tune of monotony than an exhilarating weekend of scrambling in Snowdonia! Over the last few weeks I’ve found myself feeling dull & routinely, needing some time away, a break from this new ‘normality’. Craving time off the beaten track, up in the mountains where the only thing that matters…

Bikepacking the Lakeland 200
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Bikepacking the Lakeland 200

The next chapter in my roam home series this summer was bikepacking the Lakeland 200. Branded as a rite of passage for Lake District mountain bikers, it’s a fiendish 200km loop that has just about everything, from quiet back lanes, smooth gravel, technical climbs, bog slog, high mountain passes & super fun singletrack. The route…

Bikepacking the Yorkshire Dales 300
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Bikepacking the Yorkshire Dales 300

Straight off bikepacking the spine of England along the Pennine Bridleway, what better way to continue my summer of UK exploration than to jump straight back on the bike & set off bikepacking the Yorkshire Dales 300?! In all honesty, I told myself on Sunday evening on the way home from the Pennine Bridleway I…

Bikepacking the Pennine Bridleway
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Bikepacking the Pennine Bridleway

2020 is looking like the year of roaming home. With restrictions being gradually lifted, multi-day bicycle trips are back on the agenda – first up, bikepacking the Pennine Bridleway. Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic this summer, I’m swapping a ‘round the world bike tour’ for a summer of UK exploration – it’s a good thing the…

Winter Bikepacking in the Scottish Borders
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Winter Bikepacking in the Scottish Borders

So I probably couldn’t have picked a darker, colder, wetter time of year to head out on a 3-day adventure, winter bikepacking in the Scottish borders. After a pretty hectic end to year, I set out with the sole intention of addressing my work/bike balance. I ride to work every day, but work a lot…

Scottish Vanlife: 7 Favourite Locations
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Scottish Vanlife: 7 Favourite Locations

Think adventure, landscape, wilderness & pure rugged unspoilt beauty. Scotland is simply idyllic for campervans. From big mountain landscapes, to glistening white sandy beaches and magnificent coastlines. For me, Scotland takes the best of the Alps and mixes it with the best of the Mediterranean, making the best of both more accessible. Sure it rains…

Bikepacking for Beginners: 7 Top Tips
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Bikepacking for Beginners: 7 Top Tips

So I’ve finished work for the year & to celebrate I’m heading off on a winter bikepacking adventure in Scotland to address my work/bike balance! Do I feel prepared, absolutely not! But then again, I didn’t when I began my bikepacking adventures this summer. A few people have taken interest in my bikepacking adventures this…

7 Autumn Adventures in the Cairngorms National Park
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7 Autumn Adventures in the Cairngorms National Park

Fresh air, coffee, vanlife, adventure and simplicity – It could only be autumn adventures in the Cairngorms National Park. The best of the Scottish highlands. Oh, and bikes too (of course). With a week off scheduled, the lure of adventure begins to grow. Nothing quite awakens the soul like a trip to Scotland. Vast mountainous…

Birthday Bikepacking in the Lake District
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Birthday Bikepacking in the Lake District

How do you celebrate another year closer to arthritis? By heading out bikepacking in the Lake District! In a summer that has seen me graduate from university, ride my bike across the Alps & add my name to the Everesting hall of fame. There is one adventure that stands out from the rest – a…

Bikepacking the Yorkshire 3 Peaks
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Bikepacking the Yorkshire 3 Peaks

Low winds, clear skies & the calling of the Yorkshire 3 peaks. With the glorious forecasts ahead of the 2019 Yorkshire 3 peaks cyclocross race, it seemed rude not to head out bikepacking the Yorkshire 3 Peaks route beforehand! With the Yorkshire 3 peaks being as popular as they are, mountain biking the 24 mile…

Bikepacking and Bothies in the Scottish Borders
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Bikepacking and Bothies in the Scottish Borders

Linking together bikepacking and bothies in the Scottish borders has been on my hit list for some time. Like most, I’ve always driven straight past the Scottish borders in search of adventure in the highlands. I mean it’s not exactly on the way to anywhere is it! Rumour has it, the gravel trails of Kielder…

Seeking Clarity and Adventure in the Scottish Highlands
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Seeking Clarity and Adventure in the Scottish Highlands

So I’ve just returned back to normality after a week away, seeking both answers and adventure in the Scottish Highlands. It’s been a hectic summer – but for all the right reasons, this summer has been one to remember. From my journey of 1000 miles across the alps, to successfully adding my name to Everesting…

Everesting: The Ultimate Climbing Challenge
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Everesting: The Ultimate Climbing Challenge

‘The concept of Everesting is fiendishly simple: Pick any hill, anywhere in the world and ride repeats of it in a single activity until you climb 8,848m – the equivalent height of Mt Everest. Complete the challenge, and you’ll find your name in the Hall of Fame, alongside the best climbers in the world.’ –…

Bikepacking the Austrian Salzkammergut: A Journey of One Thousand Miles (Part 4)
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Bikepacking the Austrian Salzkammergut: A Journey of One Thousand Miles (Part 4)

Bikepacking the Austrian Salzkammergut, the final leg on my journey of one thousand miles! From sunny Slovenia, I was greeted by rain and thunderstorms in Austria. The objective was Vienna. From Villach, Vienna was a pretty reasonable distance. But I didn’t come to alps for reasonable distance. I came to the alps to explore. I’d…

Bikepacking the Soca Valley: A Journey of One Thousand Miles (Part 3)
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Bikepacking the Soca Valley: A Journey of One Thousand Miles (Part 3)

My traverse across the Eastern Dolomites brought me to the foothills of the Julian Alps, where I was to begin bikepacking the Soca Valley. I’d experienced remoteness and isolation for the first time on this journey of one thousand miles. I’d ridden in thick clouds, through apocalyptic rain, getting further and further from civilisation. Having…

Bikepacking Across the Italian Dolomites: A Journey of One Thousand Miles (Part 2)
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Bikepacking Across the Italian Dolomites: A Journey of One Thousand Miles (Part 2)

Part 2 of my journey of one thousand miles, bikepacking across the Italian Dolomites, started in spectacular fashion. Camping at high altitude, not far from Livigno. That night was the night the weather was due to break across the alps. TDF stage 19 had already been abandoned and the bad weather was due to move…