cycling Archives - Books And Travel

Cycling Oxford To Bath Through The Cotswolds, England

In May 2021, we cycled Oxford to Bath through the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the southwest of England. In this article, I’ll share some thoughts and practical tips as well as photos from the route.

Practical info

We booked our self-guided cycle trip through Headwater who set us up with a local operator, Hikes and Bikes. We were given route information beforehand and Headwater has an app for navigation. However, we really love the Komoot app, so we plotted the routes into Komoot and used that on the way. The 24-gear bikes were provided with a side pannier and two locks and were fine for the route, which is mostly quiet roads and trails.

Bike with pannier Photo by JFPenn — Bike with side pannier for Costwold cycling. Photo by JFPenn

My husband, Jonathan, is an experienced cyclist and very comfortable on a bike. I haven’t been on a bike for several years and am definitely not bike fit, so it was a little challenging in parts, even though it’s not a very hilly route. Headwater rated it 1+, generally relaxing with some hills.

Facing Fears And Changing Your Mind While Traveling. Cycling Around The World With Doug Walsh

Unusual Places

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If you spend years planning your dream trip, what happens when life gets in the way? Do you change your plans or do you plow on regardless? Is the journey more important than the destination, and are you living in a way that honors that choice?

In this wide-ranging interview with Doug Walsh, we talk about how fears and expectations can shape our travel experiences, and what we can learn about ourselves as well as the places we visit along the way.

Doug Walsh is a former game strategy author and travel writer. His novel, Tailwinds Past Florence, is a romantic adventure with a time travel twist based on cycling around the world with his wife Kristen.

Show notes

Planning a trip around the world for six years and some of the highlights
The generosity of strangers
Learning about ourselves on long trips — especially when we have to face our fears along the way
Holding plans lightly and pivoting when necessary
Dealing with travel burn-out
Maintaining a healthy relationship while traveling with a partner
What happens when you get home after a big trip?
Recommended books

You can find Doug Walsh at DougWalsh.com

A Time Of Birds: Cycling Across Europe To Istanbul With Helen Moat

Unusual Places

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Would you cycle across Europe on a ‘sit up and beg’ bike with little experience and no map reading skills? Helen Moat talks about how her adventure unfolded in an inspiring interview that will have you reaching for the guide books and considering where you could travel next.

Helen Moat is an author and freelance travel writer for Wanderlust and BBC Countryfile, originally from Northern Ireland. Today we’re talking about her latest book, A Time of Birds: Reflections on Cycling Across Europe.

Show notes

Making the decision to plan a cycling trip without much experience
Taking time to enjoy the journey
Starting off on the flats near the Danube and the Rhine
Restoring one’s faith in humanity by staying with strangers while couch surfing
Facing fears about the journey
Choosing the wrong bike for the ride
Slow travel and seeing the world from the seat of a bicycle
Travel as a time of healing

You can find Helen Moat at her website here and her books on Amazon.

Cycling Around The World With ML Buchman

Travel Memoir

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Sometimes we can only find our true selves by leaving everything we thought we wanted behind. Matt Buchman was a successful business consultant, but when he lost everything, he set off to cycle around the world. It was a way to escape his old life, but also to find a new path. In this interview, he talks about some of the highs and lows of the trip, but it’s also a discussion on what really matters and how to find home again.

M.L. Buchman is the author of over 60 romance, thriller, sci-fi, and fantasy books, as well as nonfiction. And today, we’re talking about his memoir, Mid-Life Crisis on Wheels: a Bicycle Journey Around the World.

Show notes

How losing everything led to a grand adventure
Dealing with fear of the unknown
Letting go of a perfect plan in order to learn more about yourself
How the lows are just as important as the highs when traveling
Looking for a definition of ‘home’
Adjusting to ‘normal’ life after an extended period of travel
Recommended books about cycling adventures

You can find ML Buchman at MLBuchman.com and on Twitter @mlbuchman

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Practical info

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