Dan's blog.

Why do it by yourself and how was it? Ive talked about doing this trip for years and its always been as a solo, unsupported expedition. The fun of finding my way (or not), finding somewhere to stay, meeting lots of really nice and interesting people and being self sufficient has been great. There have been a couple of moments when I would have liked to be with family and friends – but there have been very few spare moments to think about this.

Did you not feel lonely? No. The trip was so busy with time on the bike, finding somewhere to stay, unpacking, washing, repacking and eating that I didn’t have a lot of time to think about this. Also – with the blog and social media – it felt like lots of people were with me.

The Parkinson’s UK sponsorship was a great way of providing lots of money to charity (thank you again) and to start a positive wave of support for the journey which really helped me start off with a very positive mindset. This was important because those early days in the hills were a challenge.

Last though on this question is that I was very regularly in touch with Sarah, my wife, who helped me tremendously on one night when it looked like I might have to sleep outside. It was also lovely for Sarah to travel over and meet me mid-journey for the evening. Sarah’s positive support of the journey – and my wider family – has helped make it such a positive experience.

What are your feelings about the trip? This was a moving feast. There were moments when I thought – can I do this? Two in particular spring to mind – one yesterday north of Inverness and the other at Snake Pass in the Pennines. These kind of moments have been greatly out numbered by the positivity of seeing an every changing landscape, dealing with different situations and meeting lots of interesting people. During the middle stages of the trip – when I’d got over the shock of the Cornish /Devon hills and before I started to chase down the train before the RMT strike – it was joyous to simply be in the moment in the landscape on my bike. It was during a quiet moment that I had my only minor mishap – a 0mph fall off!

What were your favourite bits of the country? Clearly I’ve not seen all the country – but a narrow corridor up the country – but there were some awe inspiring landscapes. The South West sea sitting below cliffs and in beautiful bays. The beautiful bleakness of Bodmin Moor. A similar but different beauty in the Pennines. The Mendip hills were also a positive shock – both in steepness and beauty. The journey through the Highlands was very challenging (because I tried to go too far in one day!) but simply amazingly beautiful. There were also parts of the country that looked like an injection of hope, positivity and maybe investment would help. Some of the larger towns in the South West and North West fitted into this category and made a big argument for some sort of levelling up.

Would you recommend making this journey? Yes – it was really enjoyable and interesting. Two important caveats – get the route and navigation sorted out and proven before your trip. I wasted lots and lots of miles going the wrong way early on. Second caveat is to ride within yourself and take your time. When I pushed above 90 miles in a day in harder terrains – it meant a late arrival (after 6pm is late for this kind of journey in my book) and fatigue. Also – whilst the national cycle way routes are often brilliant – I would avoid travelling through large cities as it is slow and complicated. Other cyclists have recommend Komoot as providing a good route on quieter roads. It also make sense to pack much lighter than I did. I ended up with about 50% less luggage by the end of the ride and didn’t miss any of the 50%!

One for the cyclists – what about the kit? My titanium bike is a really good bit of kit. I had a squeaking pedal problem which was a bit irritating – but this was the only mechanical issue. The ultegra DI2 gears didn’t miss a beat – but I’d have liked an easier gear on some of the hills. Also – no punctures in over 1100 miles! Hats off to my Specialized Armadillo tyres. The lack of punctures was quite lucky because the fancy new pump that I didn’t have to use looks very complicated. I did find my back and shoulders were aching during the ride and Im still kicking myself that I didn’t get the bike tuned in a bike fit before leaving.

I also travelled with panniers on the back and a kind of handlebar bag up front – all Ortlieb. Other cyclists had said be careful with rear panniers because it can be difficult to climb without the front wheel rising. I didn’t have this problem -you just have to get over your front handlebars when you are out of the seat. My seat was also comfortable (Specialized Ronin Evo) although I had considered a Brooks seat.

Final thought is that a regular 85+ miles per day on a touring bike with luggage is very different to an 50 miles unloaded spin on a road bike both in terms of effort and approach. You absolutely need to restrain your inner Chris Froome when you are touring because you need to conserve energy for a long day and the day after. The other thought is that you really want to enjoy the journey by having time to look around and enjoy the experience – something that’s difficult to do if you are focused on maximising watts.

Funniest moments? It was quite funny to finish a really long day of cycling near Manchester and find that there was nowhere to stay within 30 miles. Whilst booking.com was giving me the bad news – the town I was in seemed to have a full scale drunken riot going on outside their local pub too to add a touch of menace to the moment. Perhaps this is one of those experiences that feels like fun when I look back at it? Falling off my bike in front of the immaculately kitted and attired German bike packers at 0mph was also funny.

The ultimate fun of the trip has been meeting and talking with other people on any number of topics. Guy the fast cyclist, the lovely couple from Essex at Watergate bay (where I really need some positive chat), Dan and Scott from Colorado, Graham and Carole at the Bewdley B&B, Carole at Moffat House, Jack at Camel Valley Wines, the BBC production manager and Piano tuner in Glasgow, the biker in Larkhill and all the people that have helped me dry my washing at hotels and B&Bs. There are lots more that I should also name on this list.

Writing my first blog on my first bike packing adventure has also been fun. Its been great (and surprising) to hear how many of you have been reading it! Thank you for reading and thanks for your comments.

Some of my favourite images…