Good Old UK

We have long said that if we got some Mediterranean weather here in the UK, you would not need to go abroad as often as we do as we have some of the most breathtaking scenery around. We have been lucky to see some of our home grown scenery through some of the many cycle tours, walking weekends or camping holiday breaks we have taken. Of course we have our problems here just like everywhere else, the rain!! the midgies of Scotland, too much traffic on the roads and the cost of everything!!! Tourists who come here must think this is such an expensive place to live as we attempt to prise every coin out of them for one thing and another.

We have some friends whom we have known a long time and we have a couple of "gang" weekends away where we go walking or site seeing somewhere in Spring and Autumn. We have been to the Lakes to many times to mention but we have also had breaks in Beverley, York, Durham, Derbyshire and the North Yorkshire Moors. We've also had many a cycling weekend or trip out with them over a ten year period of being a serious cyclist. When I say serious I mean rambling along steadily taking in the views, stopping for brews (both hot and cold) and not the tarmac spotting type cycling.

I went through a phase of mountain biking with some guys during the 1990's and what a laugh we had. Taking bikes where any sane person would only take a rucksack. The tour of great gable - a great walk with a bike, Helvelynn, High Street & the Garburn Pass to name a few lakeland routes. We have also done many a mile in both the Yorkshire and Derbyshire dales in the rain and snow. We gave this pastime up some years ago when the technical stuff become more of a mortality risk. Great times tho'.

Africa

In February 2005 I went to Africa with my brother, his friend Steve and my neighbour Bill. We went to climb Kilimanjaro with Explore. After the climb we went on a safari in Arusha National Park before flying on to Zanzibar for a few days.

The climb was fairly steady up to Kibo Hut at 16000 feet, it is the last climb to the summit that is probably the hardest thing I will ever do!!!

16 of us set off from Marangu gate, 15 of us set off from Kibo hut and 10 of us made it to the top!!

It was the best sunrise I will ever see.

The safari was fun seeing animals "at home."

Zanzibar was great, white sand and hot sun on the east coast then a night on the west in Stonetown - Freddie Mercurys birthplace!! It was wild.

USA

Lynn in a former life lived and worked in Washington DC for a few years. Whilst out there she travelled around the US extensively. Lynn took me there for the first time in 1998 for my fortieth birthday!!! We planned a trip around the mid west setting out from Phoenix Arizona and coming back from Denver Colorado. We took our mountain bikes with us on the flight and had some great rides around Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks and the best mountain biking on the petrified dunes around Moab in Utah. It was a great trip, we met some good people and stayed with my family in Denver before we came home. My relations commented that we had seen more of the US in two weeks then they had in 10 years!! We did pack a bit in. Anyone who loves the outdoors MUST see the Grand Canyon. We also saw Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Canyonlands, Arches & Goblin Valley State Parks. I went back in 2003 with my 2 sons for a similar adventure and a last holiday bash before they all cleared off and left home, it was just as I remember it.

New Zealand

This is our favourite place we went for the first time to the South Island and then back a second time to the North. We prefer the South but both are truly outstanding and an outdoor pursuits paradise. We tried to see everything but there is still so much to see so we WILL have to go back another time. There is so much to write about the place but not enough space or time here so you will just have to go!!

South East Asia

We went to Singapore some years ago and travelled overland to Bangkok in Thailand up through Malaysia. We saw Penang along the way went to the Temara Negara rainforest to do a canopy walk. Had a few days out from Krabi on Ko Lanta then up to Bangkok. It was a super trip again a favourite place and somewhere we will have to go back to.

Eastern Europe

We went out to Romania to see Bran Castle - loosely where the Dracula story came from. We went by train from Prague via Budapest. A bit of a nightmare train ride but lovely countryside to see. Brasov was where we stayed in Romania. The old part is lovely but outside here and the touristy bit there is not a lot to see. Bran castle is a super place and lives up to the stories around Vlad the Impaler a real nasty piece of work who took no none sense.

Europe

Picos De Europa - Our first mini adventure was cycle tour from Santander in northern Spain. This seemed like a good idea as we met in a cycling club!! We ferried to Santander, we then cycled with full camping gear to the Picos. We had a few days on the north side of the Picos and some on the south. It was relatively uncommercialised at this time with a few campsites and limited facilities. We had some wonderfully long days out and nearly got lost in the mountains one day attempting to get back via mountain trails.

The scenery is stunning, the roads were reasonably quiet and for some strange reason all Spanish fisherman appear drive mercs!! The rides up into the mountains were hard but rewarding with superb views and excellent descents.

Cares Gorge, Fuenta De and Covadonga were the highpoints. For a real "high point" the old footpath straight up the mountainside to the old village of Sortres is well worth seeing and walking if you have plenty of time and water.

Pyrenees - As if we hadn't had enough mountains the first time we did another cycle tour through the bottom end of the Pyrenees. We cycled from Girona airport up to Ripols in the mountains. We had several days excellent cycling which culminated with a trip to the top. 15 miles up hill through winding hairpins. It was just before the Tour de France and we saw one of the national teams training as they went flying down whilst we were slogging up. They then caught us up going back up, passed us and were sat under parasols at the top with their team drinking juice. We did manage a big cheer from the team when we hit the top!! The ride back down to Ripols was superb. I also recall the ride back to the airport via a night camping on the coast involved a 70 mile pretty much down hill bike ride all the way. Super holiday even though we got off to a bad start as the plane was delayed and we ended up putting the tent up in the dark after 10!!

Corsica - Another cycle camping tour, this time we bit off more than we could chew by attempting to get right round the island by bike. We set off up the east cost which was pretty boring (no offence to any Corsicans) we ended up in a campsite near the mountains in the centre top of the island. We decided to get a train over the mountains which was a great idea. However the French guard directed us with the bikes and camping gear to a sort of guards van. We got in with the bikes to put/leave them there then the train set off with the door open. Well, there were packages and parcels heading for the door which we managed to rescue. We then managed to close the door to see the guard looking through the windows of the carriage in front of us waving his arms about. We arrived at a station and were escorted to a carriage "without the bikes to finish what was a super trip through the mountains. Once off the train we had to cycle down to Ajaccio and I was having tyre trouble. Dropping down a hill with a drop off to the left my tyre finally blew and I came to rest just on the edge. We were 20 miles from Ajaccio and all out of tyres. Apart from a long walk we were stuck!! Then a car stopped with a German couple in it, in the back were a couple of mountain bikes. We explained our problem they to helped to try to make a temporary repair, sadly unsuccessfully. He then offered me his back wheel to get us down to Ajaccio where they were staying. They took my dodgy wheel and we arranged to meet the following day in Ajaccio and change back, what a good Samaritan!! We met the following day exchanged wheels had a drink and a chat then went on our way. The ride down the west coast of the island was superb scenery, good campsites, pretty villages and coffee shops. We flew in and out of Figari airport which has to be one of the smallest we have been through, what a place.

In addition to these we have cycled around Majorca, been trekking on La Gomera, seen plenty of Greek Islands and Lynn has done trek through Cappadocia in Turkey.