Planning and Preparation

Introduction: Planning and Preparation  (Mar 2021 - May 2021)

For reasons that are mostly lost to me, in February 2021 I'd decided to cycle from Harrow in North West London to Richmond in North Yorkshire, and as one person remarked some weeks after I'd announced this endeavour "Oh, and you'll have to cycle back again!". The motorway route is 240 miles and as I'd take the scenic route with its minor roads and National Cycle Routes that extended the distance to 315 miles there, and 315 miles back. Given I had not cycled for over 12 years, and that my old bike was standing unloved at the back of the garage it is fair to ask the question "Why?". Well, a friend had asked if I wanted to ride the London Brighton bike ride and I rashly said yes, after all, 55 miles is not so far and its only one day. 

The bike at the back of the garage was of a certain heritage as I'd bought it 24 years before this adventure, back in 1997, mainly as a commuter bike, 10 miles into central London, 10 miles out, every working day until the day I was lying prone on the tarmac with a double-decker bus six feet away looming over me. The word processed document that detailed the bike specification was on my current computer's hard drive. I re-learnt the basics of how to clean and maintain a bike and set to with drivetrain degreaser, brushes and soap. New inner tubes and tyres were acquired and fitted. The next step was a few tentative and frankly wobbly rides round the block, followed by longer and longer rides up to the point where 20 miles was normal and 40 miles for an extended ride. I felt a certain attachment to my old bike and as my legs started to adjust from their usual walking and running routine to the new cycling regime, I rediscovered that great sensation that cycling provides, that feeling of freedom as you travel under your own steam far and wide.

As I started dropping in on friends 20 miles away it brought home the impact the invention of the bicycle had when it was introduced to a population with limited mobility. Why Yorkshire? As my preparations for the London to Brighton bike ride progressed my mind was quite independently pondering how to visit family in North Yorkshire as the pandemic restrictions had put a general halt on travel and a proximal (high) hamstring tendonopathy meant driving was very painful after just one hour in the driving seat. I think it was my wife the maths teacher who put 2 and 2 together and came to the answer "cycle".

Being blessed with a general blind optimism that anything I want to do is possible, I did my own arithmetic which went like this. 240 miles at 40 miles a day is 6 days there, 6 days back with 2 days rest in Yorkshire, so 14 days or a round fortnight. After some planning, a dose of realism and sensible input from my ever dependable wife, I revised this to 9 days at 35 miles a day (average) and 3 days in Yorkshire making a neat three week trip.

The following maps are a general mock-up which displays the broad route taken but omits some of the diversions taken on what look like shorter days.

Outward leg

Return leg

I resolved to camp because I had enjoyed hosteling in Spain when walking a camino and had not enjoyed using hotels and B&Bs when I walked the North Downs Way as I find hotel rooms surprisingly bleak. Camping would let me connect more with nature (slugs and beetles mostly as it would transpire) and be more in touch with the environment, the adventure and the open road. As planning progressed I recalled those cycle expeditions of my youth taking old worn out bikes on intrepid adventures, hosteling along the way. Naturally, this trip smacked of mid-life crisis as one friend was far too eager to suggest. 

Realising that a 24 year old bike might need more than my basic bike maintenance skills I booked it in for a full service. I found someone who did a collection service and who I thought might provide some general advice. This one-man bike maintenance company operated under the name "Cycle Dude", though real name Kay. On collection day Cycle Dude turned up and I brought the bike out and propped it up for inspection. We both looked at the bike though I suspect through very different lenses. My lenses were rose tinted as I realised how much I liked the bike that has been custom built for me 24 years ago. I had enjoyed riding it recently and in my minds eye this is what a bike looked like; all thin steel tubing with shiny (if chipped) paintwork. As this is a journey with a bike you will need to bare with me as I provide some technical detail. It is a Paul Donohue fast tourer frameset constructed from Reynolds 531C tubing with a Campagnolo Mirage Triple groupset. The flambouyant blue paintwork with yellow "Paul Donohue" decals make it an attractive bike to behold. I had already had a few comments about the bike such as "retro" and "that bike's nearly as old as mine", but this did not prepare me for Cycle Dude's assessment. As he took in the picture he pointed out the expected worn chain, worn cassette, noted the general good condition and then tentatively enquired about its age. Cycle Dude was professional and polite and asked all the right questions, much as your GP might when you go in for the 55 year service. "What riding do you plan to do?" That was easy as I had resolved to cycle to Yorkshire and back. Like any good GP Cycle Dude wanted what was best for me and politely asked "is this a nostalgia trip?". Ouch! I tried not to show it but that hurt. It was a fair question as I had already mentioned the possibility of a respray and refurbishment later on if I still enjoyed cycling. After some discussion I discovered that bike technology had moved on since the start of the new millennium and my bike was now closer to being a collectors item than a practical touring bike. We agree on a service with a new chain and a new cassette if one could be found though that was unlikely.  

Is this a nostalgia trip? From a mid-life crisis perspective, if I am honest then perhaps in my retirement I am going back to doing the long trips I could do in those long school summer holidays that seemed to go on forever. But let us assume for now that I am looking forwards to a future where I am just about fit and active enough to embark on new and exciting adventures that I enjoy. From a retro bike perspective, I absolutely do like to the look of those 1980s 'racers' with their thin tubing, dropped handlebars and looping cables though whether I want to join the vintage bike brigade is another thing. I suppose I want to be 'retro' but don't want to identify with the 'retro' scene and that is something of a contradiction.

As I said goodbye to the bike I turned my attention to route planning and as ever found myself a little under equipped for the task. Using high level maps I selected a broad route that would take in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), Fens, Wolds, Dales and National Parks and for no good reason the Humber Bridge; though this bridge does conveniently link up my route. If I arched east on the way up via Cambridge and Ely I would take in the Cambridgeshire fens, Lincolnshire fens, Lincolnshire Wolds, the Humber Bridge, Yorkshire Wolds and Howardian Hills. The way back would be Nidderdale, the Peak District and Derbyshire, surprising Northamptonshire, Berkshire, and finally - as I was to discover when I got to the last day - over the Chilton Hills. I also consulted Sustrans who manage the National Cycle Network and ensured my route had the opportunity to follow some of their routes. With campsites booked as start and end points I used a navigation app (Komoot) to plan the actual route for the day. As it turned out, the combination of my useful hints and Komoot's excellent route finding would provide a fantastic three weeks - I just didn't know it yet. With the bike still enjoying its spa break and the trip planned, I went to the shops and bought a book on how to plan a cycle tour. As I had already bought the tent and cycle trailer I would use I was rather committed to an approach to cycle touring and hoped the book would confirm my decisions and help with any fine tuning. The book I chose was centered on a tour from Scotland to Hong Kong; my thinking was that is I got acclimatised to the concept of such a long voyage mine would seem easy in comparison!

Most cycle tourers use rear panniers if they are travelling light and using hotels or hostels, and will add front panniers if they need to carry extra camping equipment such as tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat,  stove and cooking equipment. My bike wasn't designed as a heavy weight tourer and I had bought a 4 person tent (!) so a trailer worked best. The trailer was to work very well and I trained with it loaded with old curtains to build some of the strength and stamina I would need. However, the copious baggage space did make it too easy to add spare food, clothing, bike locks and so on. The book I bought helped me justify my journey planning decisions though I had to find an excuse of my own for the 4 person tent and that excuse was clear by day 2. Read on.

Bike and trailer (the 'rig') all ready for departure

Many qualified people have written many articles and reviews on cycle trailers. Around seven percent of cycle tourers use a trailer and they come in single wheel and twin wheel formats with a range of connection systems. My choice shown above is the Topeak Journey Trailer with Drybag. This provides one big bag to load up, and the yolk and the special bike attachment were designed to fit quick release wheels and easily hooks on and off with a simple locking mechanism. This solution keeps some of the weight on the trailer wheel and not on the bike, keeps the remaining weight low on the bike and in this way keep the centre of gravity low and so the bike feels and rides like an unloaded bike provided you keep your weight within sensible bounds. The single wheel was to prove useful as I navigated narrow bridleways.

Day 1: Harrow to Royston