class.jpg Cleese: (In bowler hat, black jacket and pinstriped trousers) I look down on him (Indicates Barker) because I am a bikepacker. Barker: (Pork-pie hat and raincoat) I look up to him (Cleese) because he is a bikepacker; but I look down on him (Corbett) because he has panniers and sleeps in a...

Interestingly now that 'self supported' has been mentioned, they refer to their journey in the article as "... a self-supported, multi-day adventure." In these days of marketing, influencers, social media, diversity, bike manufacturing, adventure holidays, self-identification... maybe we'...

100% with what's been said on freedom, adventure and (relative) self-sufficiency. I guess being free to follow a route of your choosing in any moment would rule out the 'bikepacking races' where the whole point is to follow a predetermined race route. I've always thought bikepacking ≠ racing anyway ...

'Bikepacking' from 1978 Was just about to post this one! The Foreword is a really good summation, and I think stands the test of time: "Like all beginners, I made every mistake possible. As there was no authoritative textbook on the subject, I learnt the hard way. My self-instruction was carri...

It's nowt to do with the type of luggage you use or where you stay but a mindset IMO. I saw a post on FB the other day with the usual soft luggage v panniers type stuff and one chap said, " why would you not use panniers, you can fit loads more in them" ... this bloke does not have a bike...

It may be my advancing years but I increasingly feel as though sleeping out of doors is a May-September thing in UK climes, especially this winter/spring. That's not to rule out occasional one-off nights in the S24O style, but for a trip of a few days or more, even now in early April, I'd favour a r...

There's a consensus that the first usage of the term bikepacking was a National Geographic article in May 1973, about the Hemistour, a bicycle journey from Alaska to Patagonia, undertaken in part by Dan and Lys Burden and in full by Greg and June Siple. During their journey they founded the Adventur...

back to the Monk's Trod, I came across this assessment by the Powys council in 2011: "The whole route is in an upland deep peat environment, and forms a fragile peat surface with parts forming a blanket bog. As a result, the surface has deteriorated through use by vehicular traffic as it is ver...

It's not just the damage to trails, it's the noise, the fumes. I don't much like leaf-blowers either. I do see the danger of the slippery slope and the pyramid of contempt. But I am happy to draw a line that says, under your own human power, away you go, if you've got a motor, that's what the roads ...

The BOAT (byways open to all traffic) designation that essentially opens non-tarmac routes to 4x4s and trail bikes seems to me to be an anachronism from a time when (1) there weren't very many recreational 4x4s and trail bikes and (2) off road vehicles were were far less powerful and thus less prone...

I used a Canon 5d mk2 for the photography in the first two Lost Lanes books. Very heavy and bulky. Then switched to M43, an Olympus OMD EM5-ii for the next two books until the on/off switch kept failing and it was outside the 3 year warrantee so not worth repairing again. Moved to OMD EM1-ii and use...

Not wishing to divert the discussion from the NC500, but some may enjoy Kuklos's celebrated 39 Articles, published in 1927. How many of them still apply a century later, and how many require revision or deletion? 1. Because the land of our fathers is very fair to see on the whole, and because it lik...

I'm a big fan of Kuklos. One of the early cycle touring "influencers". Plus ça change!

Just finished reading The Whisky Roads of Scotland by Derek Cooper with photographs by the legendary Fay Godwin (who also shot images for the classic Welsh drove roads book and a Ridgeway book). It’s a great read, full of fascinating history and anecdotes. More focused on whisky than roads, and heav...

FollowMe is a metal hitch that allows you to securely attach a child’s bike to rear of your bike. Means they can pedal when hitched or ride independently when conditions allow. TowWhee is a lightweight bungee cord that helps you get them up big climbs - came in handy on Taff Trail going up from Tal ...

Niche interest, but the current Shimano Nexus 3-speed disc brake compatible hubs are £21.99 on Wiggle / CRC: https://www.wiggle.com/p/nexus-3d55-3-speed-gear-hub Needs a bell-crank and shifter to go with it, available for £15.99 from Bankrupt Bike Parts and, depending on the frame and gearing choice...

There are a few out there. Roger Musson's seems to be most frequently recommended: https://www.wheelpro.co.uk/wheelbuilding/book.php

I meant to mention 'plain sight' yesterday but Reg has now done so. I've found that sometimes the more public a place, the less chance you have of anyone questioning you. Maybe it's something to do with 'ownership' and no one feels like they own a park bench, bus stop or bandstand, so in most cases...

Obviously some of us prefer the stealthy approach, but the current issue of Arrivée magazine (AudaxUK mag) has a great article on a wild camping tour around the UK. It contains probably the best step-by-step instructions I've ever read on how to ask for permission to camp on someone's land. https://...

Schwalbe Marathon Supreme roll well. 40mm.

I should have added that, from a legal perspective, cycling on a track or path that isn't a ROW would come under the civil law of trespass, not the criminal law. Same as for wild camping. So the landowner can first ask you to leave, then and could potentially take you to court for the damages. Polic...

Others have answered the "is it rideable (legally)?" question. For the "is it rideable" question, aside from your own judgement based on study of contour lines, Google satellite view and your general understanding of the terrain in that locality, the best place to look is geograp...

There's a Decathon 2-person tent for sale on the Cycling UK forum. Just under 2kg so not especially light. But £40 isn't bad. https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?t=158269 It's a single hoop design (originated in the Terra Nova Laser I believe), similar to the Vangoo Banshee 200 mentioned previ...

Rack and panniers. Just sayin’

Selle-SMP have test centres, I think some will do it by mail order https://www.sellesmp.com/en/store-locator

London Bike Kitchen runs a saddle library along with their fit service https://www.lbk.org.uk/saddle-library