Not long now
Less Than a Fortnight
Moving to The White House
It’s been a busy few weeks due to our house move. After quite a few problems and a long wait, we finally said goodbye to our Bolton home of 27 and a half years for a new home in Timberland; a village south of Lincoln. We’ve swapped city living for a home in the countryside and we are loving it. I’ve been so busy with decorating and home building that it’s been hard to get excited about leaving our wonderful new life so soon, especially as we had intended to make the move back in January.
Final Pack
My list of ‘to-dos’ has slowly whittled down and at the moment I just need to sort out the final pack and my insurance. My vaccinations are all complete and I believe that there’s nothing more to purchase in terms of equipment or clothes. My bike is serviced and ready to roll and I would be completing a final pack this week if it weren’t for a small matter of a ride that I have agreed to complete next weekend.
The Tor Divide
… is an entry level ultra ride staring and finishing in the Derbyshire Peak District where the clock starts ticking as you set off on Saturday morning and stops as you cross the finish line 200 kilometres later. Last year this saw me crossing the finish line at 2:00 am on the Sunday morning after 18hrs in the saddle. I was well and truly exhausted and I’m aiming to finish in slightly better shape this year. I am taking my tent to sleep in on the Friday night and sleeping bag in case I need to bivvy on the Saturday night - this means that I can’t do a full pack for my big trip trip until Monday 18th of May. This is not a problem as it takes about 40 minutes to complete a full pack.
Those of you that have experienced cycle touring and planning for a big trip will be familiar with the routine of multiple practice packs in the weeks and days leading up to departure. As if the repeated packs and repacks will make a difference. I think it just soothes the nerves! Any precise organisation soon goes out of the window during the first couple of days of a tour as your kit naturally sorts itself out according to how quickly and at what point you need to access certain items, which then rise to the top and the rest sits lower down based on your routine for decamping.
How to Follow My Journey (and “Dot Watch”!)
For those who want to follow my progress more closely, I’ll be carrying a Garmin InReach Mini 2. This is a satellite communicator that allows me to share my location even when I’m miles away from any cell service or Wi-Fi.
Real-Time Tracking (Dot Watching)
If you want to see exactly where I am on the map, you can use my MapShare link. My device is set to ping my location every 10 minutes while I’m moving, creating a breadcrumb trail of my route from Lincoln all the way to Lombok.
View my live map here: https://live.garmin.com/LincolntoLombok - Obviously, NOT YET!
How to Message Me via Satellite
Because I’ll often be in remote areas without a phone signal, standard WhatsApps or texts might not reach me for days. However, I can still send and receive short messages via satellite using the Garmin Messenger system.
A few things to note about messaging:
• Initiating Contact: For security and to manage data, I usually need to initiate the conversation. If I send you a message from the device, it will arrive as an SMS with a link. You can simply click that link to reply to me.
• Garmin Messenger App: For the best experience, I recommend downloading the Garmin Messenger app (available on iOS and Android). If you have the app installed, our chats will look and feel just like a normal text thread, and the messages will reach me via satellite whenever my device is turned on.
• Keep it Brief: Satellite data is precious! Feel free to send words of encouragement, but keep in mind that I might be a bit slow to reply depending on the terrain and my battery levels.
A Quick Summary of Where to Find Me:
• For the “Big Picture”: Check my Substack for long-form updates and reflections.
• For Daily Life: I’ll be posting regular photos and updates on Facebook.
• For the Cinematic View: Check YouTube occasionally for video edits of the ride.
• For the “Right Now”: Use the Garmin MapShare link to see my current “dot” on the world map.
And of course fellow cyclists can follow on Strava with a daily log
I set off on Saturday, the 23rd of May. Thank you all for following along—it means the world to have you with me (virtually) as I pedal toward Lombok!
Bruise update:
About a week after we moved, Helen noticed a rather alarming bruise that seemed to appear overnight for no apparent reason. I ignored it for a few days and finally went to the docs - mistake! I avoid the docs at all cost and I wish I’d done so on this occasion. The doctor diagnosed a torn bicep muscle which would need 6-8 weeks rest and recovery if it was a minor tear, or an operation and 3-6 months recovery if it was a major tear. I had a difficult choice - follow the doctor’s advice, cancel or postpone the start of my trip until full recovery - OR - research the problem more and try to understand what I had done to cause the bruise and how severe the damage was. This is what I decided to do. I had been doing lots of lifting and moving things around and decided that I had probably strained my muscle, causing some damage. The bruising is caused by the blood pooling at the lowest point until it is broken down in the normal way that a bruise does. I discovered that this type of injury can be mild, medium or severe with the more serious injuries being linked to an event usually with sharp pain or a tearing or snapping sound. My new diagnosis of ‘mild’ required a 2-3 week recovery which has done the trick. The bruising has reduced significantly and should be gone by the time I depart. There’s no pain at the site of the bruise so ‘Dr Gauld’ has given the all clear for departure on the 23rd.
I hope to do one final update before I depart so keep an eye out for that and thanks so much for taking the time to follow.
I moved from a big town into the countryside 4 years ago. Best decision I ever made!
Good luck with your trip, I’ve given you a follow so I can keep up with your progress. I’ve done quite a few small cycle tours before so a bit jealous of anyone who goes on a big trip.
Self diagnosis might be very useful on your trip ! I look forward to following your journey 😊