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Some snippets from Chris…

February 5th, 2012

Some of you may have been missing our regular posts, but as Chris has been battling sub zero temperatures  and a broken stove whilst trying to cover a lot of distant is short space of time, there isn’t much time left in the day for blogging. So I thought I would share with you some of the snippets I have had from Chris, sent via email using his Kindle…

26th Jan

Had an interesting two days, snow, ice, big hills, 3 punctures, 1 broken tyre, a wrong turn that took me about 30km the wrong way, that was yesterday, only thirty km. Just got to main road, having food, as only had an apple all day. Will try and stay on the main road now. Had to avoid it because of motor way. Oh and my boots froze. All good though, a bit of an adventure to spice up the blog. Depending on how today goes will be in Germany tonight or tomorrow.

Later: It was a bit stupid, and I’ve demoted myself to trainee navigator. Will see how the road goes, on my map its motorway but really I think it’s a big road, we shall see. Having my second lunch now. Ha ha have to eat so much to keep going at the moment.

[When we cycle together I usually navigate and am called Chief Navigator, however when I make a mistake and get us lost, not very often I might add, then Chris always jokes that I am being demoted to Trainee Navigator.]

27th Jan

Made it to Germany. Met nice lady, also cycle tourer, she suggested a good route then bought me a map, then took me to the tourist info to get more maps.  They also gave them to me, got a picture outside tourist info. So going to follow these two rivers, just got a big hill to get over tomorrow. Me and legs v tired.

Later: Sleeping in tent, need to work out distances, could do with a day off  – legs scream on every hill v annoying. Might try and get over this hill tomorrow then see, need to be patient with nav on small roads or sod it and take the big road not sure. Everyone here has been friendly. So good middle day, bad evening with small roads and sore legs. Will just have to plod on, love u miss u.

28th Jan

Had quite a good day in the end. Took the main road which was good, the cycle route was steep and deep snow. Met a guy who invited me to his house. Got here, very nice – a bed, a shower and going to have a sauna soon. The big hill was not that big at all, so a lot of worry about nothing, it was clear of snow too thankfully. Having lunch here tomorrow, then off.

Later: Ahhhhhhhhhh so nice, good food, good company. The adapter we use for the laptop got left in Prague, so no power for laptop, will get a new one this week.

29th Jan

Hope to be there [Cologne] in about five days max. Hope to get a charger tomorrow, but need to cycle like crazy now. Snow is a real pain so might have to stick to the roads, basic plan was to follow the  cycle path to Frankfurt then the Rhine to Cologne, then west to Dunkirk.

30th Jan

Spent this morning getting maps and route info from tourist info. Got new adapter, but does not seem to be working. Might be cold or could be broken. Had two falls on the ice so far.

31st Jan

A good day, bivi’d last night, got scared by the otters or beavers, as I thought they were crocks. Then decided there were no crocks in Germany and a beaver would be unlikely to nibble on me, but if it did, it would hurt. Then I thought of the beavers in Narnia and they were nice.

Today was good, met an interesting guy who is an actor in theater and a playwright. He brought me coffee and cake and we chatted for about two hours. So cycled into the night again 95km, 6 hours, could have done the last 5km but a good camp spot came up on the edge of town. My short cut paid off over the hills, will follow the river now to Frankfurt.

MSR stove not working again, but by alternating the gas cans under my jacket, I got a cup of tea :)

Germans are really nice, but they think I am nuts for camping and that London is a long way to cycle to.

-8 outside the tent, -3 in,  am toasty, not cold at all. Was sweating buckets up the hill and the water was frozen on the bike! So all is good here, massive night after night riding till ten pm.

1st Feb

I am so tired I can’t even think straight. Then it takes an hour to make a cup of tea. It’s all good though, it’s a lovely route, if I had a little more time and the tent and stove were not broken all would be v good. Anyway I did 95km today still 45km from the start of the Rhine unfortunately. I think I will just make it for Bikeabout London, but I will be knackered when I get there. Ha Ha!

Thanks for getting back to Martin, that’s great news esp the vip lounge, maybe I should keep my boots on this time!

[Our friend Martin who we met in Beijing, has very kindly arranged and paid for the ferry for Chris from Dunkirk to Dover on 9th Feb, with a VIP upgraded too. Thanks Martin!]

2nd Feb

Did 104km then a cyclist took me in :-)

3rd Feb

Was up chatting late, the guy does quite a bit of cycling and going to Japan soon. Just eating a massive massive second breakfast. -10 today he he plenty warm enough though.

Long day, over 100km I think – speedo is on the bike still, stove broke in another way now, so had to swap gas cans to get a cup of tea.

4th Feb

Not too bad here, frustrating day with wobbly trailer again, but should still make the 100km, then Cologne tomorrow. -12 last night. Just got to find the cycle path again and hope it’s better quality than this am. Sometimes it takes you on a mystery tour about town, then disappears. Having lunch at what I hope is the right junction!

5th Feb

All good, just having coffee in a cafe. I camped a bit out of town, did 95km and stopped as perfect camping and close to coffee in the morning. Bivi’d at -11 at least last night, was cosy with just the Rab [sleeping bag] and Alpkit [bivi bag]. So hope to make it to Cologne today and have some time off tonight. Tempted to ditch the trailer in Cologne – don’t want to be stopping every 5 mins to sort it out, like in China. Kindle does not work at-11 – the battery thinks it flat!

Chris still has 400km to cycle and needs to catch the ferry from Dunkirk on Thursday. Please give him your support on this final stretch, in the cold temperatures, to keep him going.

If you want to welcome him home, we will be cycling into Greenwich on Saturday 11th Feb.  To join us and for more details see:  Bikeabout London or we will be in Ambleside, Cumbria a week later, see: Bikeabout Ambleside.

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Visiting St Swithun’s School, Winchester

February 5th, 2012

My family moved to Winchester when I was 18 and I only really spent a brief period there attending Winchester School of Art for a year, before going off to University. However my mum and dad have lived there ever since and have a wonderful circle of friends and it’s a lovely place to live.

Since being home, I have been lucky enough to be invited by our friend Karen, into St Swithun’s Junior School in Winchester, to meet the girls and talk about our Bikeabout trip.

Cycling past the senior school at 8 o’clock on the cold Monday morning, I was half expecting Hogwarts. It is a lovely traditional grand old building that greets you and I was feeling a little nervous. The line up for the day was to talk to each year group for about an hour, with some activities along the way. I had plenty to talk about and a mountain of photos that I had printed and prepared in advance, but an hour still sounded like a long time.

I needn’t have worried though, the time races by when you are surrounded by children and they were so interested in the bike and all my stuff that the questions flowed easily.

We covered altitude sickness and mountains…

Hinduism in Bali, Indonesia with a class learning about India. Nursery and reception were learning about hot and cold, so we had fun dressing up in all my warm clothes and winter gear, as did the other year groups!

Trying out my down cocoon style sleeping bag proved to be very popular…

so was trying out my thermarest chair…

The older girls used my bike to work out number of rotations, distance and calculating circumference of a circle (wheel) as part of their maths lesson and I learned that my wheels are, surprisingly, 2 metres all the way round, meaning it takes 500 rotations to cover 1000 metres (1 kilometre)!

Another class was learning about customs and cultures, so in groups we looked at things we might have to consider when going to a temple or an important local place, what to wear,  copying locals if you are not sure; what to do if you are invited into someone’s house or yurt; ways to communicate even if you can’t speak the language and we realised that gesture, mime and body language can be very useful, as well as being able to draw!

We also thought about things you might want to be able to say in the other person’s language. This allowed the girls to think about phrases that are not just useful for them (how much, where is, numbers), but things they could say to make the other person happy or at ease with having a foreigner there… thank you, the food is delicious, your country is lovely, nice to meet you, you have beautiful children, you are very kind. In my experience being able to connect with people and show or say this kind of sentiment can be more meaningful than ‘Where is the train station?’.

The girls were great to be with and enthusiastic about the trip, asking lots of intelligent questions. Some of the girls had parents who had met in the rainforest in Indonesia, others had aunts and uncles who were expedition medics, some had family living in other countries and it was really nice to hear their stories and thoughts about travelling in other countries.

The girls were interested in first aid and we talked about that during the day, luckily for us I had no gruesome injury stories to tell, and we talked about what ifs? for a while, although I was grateful to the teacher who pointed out that if we spent too much time worrying about what if, we’d never leave the house! Hear, hear.

Toilets were also an area of interest and I had fun watching their faces as I described the squat toilets in Asia, holes in the ground in Mongolia and communal trough style loos in China!

During Assembly, after some fabulous singing, I was able to tell the whole school about our charity Child’s Dream and our ambition to raise enough money to build a school. We launched a competition for the girls to enter, challenging them to draw a picture to go on the welcome home banner for Bikeabout London on 11th Feb, to welcome  Chris home to the UK. The winning entries will be printed on the large banner and the students pay a pound to enter. Watch this space!

So I had a great day at St Swithun’s and I’d forgotten how nice it is to be in a primary school, so colourful and energetic! I was shattered by the time I got home, it’s exhausting – I don’t know how teachers do it everyday, hats off to them – makes cycle touring look easy.

The staff and students all made me very welcome and I really enjoyed spending time with everyone there, so a big thank you to Karen for organising it and to everyone at St Swithun’s Junior school for letting me join them for a day.

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16,000km and 29 months later, British Cyclists return to the UK

January 25th, 2012

Bikeabout London – Join us!

Bikeabout London | Liz & Chris in MongoliaTemperatures of 40°C in Malaysia and Australia, 4000m mountain passes in China, teaching English in a remote hill tribe village in Thailand, sand storms in the Gobi desert and a wedding engagement en route, have all been part of the adventure for Chris Leakey and Liz Wilton.

The couple flew from England to Auckland, New Zealand in September 2009 and started cycling back home, through Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany and France.

Liz and Chris are celebrating the end of the journey with cycling events in Greenwich, London and Ambleside in Cumbria. Dubbed ‘Bikeabout London’ and ‘Bikeabout Ambleside’.

The couple hope the events will raise awareness of the charity Child’s Dream that they have been supporting throughout their trip.  Their aim is to raise £20,000 to build a school in Southeast Asia for underprivileged children.

At each event there will be a raffle and an auction to win prizes donated by some of their sponsors.  All proceeds go towards building  the school. Those wishing to make larger or additional donations can do so from the bikeabout website, or on the day.

Bikeabout London will take place  on Saturday 11th February 2012, starting in Gravesend and ending at The Gypsy Moth Pub in Greenwich.  You are invited to join Liz and Chris for the last few miles on your bike, to celebrate the success of their journey and welcome them home. The ride will end at the The Gypsy Moth Pub in Greenwich where there will be an opportunity to meet Chris and Liz, as well as joining their fundraising party during the afternoon.

Bikeabout Ambleside will finish in Ambleside on the 19th February 2012 times and details to be confirmed.

At each event Chris and Liz will be giving a short speech and there will be time to answer questions before the celebrating begins. To contact the couple before the events for interviews and for more details, please see our Bikeabout London web page.

mobile : 07736970101  |  email: hello@bikeabout.co.uk

Bikeabout London Information

Starting at Gravesend, Chris and Liz will be picking up the Sustrans cycle network on National Route 1. This is 90% traffic free and runs along the river, passing through Dartford, Erith, Woolwich and ending in Greenwich, a total of 24 miles.

Bikeabout London Route map

You can join the ride at any point, and you can ride as far as you wish. Meeting points will be near rail stations, at the following locations:

  • 9.45am Baltic Wharf, Gravesend (24 miles to Greenwich)
  • 11am The Hufflers Arms, Hythe Rd, Dartford (16 miles to Greenwich)
  • 11.50am Riverside Gardens, Erith (10 miles to Greenwich)
  • 12.30pm Pond Wharf, Woolwich  (4 miles to Greenwich)
  • 1pm The Gypsy Moth, Greenwich!

See our website for more detailed information and maps of the locations.

The Gypsy Moth, GreenwichThe Gypsy Moth Pub

www.thegipsymothgreenwich.co.uk/

60 Greenwich Church Street, Greenwich, London, SE10 9BL.

Nearest Underground tube stations are: Cutty Sark or Greenwich. Nearest train station is: Maize Hill. If you are driving, there is an NCP carp park off Romney Road, A206, near the University.

To contact Liz and Chris about 11th or 19th February 2012, please email: hello@bikeabout.co.uk or call Liz on 07736 970101.

Join Bikeabout London and Bikeabout Ambleside.

Bring your friends and family!

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Poland to Czech Republic

January 24th, 2012

Leaving my river camp site I set off towards the Czech Republic.  It was a cold and wet day, I had run out of gas for my stove the night before so no water for the thermos.  On the bright side it meant I had a good excuse to buy a coffee, sit inside in a dry warm place rather than shelter under a tree, drinking fast enough that my fingers don’t freeze, slow enough that I felt like I had actually had a break.

The cold is a good motivator to keep moving, I made good progress and pulled off the main road only a few kms away from the Czech Republic into a conveniently situated woodland by the end of the day. Crossing into the Czech Republic was going to be, in theory, my first no hassle border of the trip, no passports checks, nothing.  I still half expected there to be something but by 10 am i was in the Czech Republic trying to change my Polish money.  Next to the bank was a camping shop that sold gas, so i was set, it felt strange to be in a new country and hardly noticing the difference.

That evening i found a small patch of grass at the edge of a field large enough to pitch my tent.  I cooked up a big feast and studied my new map.  I was keen to start increasing the distance i was cycling each day. In my mind there were two ways i could do this, eat more and cycle longer.  Cycling longer meant cycling at night or getting up early, the latter is not something i am fond off, but it made more sense.  As i lay in my sleeping bag i mentally prepared for an early start and thanked the kind people at the petrol station that had filled my water bladder and given me 2 Euros, another act of random kindness.

2012-01-10 001

My early start was great, i had a long playlist prepared on the iPod, it was a dry day and i seemed to be flying along despite the head wind.  By lunch i was really hungry and I had to stock up on food. I found a supermarket and spent far too long in the warm exploring all the exciting new foods.  With a full belly i set off again, as the day progressed, the snow in the fields and footpaths that surrounded me increased. Before i knew it there were piles of snow by the side of the road and the sky started producing more of it.  It fell to the ground with such grace that it made me smile.

Bike ouside Czech supermarket

Late afternoon I rested in a supermarket car park before continuing, the road had started to climb and as i cycled i contemplated my decision to continue.  I had no idea what was ahead of me, and as i got higher the snow by the side of the road got higher too.  I stopped to see how deep it was.  I climbed over the crash barrier that was buried under the snow and fell waist deep into the white stuff.  I thrashed through the snow a little further towards the trees, it didn’t get any better.  I made my way back to the bike and continued on cycling.  The light slowly faded and i contemplated what to do.  I was not in any danger, i was not scared just intrigued, where was i going to sleep tonight, what is around the next corner.  I cycled on until i found a layby that had been cleared by the snow plough.  The snow between the trees was just as deep, but i could pack it down and make a big enough platform for the tent.  I set about transporting the bike and panniers separately down to the trees and the slow task of creating a level platform for the night.  Two hours later i was finally inside the tent and very pleased with the results, although i probably could have built a snow cave during this time! Next time, I said, next time.

Winter cycling camping site

As I loaded up the bike the next morning, a group of cross country skiers were preparing to set off down the track that i had camped next to in the forest.  After probably less than an hour of cycling i reached the summit of the small pass.  The road was covered in snow and the plough was going up and down trying to clear it all.  More people were out on skis.  I started the descent, slowly at first, picking up speed as my confidence grew.  I started thinking about a hotel again, my legs were tired, i was tired and my socks and shoes were wet from all the snow.  I played this over and over again in my head, don’t be a wimp, keep going. Relaxing for a night in a hotel would be good for you, a hot shower, a soft bed.  By the time i got to the bottom of the hill and arrived in the town called Sumperk i was still undecided.  The first set of signs that greeted me were all on one post pointing to about 5 different hotels.  One said the sport hotel,  cycling is a sport i said, lets go there.  15 minutes later i was set up in my hotel room enjoying the piping hot water from the shower.

Winter cycle camping

Hotels are a dangerous thing, especially in the winter, i found enough reasons to stay a few nights before setting off again.  Winter Cycling Czech

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Krakow to Auschwitz

January 22nd, 2012

This blog contains details and pictures related to Auschwitz, it might not be suitable for some people or children.  If you are under 14 please get your parent, guardian or teacher to read this first to make sure they are happy for you to read and watch.

Having had a good rest over new year I was ready to get going again.  Leaving Krakow I made the silly mistake of not mapping a good route out of town.  I find that cities tend to act as a giant maze and without a detailed map, ending up on the wrong road is easy.  My large scale map was next to useless and the road signs were not helping either.  I stopped by a junction and leaned the bike against a post to try and get my bearings.  A women came up to me and started talking, feeling rather sheepish, at my lack of comprehension, I managed to explain that i did not speak any Ukrainian, she did not speak any English.  Still, I managed to ask her if this road was the way I wanted to go.  She conveyed that she did not know but pointed to a small fast food stand.  She said that she would mind my bike, I trusted her.  The girl at the fast food stand spoke great English and assured me that this was the right way keep going turn right at the next crossroads, then keep going,  great. I returned to the smiling woman who was looking after my bike.  She delved into one of her shopping bags and brought out a large piece of flat bread with a crushed apple topping, sort of like an apple pie pizza.  I thanked her for the wonderful gift and she smiled and waved me goodbye.  A few hours later and it was getting dark, I was on the right road now for sure, the road signs were matching up things were good.  The hard part was over, leaving the warm cosy hostel and the maze of city streets.  I found a small woodland and set up camp.

The next day was spent wondering why all the shops were closed, it turned out the 6th is Epiphany and a public holiday, it is a continues to amaze me how little I know.  Fortunately I had plenty of food so all I had to do was get to the town of Oswiecim for a visit to Auschwitz. Here are the remains of one of the Nazi death camps from the second world war.  There are plenty of intact buildings now serving as Museums, as well as the remains of other buildings that were destroyed.

The death camps had one purpose: to kill people, mainly Jews.  It is hard to describe a visit to a place like this, it’s not like going to a Museum where you can come out and say ‘wow that was great, I really enjoyed that’.  The mood of the group that I toured with was sombre throughout and I left with a strange feeling.  Despite this, it is worth visiting, just to know that this happened,  the museum severs to educate people as to what happened so that we will never forget. Over 1.3 million people were killed here whilst the death camp was operational.

My words will not do this any justice but I hope that these pictures try to.

More information can be found with the links below, there is a camping site 700m from Auschwitz, follow the signs from the Auschwitz Museum car park.  It is only open during the summer, i found a free camping spot nearby.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp

http://en.auschwitz.org/m/

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