Exploration by bicycle

Summary

What do you think when you see two touring cyclists on the road? Slightly mad? Brave? Stupid? For me, I think of exploration into the unknown. Making the most of life. Seeing places you wouldn’t think you would usually go to, meeting new people and surrounding yourself in new cultures. That’s why so many of us have started doing it! I’ve always been interested in the idea of bike packing. The simplicity of it, being self-sufficient (to an extent) and having the freedom to roam where you like, without relying on a vehicle to get you there.

The idea came to me when a good friend of mine messaged me asking if I’d like to go on a minibike packing trip. I am always up for an adventure, and it has always been in the back of my mind to try bike packing.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a go.

 The ride

The plan was to start from Leeds city centre, stay the night in a glamping pod at a place called Fridaythorpe, on a Friday. (how ironic) Finishing the next day by riding east to Scarborough, then west inland through York and Wetherby, until we arrived back home. It was going to be a long couple of days, but I couldn’t wait to get started.  

I tried packing light, making sure I have my most important items, things like, food, warm clothes and a toothbrush. Although the bag wasn’t necessarily heavy,  the added weight still made the saddle bag sway from side to side. I could never seem to make the bag not sway! I found it a bit annoying, however, having all our possessions on the bike would make it feel a lot more exciting.

Day 1

We began by navigating through the chaotic city of Leeds, it was a bit tricky at peak times on a Friday evening. I knew we wouldn’t be on the busy roads for too long, but it’s what we had to do until we were on the quiet country roads. As we continued, a pair of motorcyclists zoomed past us and kindly shouted, “FUCK OFF!” as loudly as they could. It baffles me why people have the need to shout such things. As a cyclist, it’s what we have to deal with sometimes. I hope it made him feel somewhat big and manly. NOT!

We always knew the start was going to be tricky, that was just part of the adventure.

  As time went on, we shortly approached York, and it was heaving! It looked like the York races had been on. It was a nice feeling to think we were almost halfway. We rolled through the city at a leisurely pace, had a quick pitstop at York minister and continued east on our quest. As dusk settled in and the roads started to become less busy, we started to find ourselves on some quiet country lanes. This is what we wanted, to be free of the noise of cars zooming past us and just the sound of our wheels. Suddenly, out of nowhere a baby deer ran out in front of me. I slammed my breaks on, and everything seemed to stop in slow motion! All I remember was the poor baby deer dancing in front me, before it ran back into the bushes.

  Slightly shaken up, we continued, following narrow country lanes. The sense of freedom and exploration filled us. When night fell, the rest of ride became a blur. It felt quite eerie! I wasn’t entirely sure where we were going either. What lay ahead of us felt like a bit of a blank canvas, all I could do was to follow my maps on my wahoo. The roads were relentless in the dark too, a lot more hills that we expected, until we found ourselves descending through a long valley that seemed to go on for what felt like an eternity. All I could see was Tom’s light moving in front of me. When we did eventually arrive at the bottom, there was one more extremely steep climb. It was only 3 more miles, and then we were in Fridaythorpe. However, it wasn’t over yet,  we still had to try and find our pod. Especially as we arrived slightly later than planned.

When we found the pod, it was so small, it could barely fit us inside let alone two bikes. The interior was extremely cosy and warm, and was painted bright purple on the outside; something hobbit would probably stay in! This gave us both a laugh. Luckily we were staying near a pub, so quickly we had a shower and headed there for a well-deserved pint and some grub.

Day 2

We woke fairly early, eager to start the day. The sun was beaming through our pod, it was going to be a grand day. We had a quick breakfast, stuffed our bags and off we went. We rolled out, effortlessly pedalling on some fantastic wide-open roads. Early mornings are always a great time to ride, it beats some of the traffic before it becomes too busy later on during the day.

Shortly after departing, we started to approach signs to Scarborough, which involved a bit of navigation on some busy main roads. However, this didn’t last too long. I could see and smell the sea air; I haven’t been here in years! It was a great feeling to be by the sea and roll on to the beach. When we did arrive on the sea front, we stood by the large fish sculpture, refuelling, and admiring the sea view. After a quick pit stop, we decided to ride besides the castle before riding west inland. I thought it was going to stay sunny for the majority of the day, but as we rode further west, the clouds covered, and it was a lovely dull grey.

After leaving Scarborough, we found that it wasn’t all that interesting. We had an horrendous headwind and found ourselves cycling on some very long stretches of main roads. We took it in turns to ride on the front as the other one shelters behind. Usually, bike packaging should be at a steady leisurely pace, but we were both putting in effort as we wanted to get off the main roads as quickly as possible. It felt like hard work, especially with the added weight of the bags, and the headwind.

The long stretches of roads were taking its toll on me, my legs were beginning to feel like jelly. I needed to stop for a café break or something. We made a plan to stop in York for lunch, but when we did arrive it was so busy. We were both feeling tired and desperately needed food, but where? We roamed around and plonked ourselves outside a pizza place; we ate, and watched the world go by. Onwards, and feeling somewhat stronger after food. We knew that it wasn’t too long until we were home, but it’s always that last push that seems to hurt. It’s a matter of mind games that gets you through it. I just had to keep on telling myself to push on. I kept on envisioning how good it would to be to have a warm shower and put my feet up on the sofa. As I dreamt, it’s what got me through those long roads. Although, I always try and tell myself to enjoy the journey, and to live in the moment. It’s the last few miles when you are so close to finishing when my mind goes haywire. It’s all I could think about. Luckily the roads weren’t too taxing on my legs, until when we made it back to Otley. The finish push! I knew there were some steep hills to come up, I had to dig deep. My saddle bag was swaying like mad! I just wanted this to be over now.

Every mile seemed harder and harder, lungs screaming, legs screaming, head saying  stop, but the sense of achievement far outweighed any of that. We only had a few more miles left and before we knew it we had done it. Completed our first bike trip.

As this adventure ends, another one is to be made as it had us both wanting more.

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