Hi - I'm a retired teacher who didn't own a bike until adulthood then my first bike was a small kiddie's bike bought for 10shillings (50p for all those too young to understand old money:-)) It had no brakes so made for interesting riding around London, especially Crystal Palace Hill.
After moving to Cornwall I progressed through a series of bikes, always carrying children on the back even before it was trendy - used to cycle 12 miles to and from work along the beautiful Camel Trail in the dark and often saw deer and otters and was accompanied by hooting owls - eventually ended up 4 years ago with a Thorn Raven Tourer - what a luxury - Rohloff gears are brilliant - bought them so the bike would withstand travel all over the world. 3 years ago cycled the Allegheny Trail from Washington DC to Pittsburgh and halfway back with one of my 6 grandchildren - she was 7 years old at the time and cycled 500 miles on her own bike - what a star!! Wild camped and braved rattle snakes and a storm that blew a trees down across the trail, one of which narrowly missed our tent.
Currently planning to cycle down the West Coast of France then across from Atlantic to Mediterranean seas - if that goes well might attempt Eurovelo 6 and further before the arthritis finally stops me:-(
I now don't live in any one place - travel, housesit, couch surf and stay in a caravan if I'm in the UK - hence the title of the thread - simple lifestyle - loving it - trying to continue to live without a car - would be easier if this government hadn't stolen my pension and bus pass that I should have collected next year but that's a different story - at least I can now 'get on my bike'.
After moving to Cornwall I progressed through a series of bikes, always carrying children on the back even before it was trendy - used to cycle 12 miles to and from work along the beautiful Camel Trail in the dark and often saw deer and otters and was accompanied by hooting owls - eventually ended up 4 years ago with a Thorn Raven Tourer - what a luxury - Rohloff gears are brilliant - bought them so the bike would withstand travel all over the world. 3 years ago cycled the Allegheny Trail from Washington DC to Pittsburgh and halfway back with one of my 6 grandchildren - she was 7 years old at the time and cycled 500 miles on her own bike - what a star!! Wild camped and braved rattle snakes and a storm that blew a trees down across the trail, one of which narrowly missed our tent.
Currently planning to cycle down the West Coast of France then across from Atlantic to Mediterranean seas - if that goes well might attempt Eurovelo 6 and further before the arthritis finally stops me:-(
I now don't live in any one place - travel, housesit, couch surf and stay in a caravan if I'm in the UK - hence the title of the thread - simple lifestyle - loving it - trying to continue to live without a car - would be easier if this government hadn't stolen my pension and bus pass that I should have collected next year but that's a different story - at least I can now 'get on my bike'.
Growley.
