Welcome back, now I will attempt to justify strapping an eco-friendly mode of transport to an environmental disaster (or so we are meant to believe) known as the diesel car and why I think driving it around the countryside for the fun of it is ok.  Cycling is all well and good when you have quiet roads or loads of dedicated cycle paths, neither of which we have in large quantities in the commuter towns these days. Nice quiet back roads are the best we can hope for, and even then you need to keep your wits about you.

For me, none of the above really cause much distress, but when you have a group of people or younger kids to think about, I would rather opt for a quieter safer area.  Once the usual routes have been explored, it can become a little boring, or if you go for something more adventurous, then it can become quite exhausting.  Now that I have the option of loading the bikes aloft the car, I can pootle to another town or village, potter around some quiet roads or woods, and feel less stressed knowing that I am not holding up the rest of civilisation, who are often in such a hurry to make it to wherever they may be going.  As I drive quite a lot for work, it also opens up an opportunity for me to explore other areas of this interesting county and country that may have stayed hidden and obscured to me otherwise.

I have yet of course had the chance to try going to work, and then stopping on the way back to cycle around a bit, but the freedom of knowing that I could do that is quite reassuring.  I am now in a mindset of actively looking for cycle routes and paths that may be around the areas that I travel to ready for that moment when the sun shines and the clock slows, I can don my cycling shorts (not lycra ones!) and peddle off into the distance, turn around come back and get back in the car knowing that my body and mind had a break even if only for a brief half an hour or so.

I’ll keep you posted on how that actually turns out, I may equally have just wasted some money on a bunch of metal that will rust, taking up space and time in my life.  I’m also open to the idea of trying out any equipment, routes or tips that you would like to suggest.  Just get in touch using the comments box.

Thanks for stopping by.