Thursday 29 December 2016

Yard by Yard: the preparation

10am New Year's Day 2017.  So this is finally it then.

After months of planning, extensive research and boring my friends/family/colleagues it is nearly time to fly out.  For those of you who are unaware of my current plans, I decided back in September to shake up my life and go on a bit of a personal sabbatical.  I quit my job, I bought a shiny new racing-green bicycle and I bought a plane ticket.

My plan is to fly out to New Zealand, a place with which I have always admired from afar, and cycle from one end of the country to the other.  I fly into Auckland on 3rd January and I fly out on 14th February; everything in between is still to be decided.


The beast that will carry me across an entire country.

The decision to pack everything in and get out of the UK for six weeks has been a project in the works, certainly in my own mind, for a few years now.  It seems fashionable for people of my generation (those unwillingly hurtling towards 30) to make this sort of grandiose life decision; that is, to throw away the comforts of their everyday routines and go and have an "experience".  Several of my dear friends have made the decision to temporarily move away from their careers and focus on going on an adventure.  In the purest definition of my intentions; it's a way of taking a break from what I consider to be my normality.  A way, in my personal circumstance, to attempt to descramble my brain and focus my attentions on a different goal.

My decision to take up cycle-touring (it's a real thing, promise!) has come from combining two of my great loves: travel & cycling.  The idea of traversing an entire region, country or continent at the speed of a bicycle offers up certain romantic connotations; the wind in one's hair, being awoken at dawn by the sounds of birds in the trees outside the tent, the numbing-pain of having to sit in a bastarding bike saddle for 8 hours straight...  I cannot think of a better way to traverse such a gorgeous country than on two wheels.



NB: The image above does not fairly represent the cycle I will be taking to NZ

In all theory all of this should fit into three bags strapped to the back of a cycle...

So why New Zealand?  I won't wax lyrical and write you poetry as to why this beautiful country has become my destination.  Just go directly to Google Images and type "New Zealand" plus the words "countryside" or "tour" or "beautiful" and you'll see why this is considered a veritable Eden for potential visitors.

Anyway I'm rambling...  For those of you interested in my route you can see my rough estimation of plan below.  The entire route still very much TBC at this early stage.


New Zealand 2017 Route:
Auckland > Rotorua > Lake Taupo > Wellington
Picton > Nelson > Westport > Haas > Wanaka > Invercargill > Stirling Point


So why have I decided to start a blog then?  Blogging is not one of those things that comes naturally to me.  I have not written creatively for a very long time.  To be honest with you I was surprised as anybody to learn that I am still able to read and write.

My recent history of putting my thoughts into publishable format have consisted of constructing production schedules, grovelling works emails or (what I consider to be) side-splittingly amusing anecdotes via Whatsapp.  Honestly, the last piece of serious creative writing I have had to assemble was my letter of resignation - and even that was poorly (and agonisingly) put-together.



Testing my new home in the wilds of the Streatham back-country...

Writing a blog was never something I considered putting together until after I had revealed my travel plans to my friends, family and work colleagues.  I found that regardless of who I told; regardless of that person's age, gender, background, culture...the same three questions always surfaced:

1) Are you mad?
2) Can you take bikes on a plane?
3) Are you doing a blog?

The answers would invariably be "maybe", "yes" and a hesitant "I'm not sure".  As previously stated, creative writing is not my forte.  However I think it's a good idea to document my thoughts, feelings and experiences for those of you interested or insane enough to want to read.


High-intensity training rides in sunny Langstone.

And I finally got a name for the bloody thing didn't I...?!

Yard by Yard
(full credit to M Wadland P.F. for the title)

Quite a catchy title don't you think?  If this blog works out and I make my fortune from travel-writing then I think I've found the title for my autobiography.

And as a bonus it's a good way of reassuring my parents back on the South Coast that I haven't cycled off the edge of a cliff.  Nothing more traumatising than self-diagnosed parental paranoia when their children are concerned.


Map bought.  Route still TBC...

So if you've managed to get through this much of my amateur prose then perhaps you might be interested in continuing to read up on my adventures.  Where possible I'll be updating the blog with amusing stories, observations and details of my journey.  Bear in mind that for some stretches of the trip I will be out in the wilderness, far away from a wifi connection (bliss!), and so may not be able to keep this journal updated as regularly as I may like.

So as I sit here racking my brains for anything I may have forgotten, desperately hammering away at the keys of my laptop finishing this post off, I must bid you adieu and a Happy 2017.  My parents are on their way this afternoon to drop me off at Heathrow for the flight at 7pm.  Let's hope the bloody bike box fits in the car...  See you on the other side!

Thanks for reading.
Josh




The three stages of packing.