Lessons learnt Other people's long bicycle rides
Don't dream - do it! When you're old and grey you'll probably regret the things you didn't do rather than the things you did!
Don't ask why - ask why not. If you want to you can.
Use your head! Unless you're spontaneous to the point of being impetuous a little research , planning and common sense will get you a long way, safely!
If you rely heavily on any item, make sure its up to the job before setting off. A cold wet evening in the middle of nowhere is not a good time to discover your tent leaks or that your picnic stove sprays paraffin all over your feet but refuses to light.
Travelling as a lone woman is no more dangerous than living at home. Whilst I was away a child was murdered as she lay in her tent at a popular holiday spot. Two male relatives of a friend of my husband were run down from behind and killed whilst out cycling. See use your head!
Take a few little items to make life a little more homely. A small radio, a tiny teddy, a toy sheep from my daughter and a small pillow from my son.
Take an A4 page with photos of nearest and dearest, home, a simple map describing your route for all those conversations in foreign languages that you can't quite manage.
If you take photos take more than you think
you ought to. You'll probably never come that way again and as the trip
unfolds, that dead goat being loaded into a shiny Mercedes might gain increasing
significance in your understanding of goats, Mercedes drivers and the nature
of people generally.
The following are links to other people's long bicycle rides - some provided inspiration, others were discovered afterwards. A thank you to those whose ideas i 'borrowed'!
Paul Smee - Land's End - John O Groats
Jonas' corner - previously very good collection of tours, now only few links left
Dutch world tourers - Paul van Roekel
From Helsingborg to Istanbul - Anna Jurs (in Swedish)