So there I was. My 66th birthday, my last day at work and looking forward to Monday when I can lie in bed all day and do nothing! I should have known better. I was awake at the usual time and feeling like I should get out on my bike. So at 6.30 am I set off on my bike along the canal. I went west, the opposite direction from my usual commute. After a couple of hours I ended up back home and it struck me that I was really going to enjoy this retirement lark.

The more I got out and about on my bike the better I wanted it to perform. I had started looking at up-grades over the time I was commuting. First I replaced the wheels, derailleur and brakes. Over the next couple of years I had changed almost all of the components. I was gradually rebuilding a bike which I thought would suit my purpose. It got to a point when my spare room had so many bits lying about I bought a second hand mountain bike frame from e-bay and transferred all the better parts onto it. That left me with almost a complete bike which I put together and sold to a neighbour. I gathered a collection of tools which enabled me to completely strip down and build up the bike several times. It was getting better but I doubt if I will ever be completely satisfied and have an end product.

My thoughts began to stray on to where I could cycle to. I started reading cycling blogs and web-sites. I began to develop ideas about going cycle touring. I hadn’t been camping for a couple of years but still had most of the gear. The thought of going camping on my bike started growing in my mind.