The first day of the trip proper involved unseen ospreys, acid-trip molluscs, severe mechanicals, some excellent streetfood, and Taiwan’s northernmost point. We left Taipei along a series of excellent riverside tracks (pic). Yup, this a cycle track, not a road. Even my most ardent campaigning friends might grudgingly admit this is just about wide enough….
Category: End to Ends
Taiwan 0: Taipei
A lovely day of cycling along the Xindian River today, on one of Taipei’s many fabulous riverside cycle paths. First though we dropped in on Longshan Temple (pic), a splendid ‘folk temple’ that was busy with worshippers praying in the run-up to Chinese New Year next week, with locals getting meticulous horoscopes cast, and cycle…
Taiwan -1: Taipei
We’re in Taipei for the weekend before setting off on the End to End proper on Monday. Our hire bikes are proving useful for exploring the city that the tourist rarely gets to see, such as the tailors that repaired Tim’s trousers and the coin-op that did his laundry. And, indeed, for the five-mile trip…
Taiwan -2: Taipei
I rendezvoused with Tim here in Taipei last night, and we picked up our hire bikes today from a branch of Giant Cycles at lunchtime. Or, as my body clock thought it was, 4am. Taipei is a very bike-friendly city. You can cycle on the pavement, and many people do. This seems to cause no…
France 21: Castellane to Nice
Well, I finished: St Malo to Nice ticked off. Shame there are no puns on my final destination that I could use to say how it’s been. It was a foggy old start to the day (pic). The first hour as I climbed up to 1200m it was like cycling inside Tupperware. The drivers could…
France 20: Les Salles-sur-Verdon to Castellane
A day of big climbs – over 1400m all told, and I’ve just told you so it must be true – but well worth it for some stupendous views of the Verdon gorge. The early morning ascent to Aiguines gave me a view back over the town of Les Salles, where I spent last night…
France 19: Forcalquier to Les Salles-sur-Verdon
Another lovely day of cycling on quiet back roads through lush countryside and tranquil woods. Saturday was market day in several of the towns and villages I passed through, and they were bustling (pic). Locally sourced food is the norm here. When I asked where the fruit and veg were grown they usually just pointed…
France 18: Sault to Forcalquier
Another very easy day today: short distances, lovely countryside, friendly little towns, a profile mainly downhill, and plenty of inexpensive local food and drink. Heading east out of Sault, I got my last look at Mont Ventoux (pic). Here, looming over the lavender fields, it actually looks more like the isolated big climb that it…
France 17: Mont Ventoux
From Sault, the summit of Mont Ventoux looks trivially close (pic). And not that much higher. Indeed, Sault is the easiest of the three options for base camp towns for the climb every cyclist wants to do, being the highest (700m) and having the shallowest road to the summit (5%). And the best facilities for…
France 16: Le Pontet to Sault
My cheapo place last night should have been called Hotel California. It was almost impossible to leave. The only exit east was a motorway bikes are banned from, or an absurd backtrack on scruffy lanes through retail and industrial estates. The only sensible way to get out of North Avignon’s badlands was by a short…