Swanston Street

I have heard the news about the responses to the Swanston Street proposals and it looks like the street may finally become a safer street for cyclists to use.  Common sense may prevail.  Thanks to everyone for their support for a new Swanston Street, it is what Carolyn always wanted.  

Manchester & Belfast

Spent a week in Manchester staying with Sally, Dave and baby Theo.  It was a really relaxing week, had plenty of good night's sleep and delicious home cooked meals.  Saw a bit of Manchester, all of which I liked.  Myself and 3 complete strangers caught the film Looking For Eric at the cinema, I was pleasantly surprised, it was good.  Also spent a few hours walking in the Peak District which was great.

Flew into Belfast a few days ago to catch up with Dan Toner.  It was fantastic to see the man also known as Danny Newry and to also meet Kristina for the first time.  2 quality nights later I'm back in London, preparing for the bike ride.  Tomorrow I'll pick up my bike, a Ridgeback Voyage.  It will be complete with 2 panniers, water bottle, a smaller front bag, a big heavy D Lock and a dent.  I got it for a bit of a discount with the dent, I think it adds character.  It's more of a dimple than a dent anyway, it's a beauty spot.  The big ride will start this Friday morning - riding from London to Dover first before catching a ferry across to France and then riding south west to the city of Tours for Danny and Sonia's wedding.

A night out in the Scottish Highlands

Forgot to add this clip from my Highlands adventure. It was great to finally see some live music in Scotland. The dancefloor was rocking.

Lake District, England

After a glorious night's sleep in Fort William, I ventured back to Glasgow for another terrible night's sleep at the hostel. Before bed I caught local act Punch and the Apostles at a local bar/dungeon. They only played 1 song, it went for 45 minutes though so the £3 admission wasn't a complete waste. There were periods of up to 5 minutes during that 45 minute song of the gentle sounds of feedback, nothing else, just a kind of irritating buzzing sound like someone forgot to turn their amp off. Thankfully there was a visual presentation accompanying the 1 song featuring images of the colour black to push things along.

I caught a train to the Lake District the next morning, a place called Ambleside was my exact destination. I then got lost for about an hour before asking Tourist Information where the nearest campsite was. 4 miles and about 1 hour of walking later, I pitched my tent by Lake Windermere. 2 nights there and then Sally, Dave and Theo drove up from Manchester and met me at the campground. It was great to finally meet my new nephew Theo and see Sally and Dave again.