Neil's Mountain Bike Indispensables.

I've spent a lot of money over the years on Mountain Bike kit and components. Not all of it proved a wise investment. I bought a few turkeys in my time, so I've put together a little list of the things that I have found to be indispensable in recent years. I appreciate that many of them are quite high-end products but for me it is value for money that counts and everything here has proven itself over and over again for bombproof long-term reliability. 

#DestinationUnknown - Independent Short-Haul Travel - Transfers & Accommodation Choices.

A homestay in Padang, Sumatra, not exactly slumming it.

OK, so we've booked our bargain flight with a budget airline (if not see here), what next?

Selecting an accommodation choice in a handy location and figuring out how to get there from the airport.

A lot depends on your budget, if you are solo or in a small group, how independent you really want to be, and whether you want a sociable or private environment.

The first question to ask yourself whilst hovering the mouse over that nice 4 Star hotel room is this: "How long will I actually spend in my room?" It's a simple enough question with a simple answer - not very long. The reality is that most of us need somewhere clean to stash our pack, take a shower, and sleep. The remainder of our time will hopefully be spent discovering our chosen destination. You can travel an awfully long way, for an awfully long time, on a very modest budget, if you're ready to forsake unnecessary luxury. I'm not saying that you should go for the cheapest out-of-the-way fleapit you can find but to be mindful of the available options and maybe select something that will offer you greater value for your money.

The Longest Day - Ultra Tour of The Peak District

A great big inflatable elephant!

A couple of years ago Mitch Bryan and I went through a spell of running Ultra-Marathons which culminated in the successful completion of The UTPD - Ultra Tour of the Peak District - 60 miles (100km) event. To your average man (or woman) on the street this seems inconceivable, when we set out to do it it seemed almost that way to us too.

Both of us intended to continue to do other similar events, in fact we had our eye on the big prize - a 100 miler, but for various reasons we got distracted.

What may surprise you the most, as it did me, was that it wasn't actually as hard as I thought would be.

I'll quantify that rather bold statement. Running 60 miles in half day is very hard, it's just that I expected it to be brutally hard.

Review: Alpkit Bikepacking Luggage.

Over the last ten years or so there has been a growing trend (or sub-culture) in cycling for Bikepacking.
(I have added a few useful links at the bottom if you are interested).

If you're not familiar with Bikepacking then it's a bit like off-road bicycle touring encompassing anything from an overnight adventure with a bivvy, multi-day (or multi-week) racing like The Tour Divide, right through to global adventure travel. The great thing about Bikepacking is that it can take you as far, or near, from the beaten path as you desire. It has developed alongside the desire to have these adventures.
Pioneering routes like The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route or The Israel Bike Trail have given more mountain bikers a thirst for just such an adventure.

Hand-in- hand with its growing popularity are a bunch of companies innovating solutions to packing gear on a mountain bike. The age old practice of fitting pannier racks on a cycle tourer just doesn't work on a mountain bike.
This is where the likes of Alpkit, and others, have stepped up to the plate and filled in the gaps.

A tale of three cities. Friends, football, and a beautiful girl. The Netherlands.

Shameless travel selfie with my son Dan.

Finally we seem to have left the shadow of winter behind. It has felt like a long time since I felt the sleepy caress of a warm breeze on my face. Here in the UK we seem to have skipped a season this year and lurched from winter to summer in the blink of an eye. From the grip of cold Siberian northerlies to an overnight heatwave. And it is very welcome.

It must have felt even longer for most than I. I spent most of the dreary late autumn and early winter riding dusty singletrack in Nepal, returning only in time for the Christmas festivities; and enjoyed a winter break in Israel, in the fine company of my friend Yoram Hen, doing much the same.