Cycling Alone Across Great Britain (Part 1 of 5)

This is the first video of a 5-part documentary about my solo bikepacking trip across Great Britain, from the southwestern tip of England (Land’s End) to the northwestern tip of Scotland (John ‘O Groats), following for most of it the GB Divide route.

Watch part 2 here: https://youtu.be/MbqYcyHmOvU

Foreign People say I’m in the middle of nothing that’s it Bring me home bring me home I am enjoying this a bit too much Foreign everybody third of April 8am in the morning I’m starting the GB Delight I’m here at the first and last house in England got my bike all packed I’m saying bye bye to the Atlantic Ocean and hopefully I’m gonna see you up there to the North Sea first battle my way to Scotland

Ah look at the state of this road loving it I guess you keep on the side maybe not I just went all over inside ah yes at least my bags are waterproof all right that’s it didn’t last long just one up cuddler load it oh I’m out it’s so tough to ride over

Mud like this doesn’t look any better so 11 hours and 99.4 kilometers later which really pisses me off because I wanted to get to 100. I finally made it with Mar the campsite day two good morning from Roche kind of a beautiful day today I will have to cycle

120 kilometers all the way to a barn staple where luckily I’ll do warm showers so I’m gonna have to put the tent and remove it I was checking the time it took me one hour and a half to put everything on an hour and a half to remove everything so

It’s like three hours they’re just walking somewhere eat shower sleep get ready the next day it is just me so quiet can only hear the stream running and the birds very good very nice better keep moving if I keep making videos I’m not gonna arrive to burn staple you can hear it

There is something wrong with the I don’t know if it’s the gearbox good so frustrating come on giddy up just made it to Barnstable looks lovely the ocean is just over there there is a bike shop there but it’s closed there is another one there I might check it out

Later but for a moment I’m heading towards my host warm shower host it’s gonna be my first Warm showers experience really looking forward to it so today I cycled 126 kilometers that’s a personal best in seven hours 56 minutes tomorrow day three yesterday I had wonderful weather today is grim it’s raining

I’m prepared so that’s the bike shop to see if they can fix my bike my left knee is in pain muscles are tired the muscles are not the problem is just the left knee I really don’t want to go up because of the neighbor I’ll just keep going slowly

That’s a smile on my face so thank you so much bike shed in barn staple I just walked in the guy had a look at the bike kind of fix it I think I have to change a part that is called the free body he didn’t have it but still like it’s not

Doing that noise anymore I will see maybe once I get to Bristol where there is the shop to manufacture this bike I’m not going to change there but anyway it’s 9 15 I’m on my way it’s 1 hour 50 minutes behind schedule but considering the problem that I had that’s nothing so

It’s raining I don’t care I’m gonna have my glasses on so the contact lenses are great because otherwise yeah you know it’s like this for hours and hours I’m tired I even my muscles are tired this has been probably the toughest climb of the trip so far because it’s

Very steep I mean this steep it’s more about the length just never ends this is beautiful might be even nicer with the Sun but to be honest it’s missed I’m enjoying it a lot it doesn’t stop raining since this morning lots of gates but the knee is okay the bike is not

Making the noise I love to be outdoors I just had the best that’s sugar cheese and onion I got two of those you know when people say I’m in the middle of nothing it’s just me it’s rain and nothing else now you ask me why I’m laughing because I like this ah

I’m gonna put the camera here so now the camera is completely horizontal and this is the only way I have to show you how steep this is you tell me how I can cycle this after I cycle 130 kilometers yesterday I’m behind the schedule it’s 4 40. I cycle 63 kilometers I have to cycle I think 105. and I only have light until eight so I don’t know what I’ll do I’ll see I’ll improvise great news the warm shower host told me that I can get there until 11 now it is

Ten to six so that gives me enough time I just won’t have time to sleep and get ready for tomorrow but hey it is what it is dark I want to go through this uh I’m too tired I can’t think I want to go through this off-road section then it’s a paper that should be fine today like I think there’s a part of me that already knows that I’m gonna give up I just haven’t accepted yet only three days in

A very failure mate well I wonder the challenge that’s your challenge Carlo deal with it look at this it is 7 20 the sunset is in 40 minutes but because of the thick cold cover I don’t think I’ll see anything by eight so just keep going keep going it’s getting dark

I almost almost there that’s it I made it I’m out of the off track session beautiful now I just have to get to the warm shop end of day three I’m dead I cannot bend my knees I’m just walking like this so tomorrow I’ll just take it easy and see what happens

Thank you Lucy and Brian great experience well I guess this is it 6th of April fourth day my left knee is too painful too so keep going at the pace that will allow me to to follow my plan so a change of plans I’m gonna go very very slowly as you can tell

To Bristol I’ll probably stop there yes that’s everything see what to do but it’s very very annoying my body is okay and my muscles the left knee is so painful oh well still here paddling through the pain it’s just my morale is very up that’s it

My last thing is killing me my dress is saying keep going man keep going I really want to get to chips though tonight which is whales because I have a couple of friends there would be amazing to see them let’s see let’s see I started a little

Late because I wanted to rest more but the first part of this today has been pretty flat so done already 50 miles like an hour and a half so that’s good yeah this is so depressing I swear I woke up this morning I checked the forecast and it said no rain

It just sets Sun the whole day why it looks like I made it to the top hopefully it’s all going to be downhill from here until then I go to the bottom and I have to walk again hi I try not to take shots like this

Because it takes so long but I want you to see like what it means sometimes it’s a cycle off-road on the gbd ride now imagine there is a road down there that leads me directly to Bristol the the GB divide doesn’t want to make your life easy so you better push your bike

And go through and trust me Mar is heavy I like it I really like it’s made it to Bristol today my left knee is killing me but I’m not giving up next stop chopstand funny and interesting thing this morning when I left the warm showers Lucy told

Me it will take you around three hours to get to Bristol because it’s 30 miles 10 miles per hour right I said yeah but would you be the ride goes a completely different way doesn’t go the fastest way and so now I just got to Bristol and I

Cycle rather than 30 miles which is 48 kilometers I cycle 68 kilometers and rather take me three hours it took me six hours I’m heading to the outfit shop kid is the manufacturer of mar and I will see if they can do something for the free body on the back still

Under warranty so hopefully they can fix it can’t believe as I go all the way here and it’s closed you shouldn’t be closed oh yeah oh yeah loving this loving this marriage a bit thirsty and Bristol is so nice dear friends that’s England on my back that’s where it’s in front of me

It feels like the first big achievement of this trip I almost can’t talk for the for the pain I have my left knee I don’t know why I keep going all right feels great it took me four days to cycle from London to to Wales sun is shining on my face

And friends are waiting for me on the other side well I’m a lucky me sorry about that sorry but just excited everything is perfect but this left me