eBike Adventure Across the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 | Nick Sanders

Nick Sanders — legendary UK adventurer — takes on a new kind of challenge: riding an electric bike across the United Kingdom 🇬🇧.

Over 4 days and 300 miles, Nick pedals his Yamaha Wabash e-bike from Machynlleth, the ancient capital of Wales, to London. Using the National Cycling Network and a little imagination, he links routes together while keeping away from traffic wherever possible.

⚡ 300 miles in 4 days
🚴 Filmed for Cycling UK magazine
📍 Across the United Kingdom 🇬🇧

A simple journey, on a bike and in a land he loves.

#EBikeAdventure
#NickSanders
#CyclingUK
#RideAcrossBritain
#ElectricBike
#CyclingLife
#UKAdventure 🇬🇧
#EBikeJourney
#TwoWheelsOnePlanet
#Bikepacking

See you Andy. So this is Mahantal High Street, supposedly the ancient capital of Wales. Has a market on Wednesdays. And I’m starting off my journey to London. Creating my route, the Nick route if you like, from the Huntle in Mid Wales to the central London. Finding roads and small routes with a minimum amount of traffic. Not starting very well, is it? [Music] The interesting thing about Mahunle is that it was the ancient capital of Wales and it was the seat of Welsh Parliament in something like was it 144? Oh, Englander the Prince of Wales supposedly had his parliament here. Um but notwithstanding it’s very much a farming town. He tried to get city status actually in the year 2000 2002 because of its ancient capital well to recognize its ancient capital concept I guess but it didn’t happen. Anyway, we started the journey to London and I’m going to take a right now and start riding over the narrow mountain pass. Not so long ago, I ecycycled around the world, and I wanted to prove to myself that riding at home was every bit as interesting. This is a hard hill, the narrow mountain pass from Antliff to Clanido. And bravo to all you cyclists without batteries. Well done you. But what I think is great about electric cycling is this that I’m unfit and a bit overweight, but it allows me to get on the bike. It gives me a boost and so it enables me to start to get a bit fitter without it being too hard. That would be so offputting and I probably wouldn’t do it. I’ll be pushing it. So that’s the great thing about electric cycling. It gets you on the road, gets you a bit fitter. Mental welfare good. And look at the scenery. And we’ve only done five miles and already it’s put a smile on my face. Yeah. [Music] You know, I’m a great believer in not doing too much planning because you suddenly become surprised by what you see actually and and and that’s quite fresh. And all of a sudden out of both Wells, I’m on a B- road. Traffic goes past about one a minute, so it’s quite quiet. And here I am at the Urwood um railway station. Um obviously disused and it’s delightful for a cup of coffee. Park up the bike, have a cuper and then crack on. What’s what’s not to like about that? Hi, I’m Jenny. I run the wood station craft center. We’re a lovely spot to stop if you’re cycling on route. Large car park, picnic tables outside and in. Converted railway carriages, savories, cakes, tea, coffee. Everyone’s welcome. This is Jenny and I’m going to have a BB slice. Yes, slice. And I’m going to have a strawberry milkshake. You are marvelous. Thank you very much indeed. Great. Bye. So, I’m going to sit here in the railway carriage um eating my bakewell slice, which is very moist. Um, slurping my strawberry milkshake in the railway carriage of Irwood Railway Station and um, hangs for a go. Yes, absolutely gorgeous. Ask for Jenny. On the bike, you hear everything. You smell it all. Nature hangs heavily all about you very satisfyingly. There is something unrelentingly wonderful about being self-propelled. I’m going to be all right. I’ve been caught in time. I want you to know that I love you so. My friend, the skies are bright. I see orange light. I want you to know that I love you so. And I feel like and I love you so. [Music] This is one of the great things about traveling in the in the British countryside or the English countryside per se here. So many little unusual fabulous little things to look at. And here we are at Tinton and it’s the old Tinton line. This is fabulous. I love it. And if you go back to the very beginning where raw materials like iron or timber, they make charcoal for forges and furnaces. Well, they’re all plentiful around here. And you got the fast flowing and giddy stream running into the wire which turned the water wheels which powered the hammers and the bellows which was needed for the furnaces and the forges and the iron works and the wire works. This valley apparently was at the cutting edge of Britain’s industrial development long before the industrial revolution. In a way this journey didn’t need a specific route. You choose your own direction link up a few national cycle network paths. make up the bits in between. And like magic, you have a way forward which is customized and tailored simply to suit you. This actually is really one of the prettiest little back roads of the bicycle I’ve I’ve ever come across. It’s extraordinary. It’s just not like a old railway track. It’s so lush. It’s like going through a forest. Separate but in sound of so busy out there. But here it’s really quiet. And I’m a bit of a purist because I think if you’re not careful, the adventure can kind of switch off or or or change its flavor and texture the moment you book into a nice hotel. I find sometimes I get so immersed in a project that trying to find a hotel which perhaps isn’t an easy thing to to find. Sometimes it isn’t. it gets dark and they’re very expensive and they’re full. I’d like to stay at one with the countryside that I’m cycling across. I just like the fact that I don’t break from the projects. I’m I’m totally into it and camping while camping if you like is is part of that process really for me. But and I don’t mind. I like I like camping. Leave no trace. Ask the the land owner if you can find that person. And there we are. I I am that that purist. It doesn’t suit everybody. Just stay in the moment doing what you’re doing. Ready to go now. The bike’s all set up. Everything’s fine. Ready to do battle with all the traffic or as as little of the traffic as I can possibly find. Find a nice breakfast. It’s a lovely lovely breakfast. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Yeah, it’s great. Wow, look at that breakfast. Really gorgeous. Thank you, Blimey. That’s a really good English breakfast. One of the best I’ve seen. And a and a milkshake. Look at that. Wow. Nice. Nice. I like cycling. Bristol had an interesting vibe. Nice to step out of the wilderness, back into a world made by humans. So inventive and clever and pleasantly messy at the edges. [Applause] [Music] I’m just saying on my blog, it’s amazing the people you meet on a canal boat. Now, just tell me again, lad, what you were doing. Hang on a second. Just going to do that. What am I doing right now? What was What have you been doing? And what you know you’re bike you’re bike nomading. Tell me about that. Oh yeah. So I haven’t lived anywhere for 8 years. I was cycling all over Europe and just sleeping in a tent and having a nice time. And uh then I upgraded to van nomad life, electric van, traveling around all over the place working on reforestation. My van got written off last week, but now I’ve got a canal boat. So upgrades the whole way. What What do you like about just being, you know, on on your own or living sort of life alternatively? I I don’t know where I’d live. There’s so much to see. There’s so much to do all over the place. I I like just being free and wandering about and exploring new places. So, I can’t imagine just being in a house in the same place all the time. And is the boat your home? Yeah. Yeah, I live here now. And where will you be traveling to? I’m nearly at the end of this trip. I’m getting to Bath. I picked it up in London and hightailed it out of London as fast as possible and I’m going over to Bath. So, my charity is buying some land there to reforest and I’m going to be able to park right up next to it and and work on the reforestation. It’s funny when you come across this actually because it’s it’s just an edifice, isn’t it? It’s just um well, it’s clearly a gateway and it opens up to somebody’s land and there’s a huge amount of of land behind this gateway. That’s extraordinary and I don’t know anything about it. Right. Currently, where am I? You’re in Lockeridge at the moment, which is near what? The Mulra Downs. Near the Mulra Downs. And Mulra’s quite close by, right? Yes. Mulbra is three miles up the road. I’ll go and have a coffee there. Now, look, I’ve just bumped into you here and you like electric cycling. Why? I love the freedom it gives you and uh just getting out and about and before I had a non-ebike I was restricted to 30 miles uh to to go 30 miles and now it opens up you know further countryside and I can you know love and enjoy more bridal ways and uh yeah just just love it. The electric the electricity part of it really makes a big difference doesn’t it? It gives me as a type 1 diabetic a little bit of extra help when I need it. And if my sugar levels are running low, it will tide me over until I my sugar levels have come up enough um in order to uh you know feel feel perfect again and get my strength back. And then I can turn down the power and uh and off I go again in eco. But um you know I can turn it up to boost if I like. Forever. I thought you found freedom the further you were away from home. But having lived a life cycling around the world, I knew in my heart everything was at hand, close by, within reach, and not at all what I thought it was at the start of my adventuring life. I recognize you. I saw the bike. I I read the article about you traveling around the world, I think. And uh was that in cycling UK? Yes, that’s right. Yes. Yes. Charge charging around the whlying. That’s the run. That’s absolutely the one. Yeah. [Music] [Music] Oh, this is really great. This is magical. There’s a forest trail. Yeah. Fabulous. And it looks like I’m crossing the edge of a field. Wow. Wa. This looks This is amazing. Well, it’s great. It’s hard. Let’s take it easy. Yeah, people. Best bit of the trip. Five-star little rootless. Not helpless. Yeah. Chaos random. It works. Heat. Heat. [Music] Bleak hills on the outskirts of devices on the way to Horton. [Music] [Applause] King of kings might come out [Music] our We won’t be in [Music] [Applause] [Music] the cold. [Music] Hey. [Music] [Music] I think this is great. Thanks, Andrew. So, Andrew is going to actually put the bike on the back of the ferry and I’m going to go on a round trip now all the way to Is it to Sheperton, Andrew? Uh, to Hampton. That’s right. So, there we are. So, this is great. Marvelous. And the boat. Is this your job? Yes. And how often do you go across? Um, on demand anywhere from 200 times a day to five times a day, depending on the weather. Uh, and what’s the purpose of it? Uh, commuting, dropping kids off at school, family just going for the day out, getting to the park. Fairies, trains, tunnels, towaths. I like the lot. And when I boarded this little boat, it instantly transported me like an act of mental magic back to my safe place far away to my world ride to the Meong where I loaded my bike onto something just as small. Heat up Heat.