Personal Archives - Page 28 of 103

Day 25079 Zelda Game& Guest Farm to Tsootsha

Posted on March 28, 2016

Sat 26 Mar 2016

For the first time ever, I had to be woken up for my breakfast! So I finally didn’t get away until 8.45. I arrived at the East Gate rest camp/shops on the border in 1 hour. Crossing the borders was straightforward apart from unnecessary complications with money changing etc. For future reference the simplest procedure is:
1. Change all your Namibian cash at East Gate into Botswana Pula. (No cash machines on other side for 150 miles or so)
2. Turn right just after the garage in Botswana then first left. At the dress shop get a SIM card for 10 Pula (The money changer is next door if she is around 🙁 )
3. Return to garage and top up your SIM – they accept credit cards.

Then your are in a fenceless world were cows, donkeys & horses wander on the road (apparently elephants etc etc as well 🙂 plus butterflies and all kinds of insects abound.

The road was quiet apart from trucks taking more fencing materials into Namibia Interestingly I saw my first speed camera being used, with great effect, in Africa. You then drop down onto the Botswana plain which amazingly is at 1100 metres above sea level – they don’t have to worry about rising sea levels here 🙂

Eventually Tsootsha came into view. Just as I was giving up hope I saw the gates for Jungle Light Rest Camp. The gates looked locked and banging on them didn’t seem to raise anyones attention, slight panic began to set in. I walked around the perimeter and eventually discovered the owner who was delighted I wanted the glamping option with dinner etc. She insisted that her son’s shop had a cash machine which I could use in the morning.

So a good ending. Strava says I did 77 miles the photos are here

Day 3 Africa trip – Fynbos to Pletteberg Bay

Posted on February 25, 2016

I’m sorry to say that I took the easy way out of the golf course for the first 5 miles, avoiding the dust & bumps by travelling in a 4×4 doing 70kph 🙁

I managed to sleep over 8 hours which was good, the breakfast at the golf course was OK afterwards the driver dropped me off at the tarmac of the R102. I finally started riding after having a coffee at the Farmstall, more like a supermarket than a stall. The R102 soon merged into the N2 wonderfully wide and smooth! There is something like a hard shoulder to ride on but as always that’s the first thing to disappear in difficult situations.

I saw my first and only touring cyclist going the opposite way we waved but didn’t stop. The first WOW moment was crossing over the Storms River gorge on the Paul Sauer bridge constructed in 1956 with its 405 feet drop to the water. Pretty impressive gorge especially the vertical bounce when trucks passed over it!

The next challenge was the Bloukrans Pass which is officially closed 🙁 However, its easily passable on a bike and a couple of adventous motorists also made it. Its very overgrown so the views of the bridge (apparently the world’s longest bungee jump are not great) the 680 foot climb out is also a bit tough. Although I did catch a glimpse of a family of baboons.

I stopped at Creswell Crags (not the ones where I used to live) for some junk food & drink then it was a fast run on a very long descent into Plettenberg Bay.

Some of the side roads like to Storms River and Nature Valley looked interesting but I bypassed them

I easily found with the aid of booking.com the previously booked Thandar Vista b&b. It was then a 22min walk up the hill and down to the beach for dinner at The Lookout Deck

Strava makes it 59.8 miles and 3,540 feet of ascent so a good day.

All the pics are here

Grand Union canal hike – Milton Keynes to Blisworth

Posted on June 16, 2015

Tuesday 16 June 2015

Yesterday I had a shopping splurge day at Open Air in Cambridge 🙂 I bought myself some new Salomon Xa Pro 3D trainers with added Superfeet carbon insoles & Darn Tough socks. I also bought a new Osprey Exos 38 lightweight framed rucsac and a Pack-It toiletries bag. So after spending all that money I thought I had better continue my walk…

I left late so didn’t start walking from Milton Keynes until 12.45. I decided to head of to the Grand Union Canal via Campbell Park which is certainly heaps better than the walk through Springfield I did last week. I stopped at the unusual Camphill Cafe for tea & a cheese scone.

The canal does an amazing loop around the edge of Milton Keynes to obviously avoid the hill, so you walk 5 miles to almost get back to where you started. At Wolverton, once past the huge and decaying rail carriage works it starts heading North once again, through very pleasant countryside with the canal carried over a couple of amazing aqueducts.

However, I’m finding it all a bit of a tramp & keep wishing I had my bike! My right foot still has a small blister which doesn’t help. Also having a sphincter spasm after every pee is painful and very annoying 🙁 Lets hope both go away soon.

When in Milton Keynes I had booked The Windmill Cottage in Blisworth they had recommended me to stop in Stoke Bruerne for my evening meal before venturing to the top of the hill and their property. I eventually climbed up beside the 7 locks in Stoke Bruerne and settled on The Boat Inn for an excellent meal, NOT Fish and chips tonight.

A short walk up over the tunnel took me to my resting place for tonight. The Windmill Cottage is excellent with the owners Caroline & very friendly.

The new kit seems OK although with the blister it’s hard to tell about the shoes. The toiletries bag is pretty hopeless as everything ends in a huge muddle. The rucsac seems OK and the tent etc fits inside OK.

Todays 17 mile Strava is here and all the days pics are here

Life’s mysteries with Fitbit and Weight Gain….

Posted on June 13, 2015

So in the past four days, with my trusty Fitbit, I’ve walked from Kings Cross station to Milton Keynes which Strava works out at 13.6 + 19.1+ 17.3 + 22.1 = 72.1miles. Fitbit says I did it in 187,762 steps and burnt 22,168 cals based on my actual body weight. This excludes the fact I was lugging a 10kg backpack as well 🙁

So imagine my gloom when I stepped on the scales at home this morning to discover I’ve gained 1kg in weight over the past four days 🙁

Now apparently my favourite food is “only” 861 cals per portion and the essential Guinness adds another 210 cals which means I could have eaten 10 lots of fish & chips and still been on target. So where did all that extra weight appear from?

Maybe I will have to be like son Nick and take up fell running 🙂 to get the burn rate up!