Who am I?

 I consider myself a lucky bike rider, I cannot remember a time when I didn't have a bike or a place to store my bike. As a child my parents both rode bikes, so my experience of riding on the road from a young age has meant that as an adult I have the confidence to ride mostly without restriction. Working in the Active Travel sector, focusing on cycling participation - I understand that most people in Scotland don't have the background I have, they perhaps don't have access to a bike, or if they do they don't have a safe place to store it, in their childhood they maybe didn't have the experience I did, leading to then having a lack of confidence as a the main barrier to accessing cycling as an adult. The first aim of this page is to note the thoughts and experience I have when playing my part in making the world a little more accessible for people who want to cycle. 

That's me in the shell suit circa 1988 

The second aim of this blog, is about sharing my experiences, how I cycle, where I cycle, what I find helpful and useful, and what I find less so. I like travelling with my bike for both transportation and leisure, so often combine riding with exploration and camping.  I am a bit of a home mechanic and have went through velotech training, so may well blog a bit on some of the technical side of cycling.  I will caveat with stating I don't invest in very expensive bikes.  I do tent to accidently collect bikes, but none are of a pro/semi-pro/ or event high level amateur cyclist level.  I like something more basic that I know no matter where I am I will be able to do some sort of repair that will get me to a station or a shop.

my regular ride, a polygon mini velo bike 

Other than bikes, my other passion is the outdoors. Again, as a youngster I was lucky enough to have parents who would take me to explore great outdoor spaces throughout Scotland and the North of England, often with a caravan in tow. At 14 I started the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, which ignited my passion to a whole new level, I started trekking and using Youth Hostels as a base. At 16 I decided that school was no longer for me and left to start a journey of becoming an accredited outdoor pursuits instruction. Eventually life would start to take a priority of its own and it came time to start a family and buy a home, which unfortunately required more time indoors than out.

Now in my 40s I am starting to re-evaluate what my prioritise truly are, and a big part of the journey is spending more time outdoors again and having mini-adventures that cleanse the soul.