Walking a long way

I’m not sure what it is, but the idea of walking a really long way appeals to me is some kind of primal way. Cradle Mountain, the Appalachian trail, perhaps something in New Zealand. Cycling a long way, too, has its appeal. I’m not quite sure why this is. Perhaps some sort of naive yearning for a return to a mythical golden age of nomads, when the human species was more in balance with its environment.

Recently though, a friend proposed the ultimate slog. Travelling from Northern Scotland to the southern most tip of South America, entirely by human-powered means. Swimming, walking, cycling, kayaking would all be in. Motorised transport – out.

Am I crazy to be considering this?

In Bath

While we were in Bath last week, we were surveyed by a council member about a car park that we had used. He seemed very interested in what we had to say – particularly as we were from out-of-town. They were collecting information on where people had come from, asking for post codes. We must have been the first people to give a post code from the continent, and he was very excited by that. One of the best things about Europe is that it’s so quick and easy to get around. One of the best things about Britain outside of London is that people are surprised when you do.

Back from the UK

Just back from the UK! Talk about a whirlwind tour! Took the Eurostar from Brussels, which was brilliant. We really need proper trains in Melbourne. Brussels to London in less time then it would take to get from Belgrave to Sandringham by train. Got in to St Pancras International at 9am or thereabouts, and continued on to Heathrow where we were picking up a rental car.

Bad call. Firstly, there was the 40 minute wait for the shuttle bus to take us the 2.5 miles to the Thrifty outlet. Secondly, there was the hour long queue and very highly mediocre service. Classic case of running out of IT spend and deciding that the best course of action was to implement a “business process” workaround. Not the best introduction to Britain. Whilst in line we were treated to an excellent show of British whinging – apparently you can’t find good service in Britain any more. Thankfully this wasn’t our experience generally.

Still, once we were on the road, driving around the English countryside was perfect. Over the course of Saturday and Sunday, we took in Bath, Glastonbury, Salisbury, Avebury and Stonehenge.

We stayed near Salisbury, in a perfect little B&B called The Poplars and had dinner at The Black Horse Inn just around the corner. I wouldn’t have been sorry to have spent the whole trip there, the area was so idyllic.

Then to London, which was (I understand) uncharacteristically hot. Temperatures topping 30 degrees! Nothing much for us hardy Australians, but I suppose if the infrastructure isn’t built for it (which the Tube and our accommodation most definitely weren’t) then it will have a disproportionate effect (c.f. rail failures in Melbourne with temperatures over ~40 degrees.)

In London, we visited the Natural History and British museums, which were brilliant but really needed a week each. The museumic highlight for me was the Clockmaker’s Museum, run by The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers of London. The intense interest in clock making, as well as automatons and clockwork oreries etc, particularly during the 17th and 18th centuries is very intriguing. Having read books like Neal Stephenson’s Quicksilver I can’t help but being interested in the history that in part underpins those novels.

One last thing – the sales in London! Brilliant! Those who know me will get some measure of how compelling these sales are when I say that I laid down a significant amount of plastic in my final hours in London.

Relaxing in Leuven

I’ve spent most of this week relaxing in Leuven. Riding to Mechelen, around 24 kilometres away, was a particular highlight. There’s a canal that runs between Leuven and Mechelen, and then beyond, so the riding is pretty easy. I did briefly consider riding back along the unsealed path along a nearby river that runs through Dilje, but time was short and my bike is rickity, so I rode back the same way.

At the same time as relaxing, though, I’m trying to make some headway on this site, as well as catch up on all the news and current affairs. Progress is slow on both fronts, although I am devoting considerable time to current affairs. Having the time to leisurely read the paper everyday over coffee is wonderful. The exact form that this site will take will emerge slowly. I’ve got small projects underway at the moment, and time will tell what fruit those projects bear. In the meantime, I hope you’ll bear with me.