Review – Cumulus 1200 Sleeping Bag Winter Use
For this current Siberian winter bike trip I’m using a Cumulus down sleeping bag. It’s the one I used in Scandinavia last winter. It worked great then. But I didn’t…
Biking to Lake Baikal and Olkhon Island
Just over a week has passed since leaving Irkutsk… and now I’m back. Briefly. Tomorrow I take a train to Neriyungri to begin the very cold cycle to Yakutsk. But…
In Search of the Aral Sea – From Khiva to Moynaq, Uzbekistan
Rather than retrace the direct route to the main road via Urgench, cycled along the smaller roads for a short cut towards Nukus. Riding through small towns and farmland. Uninspiring.…
Riding the Pamir Highway – Into Wakhan Valley – Murghab to Langar
I woke up in my dim unlit room in Murghab, went to the window and pulled back the curtains. White light blinded me. I blinked and rubbed my eyes and…
Riding the Pamir Highway – The Cold Way – Sary Tash to Murghab
My legs and busting lungs screamed for a day off in Sary Tash (that’s what you get when you sit on a horse for a month). But the clear skies…
Osh and Up to the Roof of the World in Photos
Having lingered long enough in Bishkek while arranging onward visas, I took a bus straight to Osh. From there, it would be back on the bike. In at the deep…
Bike and Gear Set-up for Asia – Downsizing
Having been on the road a few months in Asia now, I thought it was time to share how I’m carrying all my gear for anyone that’s interested. As usual,…
Alpkit Gear Reviews: Hunka Bivvy, MytiPot, Headtorch and Lantern
I have a number of items of gear from Alpkit on this trip and they are all getting well-used. In summary, I am very impressed. Especially when you consider the…
Horse-Riding Kyrgyzstan – Part 3 Photos from Family Stay at Song Kul
It had been a long day to reach Song Kul. As soon as I found some puddles of water in the dried-up riverbeds, we stopped to camp for the night.…
Horse-Riding Kyrgyzstan – Part 2 Photos of Naryn to Song Kul Lake
There is so much to tell from the last month horse-riding here. It has been a refreshing change to travel at a(n even) slower speed. It means more time spent…
Horse-Riding Kyrgyzstan – Part 1 Photo Preview
For those who didn’t know, I’ve temporarily left the bike in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital. And I have bought a horse. He’s called Sarala. He’s a very cool, chilled-out dude who…
Russian Altai part 2 – Photos of Chulyshman Gorge and Lake Teletskoe
I finally met someone who likes all the off-the-beaten-track beaten tracks and mud and dirt and gravel… and it was fortunate I met him where I did. A local family…
Photos of Biking Across Mongolia
Having made it to Kharkhorin and had a look round the Erd Zuu monastery, I was looking forward to beginning the off-road adventures through Mongolia. Alas, progress has been made…
Things are Looking Up – Naadam and Road to Kharkhorin – in maps
Having made the decision not to do a big packrafting trip, the relief was tangible. Finally I felt like I could do things I really wanted to. And I wanted…
Bikepacking to Terelj National Park
I’m here in Ulaanbaatar for the Naadam Festival and until next week when I can get my Kazakhstan visa. The one guy at the embassy who issues them is on…
A Week Biking Baikal and Buryatia – in maps
Well, it took 8 days to reach the Mongolian border from Irkutsk. As always, the shortest route is not always the quickest!. Here’s how it went. I haven’t been feeling…
Photos of Lake Baikal and Off-Road Biking in Buryatia
It’s started hard and slow out of Irkutsk to reach Lake Baikal. But since then things have been great… it has been long days of hard ups and fun downs,…
Into The Cold – Winter Biking Blog part 1
I had thought that since Spring is just round the corner (although I’m not so sure having looked at the forecast for this weekend), I should finally write up about…
Gear Advice and Lessons Learned – Equipment
GEAR You can see the list of gear I took on the Equipment List page here. I’m no expert, but here’s a list of things I learned and did. Duct tape…
Photos from a Winter Bike Tour
Still no real blog post, but do not worry – Here are some more photos from the 3-weeks of biking and camping in northern Sweden, Finland and Norway… Hopefully they…