From August to October 2025 I plan to cycle from my home in the UK to Istanbul.

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  • Day two – 135km

    Having cycled across four counties yesterday, today it was one: Essex. As we rode the bucolic country lanes lined with thatched mansions and rose gardens we delighted in the superb village names. Roll call!

    High Easter

    Good Easter

    Matching Tye

    Margaret Roding

    White Notley

    Black Notley

    Layer Marney

    Layer de-la-Haye

    Pleshy Mashbury 

    Threshers Bush

    High Easter. Unsurprisingly on a hill.

    I felt a minor pull in my gears at Colchester so stopped at a bike shop. So much for the expensive service I had arranged prior to leaving – the front gear cable was severely frayed. Luckily the good people at Cycle Evolution had it changed before we finished our DIY lunch on the pavement outside.

    Richard the genius mechanic at Cycle Evolution, Colchester

    We got to Harwich early so had time for dinner before Tom and I parted ways – Tom to spend the night in the port town  before making his way back to Manchester, and me to board the overnight ferry, from where I post this in my comfortable cabin.

    Thanks Tom for coming, you’ve been wonderful company and it’s been the greatest pleasure to reconnect!

    I’ll drift off now as we drift across the North Sea.

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