I did this Brompton bikepacking wild camp adventure in late November, when the sunset was at 4pm, and it was cold. Not an obvious time to go on a cycle tour perhaps, but I wanted to see late autumn, when the last leaves are on the trees and the landscape is almost bare. My Dad and little brother were meeting for a pub lunch on the Staffordshire/Derbyshire border, so I thought I'd join in, and cycle to the pub, camping wild on the way. I planned an easygoing two-day route through Staffordshire and Derbyshire. I love these kind of adventures actually, doing a journey that I want to do anyway, but going slowly, by bike, with my tent.
The November night was going to be dark and long, but I had a couple of new ideas to make it extra warm and cosy. Hope you enjoy the film!
A bit of background: Unfortunately my breast cancer came back earlier this year. On my previous bikepacking adventure, just after I finished chemo, I was quite weak and pretty much ground to a halt in the Derbyshire hills, as you might have seen. Since then, I've been doing more exercise to build myself up a bit - nothing fancy, just doing what the NHS recommend for adults each week, which is 150 mins moderate activity (eg walking, cycling) or 75 mins vigorous activity (eg running), and I am adding in (very) short sessions of circuit training, ie very vigorous. I am so grateful I can do all these things again. All pretty small scale and low key - sometimes seems kind of pathetically small! But it all adds up. When I started running, I could only run half a mile, but I have built it up slowly, and I can do two and a half miles now. And when I started circuit training - burpees and sit ups and whatnot, just at home - I could only do 3 minutes (nothing!!!! omg so hard) but over the weeks I have built it up to 8 minutes now. I'm not aiming to do marathons or race again or anything like that. I just want to be able to get out there confidently with my bike and tent - which itself feels like a brilliant tonic. Meanwhile the hospital have started me on hormone therapy and a treatment via vein to strengthen my bones. These are nothing like as nasty as chemo but have side effects too garhh. But exercise helps - as the hospital said it would - and I am doing OK on these so far. Good!
Thank you so much for all the good wishes! Let's all keep going! Happy New Year!
Негізгі бет Brompton wild camp - cosy, dark night, and *baking scones* on my Trangia (it worked!)
Пікірлер: 193