When you walk and cycle, you see and experience the landscape at a different pace. If I have any preference, it is walking. You really absorb and connect to your environment in a way that sticks in your memory. I can still remember silly details about walks I did 10 years ago.
“Now shall I walk or shall I ride? Ride, pleasure said, walk, joy replied”
Cycling has a different characteristic, you are flying through a panoramic landscape with your head above the hedge, drinking in the day. These quotes sum up how I feel.
“I like the bicycle for oblivion it gives. I can walk, I think. On a bicycle I go in the wind, I do not think, and nothing is so delicious.” – Emile Zola
To travel in comfort and style we use a campervan. A little self-contained home from home. After a long distance walk or cycle, I take my wife to all the special places I have found in a customised tour. We have owned two vans over 25 years now and they will remain a permanent feature. I’m not into cars.
A VW campervan, in this case a VW T4 California we imported from new 17 years ago has served us well. Its compact size means you can go where any car goes and explore more rugged terrain. In our case we are addicted to touring in Scotland and a chance conversation suggested we explore Orkney and Shetland. We knew about the Outer Hebrides and Ireland from previous trips over 20 years ago, but we had never ventured north of John o’Groats.
New to Trail Planner is a section on “The Van” as she is called. I could add dozens of other trips stories, but have focused on Scotland. We hope to visit Denmark and Ireland at some point in the future, but in the meantime you read about our adventures here:
Let me know if you have any ideas for new trips. Ultimately we would like to start touring in Europe again, particularly Norway.
