The Big Ride

Right… so this didn’t actually start with Salisbury to Worcester bike ride plan

Oh no.

This started with me, like many before me, staring into the distance, thinking ( yeah rare i know)

The full C2C / Sea to Sea ride. Big miles. Big views. Big “look at me, I’m basically an adventurer now” energy.

And to be fair… it is class.

Until…

The Bit No One Talks About (Logistics)

Because once you get past the romantic idea of dipping your wheel in one sea and finishing in another, reality creeps in like:

How am I getting there?
How am I getting back?
Why does train travel with a bike feel like trying to smuggle contraband?
Why is this suddenly costing the same as a small holiday??

Before you know it, you’re not planning a bike ride… you’re planning a military operation with spreadsheets and mild stress.

And that’s when it hit me:

“I just want to ride my bike… not remortgage the house to get to the start line.”

A Haphazard Solution

So I got the maps out, mainly the insanely useful and free Cycle.travel

And there it was.

A stretch of the Mercian Way from Salisbury to Worcester.

About 100–110 miles.

Four days.

No faffing with complicated transport. ( well apart from getting to the start)

but deffo no “how do I get home?” crisis.

Just:

Get on the bike
Pedal north
4 days later arive at my house.

Should I Really Do This?

Now this is where it gets dangerous… because it feels doable.

Not easy… but doable.

Reasons to do it:

Proper A-to-B journey.
Manageable distance over four days
Feels like an adventure without needing a support crew
It’s right there… basically on my doorstep, well the finish is.

Reasons not to:

I quite enjoy being comfortable
Camping is fun… until it isn’t
The Cotswolds exist (and they don’t do flat although most of this route is flat(ish)

So naturally…

I’m leaning heavily toward: “Yeah… go on then.”

The Gear Spiral

This is where things really start to unravel.

All I need… all I need… is a small tent.

Simple.

Except it’s never simple, is it?

Because suddenly I’m watching videos like:

“Top 10 ULTRALIGHT Bikepacking Tents”
“This Shelter Changed My Life (0.8kg!!!)”
Some hairy adventurer type bloke in a forest whispering about Dyneema fabrics

And before I know it I’m sat there looking at a £500 tent thinking:

“Well… if I’m serious about this…”

FFS Dan. Mate. Have a word. Give your head a wobble.

Because the reality is…

There is a very, very strong chance I walk into Argos and come out with:

A £20 “2-man tent”
That realistically fits a small child
with questionable waterproofing
Instructions written by someone who hates people

And you know what?

It’ll probably do the job.

Lets not even talk about the 450 quid sleeping bags and 200 quid cooking systems i have looked at.

The Route

The Real Question

This is the bit that matters.

Am I actually going to do it?

Because there are two types of people:

The ones who plan these things, talk about them, maybe buy a fancy tent… and then quietly never go
The ones who end up halfway through the Cotswolds, slightly broken, eating a squashed flapjack thinking:“Well… I did say I would.”

I have a proven track record in both these disciplines.

Let’s Be Honest Content

This has got everything:

Optimism
Poor decision making
Unexpected suffering
Tiny wins that feel massive

It’s basically a ready-made Haphazard Athlete mini-series.

it might even get viewing figures in the 10s or even 20s

Final Verdict

Should I do the flashy Coast to Coast or even more of a drean End to End

Maybe one day.

Should I do this slightly chaotic, local, four-day version instead?

Yeah…

Yeah I think I should.

Not perfectly.

Not fully optimised.

Definitely not with a £500 tent. ( well probaly not )

Closing Thought

There’s a version of this where everything is dialled in, lightweight, efficient…

And then there’s my version:

Underprepared
Mildly overconfident
Probably sleeping in a budget tent that sounds like a crisp packet in the wind

That’s sounds like a story worth telling.

Stay Haphazard 🚴‍♂️