What/Why/Where/When

What am I doing?

I'm heading off into the sunrise on my bicycle. Day-dreams of leaving the real world behind for a while and going where the wheels rolled crystallized at the end on 2012 into a determination to head east on a bike and see where i ended up

Why?

Like many people I found myself dissatisfied with my lot and moreover with the person which I had become. The comfortable rut into which I had run myself was taking it's toll. All in all despite having a good job, great friends a supportive family and a lovely home I just wasn't happy.

Lacking dependents and with limited commitments I found myself able, and with the romantic lure of the road leading who knows where calling, the question booming in my ears was:

IF NOT NOW WHEN?

Where?

A much postponed preparatory tour of Britain starts in Wylem (Hadrian's Wall) from where I would wend my way, via the North Penines, to Wetherby, over the Moors to Manchester via Marsden then onto Liverpool before traversing the Wirral into Wales heading for Llanbister in Powys.

A hop skip and a jump to the Wye Valley would then deliver me into Herefordshire where i could detour south to Bridgewater and visit the shop who built my bike before racing cross country back to Essex either via Portsmouth or Milton Keynes.

From there the picture becomes rather less distinct. "Go east young man."

A broad brush stroke plan for the continent is forming which would see me follow the border between France and the low counties as far as Strasbourg before heading through Germany's Black Country and the start of a climb up into Switzerland which will eventually see me over the Alps into northern Italy heading for Slovenia and the Istrian coastline before traversing the Balkans perhaps through Macedonia to reach Turkey and exotic Constantinople.

Beyond Turkey predictions become even less possible as visa's, time of arrival, political climate and most importantly my own motivation and whims all come into play. there does however exist an idle ambition of perhaps making it all the way to see my sister in Sydney.

This may mean crossing going Turkey - Iran - Pakistan - [Karkoum highway] - China - SE Asia [boat/plane] Darwin - Sydney. But with so much road to travel between me and there I feel like a fraud even discussing it.

When?

Now. I set off for Wylem on Saturday 16th of March and as of the 25th of March i am happily ensconced with my Aunt in the Welsh Hills. I haven't budgeted to set amount of time to this journey although 14 months is something I've bandied about when discussing possible duration. We shall see.

Consider the scene set. An update on my first 10 days will follow shortly.