Another great adventure Susanna, your a braver person than me in the cold weather. I travelled over the Roding everyday but never saw its hidden secrets and beauty upstream. I really like the sound tracks you use on these videos you have introduced me to some fantastic artists.
Yeh before I did that ride following the Roding, I had cycled along just one bit of it, that bit near Wanstead Park where there's a path. I had no idea where the river came from and where it went. Actually ut'd be nice to do more of the upper Roding in a warmer season, with longer days... But winter was good too. Nice to see things in different seasons actually. Thanks for watching!
Your 'adventures' are healing to watch. I think it is the slow speed and your observation of all the loveliness around you, plus all the food and coffee breaks that have such a therapeutic effect. Thank you, Susanna. I have enjoyed all of them that I have watched sp far. (Every time you sit by some bushes and have a coffee, I long for one! )
Hi Colin! thanks for the comment, yeh it was a great little camp spot. I got the sunrise like that by chance, as I didn't actually think about it when I was pitching - I was just glad to have found a secluded little corner. I think the low rumble in the early morning was the M25 London ringroad motorway. It was about 3km away.
So much to love about this Susanna. The 'never too far from the countryside, even in London' aspect; the finding peace and tranquility (and ace pitches!) by exploring paths that start full of discarded shopping trolleys and graffiti; but most of all the fact that an absolute legend of an adventurer, who has cycled across half the globe, can still sense the potential adventure a few miles from her urban doorstep. The word 'inspirational' is very overused but I feel safe in applying it here. Thank you!
Aw thank you Cotton Bud - what a lovely comment. Glad you liked the film! Your channel is super by the way - love your father and son trips, great stuff. Thanks for watching!
@@susannathornton It's ever more of a struggle to get him to come along sadly... I shall persevere! I live in hope that when the teens have passed he will start to appreciate it all the more. Thanks Susanna 👍
Hi Soren! thanks for the lovely message! Yes, so nice to get out on a bike. I liked your emojis haha. If I feel a bit 🙃 then cycling is 99% guaranteed to cheer me up 😄
So realistic, so useful and encouraging. That slight anxiety mixed with curiosity and the heady feeling of being out there on your own! I’m binge-watching.
@@susannathornton I walked the Camino de Santiago in 2014 and cycled it with Brompton 2017. I bought the bike in London. Great! I had actually planned to go Camino Portugues in 2020. With everything ready I had to cancel because of Covid. Hope I can get some success this time. Cheers!
Inspiring as always Susanna! Amazing how little it takes to get a taste for adventure. I really like how you got the inspiration from an old book about rivers, I am sure it makes it all the more interesting. Lovely dog too at the end! :)
Hi Gianni! thanks for watching! Haha yes that little dog. I am not a dog person really but that was such a nice one - she sat there looking at the muddy bike for ages, then looked at me to see who the crazy person was haha
I love how free and easy you make this look. So very inspiring and reinforcing that I made the right decision with my Brompton purchase and to make this the year of the YES to adventures no matter how big or micro.
I'm impressed by your bottle in the way you wild camp on the edges of farmer's fields. I'd be paranoid about some angry 'get orf my land' farmer or gamekeeper nabbing me! 10/10 for spirit of adventure!
Hello! thanks for the lovely comment. Yeh I think that getting cleared away by farmers or rangers etc might happen in the sort of beauty spot type of popular wild camping places. But tucked under a hedge at the edge of a random nowhere-in-particular field, I think a solo, quiet, careful person, who arrives late and leaves early, is probably going to be OK. I never want to be spotted, so I am really careful to avoid that. Once I have found a nice little spot, I don't worry too much about it...
This was an absolute delight, beautiful and informative too! Seeing those waterways made me think of Bike Packing's best thing, Bike Rafting! Specifically, using a Packraft to carry self, gear and bicycle on water routes and to otherwise inaccessible locations! The Packraft originator is Sheri Tingey, who set up Alpacka Raft (which rhymes with 'I'll Pack a Raft!") to make boats for her son to compete in. Word Spread... Her expedition grade Packrafts roll up to about the size of a small sleeping bag and weigh around five pounds! The Brompton is the natural choice for the Packraft, both being excellent multi-modal forms, although many preferred the fat tyred Surly bikes for their far from the beaten track trips. The benefit of these tiny, but capable boats is that they're so small and light when packed down, and a comfortable, boat for self, gear and bike, afloat! It opens up a whole new world of adventure. The fabric is extraordinarily strong, and other than burning or stabbing it, its virtually indestructible, I ordered additional repair fabric for mine thinking that I'd need it, but I was wrong! If I seem enthusiastic, I am, as I figured they'd be great for travelling the London canals and river routes in conjuction with cycling. Being able to cycle, Packraft and use public transport really opens up one's travels like nothing else can. With an inflatable personal flotation device and lightweight paddles one's entire boat kit is easily carried on a bicycle.
Oh thanks for the long comment and all the ideas felixcat! yeh sometimes I have wondered why I am doing rivers by bike haha! Alastair Humphreys did a lovely trip with Bromptons and rafts, up in Scotland, and made a nice film. You reminded me of it alastairhumphreys.com/destination-muckle-flugga-microadventure-6-2/
Enchanting and informative as always. Go there girl, out with the roughty toughty winter campers! Great idea for a travel series "Rides along the riverbank with Susanna..." x
Hi Bokooda! haha not very roughty toughty really, not sawing up wood or sleeping under tarps or anything. I like my cute cosy tent haha. Yeh, gonna do some more of these Thames rivers, interesting and kind of easy. Thanks for the lovely comment x
Hi susanna was born in Barking, moved away now. Used to fish that exact same spot, right where you came up the stairs next to the flood barrier. Probably was 10-15 year old, still looks the same 40 years later. Amazing memories used to swim there too amazed we didnt catch anything, germ wise used to catch plenty of eels and flounders and other sorts. Also St Margarets church in Barking was where Cpt Cooke was married.
Aw Gary, that's amazing. It was an amazing place. I wanted to climb down to the shore but I didn't want to leave my bike on its own. Actually, I found a website about Creekmouth, the village close by there, the place that disappeared. There were lovely memories in there from people who remembered being a child there and foghorns and windy days and gulls and things. creekmouth.net/category/map/
@@susannathornton really great website thanks for sharing. I can certainly remember the crooked billet pub, steak chips and peas £2.99. I can also remember as a child abandoned cottages around that area not sure if it was part of the creakmouth village but so good to see it all again.
A great treat to spot your post before heading to bed Susanna! Loved the simplicity of your local adventure and all that was revealed. The sights while following the river, the excitement of locating a pitch and your snacking along the way! The startled horse certainly recognised the power of the Brompton 😂 Great to see you back out again inspiring us all 👍 Spring has arrived!!
Hi Miriam! aw thanks for the lovely comment! Hope you are well! Yes spring! or, near enough! I saw the sunny forecast, and thought right I am going. And I liked January actually - with the trees bare I could see more, and I really enjoyed the long evening just watching the moon. Happy 2022!
Love the story. I always get anxious for you when you are looking for a pitch. Well done. You have a well worked routine and you soon get set up. Really enjoyed again.
Thanks for the really nice video. Following a local river is always a good theme for a trip. Really nicely put together video too! I liked the music, and how you blended it in with the sounds of the countryside and the bike.
Hi John! Thanks for the lovely comment! Yeh I wondered how the river theme would work out as a bike ride actually. As a cyclist, I could ride along the river bank itself only for short way, and for the rest of the journey, I was on little roads criss crossing the river. So I planned to meet the river at bridges and watermills, and I included some higher land, that I hoped would give me a view of the river valley from higher up. I wondered if it would work out or if I would lose the sense of what I was doing. Actually, it worked kind of better than I expected. Glad you liked the film! THanks for watching!
Thanks velorog! Glad you enjoyed it. I was lucky with that spot. Cosy. And I hadn't thought much about where sunrise would be, as I was in a bit of a rush with the light going, but it turned out perfect. And I got the "moonrise" too, if there is such a word
Brilliant and totally unexpected at this time of year! You're a real inspiration and it seems a little mad for wild camping in January! Thankyou for continuing to share your journeys. You've got a real knack for story telling.
Yes haha. I did feel it was a bit mad tbh. But I wanted to see winter sort of properly, before it's suddenly going to be spring, if you know what I mean. Thanks for the lovely comment!
We've just binged on the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Your trip got me wondering if the Roding will be featured in a later book - don't think we came across it in the ones we read. I can't imagine cycling and camping in January. I always suffered from frozen fingers when doing my paper round in winter months!
Heureuse de te retrouver en hiver, partout où le vent t’emmène, tu trouves l’aventure et tu m’emmènes par la même occasion dans ton voyage même s’il est court et si près de Londres… je sors souvent mon Brompton le long de la vallée mosane et je rêve d’aventure en attendant un temps plus clément. En avril je pars en Espagne en voiture mais mon Brompton sera plié et du voyage … Amitiés et merci pour ta vidéo hivernale.
Hi Chantal! thank you for the lovely comment. Sounds very nice riding along the Meuse valley. I just looked it up to see what it is like. Looks lovely. Thank you for watching
Fantastic! What an intuitive creator and documenter of adventures you are. I feel I'm there with you. Also, I cried at the son's comments about his father's struggles and what he was paid for the hay. Thank you for taking us with you. Your enthusiasm shines bright.
Aw thanks Alice. Yeh their story really moved me too - it was awesome to have those photos and see their faces, and hear their words, and the fields they worked and the lanes they knew... I loved that. Beautiful. I loved this little journey. Thank you for writing such a lovely comment
Hi Peter! thanks for the lovely comment! Yeh I am really looking forward to the next one too, planning it now, just chatting to my husband about what it's going to be...
Another cracking "staycation" on the Brompton! Just shows that there are some great little adventures in our wee country. Thanks for the delightful video Susanna!
Hi Stuart! aw thanks, what a lovely comment. Yeh, a kind of mini staycation! Cheap too. Only cost the train home, and for the fish & chips I asked for a small portion, and they gave me a "pensioner deal". I was a bit startled by that. But I just paid the fiver and enjoyed it haha. Thanks for watching the film!
What a great video. I've grown up riding through the villages you passed through but have never truly taken time to 'step back' and appreciate them in this way. An inspired route: Essex does have some truly wonderful historic features waiting to be discovered. Makes me want to get out on two wheels and take another look.
Hi Paul, oh what a lovely part of the world to grow up. It was all pretty much unknown to me beyond Wanstead really. It was hard to choose a route, cos there were so many nice-looking roads. I really wanted to do that track, High Ongar to Norton Mandeville, cos it looked lovely on the map, and it was. Happy cycling!
Another excellent video Susanna, just lovely. Enjoyed it all. Pity you ran out of time, maybe something similar when the weather warms up? I look forward to your next adventure wherever it may be.
Thanks Al! Yeh definitely a good place to go back to. I thought Essex was brilliant, nearby, and in summer it looks like there'd be more cafes and whatnot open haha😁🍰
Another gem 🥰 There is plenty of beauty and tranquility still to be found, but we have to get out of our cars and go shanks pony or bicycle. So many treasures down our quiet lanes! I love that you found Isaac and his story - how nice to have people speak your name long after you’ve passed. Very brave of you to head off out in January, but, having seen your Scottish videos, not surprised! Thank you for sharing such a lovely little film 🤗
Aw thanks Pootling along! yeh I think you're so right about the cars thing. If I cycle or walk through places, I feel that I have actually been there, and I remember hundreds of little things, the way the tarmac looked, the sound of the river, a person I met, how good the coffee was haha, all sorts of things. If I go in a car, I literally don't feel as if I was really there. Anyway. About the Isaac story, it was lovely to find out about him. Yes, not forgotten. Actually I went and ordered up all the things with his name at the British Library, kind of curious about him. I thought it would be just his little book and a photos or something. They wheeled out a gigantic sort of marbled ledger thing, on a huge trolley, and two people had to lift it haha. It was all the papers that must have collected, all about mushrooms and how to grow different vegetables and weather almanacs and clippings about prices of grain from the Farmer newspaper and things. Lovely to see them. Anyway. I shall do another river I think. I enjoyed it. Thanks for the lovely comment!
@@susannathornton if you walk or cycle you breathe in so many more pictures - you notice the hairy caterpillar that just made it safely across the lane 😬 and all things similar. Btw, going back to your second Irish video, I thought I was the only one who said goodbye to a little grassy spot where I’ve sat and had lunch or camped for the nig🥲ht. So good to know there are other daft folk about, probably an awful lot of us 🤭🙂. Going off now to read up more about Isaac 👍🏻. Stay safe 🙏
Hi Susanna. Very inspirational journey and thank you for sharing. Here I am fretting about doing wild camping in rural south of France and you're doing it within 20 miles of London and in January! Hats off to you.
Thank you so much for this. Don't really know why but I was feeling a bit down this afternoon, then I saw this! Such beautiful music as well! Truly inspirational thank you again.
Susanna!! Good to hear from you and your adventures. Really enviable all that tranquility and beautiful meadows. I was already missing your videos, thank you very much for sharing them and taking us on your bike. Be well and a hug from the Caribbean!
Hi Lynne! Thanks for writing! glad you liked the film. So nice of you to write as well, I really appreciate it. Haha yes it was chilly! but only a short trip, and that down jacket is super cosy, I love it
Hey, Susanna. Great video. Just shows you don’t have to go round the world to make a nice trip and film! Really interesting. Lucky with the weather too even though it was cold.
Hi Vin! hope you are well! thanks for writing! Yeh, I was really lucky with the weather. I saw a few sunny days were coming up in the forecast, and then lots of grey, so I just thought, right I'll go 🌞😎🚲
Yes! haha. I did. I was a bit unsure at the start tbh, as you can see - I kind of couldn't string any words together. But yes it was brilliant. Thank you for watching
Susanna. Thanks again for all your efforts, doing and putting together your cycling adventure videos. It looked a chilly day. In the early 90s we used to live in Theydon Bois and cycled all around the roads and lanes where you were. As you found there are some lovely old villages, old church’s and country pubs with yummy lunches including owe favoured by Rod Stewart after his Sunday football game. Anyway thanks again, really enjoy your trips.
Aw that sounds lovely, living within easy reach of all those lanes and villages. I was just saying to Paul, also on here, that it was hard to choose a route actually, cos there were so many nice-looking roads and interesting looking places. Where I camped was actually right by an old park with gardens by Capability Brown. I didn't realise it till later. Wish I had known cos I'd have looked for some of the old features of the landscaping, which apparently are still there, a walled garden or something. Next time maybe. Looks like some of the farms have nice cafes and so on in summer too.
Hi Jens! Aw thanks for the lovely comment. Yeh I liked the scenery. Essex isn't generally thought of as beautiful, but I really liked it. Greetings to you in Berlin!
Fantastic, Just shows what gems are in our local areas and that to have an adventure you don’t have to travel to the other end of the earth. Many thanks!
Hello sparkvespa! hope you are well! yeh, it was a lovely doing a little local adventure - so nice at the end that I could just get on a train and be back home having a cup of tea in like 35 mins. Definitely to do some more of these. Thanks for watching!
Another adventurous trip, along a river I've never heard of and beautiful countryside. Great video and very interesting commentary on the history. And all this in January. Thank you.
Hi Ray! Thanks for the lovely comment. Yeh that little corner of Essex was super, I thought. Tons of lovely lanes and interesting villages. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
Hi Alex! thanks for the comment. Yeh, I was surprised how much green nature there was. And local people in east London seem to be battling away to make it better too, trying to stop sewage discharge and cleaning up rubbish etc, brilliant effort
Hello Susanna, good to see you back on RUclips after a short break, many thanks for the informative venture. I hope more to follow soon. Regards. A. R.
Hi Andrew! thanks for writing! yeh I decided to try making a film for a film competition, which took me away from my normal things for a little bit. Back again now!
Such a treat Susannah to see your new video pop up yesterday, thought Id snuggle down after work today to watch it in the warmth of my flat. Looked really cold but such an inspiration, can't wait for your spring and summer adventures...
Hi Philip! aw sounds nice. Glad you enjoyed the film. Yeh I can't wait for the next adventures too. Planning the next one now... I really like the planning too actually. Best wishes! Thanks for watching and for writing!
Aw thanks for the lovely comment SPF! haha that's funny, that you think what would I do 😆 I had planned a trip this weekend actually. Cancelled cos of the storm. Never mind... Hope we'll all get out again soon!
I really enjoyed watching this. I have lived in both London and Essex. It was lovely to see these quite undiscovered and unknown parts. Such interesting places to discover. You were very brave camping in -2 the midst ice!
Hi Jennifer! Aw thanks for the super comment! Glad you liked the film. Yeh every time I cycle in Essex I really enjoy it, seems to be endless interesting and nice places to explore. And the people I met were lovely.
Well done for getting out and doing a winter bike packing trip , it looked cold but at least it was dry . Some really interesting places you passed through on your route out of London . It’s always a challenge finding a place to pitch up out of the way of prying eyes , but you found a nicely tucked away place . Tfs atb Dave
Glad to see you use a traditional 'GPS ' cant beat them for flexibility! Who needs a gravel bike when you have a Brompton - you seem to tackle the same terrain - amazing such countryside near London
Haha yes I really liked having my good old OS paper maps, especially cos I really wanted to have a sense of the whole area I was riding through on this trip, where the river was, the river valley, and everything around - and how I was moving across it, if you know what I mean. My little phone is too small for that, and somehow doesn't give me a sense of moving through the landscape like a paper map does. Turning over the page! haha. I remember measuring routes with string when I was little. Then I had a little sort of wheel thing that you wheeled over the map. Haha. Thanks for watching! Happy cycling!
I just came back from my first bike tour, partly inspired by you. =). There was a winter advisory in our area and some snow the day I started, so I was really feeling your pain on this ride! Looks really chilly. What a great adventure! And to top it all off, fish n chips and a cute dog. Fantastic. =)
It was worth watching for the signpost, are you sure that Bill Bryson hadn’t put it there ? “Shellow Bowells” certainly cheered me up as I lie in bed recovering from the lurgy.
Haha yeh some great place names round there. Actually, the womens national road race champs were held round here one year, many years ago when I did that sort of thing, and the course went through Matching Tye. I remember we chuckled about it at the time. I'd forgotten about it, and then saw the place on the map when I was planning the route, and remembered, and chuckled about it again.
Lovely .... well done braving the cold . Where i am in scotland its too wild wet and windy for my liking so ive only managed 2 short 🚴🏻rides since october 😔. Keeps up my motivation to get out watching videos like yours while i cant .
Hi Susanna. I love your videos and enjoy following you on your adventures. I'm 64 and I've been cycle touring and wild camping for the last nine years and I'm totally hooked. In that time I've covered most of England, a lot of it on the canal towpath network. I love the idea of touring on a Brompton, especially for touring abroad and transporting a bike by aircraft. I'm curious as to how you secure your Ortlieb panniers to your Brompton as what you do seems to work well. Keep up the good work.
Hi Martin! Thanks for your lovely comment. Your trips sound brilliant, good for you! Yeh, the Brompton helps a lot on public transport. And I also like that I can store the folded bike in the tent at night too, everything neat and teeny tiny. About the Ortliebs, I show how I put the bags on the bike in a film about my Gear - hope that helps... here's the link! Best wishes! Keep up the good work you too! ruclips.net/video/5KLs7aK18GY/видео.html
You're a tough girl to do this in January! I love watching your adventures while sitting at home. I do like bicycle tours too, but I start not earlier than May. And then end in about October.
What a brave thing to do in those sort of temperatures, well done! The countryside you were in was very pretty, prettier still on a nice day but sad to hear the drone of the traffic. So different from when Isaac wrote his book. The south of England has such density of population it's hard to get away from traffic noise as it travels quite a distance and you don't have to be beside a motorway to still hear it. Walking with friends in Hampshire amidst stunningly beautiful old villages and countryside you can often hear the M3. motorway. The cost of some of the houses there run into the £ millions but you still have the noise. London born but now living in rural France for nearly 20 years I suppose I notice it more when I go back.. Thanks for sharing your adventure.
Hi Colin, yeh you're so right about road traffic noise, and how it carries for miles and miles. I mean a train blasts past wham, carrying tons of people, or freight, but then ahhh it is silent. Whereas road traffic makes a contant whining noise, all the time. Isaac Mead did take trains sometimes - eg he says how he go on the train to London where he sold some turkeys at Leadenhall Market - and the train stopped after only a mile or so after it had left his station, and to his surprise it reversed back into the station, because a lady had arrived late for the train, and they called it back haha. But the rest of the time he was going around by horse. That day he went to see his old Dad to cheer him up, he "put the horse in the trap and drove over". I was really struck by it actually, when I read his book. People all clip clopping around. It's really not long ago. So different. The noise at Lambourne, by the way, was actually light aircraft. There is some kind of private airfield there, and little planes seemed to be up all the time. Thanks for watching again! And for writing!
@@susannathornton I have a cunning plan to ride all the routes in Jack Thurston's 'Lost Lanes North' - 30 day rides on quiet routes, but many of them can be daisy chained together, either directly, or by jumping on a bus.
Hi Susanna, I really do enjoy your videos. Mostly because it shows we women (of slightly more mature years 😄) can still have fun and mini adventures!! I normally tour on a ‘big’ bike but was inspired to treat myself to a little Brompton through your videos. When I realised how much trickier it is to fix a puncture though it really put me off! Do you ever get punctures? I don’t think I’ve seen one on your videos! Also, do you ever get scared wild camping? I’m afraid I always opt for a campsite just to feel a little more secure. I do think you are brave! Thanks again for another great video. Always such an inspiration.
Hi Ceri! Oh thanks for the lovely comment. So nice to hear from other women. When I look at the statistics on my channel it seems the viewers are 95% men. I don't really know how youtube counts it, but anyway, I was surprised it was so skewed. I mean I knew it would be more men than women, but I thought maybe 70 30 or something like that. Anyway. Also yeh, being older... definitely physical problems to deal with as I get older, but actually, that just means I enjoy going out on adventures even more. I really treasure it, cos I really realise how precious it is to be able to do things. About punctures, I wonder have you seen @brilliantbikes channel? It is all about Bromptons, and the (woman) presenter does brilliant "how to" mechanics videos. She shows how to mend a rear puncture more clearly than any other video I have seen. I practised that at home, so I knew I could do it, and didn't need to feel worried about it. That's the only thing you need. If you can't find it, write back and I'll find it. About feeling scared camping wild, no I don't feel scared really. I mean it's possible that someone finds me and harms me, but highly unlikely so I try to forget about that. If I worry about things, it is that I burn the tent down or cut myself or scald myself or something. So I focus on sort of mitigating all the risks best I can and then just enjoy it. Campsites can be fun too, but it's so different from solo wild camping. Honestly, sitting there, watching the moon and the stars, is 10 times as great. Anyway, long answer haha. Thanks so much for watching! Happy cycling!!
I love your sense of adventure. I’ve always wanted to do the Edward Thomas In Search of Spring ride in mid-March, but it’s too early. January is a step to far to camp. Keep it up!
Hi Pete! I just looked up the Edward Thomas book. I hadn't heard of it! Wow, how lovely!! How have I missed that? I really want to read it. Thanks! Makes me think of CE Montague's The Right Place actually. He has a lovely description of cycling from Manchester to London (in one day! not bad. And he didn't think of himself as a cyclist). I read it when I was young, and really liked it. I've never read anything else quite like it, but actually sounds like the Thomas book is kind of similar. Thanks!
@@susannathornton I think you would find the book a bit of a treasure. It started off as a question from his publisher to try to go off and find Spring. Thomas was more of a walker than a cycle and there’s a wonderful piece talking about the bike and bike clothes that we wouldn’t recognise today. There are videos on RUclips about the ride, but I’d love to see one from your direction. Peter.
@@petec3241 Aw it sounds great. Gonna buy a copy. So nice to share tips and thoughts. The Montague is nice but just one chapter. He is really good on how cycling gives you a sense of how places fit together. It is out of print by about like 100 years. My copy belonged to my grandparents. My grandmother gave it to me. So nice. Thanks so much, and best wishes for the rest of the Easter weekend!
Hi Linda! on the bike, I use just the standard Brompton saddle that came with the bike. Tried it, liked it, stuck with it. On other bikes I have used Rolls saddles pretty much all my life for racing and touring. For a seat when not cycling! then I use a Helinox Chair zero outside the tent, and in the tent a Thermarest Trekker chair. Important to be comfortable and sit down haha!
So calm, so cool. I wish I had your inner spirit. Such a pleasure to watch your films as always
Aw badgerbike, thanks for the lovely message. Going slow is nice. Glad you enjoyed the film
Another great adventure Susanna, your a braver person than me in the cold weather. I travelled over the Roding everyday but never saw its hidden secrets and beauty upstream. I really like the sound tracks you use on these videos you have introduced me to some fantastic artists.
Yeh before I did that ride following the Roding, I had cycled along just one bit of it, that bit near Wanstead Park where there's a path. I had no idea where the river came from and where it went. Actually ut'd be nice to do more of the upper Roding in a warmer season, with longer days... But winter was good too. Nice to see things in different seasons actually. Thanks for watching!
love it. you most definitely are inspirational thank you.
Your 'adventures' are healing to watch. I think it is the slow speed and your observation of all the loveliness around you, plus all the food and coffee breaks that have such a therapeutic effect. Thank you, Susanna. I have enjoyed all of them that I have watched sp far. (Every time you sit by some bushes and have a coffee, I long for one! )
Class backing tracks by the way!
A lovely calming video, just what I needed after a busy week!
Hi Linda! Hope you enjoyed the film and hope you had a lovely weekend! Thanks for writing!
What a super trip. I gain do much vicarious pleasure from your films. Best wishes.
Hi Emma! Oh that is nice! glad you enjoy coming along for the ride, as it were! thanks for writing!
@@susannathornton Loved the soundtrack too, especially Mia Niles.
A big thumbs up for braving the cold.
Aw thanks Gavin - I feel like I can do anything now I have got that cosy down jacket. Decathlon. Cheap but so good!
Nice little adventure, with a cool little pitch. Twenty miles away and you can still hear the rumble from London. Enjoyed this Susanna. ATVB Colin
Hi Colin! thanks for the comment, yeh it was a great little camp spot. I got the sunrise like that by chance, as I didn't actually think about it when I was pitching - I was just glad to have found a secluded little corner. I think the low rumble in the early morning was the M25 London ringroad motorway. It was about 3km away.
So much to love about this Susanna. The 'never too far from the countryside, even in London' aspect; the finding peace and tranquility (and ace pitches!) by exploring paths that start full of discarded shopping trolleys and graffiti; but most of all the fact that an absolute legend of an adventurer, who has cycled across half the globe, can still sense the potential adventure a few miles from her urban doorstep. The word 'inspirational' is very overused but I feel safe in applying it here. Thank you!
Aw thank you Cotton Bud - what a lovely comment. Glad you liked the film! Your channel is super by the way - love your father and son trips, great stuff. Thanks for watching!
@@susannathornton It's ever more of a struggle to get him to come along sadly... I shall persevere! I live in hope that when the teens have passed he will start to appreciate it all the more. Thanks Susanna 👍
Great winter adventure. Its always Nice to get out on a bike.nice video. Enjoyed it Very Much. 🙂🙃🙂
Hi Soren! thanks for the lovely message! Yes, so nice to get out on a bike. I liked your emojis haha. If I feel a bit 🙃 then cycling is 99% guaranteed to cheer me up 😄
Me and the misses love watching your local to london adventures, So inspirational...
Susana, you're one of my heroes...magic...🙂
So realistic, so useful and encouraging. That slight anxiety mixed with curiosity and the heady feeling of being out there on your own! I’m binge-watching.
Hi Jill! oh thanks for your super comment. Yes that is exactly how it feels!!
January, looks cold, cold everywhere. You are so brave to leave the comfort of your home and go cycling. Bravo!!! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jason! Thanks for the lovely comment! Hope you are OK there. Happy year of the tiger!
Yes, thanks. Planning to ride the Camino Portugues in May. Cheers!
@@jasonloke2219 Sounds great! didn't know there was a portuguese camino, just looked it up. look like it will be amazing
@@susannathornton I walked the Camino de Santiago in 2014 and cycled it with Brompton 2017. I bought the bike in London. Great! I had actually planned to go Camino Portugues in 2020. With everything ready I had to cancel because of Covid. Hope I can get some success this time. Cheers!
What a wonderful surprise, this morning to see a Susanna video. Thank you very much. Love the music too.
Hi Erick! Thanks for watching! glad you liked the film! 🎵🚲😎
Its the second time I have seen this and I wish I could press the like button a second time too,
Aw Pat, thank you, how lovely of you 🥰
Inspiring as always Susanna! Amazing how little it takes to get a taste for adventure. I really like how you got the inspiration from an old book about rivers, I am sure it makes it all the more interesting. Lovely dog too at the end! :)
Hi Gianni! thanks for watching! Haha yes that little dog. I am not a dog person really but that was such a nice one - she sat there looking at the muddy bike for ages, then looked at me to see who the crazy person was haha
@@susannathornton I see! I was imagining it was your dog welcoming you back home... :)
I love your adventures Susanna. I really admire your ability to make adventures in some places I know little about.
I love how free and easy you make this look. So very inspiring and reinforcing that I made the right decision with my Brompton purchase and to make this the year of the YES to adventures no matter how big or micro.
Hi southbound! aw thanks for watching. I like that, the year of YES! Wishing you many happy adventures!🚲⛺😎
I'm impressed by your bottle in the way you wild camp on the edges of farmer's fields. I'd be paranoid about some angry 'get orf my land' farmer or gamekeeper nabbing me! 10/10 for spirit of adventure!
Hello! thanks for the lovely comment. Yeh I think that getting cleared away by farmers or rangers etc might happen in the sort of beauty spot type of popular wild camping places. But tucked under a hedge at the edge of a random nowhere-in-particular field, I think a solo, quiet, careful person, who arrives late and leaves early, is probably going to be OK. I never want to be spotted, so I am really careful to avoid that. Once I have found a nice little spot, I don't worry too much about it...
Always a pleasure when you put a new video up ☺️
Hi David, thanks! Glad you like the films😁🚲⛺
This was an absolute delight, beautiful and informative too!
Seeing those waterways made me think of Bike Packing's best thing, Bike Rafting!
Specifically, using a Packraft to carry self, gear and bicycle on water routes and to otherwise inaccessible locations!
The Packraft originator is Sheri Tingey, who set up Alpacka Raft (which rhymes with 'I'll Pack a Raft!") to make boats for her son to compete in. Word Spread...
Her expedition grade Packrafts roll up to about the size of a small sleeping bag and weigh around five pounds!
The Brompton is the natural choice for the Packraft, both being excellent multi-modal forms, although many preferred the fat tyred Surly bikes for their far from the beaten track trips.
The benefit of these tiny, but capable boats is that they're so small and light when packed down, and a comfortable, boat for self, gear and bike, afloat!
It opens up a whole new world of adventure.
The fabric is extraordinarily strong, and other than burning or stabbing it, its virtually indestructible, I ordered additional repair fabric for mine thinking that I'd need it, but I was wrong!
If I seem enthusiastic, I am, as I figured they'd be great for travelling the London canals and river routes in conjuction with cycling.
Being able to cycle, Packraft and use public transport really opens up one's travels like nothing else can.
With an inflatable personal flotation device and lightweight paddles one's entire boat kit is easily carried on a bicycle.
Oh thanks for the long comment and all the ideas felixcat! yeh sometimes I have wondered why I am doing rivers by bike haha! Alastair Humphreys did a lovely trip with Bromptons and rafts, up in Scotland, and made a nice film. You reminded me of it alastairhumphreys.com/destination-muckle-flugga-microadventure-6-2/
Enchanting and informative as always. Go there girl, out with the roughty toughty winter campers! Great idea for a travel series "Rides along the riverbank with Susanna..." x
Hi Bokooda! haha not very roughty toughty really, not sawing up wood or sleeping under tarps or anything. I like my cute cosy tent haha. Yeh, gonna do some more of these Thames rivers, interesting and kind of easy. Thanks for the lovely comment x
Hi susanna was born in Barking, moved away now. Used to fish that exact same spot, right where you came up the stairs next to the flood barrier. Probably was 10-15 year old, still looks the same 40 years later. Amazing memories used to swim there too amazed we didnt catch anything, germ wise used to catch plenty of eels and flounders and other sorts. Also St Margarets church in Barking was where Cpt Cooke was married.
Aw Gary, that's amazing. It was an amazing place. I wanted to climb down to the shore but I didn't want to leave my bike on its own. Actually, I found a website about Creekmouth, the village close by there, the place that disappeared. There were lovely memories in there from people who remembered being a child there and foghorns and windy days and gulls and things. creekmouth.net/category/map/
@@susannathornton really great website thanks for sharing. I can certainly remember the crooked billet pub, steak chips and peas £2.99. I can also remember as a child abandoned cottages around that area not sure if it was part of the creakmouth village but so good to see it all again.
A wonderfully sweet Journey. Thanks. ♡
Aw thanks Southern Texas Homestead! what a nice comment
A great treat to spot your post before heading to bed Susanna! Loved the simplicity of your local adventure and all that was revealed. The sights while following the river, the excitement of locating a pitch and your snacking along the way! The startled horse certainly recognised the power of the Brompton 😂 Great to see you back out again inspiring us all 👍 Spring has arrived!!
Hi Miriam! aw thanks for the lovely comment! Hope you are well! Yes spring! or, near enough! I saw the sunny forecast, and thought right I am going. And I liked January actually - with the trees bare I could see more, and I really enjoyed the long evening just watching the moon. Happy 2022!
What a blissful sojourn on a bucolic countryside. The choice of music is brilliant. As always, another superb video. Thank you.
Hello! Aw glad you like the music! I really enjoy choosing it. Thanks for another lovely comment, always so nice to hear from you😁
Inspirational, thanks for sharing your journey
Thanks for that. Another great video.Always love seeing the well used trangia.
Hi Geoff! thanks for the comment! haha yeh, trusty Trangia. Once I was all pitched and cosy, it was so nice getting the kettle on
A very excellent feel good video. Enjoyed every minute of it. many thanks for posting it. Stay well, stay safe. H.
Aw thanks Hugh! what a lovely comment
Susanna is so intrepid. I admire her so much.
Aw thanks effyleven. Just tootling around on a folding bike, having coffees, and then lounging in a tent doing nothing, not difficult haha
Great to see another wonderful upload. You inspired me to get a Brompton.
Hi Timothy! Oh great that you got a Brompton! Happy cycling! Thank you for the lovely comment
Love the story. I always get anxious for you when you are looking for a pitch. Well done. You have a well worked routine and you soon get set up. Really enjoyed again.
Hi Peter! haha yes I am always a bit anxious too, but it is so gorgeous once you're all set up and the kettle is on haha. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the really nice video. Following a local river is always a good theme for a trip. Really nicely put together video too! I liked the music, and how you blended it in with the sounds of the countryside and the bike.
Hi John! Thanks for the lovely comment! Yeh I wondered how the river theme would work out as a bike ride actually. As a cyclist, I could ride along the river bank itself only for short way, and for the rest of the journey, I was on little roads criss crossing the river. So I planned to meet the river at bridges and watermills, and I included some higher land, that I hoped would give me a view of the river valley from higher up. I wondered if it would work out or if I would lose the sense of what I was doing. Actually, it worked kind of better than I expected. Glad you liked the film! THanks for watching!
Wow Susanna. another delightful and informative video. You certainly know how to seek out those camping spots. Loved the background music BTW.
Thanks velorog! Glad you enjoyed it. I was lucky with that spot. Cosy. And I hadn't thought much about where sunrise would be, as I was in a bit of a rush with the light going, but it turned out perfect. And I got the "moonrise" too, if there is such a word
Hello Susanna,
Another enjoyable video of your adventures on the bike... I look forward to seeing you on the next one.
Take care.
Paul,,
Hi Paul! thanks for watching! haha I like your channel name. Another film coming soon, working on it now. Take care you too!
Barking mad and beautiful! Thanks for sharing your microadventure. Great to explore out of the way places too often overlooked.
Haha, made me laugh but yes you are spot on. Thanks for the lovely comment Brad 😁
Brilliant and totally unexpected at this time of year! You're a real inspiration and it seems a little mad for wild camping in January! Thankyou for continuing to share your journeys. You've got a real knack for story telling.
Yes haha. I did feel it was a bit mad tbh. But I wanted to see winter sort of properly, before it's suddenly going to be spring, if you know what I mean. Thanks for the lovely comment!
Thank you Susanna,
I always feel richer for watching your videos, all the best from Australia. Jules🌅⛺️🚴🏻♀️😎
Hi Julie! Aw thanks! glad you like the films! thanks for writing 😎
I really enjoy the history lessons on your journeys. Thanks for sharing. 🙂👍🚴♂️🏕️
Hi Brian! Aw thanks for watching, and for writing! Glad you like the films.
You are like the Adele of cycling, great film! Fantastic ☺️👍
Oh haha I don't know about that 🤣 Glad you like the films!
What beautiful countryside, and right in your backyard. Thank you for sharing!
We've just binged on the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Your trip got me wondering if the Roding will be featured in a later book - don't think we came across it in the ones we read. I can't imagine cycling and camping in January. I always suffered from frozen fingers when doing my paper round in winter months!
Great video, enjoyed very much .
Hi ascot 104! Thank you! Glad you liked it. Thanks for writing!
Heureuse de te retrouver en hiver, partout où le vent t’emmène, tu trouves l’aventure et tu m’emmènes par la même occasion dans ton voyage même s’il est court et si près de Londres… je sors souvent mon Brompton le long de la vallée mosane et je rêve d’aventure en attendant un temps plus clément. En avril je pars en Espagne en voiture mais mon Brompton sera plié et du voyage … Amitiés et merci pour ta vidéo hivernale.
Hi Chantal! thank you for the lovely comment. Sounds very nice riding along the Meuse valley. I just looked it up to see what it is like. Looks lovely. Thank you for watching
Lovely video! 😍 Thanks very much 🙏
Hi Albin! thank you! glad you liked it! 😎
Fantastic! What an intuitive creator and documenter of adventures you are. I feel I'm there with you. Also, I cried at the son's comments about his father's struggles and what he was paid for the hay. Thank you for taking us with you. Your enthusiasm shines bright.
Aw thanks Alice. Yeh their story really moved me too - it was awesome to have those photos and see their faces, and hear their words, and the fields they worked and the lanes they knew... I loved that. Beautiful. I loved this little journey. Thank you for writing such a lovely comment
Another lovely adventure Susanna, and such a nice story about Isaac Mead. I can't wait to see your next trip, take care.
Hi Peter! thanks for the lovely comment! Yeh I am really looking forward to the next one too, planning it now, just chatting to my husband about what it's going to be...
Hi Susanna, I love yours trips and the way to enjoy it.
Hi Louis, oh that's a lovely comment, thank you x
Excellent 👌 pleased to see a vid from you when I got home from work
Hi Jimmy! thanks, glad you liked it!
A trip into my neck of the woods (North Essex) - loved this one Susanna!
Aw yeh it was gorgeous that ride. I camped kind of ten minutes from Romford really but it felt like deepest countryside, amazing. I like Essex
Another cracking "staycation" on the Brompton! Just shows that there are some great little adventures in our wee country. Thanks for the delightful video Susanna!
Hi Stuart! aw thanks, what a lovely comment. Yeh, a kind of mini staycation! Cheap too. Only cost the train home, and for the fish & chips I asked for a small portion, and they gave me a "pensioner deal". I was a bit startled by that. But I just paid the fiver and enjoyed it haha. Thanks for watching the film!
Lovely
What a great video. I've grown up riding through the villages you passed through but have never truly taken time to 'step back' and appreciate them in this way. An inspired route: Essex does have some truly wonderful historic features waiting to be discovered. Makes me want to get out on two wheels and take another look.
Hi Paul, oh what a lovely part of the world to grow up. It was all pretty much unknown to me beyond Wanstead really. It was hard to choose a route, cos there were so many nice-looking roads. I really wanted to do that track, High Ongar to Norton Mandeville, cos it looked lovely on the map, and it was. Happy cycling!
Always glad to see another of your adventures, simple, well narrated, and well filmed, brilliant!
Thanks for watching James! and for the lovely comment. It's very encouraging to get comments, I really appreciate it
Another excellent video Susanna, just lovely. Enjoyed it all. Pity you ran out of time, maybe something similar when the weather warms up? I look forward to your next adventure wherever it may be.
Thanks Al! Yeh definitely a good place to go back to. I thought Essex was brilliant, nearby, and in summer it looks like there'd be more cafes and whatnot open haha😁🍰
cant wait for summer for bike packing, this year around the Isle of Wight!
Hi KMTB! oh, sounds like a good plan, really nice to look forward to
Another gem 🥰 There is plenty of beauty and tranquility still to be found, but we have to get out of our cars and go shanks pony or bicycle. So many treasures down our quiet lanes! I love that you found Isaac and his story - how nice to have people speak your name long after you’ve passed. Very brave of you to head off out in January, but, having seen your Scottish videos, not surprised! Thank you for sharing such a lovely little film 🤗
Aw thanks Pootling along! yeh I think you're so right about the cars thing. If I cycle or walk through places, I feel that I have actually been there, and I remember hundreds of little things, the way the tarmac looked, the sound of the river, a person I met, how good the coffee was haha, all sorts of things. If I go in a car, I literally don't feel as if I was really there. Anyway. About the Isaac story, it was lovely to find out about him. Yes, not forgotten. Actually I went and ordered up all the things with his name at the British Library, kind of curious about him. I thought it would be just his little book and a photos or something. They wheeled out a gigantic sort of marbled ledger thing, on a huge trolley, and two people had to lift it haha. It was all the papers that must have collected, all about mushrooms and how to grow different vegetables and weather almanacs and clippings about prices of grain from the Farmer newspaper and things. Lovely to see them. Anyway. I shall do another river I think. I enjoyed it. Thanks for the lovely comment!
@@susannathornton if you walk or cycle you breathe in so many more pictures - you notice the hairy caterpillar that just made it safely across the lane 😬 and all things similar. Btw, going back to your second Irish video, I thought I was the only one who said goodbye to a little grassy spot where I’ve sat and had lunch or camped for the nig🥲ht. So good to know there are other daft folk about, probably an awful lot of us 🤭🙂. Going off now to read up more about Isaac 👍🏻. Stay safe 🙏
Haha yes I do say goodbye 🤭 Yep, daft! Oh dear. Hey ho! Thanks so much for writing - it's always lovely reading your comments x
Lovely to see a new video up Susanna! Always look forward to each new adventure! :)
Hi Josh haha yes, I look forward to each new adventure too. In planning mode now again. I enjoy that too, maps and books and things everywhere
Hi Susanna. Very inspirational journey and thank you for sharing. Here I am fretting about doing wild camping in rural south of France and you're doing it within 20 miles of London and in January! Hats off to you.
Haha that's such a sweet comment, thanks Chris! hope you relax and enjoy a bit of wild camping down your way there too
Thank you so much for this. Don't really know why but I was feeling a bit down this afternoon, then I saw this! Such beautiful music as well! Truly inspirational thank you again.
Aw John that is such a nice thing you said. Glad that the film cheered you up. Hope you have a lovely weekend x
Susanna!!
Good to hear from you and your adventures. Really enviable all that tranquility and beautiful meadows.
I was already missing your videos, thank you very much for sharing them and taking us on your bike.
Be well and a hug from the Caribbean!
A very interesting trip and lovely video as always. Hats off to you for braving the freezing temperatures! 🥶
Hi Lynne! Thanks for writing! glad you liked the film. So nice of you to write as well, I really appreciate it. Haha yes it was chilly! but only a short trip, and that down jacket is super cosy, I love it
Hey, Susanna. Great video. Just shows you don’t have to go round the world to make a nice trip and film! Really interesting. Lucky with the weather too even though it was cold.
Hi Vin! hope you are well! thanks for writing! Yeh, I was really lucky with the weather. I saw a few sunny days were coming up in the forecast, and then lots of grey, so I just thought, right I'll go 🌞😎🚲
Superb Susanna, thank you for posting, looks like you had fun. 😀
Yes! haha. I did. I was a bit unsure at the start tbh, as you can see - I kind of couldn't string any words together. But yes it was brilliant. Thank you for watching
Susanna. Thanks again for all your efforts, doing and putting together your cycling adventure videos. It looked a chilly day. In the early 90s we used to live in Theydon Bois and cycled all around the roads and lanes where you were. As you found there are some lovely old villages, old church’s and country pubs with yummy lunches including owe favoured by Rod Stewart after his Sunday football game. Anyway thanks again, really enjoy your trips.
Aw that sounds lovely, living within easy reach of all those lanes and villages. I was just saying to Paul, also on here, that it was hard to choose a route actually, cos there were so many nice-looking roads and interesting looking places. Where I camped was actually right by an old park with gardens by Capability Brown. I didn't realise it till later. Wish I had known cos I'd have looked for some of the old features of the landscaping, which apparently are still there, a walled garden or something. Next time maybe. Looks like some of the farms have nice cafes and so on in summer too.
Really enjoyed this video, nice to see someone biking and camping very refreshing.
Ni Nicky! thanks for watching! glad you enjoyed the film!
I went out on my bike (i'm more or less a shut-in, i struggle to leave my home) yesterday in the sunshine inspired by you, so thank you :)
Great! That sounds lovely, cycling in the sunshine 🚲🌞
Hallo Susanna it's always a pleasure seeing your adventures 😀 what a beautiful scenery ❤️ greetings from Berlin
Hi Jens! Aw thanks for the lovely comment. Yeh I liked the scenery. Essex isn't generally thought of as beautiful, but I really liked it. Greetings to you in Berlin!
Fantastic, Just shows what gems are in our local areas and that to have an adventure you don’t have to travel to the other end of the earth. Many thanks!
Hello sparkvespa! hope you are well! yeh, it was a lovely doing a little local adventure - so nice at the end that I could just get on a train and be back home having a cup of tea in like 35 mins. Definitely to do some more of these. Thanks for watching!
Another adventurous trip, along a river I've never heard of and beautiful countryside. Great video and very interesting commentary on the history. And all this in January. Thank you.
Hi Ray! Thanks for the lovely comment. Yeh that little corner of Essex was super, I thought. Tons of lovely lanes and interesting villages. I really enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
Long time no see, Susanna. Thanks for this nice video of your adventure. :)
Hi Rog! Yes, it's been a while! Happy New Cycling Year! Thank you for writing!
Thank you for another lovely video. I’m looking forward to more episodes in the river series.
Hi Helen! aw thanks for the comment. Glad you liked the film. Yes I am looking forward to the other rivers too now!
Wow camping in these weathers, still lovely in the sun! Great, and so much nature, so close to London 💪🏻
Hi Alex! thanks for the comment. Yeh, I was surprised how much green nature there was. And local people in east London seem to be battling away to make it better too, trying to stop sewage discharge and cleaning up rubbish etc, brilliant effort
Hello Susanna, good to see you back on RUclips after a short break, many thanks for the informative venture. I hope more to follow soon. Regards. A. R.
Hi Andrew! thanks for writing! yeh I decided to try making a film for a film competition, which took me away from my normal things for a little bit. Back again now!
Such a treat Susannah to see your new video pop up yesterday, thought Id snuggle down after work today to watch it in the warmth of my flat. Looked really cold but such an inspiration, can't wait for your spring and summer adventures...
Hi Philip! aw sounds nice. Glad you enjoyed the film. Yeh I can't wait for the next adventures too. Planning the next one now... I really like the planning too actually. Best wishes! Thanks for watching and for writing!
What a fantastic adventure. Your videos are so enjoyable. Thank you for posting :)
Hi Sheepstar! thanks for watching! Yeh I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it was great.
So unexpected 👍 I was missing your adventures 👍 another beautiful video presentation
Hi Craig! Thanks for writing! yep, 2022 here we go! I thought it was time to get started on this year's adventures!
Hi friend, I was missing, Brazil was missing you.
Hello in Brazil! Wow. Thanks so much for watching!
Another great adventure! When I’m looking for a wild camp spot and dusk is approaching I think ‘what would Susanna do’
Aw thanks for the lovely comment SPF! haha that's funny, that you think what would I do 😆 I had planned a trip this weekend actually. Cancelled cos of the storm. Never mind... Hope we'll all get out again soon!
I really enjoyed watching this. I have lived in both London and Essex. It was lovely to see these quite undiscovered and unknown parts. Such interesting places to discover. You were very brave camping in -2 the midst ice!
Hi Jennifer! Aw thanks for the super comment! Glad you liked the film. Yeh every time I cycle in Essex I really enjoy it, seems to be endless interesting and nice places to explore. And the people I met were lovely.
Well done for getting out and doing a winter bike packing trip , it looked cold but at least it was dry . Some really interesting places you passed through on your route out of London . It’s always a challenge finding a place to pitch up out of the way of prying eyes , but you found a nicely tucked away place . Tfs atb Dave
Hi Dave! Yeh, you're right, cold but dry, and not too much wind, so actually the conditions were great. Thanks for watching!
Glad to see you use a traditional 'GPS ' cant beat them for flexibility! Who needs a gravel bike when you have a Brompton - you seem to tackle the same terrain - amazing such countryside near London
Haha yes I really liked having my good old OS paper maps, especially cos I really wanted to have a sense of the whole area I was riding through on this trip, where the river was, the river valley, and everything around - and how I was moving across it, if you know what I mean. My little phone is too small for that, and somehow doesn't give me a sense of moving through the landscape like a paper map does. Turning over the page! haha. I remember measuring routes with string when I was little. Then I had a little sort of wheel thing that you wheeled over the map. Haha. Thanks for watching! Happy cycling!
Amazing I think you should organise a group tour
I just came back from my first bike tour, partly inspired by you. =). There was a winter advisory in our area and some snow the day I started, so I was really feeling your pain on this ride! Looks really chilly.
What a great adventure! And to top it all off, fish n chips and a cute dog. Fantastic. =)
Hi Keeley! Aw good for you. Hope you enjoyed it despite the cold there. Thanks for writing x
You are an inspiration, I love your “simple” adventures; peddling my Brompton through our Florida “winter” (40 degrees is really cold) I admire your
Hi Peter! Haha thanks so much! glad you like my films! Thanks for watching!
Another great adventure 👌 Thank you for taking us along with you!
Hi Martin! thanks you too, for watching, and for the lovely comment
Brilliant video, encouraging to see bike packing in sub zero temperatures! Really enjoy your videos 🙂
Hi Mark! Thanks for watching! glad you enjoyed it!
Lovely little adventure. You’re far braver than me 😊 That bumpy track along the river and -2c would put me off 😂😂
Hi Paul! thanks for writing! yeh it was a bit chilly! But definitely a lovely adventure
It was worth watching for the signpost, are you sure that Bill Bryson hadn’t put it there ? “Shellow Bowells” certainly cheered me up as I lie in bed recovering from the lurgy.
Haha yeh some great place names round there. Actually, the womens national road race champs were held round here one year, many years ago when I did that sort of thing, and the course went through Matching Tye. I remember we chuckled about it at the time. I'd forgotten about it, and then saw the place on the map when I was planning the route, and remembered, and chuckled about it again.
Lovely .... well done braving the cold . Where i am in scotland its too wild wet and windy for my liking so ive only managed 2 short 🚴🏻rides since october 😔. Keeps up my motivation to get out watching videos like yours while i cant .
Aw thanks for writing. Glad you like the films! Hope you get some gorgeous sunny days soon 🌞😎🚲
Hi Susanna. I love your videos and enjoy following you on your adventures. I'm 64 and I've been cycle touring and wild camping for the last nine years and I'm totally hooked. In that time I've covered most of England, a lot of it on the canal towpath network. I love the idea of touring on a Brompton, especially for touring abroad and transporting a bike by aircraft. I'm curious as to how you secure your Ortlieb panniers to your Brompton as what you do seems to work well. Keep up the good work.
Hi Martin! Thanks for your lovely comment. Your trips sound brilliant, good for you! Yeh, the Brompton helps a lot on public transport. And I also like that I can store the folded bike in the tent at night too, everything neat and teeny tiny. About the Ortliebs, I show how I put the bags on the bike in a film about my Gear - hope that helps... here's the link! Best wishes! Keep up the good work you too! ruclips.net/video/5KLs7aK18GY/видео.html
lovely :-)
Thank you P G! :-)
You're a tough girl to do this in January! I love watching your adventures while sitting at home. I do like bicycle tours too, but I start not earlier than May. And then end in about October.
Hi Inge! Thanks for watching! Hope you enjoy some lovely tours this year!
I agree... I'm not a cold weather camper either! But to each their own. :) I don't mind riding in the cold tho. :)
What a brave thing to do in those sort of temperatures, well done!
The countryside you were in was very pretty, prettier still on a nice day but sad to hear the drone of the traffic. So different from when Isaac wrote his book.
The south of England has such density of population it's hard to get away from traffic noise as it travels quite a distance and you don't have to be beside a motorway to still hear it.
Walking with friends in Hampshire amidst stunningly beautiful old villages and countryside you can often hear the M3. motorway. The cost of some of the houses there run into the £ millions but you still have the noise.
London born but now living in rural France for nearly 20 years I suppose I notice it more when I go back..
Thanks for sharing your adventure.
Hi Colin, yeh you're so right about road traffic noise, and how it carries for miles and miles. I mean a train blasts past wham, carrying tons of people, or freight, but then ahhh it is silent. Whereas road traffic makes a contant whining noise, all the time. Isaac Mead did take trains sometimes - eg he says how he go on the train to London where he sold some turkeys at Leadenhall Market - and the train stopped after only a mile or so after it had left his station, and to his surprise it reversed back into the station, because a lady had arrived late for the train, and they called it back haha. But the rest of the time he was going around by horse. That day he went to see his old Dad to cheer him up, he "put the horse in the trap and drove over". I was really struck by it actually, when I read his book. People all clip clopping around. It's really not long ago. So different. The noise at Lambourne, by the way, was actually light aircraft. There is some kind of private airfield there, and little planes seemed to be up all the time. Thanks for watching again! And for writing!
Hi Susanna - thank you for sharing another lovely film. Inspired by your adventures, I'm taking my Brompton camping this year!
Hi KarlOn Sea! Thanks for watching! Oh that sounds great that you're heading off camping on your Brompton too. Where are you going to go?
@@susannathornton I have a cunning plan to ride all the routes in Jack Thurston's 'Lost Lanes North' - 30 day rides on quiet routes, but many of them can be daisy chained together, either directly, or by jumping on a bus.
@@KarlOnSea Oh sounds good! so nice planning adventures, I love it
Hi Susanna, I really do enjoy your videos. Mostly because it shows we women (of slightly more mature years 😄) can still have fun and mini adventures!! I normally tour on a ‘big’ bike but was inspired to treat myself to a little Brompton through your videos. When I realised how much trickier it is to fix a puncture though it really put me off! Do you ever get punctures? I don’t think I’ve seen one on your videos!
Also, do you ever get scared wild camping? I’m afraid I always opt for a campsite just to feel a little more secure. I do think you are brave!
Thanks again for another great video. Always such an inspiration.
Hi Ceri! Oh thanks for the lovely comment. So nice to hear from other women. When I look at the statistics on my channel it seems the viewers are 95% men. I don't really know how youtube counts it, but anyway, I was surprised it was so skewed. I mean I knew it would be more men than women, but I thought maybe 70 30 or something like that. Anyway. Also yeh, being older... definitely physical problems to deal with as I get older, but actually, that just means I enjoy going out on adventures even more. I really treasure it, cos I really realise how precious it is to be able to do things. About punctures, I wonder have you seen @brilliantbikes channel? It is all about Bromptons, and the (woman) presenter does brilliant "how to" mechanics videos. She shows how to mend a rear puncture more clearly than any other video I have seen. I practised that at home, so I knew I could do it, and didn't need to feel worried about it. That's the only thing you need. If you can't find it, write back and I'll find it. About feeling scared camping wild, no I don't feel scared really. I mean it's possible that someone finds me and harms me, but highly unlikely so I try to forget about that. If I worry about things, it is that I burn the tent down or cut myself or scald myself or something. So I focus on sort of mitigating all the risks best I can and then just enjoy it. Campsites can be fun too, but it's so different from solo wild camping. Honestly, sitting there, watching the moon and the stars, is 10 times as great. Anyway, long answer haha. Thanks so much for watching! Happy cycling!!
I love your sense of adventure. I’ve always wanted to do the Edward Thomas In Search of Spring ride in mid-March, but it’s too early. January is a step to far to camp. Keep it up!
Hi Pete! I just looked up the Edward Thomas book. I hadn't heard of it! Wow, how lovely!! How have I missed that? I really want to read it. Thanks! Makes me think of CE Montague's The Right Place actually. He has a lovely description of cycling from Manchester to London (in one day! not bad. And he didn't think of himself as a cyclist). I read it when I was young, and really liked it. I've never read anything else quite like it, but actually sounds like the Thomas book is kind of similar. Thanks!
@@susannathornton I think you would find the book a bit of a treasure. It started off as a question from his publisher to try to go off and find Spring. Thomas was more of a walker than a cycle and there’s a wonderful piece talking about the bike and bike clothes that we wouldn’t recognise today. There are videos on RUclips about the ride, but I’d love to see one from your direction. Peter.
@@petec3241 Aw it sounds great. Gonna buy a copy. So nice to share tips and thoughts. The Montague is nice but just one chapter. He is really good on how cycling gives you a sense of how places fit together. It is out of print by about like 100 years. My copy belonged to my grandparents. My grandmother gave it to me. So nice. Thanks so much, and best wishes for the rest of the Easter weekend!
Just curious about what type seat you prefer on your adventures. Cheers to your healing and good health. Love your commentary.
Hi Linda! on the bike, I use just the standard Brompton saddle that came with the bike. Tried it, liked it, stuck with it. On other bikes I have used Rolls saddles pretty much all my life for racing and touring. For a seat when not cycling! then I use a Helinox Chair zero outside the tent, and in the tent a Thermarest Trekker chair. Important to be comfortable and sit down haha!