Bikepacking on Brompton - Sweden to London
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- Опубликовано: 9 окт 2024
- In mid September, I was still in Sweden. The nights were getting chilly, and a new Covid wave was breaking out across Europe. I needed to go back to the UK, and I wanted to cycle it. I wanted to try the route along the North Sea coast, which looked as if it would be very different from the inland route I'd taken on the way out. But what with one thing and another, I was hesitating, delaying setting off. Suddenly, however, I realised that a lot of campsites would close at the end of the month. So, if I was going to ride it, I had to go pretty much immediately. The weather forecast was bad - tons of rain - but I packed up the bike, and late one Friday night, I set off. It did feel a bit mad to leave our cosy sitting room and ride alone to the docks in the dark and the wet. But I was pretty sure that, come what may, I’d enjoy myself. Anyway, here's what happened! Hope you enjoy the film!
![Mariah Carey - We Belong Together [American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/UnO2m2BEXDU/mqdefault.jpg)
Fabulous and profound; ‘There’s not 100 summers left, best make the most of them’. Thank you.
Hi Gareth! Thank you for watching, and for your nice comment. Tbh I almost didn't put that bit in actually. I ummed and ahd, and took it out, and then put it back in. Thank you for writing. It was lovely to read your comment. Best wishes!
It's quite heart warming to see a 16" wheel bike traversing countries and oceans. Awesome work.
Hi Alan! Thank you for the nice comment. Actually about using the Brompton for quite long tours, I was just saying to a friend today that it's kind of "easier" to use a Brompton, because (a) it's a well made and sturdy little bike, so that as long as I don't want to go offroad or on tracks etc, it'll stand up to the job, and (b) if I want or need, I can just fold it up and hop on a bus, or whatever. So no need to feel anxious really, just plan a route and go. That's a very nice sort of freedom. Anyway, thanks so much for watching!
Very inspirational
extremely inspiration for someone battling anxiety attacks daily. Thank you
Hi Luc! Thank you for watching and for your nice comment. I am so glad you enjoyed the film. Take care! I hope you are alright and that you feel OK as much as possible. Best wishes
I'm obsessed about these bikepacking videos of yours.
Hi Ace R! Thanks! Glad you enjoy the films! 😁
I enjoyed your vlog, and admire your spirit of adventure.
Hi Gtex! Thanks for writing! Glad you enjoyed the film. Take care x
An amazing adventure.
.
Amazing..total respect for you and your Brompton. Thanks for sharing.
Hello! Thank you for watching! 😊
Fine Brommie road document! Keep on sending them! 👍😎
Hi Kari! thank you! yes I shall send more. Got a few things in preparation 😎
What a lovely, well made video. From one Brompton owner to another 🙌
Hi Peter! Thank you for watching and for your nice comment! Happy cycling!
Fantastic video
Your food looks so healthy with so many fresh ingredients. Hope your health is better. Best wishes to you for making these movies.❤
Wonderful trip makes me want to get back in my bike and cycle to where I want to go
Hi Stu! Thanks for watching! And for writing. Yeh me too, want to just put my tent on the bike and go somewhere. Let's hope we can go out and do things again soon.
Hi Susanna, I really enjoyed watching your video. I would be interested in how you set up your bike to carry all your equipment. I love the fact that you are using a trangia stove for your meals. I would also be interested in the meals you cook. All in all a very relaxing video, just as shame the weather wasn’t so good which certainly had an impact on your chain. Looking forward to some more videos. Regards Stewart
Hi Stewart! Thank your for watching! and for such a nice comment. About my gear and how I set up the bike, I am working on a film about it actually, coming soon! I hadn't thought about covering cooking, but maybe I'll cover that too. On this ride from Sweden to London, I was doing traditional cooking, normal pasta and potatoes and things. Last year, on the rides I did out to Sweden, and to Oxford, and Stockport (which you can also see on my channel) I prepared meals at home and dehydrated them, which was a new thing for me. My idea was to minimise the weight and space of my food, so that I could try to carry pretty much everything I needed, and avoid going into shops on the way, mainly because of coronavirus. I was surprised how nice the meals tasted. Anyway, thanks again for writing! Regards to you too!
Hello Susanna, I watch all your videos with a great interest ( I am french talking…) excuse my bad english, I’m owner of a Brompton too and I dream of a trip alone and independant as you… you are an example for me. « comme on dit aux marins , bon vent, Susanna et prends soin de toi… » one day, very soon I’l do it too 👍😘
Hi Chantal! Thanks for the lovely comment and your lovely good wishes! Hope you get out on a trip soon! See you on the road!
Another great video. Looking forward to seeing many more 😊😊
I really love the honesty and the pace of this video. Thank you for sharing, can't wait to get out on cycling adventures post Covid. May even use the Brompton - thanks for the inspiration
Hi Alex! Thanks for such a nice and thoughtful comment. Hope you can get out on an adventure soon! Me too! Best wishes!
Always smiling no matter what the weather is throwing at you. Great to see you doing these super-long trips with your Brommie :o)
Hi Philip! thanks for watching and for the nice comment! 😁 < this is me smiling
Another super trip. Loved your campsite at the water’s edge with curlew calling. Merry Christmas.
Hi Emma! Thanks for watching! Glad you liked this one too. Yeh that camp spot was wonderful. I had hoped for a spot like that, where I could watch the sea from the tent. Then when I came to the sea, I discovered that the coast was incredibly open, no shelter at all, and it looked kind of hopeless... And then found that sweet little spot! I was so happy! Thank you for all your the lovely messages this year! Merry Christmas to you too!
Thank you so much for sharing. wonderful.
Hello May!! Thanks for watching! So nice of you. So many happy memories of lots of rides with you 🚲😁
Hi there.Thank you for sharing I love that .Greeting from Thailand.
Hi Khunsanook! thanks for watching!
Wonderful. Thank you!
Hi turnermw602! thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed it!
"Hesitating, delaying setting of..." ...not unknown to me also. Sometimes something tells you:"Do it." A time will come that hesitating or delaying doesn't matter anymore. A few years ago I went to Hamburg and further on to Kiel from my hometown near Amersfoort in The Netherlands. On a moped. It only went 40 km/h but I never cared about arriving. That was just the "excuse" for being on a journey. The way back I took the same route as you. It's almost magic to see your beautiful vlog, a document of a certain time . You see to actually see. The footage show the eye for beauty and serenity. Thanks so much for sharing, Susanna...incredible achievement
Hi Eis! Thanks for watching! and for your lovely comment, and for writing about your nice, slow trips across Netherlands and Germany too. Sounds nice to go on, to Kiel. I am also quite keen on doing more in Schleswig-Holstein, and also going further along towards Poland too... I really enjoyed it to see two very different routes between Hook of Holland and Travemuende - first the inland route that I did in the hot sun last summer, heading east, and then the coastal route that I did a couple of months later heading west back to the UK, when it felt very much like autumn. So much to see. Talking of hesitating, I think the hardest part of a journey is deciding "yes I am going to set off on such and such a day" actually. Once I've done that, and I start putting my clobber together and preparing maps and stuff, I'm fine
Really enjoyed watching that. Thanks - interesting and beautifully put together. Stay safe out there and best for 2021!
Hi Amanda! Thanks for the nice comment. You too stay safe!! and stay out there! And let's hope for happier times in 2021!
Brilliant, you are ace.
Hi ascot 104! Thank you for watching!
Thanks for sharing . It's fabulous to see a little bike touring so fearlessly and wild camping. Thanks for in inspiring us all to get off our butts and ride in the rain. Good luck with your chemo !
wonderful and inspiring tour
Hi 2nd baritone! thanks for watching! and for the really nice comment
Deeply impressive and I hope inspiring for me to have a try myself. This viseo was uplifting.
Hi Thingaby! Thank you for watching! and for writing with such a nice comment. Hope you can have a try too soon. Best wishes!
Very nice Video. Watched till finished. Great use of natural sounds. Loved all the amazing farm houses!
Hi Cloud Base! Thank you for watching! And thank you for the comment nice about natural sounds. I am really interested in trying to capture natural sound. I just use my gopro for that at the moment. I am wondering about maybe trying out using a separate microphone. But it might be a bit too complicated having one more thing. I need to research it a bit. So nice to hear the wind in the reeds and the birds and things. Anyway, thank you so much for watching and for writing!
You are very brave. I liked the video and your experience, thank you for sharing. Kind regards.
Hi Felix! aw not really brave, just doing things I enjoy. Glad you liked the film! Thanks for watching, and for your nice comment!
Thank you Susanna.
Such a nice positive video. Your adventures are very inspiring.
Wow! Made it with four minutes to spare! That was very lucky!
Haha yes! And that driver was a v nice guy
Susanna, thanks for sharing this lovely story of your trip. It’s great to see you living life to the fullest, as only cycle tourists seem to do 😃👏🙏
Hi stoatsandgroats! thanks for the lovely comment! yeh for me cycle touring is a simple way to just be happy. To focus on here and now, and on what's important. Something like that anyway... Thanks for watching!
@@susannathornton 😀👍 I get the feeling that you really live in the moment when touring, even when the weather is against you…. I really am quite envious of you for this ability. I get a similar feeling on my short 36 mile rides, all done on very limited days off and when the chores and everyday life don’t get in the way.
Many thanks for posting these, find the,very inspiring. All the best to you, and we’ll done for keeping on with these very simple pleasures! 🙏👍
One of the best vlogs!
Watching because of a Brompton search. So much more going on in these down to earth, get out and do it videos. Thanks for sharing. Inspiring!
Hi Sean! Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoy the films!
Thanks for sharing your trip! Those wild camps were fantastic.
Hi John! thanks for watching! Yes the wild camping turned out much more easy than I expected actually. I was aiming to camp at proper campsites, but there weren't many. Actually, about the "moor" area where I camped, I read afterwards that it's supposed to be ghostly and spooky. Haha, glad I didn't know that at the time! Glad you enjoyed the film. Take care!
It takes a lot of willpower and tenacity to set-up a wild camp after a long wet day in the saddle. Particularly in the autumn chill. Chapeau.
I'll 2nd that!!
Hello again Velorog! Haha, sounds like you have had a fair few long wet days on the bike too! Actually, once I have found a nice spot, it doesn't take long to pitch that Hilleberg. I love that tent. As soon as the tent's up, all I need to do is chuck my few things into it, so they are safe and dry, and then I can sit down, and think ahh, phew. Got a room for the night sorted. That's such a nice feeling. Anyway, thanks so much for watching my films and for writing! Take care x
Very moving when you were talking about the illnesses you’d had huge respect for you and the way you’re embracing life - go well
Hi R Bailey! thanks for writing such a lovely comment. I nearly didn't put that bit in, but I am glad I did. Hope you go well too x
September in the rain. All that rain. It seems non-stop. This is a sobering reminder that it is not all sunshine underway. What people wearing specs need are windscreen wipers! Some beautiful scenic shots. Your enthusiasm is contagious although I probably would have waited out the wet in some drier, warmer spot. All the best for the future. Thankyou for sharing.
Hi Carolle! Thanks for writing. Yep it was definitely not sunshine all the way on that ride, but oh how much I enjoyed it when the sun did come out!
Your comment near the end re: your two cancer scares made me sit up and take notice. That’s not my situation but the point is, we have to make the most out of our lives: taking risks as you are doing, that are calculated but nonetheless challenging. Bravo to you. Good luck in this latest lockdown. Sorry you can’t be with your husband. Keep up the great journeys and thanks for taking us along.
Aw thank you Chris Dem. That is such a nice comment, and so on the mark. Sometimes people on here say exactly the things that I am sort of trying to say, but not finding the words. It is so nice. Hope you are OK in this lockdown too. Best wishes x
Really enjoying your mini adventures with the limited resources. An inspiration to wildkamperen one of these days with my Dahon folding bike
Aha, that sounds like a plan!! Happy cycling Mark!
Your positivity even in climatic adversity is an inspiration. Enjoyed the video very much.
Hi John! Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the film! yeh there was a fair bit of climatic adversity on that trip haha. Really needed those nice hot coffees. Thanks for writing!
Lovely video.
Really enjoyed the video.
"There aren't a hundred summers left, might as well make the best of them." Love this poignant quote. Lovely video--says this Brompton rider himself. I am struck that you find such nice, comfortable and safe places to camp along the way. What's your secret? Lastly, I downloaded your Steve Adams tune, "Ponte de Abril." Thank you for this...
Aw thanks Stephen. Really appreciate your nice comment. About finding places to camp, I do worry that I won't find anywhere (as you can see!) But it seems there's always a little corner, somewhere, where a small quiet person can put up a little tent and have a bit of dinner and sleep till the sunrise. Glad you enjoyed the film. Take care and happy cycling! 😎🚲
"There aren't a hundred summers left……" . I agree, what a beautiful philosophy. And that applies to all of us.. Make the best use of what you have and above all, enjoy it all. Thanks Susanna.
Thankyou felt your relief when you caught the bus. Best wishes.☺️🌈👌
Hi Trish! haha yes it was great to be on that bus!!
Just found your channel...love it, 👍😉 I need a Brompton..
Hi Sid! thanks for watching! and the nice comment!😁🚲
Always a pleasure to watch one of your videos. BTW would be grateful if you could show us how you mount your pannier on your rear rack in one of your future videos.
Hi! Thank you for watching! About how I fix the Ortlieb pannier on the rear rack, I fixed a wooden dowel rod to the rear end of the standard Brompton rear rack, so I can "hang" the pannier off the rod, lying flat. Then I bind a strap around the pannier and the rack. I then found I could carry my tent strapped in under the Ortlieb shoulder strap. I was really chuffed that the solution worked so well. I had tried other ways of packing the bike before. This current solution is miles better than my previous ways of doing it. I got the idea from the webpage of a guy called Shane here www.shanecycles.com/carrying-luggage-on-a-brompton-folding-bike/ (You have to scroll down right to the bottom). Actually, another subscriber, who was interested in the way that I'd fixed the rear pannier onto the rack, did a really brilliant job setting up a similar solution on his Brompton. His solution is neater than mine. He did a video about it on his channel here ruclips.net/channel/UCTfjqwaGuHp-iTmLURQ2ZOQ Hope that is helpful! best wishes
@@susannathornton Interesting idea, which is different to many I have seen so far. I have a video which I did a mod for mounting my ruck sack on the brompton, good to know there is another way. Thanks.
Oooh! A new Susanna video - thank you so much for sharing! I love what you do, it really cheers me up to see what can be done with a little folding bike and a few bits and pieces of camping equipment :)
Hello Pootling along! Hope you are well! Thanks for writing again with such a lovely comment x
@@susannathornton Happy holidays Susanna to you and yours :)
Nice to see you travelling. Salute from Mendoza, Argentina
Greetings from Minnesota. Mendoza is beautiful - I was able to enjoy it 2 years ago.
Hi Magna! Thank you for watching! and salute to you there in Mendoza! I didn't know about Mendoza, and I just looked it up. Wow looks like you have amazing landscapes there!
@@susannathornton Hope to see you around here then, you'll be welcomed!
Hi there just come across your video. Excellent!. Keep Safe!
Hi Sheila! Thanks so much for watching and commenting! Keep safe you too!
I love you for taking the journey! So good to see a woman capturing the natural beauty of the world, nature in its greatness and difficulty. People and nature are wonderful, I want to see southern California being this wonderful and free, although I know better about the rules here. About to get my own Brompton and take videos of areas I know here, develop my method of bikepacking/camping in a way that suits my part of the world. Thank you forever for these videos!
Hi Anna! thanks for your lovely comment! Yes people and nature endlessly interesting, past and present... Oh about rules there are quite a lot of rules here too actually... I kind of selectively adhere to them 🙄 (bit naughty). Hope you get the chance to get out in your area there! Happy cycling!
I loved every moment of your Brompton video. I'm a Brompton traveler too! Thank you!
Hi William! Thank you for watching! and for the lovely comment! 😎🚲
Thankyou. Well done, so many challenges, with closed roads. I only travel in Summer, but sometimes have found closed roads, very challenging, as l had to reach transport or wouldn’t make it home, after my day trip. The rain can be very chilling, even with warm clothes. Camping so glad you found water free ground. Best wishes to you and your viewers.☺️🌈👌
Hi Trish! Thanks for watching! Yes there were quite a lot of "closed roads" on that ride, and it was not easy to find out whether bikes could actually still get through. Most often the only people who know that are other people who ride bikes. Thanks so much for writing! Best wishes to you too x
Dear Susanna, you are proof positive that one meets the nicest people bicycling :-)
Aw Alan, thanks! happy cycling! 😁🚲
Well done, would love to do something like this, as I've done the London to Paris twice, London to Amsterdam once and the Dunwich Dynamo. Keep up these inspiring videos buddy.
Susanna, I don't know how you do it but i'm glad you do. I thoroughly enjoy your adventures from the comfort of my bed! I guess you have to be physically and mentally fit to cover the distances you do. How do you prepare for such trips? Do you ever catch a cold or flu?
Do you ever get scared of solo travels and wild camping? Have you ever missed any of your connections when cycling in Europe?
You are.....gosh, can't think of a word to describe how much I admire your spirit.
A fantastic adventure! I really enjoyed watching your video. I love cycle touring and have cycled in some of the places that you visited on your journey. I hope 2021 brings you many happy cycling miles.
Hi John! Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for writing, and for the good wishes! Actually btw I also say "cycle touring" - and have called it that for 30-odd years. But I saw that people are all talking about "bike packing" these days. I thought I'd better get with the trend 🙄. As far as I can see, it's pretty much the same thing. Anyway, thank you for watching! Hope this whole virus thing improves, and hope 2021 brings you many happy cycling miles too 🙂🚲
What a wonderful, inspiring video. Thank you so much. Happy trails.
Hello Stephen! Thank you for watching! Happy trails you too
I have watched this a few times and feel such admiration for your travelling spirit. You are a generous narrator with compelling stories. A thousand thanks for the inspiration
Hi SunBurn! thousand thanks for watching - several times! And for the nice comment😀
What a joy to watch ! Thank you !
Hi Dance2135! Thank you for watching! and for the lovely comment 😀🚲
Great video!
Thank you for sharing😊
Hi Squid Ley! Thank *you* for watching and for the nice comment 😄
Wow I'm impressed again goog for u thank u brian (when I go to London to visit my son we should go for a bike ride brian)
I’ve just found your blogs they are very good I’m just going through my second cancer scare biopsies taken waiting for the results looking to buy a Brompton and starting off small you are such an inspiration
Hi Eric, thanks for watching, and for writing. Really sorry to hear about your cancer scare. I know how horrendous it is waiting for results. Actually that mini, easy peasy ride I did from Northampton to Leicester (which is a film on my channel) was done the week before a cancer op, which is why I didn't talk at all in that film actually. I literally didn't feel able to actually say anything, totally struck dumb haha. I was just glad to be out and do a small ride. The little ride Stoke to Stockport, also on my channel, was just after I recuperated from a cancer op. I wasn't sure how my body would cope, so the Brompton was ideal, in case I had to bail out. Being outside and cycling is such a joy, I think. Hope you get your bike soon and enjoy it too 🚲🌞
Thank you very much, Susanna, for sharing your inspiring adventure. I would like to learn more from you about trip planning, touring equipment and weight-saving packing, please. Bless your heart!
Hi there! Thanks for watching! About trip planning and equipment, you might have already seen it, but if not you could take a peek at the film that I made called My Gear (link below). The film shows the planning I did for a short, easy peasy ride, and the gear I took. It was a one and a half day trip, over a weekend, and I stayed at campsite, not wild camping. The "Easy Peasy" film that I made (link also below) shows the ride itself so you can see how it turned out. The trip was a nice way to go to my brother's birthday party. Here's the Gear film ruclips.net/video/5KLs7aK18GY/видео.html and here is the Easy Peasy ride itself ruclips.net/video/JFXRCj1tEYc/видео.html Thanks for your lovely comment!
@@susannathornton Thank you for taking the time to reply. Your other videos are both informative and interesting. I am sure they have instilled a "can-do" attitude in many dreamer-cyclists who were encouraged by you to turn their dreams into reality.
What an awesome trip!
Hi Anna Leonie! thanks for watching! and for the nice comment 😁
So nice and deeply close to the nature al silence ! Go ahead please ......
Hi Habib Rahman! Thank you for watching and for your thoughtful comment. Yes I think it is such a nice feeling to be in a cosy tent at the end of the day, with nothing to do apart from eat dinner, and then sit with a cup of tea and look out at everything. Thanks for writing! Best wishes!
Brilliant so far I did London to rotterdam!! Great video!! Keep going!
Hi Santiago Tojo! keep going you too! 🚲And thanks for watching!
Wow awesome trip thanks for sharing
Hi again L J! Thanks for watching another of my films! And for writing such a nice comment 😁
Hello another beautiful video, I had a great time, I will continue to accompany you on your beautiful trips, greetings 😊👍🎄
Hi Mithu! Aw thank you for the lovely comment, and for accompanying me by watching! Greetings you too
I enjoy your videos very much. Also your no-nonsense way of cycling and travelling. Keep cycling and making video reports! Thanks for sharing. Luk (cycling Belgian with the same old cooking-set ;-))
Hi again Luk!! Thanks so much for watching my films! and for sharing your comments. Haha great that you have the same stove! Mine has got a bit dinted over the years, but such a nice thing. I was saying to someone else that I got it when I was about 14, and I still remember being super excited and dashing ff to the nearest bit of green with a friend to fry sausages. For a few years I did use a MSR stove, especially on trips in places where I was not sure if I could get the right fuel for a Trangia, but have gone back to my Trangia at the mo. Thansk for the nice comment. Keep cycling and cooking away there you too! Best wishes
Thank you, I really enjoyed this video.
Hi John! thanks! glad you enjoyed it
So sorry you had so much rain. Bicycling is much better in sunshine..
Enjoyed your film very much. Shame about the weather but what an epic ride. I do have a folding bike with 20" wheels but I'm not sure I would want to make such a ride in that weather. I take my hat off to you. Many thanks for the vlog, Keep well keep safe, Hugh.
Hi Hugh! Thanks for watching, and for the lovely comment! Yeh the weather was not great but it was kind of nice to see all the different types of rain, haha. Hope you can get out on that folding bike lots this year! Best wishes and keep safe you too!
You are a remarkable person. Another great video. Enjoyed it over lunch, in between building up a winter bike. Great video - that looks like a superb tour. Pity about the rain. Good to see you had a cape. I bought one recently and whilst it’s not very aero, and gets some funny looks, it keeps me dry. (You have to empty the ‘pool’ from time to time, as I am sure you know). Sadly, I couldn’t hear all of your commentary, which is a shame. Well done though. I see the subs are creeping up.
Hello! Thanks for writing again, and for the nice comment! Hope you have been able to get out on some good cyling painting trips. Sounds good about the winter bike. Yes I am definitely a cape person these days. I know I am definitely not winning in the fashion stakes, haha, but that yellow thing is really effective! Cost about £15 or something too. Sorry that you couldn't hear all the commentary etc. I tried to improve it this time vs last time, so hope it was a bit better at least. Will keep trying. Thanks for watching! Best wishes!
I’m in Australia and am totally inspired, wishing I was on a bike alongside you. So the next best thing is to get immerse in your trip and the beautiful European countryside. Wonderful. Your 100 summers comment resonated with me as I’m 4 years in remission. Yes each day is precious and you are capturing the essence of living well and sharing it with us so beautifully. Sincere thanks.
Hi Carolyn! Thanks so much for watching, and for writing such a lovely comment. You put it so nicely. I'm in remission too. It's not always easy is it. But it makes me appreciate everything, more than I think I would have otherwise - even riding in the rain, haha! Anyway, thank you and bravo to you! Keep going! Happy New Year!
What an enchanting autumnal trip, beautiful scenery, quiet roads and gorgeous villages.
There's something particularly nice about riding in grotty weather conditions when you're warm and dry beneath the rain gear.
Really lovely wild camping spots and good campsites too. Your meals always looked really appetising and fresh.
I think I would have brought my titanium tent stove to have heated and dried stuff and for the ambience of it.
I'm really inspired to do some cycle camping after watching your superb video, you really capture the pleasure and beauty of travelling, Irrespective of the accompanying rains.
Your observations make this a really special video, thank you for sharing.
Hi Felix Cat! Thank you for watching, and for your lovely, thoughtful comment. I enjoyed reading it. Yes, I agree, I'd prefer if it didn't rain, but there is something really pleasing about riding in the rain and keeping dry beneath the rain gear...
OMG a "titanium tent stove"!! What is that? I got to look that up now! haha
Thank you for writing! Best wishes! 😎🚲🌈🌧🌦☀
Good and relaxing to watch. Great job with these videos.
Thanks for watching, and for the lovely comment!
It seems fitting that I am watching this on International Women's Day. That was brilliant. 🙂👍🚴♂️🏕️
I enjoyed your video. I find your trips inspiring and mostly on a Brompton which is pretty amazing and accomplished during this damn Covid thing. Well done.
Hi PJ! Thanks for watching! And for your really nice comment. About the covid thing, cycle camping is a nice "minimalist" way to travel at any time, I think, and then during covid, it's turned out to be the best way to move around for me - avoiding crowds, and avoiding going inside places etc. Thank you again for watching! Hope you are alright. Stay safe!
Came across you on RUclips have watch all your blogs really interesting you are definitely very well spoken a sign that you are a very smart person..Like the way you explain your trips and take time to show how you set up camp, and all your camping and cooking gear .Please do a review on your camping and cooking gear? Have you ever come to Ireland I live in the North some lovely Cycling countryside here. Keep up the good work it's great to visit your blog check daily.Hope to meet you on the road here in Ireland someday.
Hi E! Thank you for watching! And for the really nice comment, especially about being smart haha! Yeh, I try to show what it's like looking for a spot to camp in the evening, and getting set up and cooking dinner and things. Camping wild is always interesting, to me anyway. I never know what I will find and it is so nice to be alone in the countryside and just watch and listen and eat dinner and drink coffee. About doing a film on my gear and things, yes I am going to do something about that. At the mo I am making a little film about a super-simple trip I did a couple of years ago actually, and I thought I could follow it with one talking about the gear I used on that trip and why, and what I use now (basically still a very simple set up, but I have improved some things slightly). So... those films will come out soon. About Ireland oh yes I would love to! The bits that I have seen - a couple of trips each in Eire and N Ireland for work and holidays - were great. Actually back in the 80s, a schoolfriend and I took the boat over from Liverpool with our bikes and a tent, and rode round mainly County Kerry, as I guess lots of people do. We had completely useless kit, like we had the sort of thin nylon sleeping bags that you use in caravans, and we didn't have enough money and so she and I ate bread and jam the whole way round. We must have been 15 or 16 I think. We had such a brilliant time and still talk about how beautiful it was. We should do it again haha! Anyway, thank you for writing meanwhile! See you on the road! 😊🚲
Very nice trip, quite surprised that you can be self supporting on Brompton. You cheered up because you cycle. It's a happy place !
Hi Mark! Thanks for your lovely comment. Yes, just cycling along did really cheer me up! It is a happy place! haha I have never heard anyone say that before but it is good. About being self supporting, actually this year when I have gone on trips, because of coronavirus, I wanted to have all my food with me (so I can avoid going into shops etc). So I'd have a week's worth of food on the bike at the start. The front bag is packed very full at the start because of that. Then by the end of the trip, the front bag is quite empty. Thank you for watching! Happy cycling to you too!
Just stumbled across your channel as I'm getting back out on my 2 speed Brompton and am loving camping again! Perfect video then haha, great stuff and subbed! Paul, London.
Hi Paul! Thanks so much! Glad yo enjoy the films! More coming shortly.... Happy cycling!! 😎🚲
Amazing trip! thank you for sharing! Hugs from Brasil!
very nice fishing village i can't forget, hope to get there someday😊
Hi Ali! Thank you for watching! Yeh there were some gorgeous villages and little towns. Happy cycling where you are too! Hope we can all get out a bit more like normal again soon!
@@susannathornton oh yes thanks madam, enjoy your vlogs, will watch you always❤️❤️
Lovely inspiring words about making the most of every summer at the end there. Thank you for a stunning vlog.
Hi Algernon! Thank you for watching and for your lovely comment 😊
Beautiful video and awesome trails. A little rain but your mighty Brompton carried you through. All the best.
Hi Steve! Aw thanks for watching and for the nice comment. Best wishes and happy cycling to you too! x 🚲😊
Such a lovely film of your inspiring adventure, and if course I'm sorry to hear of your brush with cancer.
All the best. ❤
Hello Dave! Thank you so much for your kind and thoughtful comment. From the statistics, I can see that many of the folks watching my films are about the same age as me, so there probably quite a few of us who've had similar "brushes". I am super lucky that I am still going. Massive thank you NHS! Carpe diem!! Glad you enjoyed the film x Best wishes
@@susannathornton ❤
Well done. It's inspiring to see you complete these rides - just getting on with it. I'm picking up quite a few tips and tricks. Thanks for sharing your positive journeys.
Hi Bokooda! Thanks for watching! Glad that you enjoy the films! Happy cycling and best wishes!
What a great adventure! Thank you for sharing, it was really inspiring. Subscribed 👍🏻
Hi Bexington! Thanks for watching, and for subscribing too! hope you enjoy your ride, this weekend right?...
Great video! Very inspiring!
Hi Karen! Thanks for watching! And for such a nice comment 😎
Being a brompton owner, I always dreamed of doing something like this. So it is great to watch your video!
Hi Em! Thank you for watching! Hope that corona permitting you can get out on a bike trip soon (and me too!) Tbh after having health probs, my thing is to just get out and do things. Don't wait for the perfect time, or the big dream thing, just think of a simple trip, and just do it. And short trips are great. I find that especially if I camp, the time always feels longer. Doing "just" a one-night cycle camping trip - like the Scottish wild camp I did last winter, squeezed in by taking one day off work - made me so happy. It was a minuscule ride, and only like 25 mins by train from Glasgow, as I hadn't got time to get further afield. But I loved it and when I got back home I felt like I'd been away ages, and was so glad I had kind of pushed myself to squeeze it in. Anyway, random thoughts! Thanks for watching and for writing! Let's hope the virus will be behind us soon. Best wishes and happy cycling in 2021!
@@susannathornton Hi thank you for getting back and sharing your thoughts. You're right. I think its best not to overthink these trips and just go out and see what happens. Your cross country trips are really inspiring as I always thought if it is going to be really possible. So thanks for showing the way. I might start slow, maybe something like from the east end of London to all the way west. And then maybe outside the edge of the London. I've kind of felt that A to B in my head is actually far, but doesn't really seem that far once I've cycled to B.
Try cycling across the north of england from Morecambe to Bridlington on The Way of the Roses. There is a complete guide and lists of hotels that take bikes. There is a hilly section out of Settle that can be avoided by a reroute - not to far off the original!!!
@@navid20 Hi again! Oh sounds like a great idea to start off local. Actually, during lockdown I tried criss crossing London just like you say, and really enjoyed it - I looked for interesting things out towards the M25 or a bit beyond, and then just rode to go see them. It was so great with less traffic. On other occasions I've also tried out taking the train a few stops, to get out a bit and ride in greener bits more at the edge of the city or out in Essex and places. Needs a bit more planning but can be nice. Really really hope the virus situation gets better soon.
Another stunning video! Thanks for filming it and sharing it! Do you have a video in which you discuss your kit and Brompton? I will take a look. Thanks once again!
Hi Dion! Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video! Actually about my kit, quite a few people have asked. I haven't done any films about that yet. I am not really a very kit-focused person, and feel like other people are much more up-to-date and can say more useful things than me! Quite a lot of my stuff is pretty ancient, haha. Right now I am making a video now about a trip I did a couple of years ago - I'll put it up soon! woo! - and I had an idea to make a follow-on film after that, about the kit I used then (which was super-basic but worked), and the improvements and changes I've made since then, and the stuff I am using now, and how I prepare, and things like that. That's my idea... Anyway meanwhile, thanks again for watching! Best wishes!
Hi Susanna, just came across your channel recently and have now binge watched all the content. Having wildcamped both the South Downs Way and the West Highland way recently, ive set myself a target of getting into bikepacking. Have really enjoyed your travels and cant wait for more of the HK to London trip.
Hi Bill! Thank you for watching! Your trips along the South Downs Way and the West Highland Way sound great. I did a teeny bit of the South Downs Way a year or so ago, and I really enjoyed it. But hiking with rucksack is so tough! Cycling is easy in comparison. Well, cycling slowly - like I do it - is easy. Will be putting up more content soon. Best wishes!
Thank you Susanna, I really enjoyed that. I’m planning to take my Brompton on some trips as soon as this lockdown ends!
Hi Simon! Thanks for writing such a nice comment. Great that you're planning some trips too. Yeh, roll on the end of lockdown! Meanwhile just fyi at the moment I am making a film about my gear and how I plan trips etc, because quite a few people have asked about that sort of thing. So do keep an eye on my channel if that would be interesting. I'll put it up soon. I am really slow at editing, but it's finally nearly done🐌 Thanks again for watching!
Great video! Inspirational! Glad this showed up on my RUclips algorithm. If you ever come to Osaka, let me know!
Hello ShotenZenjin! Thank you for watching! Aw I was actually in Osaka and Kyoto on a work trip just over a year ago actually... Next time!! Take care meanwhile!
i really enjoyed it, thanks a lot
Hi Salih! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the great comment!
So inspiring. Thank you for sharing, Susanna. :)
Hi Rog! Thank you for watching! and for the lovely comment
Love your videos 😊
The views were amazing.
I hope I could cross countries like you using my Brompton .
You’re such a strong woman! I just subscribed 🧡
Hi Francinating! Thanks for watching! And thanks for subscribing too! More films coming soon... Hope you guys are able to get out and enjoy going around on your bikes. Yeh going across whole countries is a really lovely and interesting thing to do. And cycling just in the local area, looking around at things, is also nice too I think. Best wishes! Happy cycling! 😎🚲
Amazing trip Susanna! Well done. I must cycle Scandinavia when I get a chance.
Hi Brompton Traveler! Thank you for watching! I just explored your amazing channel and website. So great! Oh let's hope coronavirus will be behind us soon. Very best wishes for the New Year! 😊🚲
@@susannathornton You are welcome! Name is Gianni by the way. I linked your tours on my Brompton Blog. Kudos on your Hong Kong to UK trip too, what a fantastic way to return home :) I did something similar although much shorter in the summer, riding UK to Italy where I am originally from. Not for good I should say! Happy New Year too.
@@BromptonTraveler Hi Gianni! Thank you for writing! How brilliant to ride from UK to Italy like that! And so meaningful, riding from where you live now to the place where you grew up. I was just looking at your website - wow sooo much you have done! And so much super content and helpful information you have put together. Fantastic. And I love what you say at the start of your book. Very nice to meet you! I hope the corona situation improves soon! Best wishes for 2021 x
@@susannathornton Most kind to have bought the book. I hope you like it. What I have never done is bring my cooking gear on a Brompton. Always thought it is too much to carry on this tiny bike but you make it work well I see... Is that a Trangia? What kind of fuel do you buy in the UK? Methylated spirit?
@@BromptonTraveler Hi again! Yes you're right, the stove is a Trangia. Actually, when I first tried touring on the Brompton, a few years ago, I did really struggle to put all my stuff on the bike, even for short trips - eg on the two-day ride I did to a friend's birthday in Holland (also on my channel), on the morning I was packing, I simply couldn't squeeze all my stuff into my bags, and was getting frazzled and late, so finally just jammed the last bits and bobs in a rucksack and set off. I don't like riding with a rucksack at all, but otherwise I would have had to leave a lot of food behind. Since then, however, I have gradually worked things out a bit better. During coronavirus, I wanted to travel around without having to go into any shops, and on the trips I have done this past year, like to Oxford, to my Dad in Stockport, and to Sweden, and then back again, I managed to take with me pretty much all the food and fuel I needed for the whole journey. It all went the front pannier, amazingly. On the longer rides, the bag was really full at the start of the ride, kind of tall, so I could hardly steer. But quite quickly I would eat the food haha and it got easier, and by the end it course the bag was pretty much empty. Yes, you're right, the fuel is called methylated spirit in the UK. About the size of the stove, actually I see people use much smaller stoves these days and there are probably loads of neater solutions, but I kind of enjoy using my ancient Trangia. Especially the cute kettle, haha! Recently, my husband's nephew gave me a "Trangia Mini", which is about half the size of my old Trangia. I am practising with it, brewing coffee in parks. I'll try using that on a proper camp soon I hope.
Thank you for bringing me there.
Hello thg! Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed it
Beautiful vid, watched the morning Wales started another lockdown - cycling in the rain can certainly be therapeutic! I’m impressed you get up so early, before dawn even... I like the sun (if there is any) to dry the tent before packing but if you’re on a deadline to somewhere...
Hi Peter! Thank you for watching. Haha, yes I was quite impressed with myself that I got up so early actually! The thing was that the days were pretty short, and it always takes me ages to have breakfast and pack up, like a couple of hours if I want to do all the things I like to do, airing my sleeping bag and stuff like that. So to set off at 8am or thereabouts, I had to be up at 6. But actually in the evenings, it was dark really early so I would just go to sleep early, so it kind of evened out. About drying the tent, yeh I also really like to let the sun dry the tent, if I can, and hate packing up a wet tent. On that trip, the tent was really sopping after every night, and it never really was sunny or warm enough to dry much. BUT I used a dish cloth to wipe water off the tent before I packed it, which is a new idea I got from the blog of a Scottish guy. It's been brilliant - I would wipe tons of water off the tent, so that although it is not "dry", I could quickly reduce by a lot the water on it. Grateful to the Scottish guy for the idea. Anyway, thanks again for watching and writing. Take care! Thanks for watching!
@@susannathornton thanks, yes I do the same with condensation especially. If it’s a clean cloth can then squeeze the water into a bottle or cooking pot for tea! I’ve tried taking inner tent down separately but then it’s such a faff attaching it again later as evening falls.... Anyway, thanks again. Btw after a previous recommendation from you I looked up dehydrating food but I see it’s quite an outlay financially and you need space for the equipment which I don’t have. So, alas, I’ll be sticking with tins, bread, fruit plus oats, nuts and soya milk!
Hi Susanna, what a brilliant trip ! Thank you and loved your cooking , take care and Merry Christmas
Hi Loveloch! oh thank you! Yes I had some nice dinners on that trip. I carried most of the ingredients with me, to avoid needing to go to shops. Then I just added a few bits and bobs on the way, like the tomatoes, which I bought off someone's little stall at the roadside. Got some nice apples like that too. Autumn is a good time to travel. Thanks for watching! Take care and merry Christmas to you too!