WEEKLY BLOG EPISODE 26 | Q&A

I decided that it was time I did another Q&A for my weekly blog, answering some of your questions. To be honest, I haven’t been inundated with questions, so this will be something of a mini-Q&A, but that’s fine, the questions I did get were really nice to answer, and it left me more time to go outside on this nice warm and sunny Sunday… In fairness, I’ve spent most of today starting the mammoth task that is decorating our bedroom – it’s going to be a lovely and calming shade of sage by the end of the coming week (I hope!).

This week’s view was taken at Painswick Beacon in the Cotswolds (and on the Cotswold Way, in fact), south of Cheltenham and north of Stroud, where we walked with friends on Saturday morning. Another local hill ticked off the list!

Kerry, over on Twitter, asked:

What’s your favourite time of day for squeezing in #OneHourOutside when you are busy working from home?

— Kerry S (@EvansKerry) July 11, 2020

What’s your favourite time of day for squeezing in #OneHourOutside when you are busy working from home?

Way to give me an opportunity to plug One Hour Outside! Personally, I find that getting out for a lunchtime walk is the best thing for me. It splits up my working day, means I feel less cooped up in the same place all the time, and helps to keep me both awake and productive in the afternoon. Of course it doesn’t always work that way, for some reason Teams meetings are common between 12noon and 2pm, and my “lunch time” walks often end up being at 3pm, but that doesn’t really matter, I still try and get out within the working day. I know people who prefer a morning walk before they start work, and others who will happily sit inside all day and head out in the evening, but for me a #OneHourOutside at lunch time is what does the trick. It’s just so important to my sanity and my productivity, especially when working at home – I can’t imagine spending 24 hours a day within the same four walls, and feel for those that do either by necessity or choice. I am very grateful that I’m able to get out for fresh air and natural light every day. My preferred routine is to walk and then eat, my food tastes better that way.

Tara, also over on twitter, asked a couple of questions:

What's the next big adventure (when COVID-19 allows)? If you were only allowed one overseas trip for the rest of your life, where would you go?

— Paps (@tara_papworth) July 12, 2020

What’s the next big adventure (when Covid-19 allows)?

I’m still hopeful that we’ll get our European road trip in September. Our original route (Switzerland to Poland to France) is no longer possible as the Bike Shuttle has been cancelled, but we are now hoping to use the tunnel in both directions. Where we head is still on the table; down to the Alps, over to Poland, or up to Denmark… we can decide nearer the time when things have (hopefully) settled down a bit more and it’s clearer what is open and closed in each of the countries on our possible route. Whatever happens, a two week road trip is something I am definitely yearning for at the moment – we might have to plan more than we’re used to if some restrictions are still in place, but that feeling of being on the road, with the wind in my hair and different views around every corner is what is keeping me going!

As for “big” adventures, next up is Iceland. We had a tour booked last year but it was cancelled, and the company have just announced their dates for 2021 – so we’re hoping to go on that. I’ve always wanted to visit Iceland, including doing more than a city break in Reykjavik with a short drive around the famous (and very busy) ring road. This a 12-day motorcycle tour, with a guide but our own motorbikes, taking us off the beaten track, along some of the quieter roads and to some of the more private views. Iceland is hugely popular, and I definitely want to see the famous Seljalandsfoss and Skogafoss waterfalls and bathe in a geothermal spring, but this will be a motorcycling adventure including taking on the spectacular looking F-35 interior road between the Langjokull and Hofsjokull Glaciers, and right over to the Westfjords, the most remote and isolated part of Iceland. You know I love my wild and rugged terrain! We’re reasonably well versed with gravel riding these days, helped no end by completing the Off Road Skills Course and the Wales 500, but to make this as safe and enjoyable as possible, having experienced guides will make those gravel roads and water crossings a bit less treacherous.

If you were only allowed one overseas trip for the rest of your life, where would you go?

Oh! I guess answering with “a round the world road trip” probably isn’t going to cut it here, is it? Not even “overlanding from North Pole to South Pole”. Hmmm. It would be between two places, and I know you are biased!

Either… Back to Canada to explore more of the places we fell in love with but also a lot more of the country as we really did only scratch the surface. Certainly back over to the west coast, but we only got as far north as Whistler (what an amazing place Whistler is), and even then didn’t do that area justice. We’d head all the way up (a little side trip into Alaska must be allowed…), and then right over to the East Coast to see the lakes and cities of Quebec and Newfoundland. There really is so much to see, we’d need six months or a year.

Or… New Zealand. I just know we’d love it in New Zealand. We would road trip, naturally, doing our best to explore every nook and cranny of what looks like a couple of stunningly beautiful islands. We’d ride, drive, hike, camp, kayak, hike some more. Reckon we’d need a month or six weeks or so to feel like we’d explored reasonably well. Although I’m sure there are plenty of things that could keep us going for years!

Out of the two I think I would end up choosing Canada if there really was only one opportunity, and that would be very simply because it’s so big and vast. But New Zealand… oh dear, tough choice. Maybe I should just be ridiculous and say “Antarctica” instead, that would be a trip to end all trips, wouldn’t it?! Gah you’ve filled up my wanderlust reserves again!!

There we have it. I hope you’ve enjoyed my little Q&A this evening. Normal weekly blog service will resume next Sunday evening, when hopefully I will be able to tell you all about our week of day trips from home (no work for me this week – woohoo!), and report that we’ve moved back into our new-look bedroom. See you next Sunday!