August 2020
I’d been cycling as purely a mode of transport since i left home for University, and continued after as my way of commuting when i lived in London. During the COVID-19 pandemic I started cycling for pleasure as a way of getting some time outside. The roads were pretty empty, and i kept going on longer and longer rides. During one of these i wondered if people used bikes to carry camping gear. A google when i got home introduced me to the concept of Bike Touring. I was instantly obsessed with the idea.
During the summer when restrictions opened up in the UK, i set off on my first tour of my own. I decided to follow the Kent coast from Thames Estuary mostly using the National Cycle Network. I started at Dartford because I’d previously walked on the Thames path there from Central London. Finished at Bexhill where there is a fantastic early modernist building called the De La Warr Pavilion which I had been recommended to see.
At times it was very hot and windy, I had multiple punctures and one day turned up at the wrong campsite. But I also had a great time, feeling the freedom that travelling under your own power with a couple of possessions with you.
The film photos below were shot on a disposable camera from Boots.
