One Man On His Bike - Mike Carter
A Life-Changing Journey All the Way Around the Coast of Britain
I had zero enthusiasm on reading this on it sounded like an incredibly boring (in comparison to some of the other books I would read but obviously a trip I would love to do and would struggle to complete!). I just never expect something that exciting to happen in UK, and always have the interest of reading of other countries.
The logic here is moronic as I really enjoyed Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island book and found his take on UK life hilarious.
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Mike Carter worked in London and needed a change. Fed up with a Britain rife with crime and sliding into economic downturn, one day he decided to cycle straight past the office to find out for himself what was going on. He would follow the Thames to the sea and then ride around the entire coastline, a journey of 5,000 miles, the equivalent of London to Calcutta. If he completed it, he would end up exactly where he started. Physically, at least.
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This is ultimately Bill Bryson but on a bike.
Overview:
Camping or relying on the hospitality of strangers, Mike met an array of brilliant characters and experienced innumerable random acts of kindness. He encountered drunken priests and drag queens, gnome sanctuaries and hippy communities, fellow travellers and people building for a different type of future. He also found a spirit of unbelievable kindness, generosity and hope that convinced him that Britain was anything but broken. During the five month journey, cycling the byways of the nation, he became...happy.
Initial Impression:
Obviously I couldn't have been wrong about this if I had tried. I was hooked straight away. Mike reminded me of Alastair Humphreys, another cyclist who was sick of his boring corporate life and needed to escape. More impressive for Mike though is that he did it when he was much older, I have a bit more admiration for that. Mike is humble in his ability and his sense of adventure contagious - you really start routing for him early on. There are some proper laughs at the start and you realise that doing some big and scary doesn't necessarily have to be serious - you can have fun along the way.
What I loved:
1/ Mike's ability to tell stories is amazing. Small interactions with the locals result in full belly laughs. He would be a great person to listen to over a few pints for sure.
2/ Mike's openness to changing his route, going with the flow and to try new activities. He really is an optimistic guy.
3/ The low key writing style doesn't try and oversell or dramatise what is going on. It would have been easy to try and buff this up with an extreme style which would not have worked at all in my opinion.
4/ The simplicity of the idea. Keep the sea on the right hand side until you get back to where you started. Adventure doesn't need to be complicated!
Who is this for?
The armchair adventurer, someone who has travelled in UK before and understands a few of the nuances of UK life. Someone of middle-age and onwards who needs to be shown you can still do cool things later in life.
Conclusion:
A great easy read that was funny and inspiring. I found it so much more enjoyable than I expected and learnt so much about UK as I went through the book. Sometimes the simple adventures are the best.
Head over to Amazon UK for the latest offers and to purchase this book.
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