Petor recalls a simpler, damper, mouldier time measured in meals and miles, not hours and minutes. Words & Photography Petor Georgallou Until my M …

By stwhannah

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Issue 145: Going Off (Grid)

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That’s just marvellous. Thank you. It’s inspired me to sack off what was probably going to be a shit morning and go ride bikes in the wet with my son.

Yeah, a great counterpiece to the usual better, faster, more.

I liked this article – took me back to my first cycle tour – just me and a school mate (both aged 16) took a train journey from Southampton to Porthmadog and toured North Wales for 3 weeks. Sleeping in a bus shelter on a rainy night was our ‘welcome to Wales’ experience.

Bikes we had built ourselves (with the help of Richards Bicycle Book) from shed finds and paper round money. Parents had no idea where we actually were day to day. Ah yes, the 70s!

That was a stunning piece. A great antidote to the peak performance culture of today (or so it seems). How we spend our lives is our choice alone, and we alone pay the price. One must let go to really live – perhaps. You make a great case for ditching the smartphone.

nostalgia for the clarity of thought and sense of purpose that low-grade, disorganised cycle touring afforded me.

Amen to that

Agree with the above statements, great story and a good change from the usual gnarpoon stories in a lot of the magazines today. Sounds like a proper adventure and a good inspiration for just getting out there and enjoying the bike

Living is tricky at best

Yep, have to agree with that.

Love this kind of philosophical debate.

Far too much of the time I feel like I’ve fallen into the worst of both worlds – selling most of my waking hours while not having enough time to mess about on bikes.