Travellers’ tales: Everyday journeys

I was inspired to put fingers to keyboard by a letter to Cycle magazine and a news update for Cycle to Work Day. My ‘traveller’s tale’ is that I have commuted by cycle for more than 30 years, first from Sandiacre to Ratcliffe-on-Soar, then from Breaston.

The cycle commute, mainly along lanes through farmland, set me up nicely for the day. I’d regularly see a variety of wildlife, even the occasional owl. Lighting is never a problem with a dynamo, although lights have advanced a great deal in the last 30 years.

I could not be accused of being a fair-weather cyclist, braving rain, snow, floods, wind and fog. There is no such thing as the wrong weather, just the wrong clothes. Besides, with showers and changing facilities at the office, weather was rarely a problem.

In 2017 I moved to a new job in Rudolstadt, Germany. I still commute to work by bicycle. It is now only three miles, mainly along the Saale Radweg. The cycle lanes here are great: cars all give way at side roads, and the lanes are well cared for. The cycle paths are regularly swept, and in winter are cleared and gritted by 7am.

Despite being in town, I still see the occasional hare. Woodpeckers can be heard along the banks of the Saale.

Cycle commuting may not be long distance but it adds up. I cycled about 75% of my commutes in the UK, and more in Germany. That’s over 50,000 miles travelled, more than 5,000 litres of petrol saved, and no need for a second car in the family.

At about £3,000 per year, I must have saved over £100,000 so far. But I never thought about this. I commute by bicycle because I enjoy it and it keeps me fit.