Somewhere North of here

25 May 2012 by simonnurse

Cycling isn’t simply about the beauty of the machine, its ease of use and its practicality, its thrill satisfying abilities or its mile crunching life. Cycling is quite often a state of mind or a distant destination; and all the better if it’s both. If you were to ask me right here, right now, given a generous budget and a chunk of time away from life’s time consuming activities, where I’d rather be, I could tell you in a jiffy. Somewhere very Northerly (or very, very Southerly), gazing at wide open spaces and elemental landscapes, backside perched on a suitable workhorse and cycling in a meditative trance. Nothing to shock you from the immersion. No modern trappings to ping, beep, click or otherwise disturb that state of mind. I’ve done it in Norway on foot, but I’d love to go back and experience it by bike. Spinning circles beneath the aurora borealis (before May, granted). Sleeping out beneath Northern heavens.

Here are two videos that articulate this wish. First the how (lead on, James Bowthorpe). Second the why. A quiet room without distractions is best. Cardiff incidentally, is 51.48° N, 3.18° W. Keep going for Tromsø (69.67° N, 18.93° E).