Scapa Flow, Orkney

Scuttled WWI German High Seas Fleet wrecks. Bucket-list wreck diving.

St Abbs, Berwickshire

Voluntary marine reserve: kelp, wolf fish and some of the UK's clearest water.

Farne Islands

Diving with grey seals, plus scenic reefs and wrecks.

Plymouth & Cornwall

HMS Scylla artificial reef, the James Eagan Layne wreck, Manacles.

Inland sites

Stoney Cove, Capernwray, Vobster Quay: good for training and kit checks.

Spring & autumn

Layered textile suit with removable thermal liner, waterproof membrane or oversuit, heated grips or gloves, neck tube, and waterproof boots. Mountain passes can be near freezing at dawn.

Summer

Vented or mesh jacket and trousers with armour, CE summer gloves, cooling vest for southern Europe and North Africa, plenty of water, sun cream, and a light waterproof for mountain storms.

Winter & high passes

Heated kit, winter gloves with a spare pair, balaclava and pinlock visor. Many high cols close from about November to June, and winter tyres or chains are required in some regions.

Always

CE-approved helmet, gloves, jacket, trousers and boots. Hi-vis vest. Earplugs. Pack wet-weather kit at the top of your luggage.

Fitness

Stamina matters more than strength. Short walks, stairs, core and shoulder work over the spring all help you hold a heavy bike steady at slow speed. Riding itself is the best training, so build up to two or three consecutive days before the big trip.

Hydration

Drink before you're thirsty. Have something at every stop, carry water (a hydration pack works well) and add electrolytes in heat. The NHS check: your pee should be pale. Dark yellow means drink more. Caffeine and alcohol both dehydrate.

Dehydration: the signs

Thirst, headache, light-headedness, dark or strong-smelling pee, peeing less often, tiredness, and a dry mouth and lips (NHS). Stop, get into shade and drink. Get urgent help if you're confused, very sleepy, short of breath, or your skin looks blue, grey or blotchy.

Heat exhaustion vs heatstroke

Heat exhaustion (NHS): tiredness, dizziness, headache, nausea, heavy sweating with pale clammy skin, cramps, a high temperature and intense thirst. Act now: get somewhere cool, strip off the kit, drink water or a sports drink, and spray or sponge with cool water and fan. They should feel better within 30 minutes.

Heatstroke is an emergency: a very high temperature, hot skin that has stopped sweating, fast breathing, confusion, a fit or collapse. Call 112, or 999 in the UK.

Fatigue & exhaustion

The Highway Code recommends a break of at least 15 minutes after every 2 hours, and avoiding long journeys between midnight and 6am. If you feel sleepy, stop somewhere safe. Riders' warning signs: yawning, heavy eyes, missing turnings, sloppy lines, and not remembering the last few miles. Our day plans keep riding to about 3 hours for this reason.

Alcohol: the evening and the morning

Alcohol dehydrates you (NHS), and a hot day on the bike makes that worse. It can still be in your blood the next morning, and many countries set lower limits than England and Wales. France's is a third lower, Norway's a quarter of England's (GOV.UK). If you've had a good night, plan a late start. Alternate drinks with water and eat with them.

Long days & blood clots (DVT)

The NHS lists long journeys (over 4 hours) and dehydration among the things that raise the risk of a blood clot in the leg. Its advice: move around every hour or so, drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol. Our break pattern does the first. Compression socks: some riders like them, but the NHS doesn't recommend them for journeys. If you have risk factors (a previous clot, recent surgery, being over 60), ask your GP or pharmacist.

Get urgent help for a throbbing, swollen calf or thigh in one leg. Call 112 or 999 if it comes with chest pain or breathlessness.

Riding with a medical condition

Plenty of riders tour with heart conditions, diabetes or other long-term conditions. You know your own limits best, and planning around them is what this site is for.

• Before a big or high-altitude trip (the Stelvio is at 2,757 m), check exertion, heat and altitude with your GP or specialist.
• Travel insurance: declare every pre-existing condition, or your cover may not apply.
• Medication: take enough for the trip plus spares, in your tank bag or jacket, not the panniers. Keep a written list of drug names and doses, and ideally a GP letter.
• Emergency info: set up Medical ID / emergency info on your phone (readable from the lock screen). Carry an ICE card in your jacket, and tell riding partners where your meds are.
• Heat & fluids: some medicines (diuretics, for example) make dehydration more likely, so take the hydration and heat advice above seriously.
• Know the signs of a heart attack: chest pain or pressure that can spread to the arms, jaw, neck or back, plus breathlessness, sweating or sickness. Stop and call 112 at once. NHS: heart attack ↗
• Pace: short riding days, regular breaks and rest days are good planning, not weakness. Our 3-hour days exist for this.

Heat on the bike

Use vented or mesh kit and a wet cooling vest or neck tube. In real heat, stop in the shade between about 11am and 3pm (the NHS heat advice) and ride early and late instead. Never ride with the jacket open and the armour out of place: rest in the shade instead.

Cold & wet on the passes

It can be near freezing at 2,500 m even in July, and a wet rider chills fast. Put waterproofs on before the rain, keep a dry thermal layer packed at the top, and use heated grips or gloves. Shivering, clumsy hands and slowed thinking mean stop, warm up and get a hot drink before riding on.