Landscape photograph of moorland, woods and copses. Scatter white clouds are dotted about the sky and cast shadows on the ground.
View to the coast from Woodbury Common. Woodbury Common 2025. Canon A-1, FD 50mm f/1.8, Ilford HP5+

My year in cycling⌗

2025 was (somehow) the first year I entered a cycling event, The Nello in Devon. It was great to do a longer road ride, and cycling in bunches. However, I spent more time, and had more fun, bikepacking.

Photograph of a one person tent and bike propped against a tree in a wooded area at sunset. The low sun bursts through the trees and casts long shadows across the ground.
Camp at sunset. Woodbury Common 2025. Canon A-1, FD 50mm f/1.8, Ilford HP5+

I have made overnight trips to Woodbury common twice. Once on Dartmoor, from Newton Abbot to Cranbrook castle. And, twice to the New Forest.

Photograph of a river, taken from a bridge. The water is calm and breaks around large rocks. Trees cover the river at the top of the picture.
River Teign from Fingle Bridge. Near Mortonhampstead 2025. Canon A-1, FD 50mm f/1.8, Ilford HP5+

It was also the year of my first mechanical while bikepacking. Luckily, it was easy to repair. Or, perhaps more correctly, I was well prepared for the most common problems you can fix away from home. On the same trip, my rear tyre got a puncture. Although, I may easily have not noticed because the tubeless sealant fixed it without much pressure loss.

It’s satisfying to have your preparation work pay off and to feel self-sufficient. But there are more reasons bikepacking has been my favourite cycling.

Photograph of the shadows cast on the inside of a tent by flowers outside.
Flowers casting shadows on my tent. Cranbrook Castle 2025. Canon A-1, FD 50mm f/1.8, Ilford HP5+

Why it is the best⌗

When road cycling, I’ve come to treat riding something like training, with a focus on keeping a high pace. Bikepacking is slower. I don’t have to fit a ride in with the rest of my day; the goals are quite loose. Your only aim is to make it to your next camp before dark. In actual fact, you don’t even have to do that. If you’re not going to make it or you’d rather go somewhere else, you’re carrying everything you need on your bike, so camp wherever you like.

Square cropped photograph. A horse emerges from the left of the frame as it walks through a campsite.
A Horse that woke me up. Roundhill, New Forest 2025. Canon A-1, FD 50mm f/1.8, Kentmere Pan 400

This makes the cycling more relaxed. You can push yourself and go for speed if you’d like. However, you can also slow down and take time to enjoy the landscape or stop for a break in a nice spot. It makes it easier to appreciate why I cycle at all, because it is fun. Challenging yourself on a climb, going fast on a descent, taking the perfect line off road. Fast enough to get somewhere, slow enough to enjoy the view.

An old tree with erratic branches stands in a shady, wooded area.
Taking a break amongst the trees. New Forest 2025. Canon A-1, FD 50mm f/1.8, Kentmere Pan 400

Better together⌗

The best riding was with friends. You ride at a pace comfortable for everyone. You stop when anyone wants to stop. This only enhances the benefits of going slowly. You experience more than you would have otherwise.

Photograph of a donkey walking across a field in front of a set of tents.
A donkey meanders through the campsite. Ocknell, New Forest 2025. Canon A-1, FD 50mm f/1.8, Kentmere Pan 400

The flow of cycling prompts conversations. You split up for fast sections, technical tracks and tougher climbs. Rejoining on smooth road or easy trails is the time to ride abreast and chat. Some of my favourite talking points this year have been,

  • Leftwing politics in Spain
  • UK towns claiming links to Alice in Wonderland
  • The official contents of a Cornish Pasty
  • The class hierarchy of UK supermarkets
Square cropped photograph. A view into the entrance of a small, one-person tent. Sleeping equipment is visible inside, as well as cycling clothes hanging from a hook.
Airing my cycling clothes. Ocknell, New Forest 2025. Canon A-1, FD 50mm f/1.8, Kentmere Pan 400

For me, the structure of bikepacking helps keep me in touch with why I enjoy cycling. It prompts me to enjoy what I am doing and appreciate where my adventures take me.

Photograph of a large tor, seen from across a field after harvest.
Blackingstone Rock. Near Mortonhampstead 2025. Canon A-1, FD 50mm f/1.8, Ilford HP5+