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The Qatar Airways flight ๐ฌ approach into Madrid-Barajas Airport was long and gradual. I got to admire the scenery with only a few isolated clouds around. Passport control ๐ ย As the border agent scans my passport (by eye), while surveying me up and down, I’m thinking … Oh FFS! Mr.Francis, he says in better English than would’ve been my Spanish ๐ช๐ธ equivalent, “what are you doing here”? I’m thinking … Oh FFS! My innocent heart sunk! It carefully took a…
So, how did I end up here? ๐ฆ๐บ I left the UK ๐ฌ๐ง mid Feb’20, not perceiving what was rounding the corner (a global pandemic). Adeptly, the rest of the world knew, except the UK! Italy was already in lockdown, but as I flew out of Heathrow, you’d think everything was dandy with the world! Now, I’m in Australia, and the UK has gone into a full lockdown. Clearly, I’m not one to be rushed, and I’m certainly not likely…
My MSR Hubba Hubba ๐ช has finally given up on me! It has endured at least a few hundred camping sites, if not more. As with most tents, the zips are generally the first things to fail. This is the case with my precious Hubba Hubba. The zips curve round in one loop and would be fairly hard to repair. The welded seems are looking a bit ragged too. So a new tent it is then ๐ As with any purchase today, one can spend an infinity on research due to the web! It has its plus‘s, but you’ll soon enter a rabbit warren of…
This is my forth jaunt onto Australian soil. I was here in 2013 as I cycled up through Tasmania and earlier backpacking ๐ the mainland in 2000. Tassie may be part of Australia ie. another state, but I’ll keep it as a separate page, as it’s so unlike the mainland. And considering the size of Australia, there’s enough wild camping photos just for Western Australia. Australia offers so much wild camping โบ one is spoilt for choice. Not just because…
After my previous outing to the Munda Biddi Trail ๐ต (North to South 2017) I had no expectations or plans to undertake the whole thing again! Why would I? But while back in wet’n’windy Blighty for 10 months and with no other thoughts crossing my mind to cycle anywhere else, in time, it became a no-brainer! ๐คฏ Solitude and the wilderness … yes please! So without looking for any other routes, I just plumbed for the easiest option, the Munda…
Today‘s final section is Wungong hut to Carinyah hut. Straight line north. I recall last year (north to south) the terrain was fairly arduous, but then it was only the second day of the trail and the weather remained a scorcher. โ๏ธ This time though, I’m trail fit ๐ช and the weather is mild in comparison. Still significantly warm but not the late thirties. The terrain though, felt relatively benign in comparison, but then I’m going in the opposite direction ๐ There was only one steepio (my made up Aussie word) section and I was trying not…