Beyond the Bike

Botswana is one of the few countries whose per capita GDP growth has kept up with China's over the last 15 years. Perhaps easier to do in a country with a  population of only 1.5 million (compared to some 150k elephants!). Nonetheless, we enjoyed superb hospitalilty in what turned out to be a very chilled, albeit tiring, ten days in this former British protectorate (formerly known as Bechuanaland).

I am writing up the South African leg from the calms of Botswana. We are camping at a lovely place called "Elephant Sands"- appropriately if not orginally named due to the two main features of the area. Neither are great for bicycles but more on that later.

One of the joys of cycle touring is that you can't take on too many calories. I put it to the test with a man who calls himself the HUNGRY CYCLIST.

Spring was in the air as Thandie and I glided along the A281 into Guildford before getting the train into London for a photoshoot with the sports Minister Hugh Robertson....