Two friends, Tom Perkins and Matt Chennells, are over 6,500km down their ‘Road Less Travelled Cycle’, a journey from London to their homes in Cape Town, South Africa. Here’s their overview of the mission south so far.
Since leaving Tom’s home near London on 26th July 2011, we have been colourfully engaged in an ongoing conversation with the road and its eclectic characters. We had never intended to break any records during our trip, and never chase the clock to religiously wheel-in kilometres. Instead we’re focusing on exploration, sustainable enrichment, and the reciprocity of actions and learning. We’ve been exploring the spectrum of cities, cultures, and climates that connect the route south around the Mediterranean and into North Africa; Passports have been stamped, tires have been punctured, while strangers have become firm friends and symbols of the warmest hospitality.
So far we have travelled through 14 countries. From London we routed through Western Europe (England, France, Switzerland, Italy), east through the Balkan states (Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia) before arriving in Northern Greece to continue through to Turkey then Cyprus. Our initial plan was to direct our saddles to Syria, an ambition that sadly had to be amended and replaced with a flight to Jordan for onward riding to Egypt.
So far we have crossed mountain ranges, ridden through spectacular deserts, and spent countless nights sleeping wild in some of the most extraordinary landscapes and environments of the European continent. As for bike maintenance, we have broken bottom brackets, snapped numerous spokes, split tyres, and cracked wheel rims. We have been hit by cars, had midnight run-ins with army troops, and experienced the persistent generosity of countless strangers of the Road. Our Road through Africa will now take us into Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and then home to Cape Town.
Wild Camping in the Egyptian desert
We estimate another 13,000km of riding along the Road Less Travelled and our roundabout way of migrating through Africa. With millions of rotations to go, and en entire continent before us, we maintain a curious bearing through the continent. Lets hope the mood long continues.
Keep updated
For route information and updates, bookmark our blog page. We sure hope that we’ll discover some hidden gems to write home about.
