All the Baths in the World (by bike)
Intro -News -Diary -Maps -Twins -'Baths' -Gear -Press -Sponsors -Thanks

Diary: Setting off - Bath, UK

Thursday, 29 April 1999
The first thing on the trip was being cut up on a drizzly morning just outside Rob's house in Bath. It was by a fat bloke in a black Jaguar, A16RDA. So kind of these self-important psychopaths to let us know their initials by paying for personal number plates. (Go on, sue. We're on legal aid and we don't care.) Still, despite his lunatic intentions, which incidentally included stopping on the London Road and reversing up this busy road to argue with us (a sadly deluded idea: Rebecca could argue for England) we made it on to...

Bradford! The Boatman's Breakfast the Jolly Boatman (bike hire, boat hire - top place) was brilliant. Camped at Honeystreet (no honey) just beyond Devizes.

Rob and Rebecca at Eddie's
We stopped en route at Odiham in Hants, at Eddie's (old chum of Rebecca's). Wonderful, wonderful cycling today: along the Sustrans Route 4, from Honeystreet through Wilts villages in gorgeous sunshine on a dream English spring day. Got to Odiham about 4ish, and settled down for a bath - the first of the trip. The fact that we put our washing in the water afterwards didn't seem to faze Eddie, who is obviously au fait with the cyclist travelling mentality... perhaps because he's a tandemist. The photo was taken by Eddie on one of those whizzy digital cameras which produce huge smeary images which take ten minutes to download, as you can see. The labels we're holding were provided by Ross - thanks - and say 'My name is Rob/ Rebecca. If lost, please take me to the nearest Bath'.

Rob and RebeccaHere is a live cam view of us looking at Eddie's PC, waiting for our web site to load to find out where we're meant to be*. (Joke (c) E Kirkman.)

Note for Americans: not necessarily true. English humour.