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Phil Going Commando in North Devon

Story
As an Army Engineer Commando Veteran, I have always kept fit and in 2022 discovered bike-packing. I cycled from John O Groats to Lands End (JOGLE) in June of that year riding 1000 miles in just under 2 weeks and raising £2500.00 for Team Endeavour, a wheelchair rugby charity.


Since JOGLE, I have had many bike-touring adventures, some weekly, some shorter and some just overnight. However, I have never undertaken a multi-month journey before, but now is the time! It seems like a rite of passage for a bike tourist, whether it's crossing a country or a continent.

I want to do it while I physically still can. I am fit enough, and I have the time and space to focus on a bike trip at the moment. It just feels like the time is right. It's time to leap into the abyss. I know the abyss is frightening and it's easy to put dreams and adventures on hold because of fear of the unknown. But fear can make you stay where you are and prevent you from venturing out into the unknown to become better.

Plus, being comfortable is, well, comfortable. Who doesn't like feeling comfortable? I do like a basic level of comfort, like food and shelter, but too much "kills my drive". Those aren't my words, I read them somewhere, but they are meaningful enough for me to remember because they are so true.

Bike touring can be uncomfortable in so many ways; bad weather, busy traffic, hard terrain, sleeping on rough ground, the list goes on... But I've "roughed it" before, and biked, kayaked and hiked and had many memorable adventures. Now bike touring around Europe is my goal. Bike touring gives you a unique opportunity to interact with people, landscapes and cultures in a way impossible from inside a vehicle.

Happy Cycling!
www.youtube.com/@goprocommando5016/featured

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Timeline

went for a hike

October 11, 2026 at 11:37

Codden Hill Grueler

Time

4h28m

Distance

16.0km

Speed

4.7km/h

Ascent

320m

Descent

320m

, and like this.

went for a hike

October 6, 2026 at 06:33

Camino Ingles Day 6 Sigueiro To Santiago de Compostela

Time

4h29m

Distance

16.5km

Speed

4.9km/h

Ascent

280m

Descent

250m

, , and others like this.

went for a hike

October 5, 2026 at 06:55

Camino Ingles Ordes to Sigueiro Day 5 Spain

Camino Ingles Day 5

Ordes to Sigüeiro

10.35 miles - Finally, an easier day!

Had a lie-in today so the sun was already up as we left Ordes to cover the 2 miles back to the Camino. Stopped for a coffee and to get our credential stamped (you need a…

Time

4h41m

Distance

16.3km

Speed

4.8km/h

Ascent

150m

Descent

200m

, , and others like this.

went for a hike

October 4, 2026 at 05:55

Camino Ingles Day 4 Presedo to Ordes Spain

Camino Ingles Day 4

Presedo to Ordes

15.2 miles and 1583ft elevation (so much for it being a shorter day 😁)

I have discovered that I'm not very good at staying in albergues. Generally, I consider myself to be a relatively organised, tidy person, but living out of a backpack…

Time

7h50m

Distance

24.1km

Speed

4.5km/h

Ascent

440m

Descent

310m

, , and others like this.

went for a hike

October 3, 2026 at 05:49

Camino Ingles Mino to Presedo Day 3 Spain

Camino Ingles Day 3

Miño to Pesedo

14.4 miles and 1975 ft elevation (felt like more)

Another fairly long, hard, day of walking. I'm not going to lie, these last 2 days haven't been easy, especially when Phil picks up the pace and my little legs and slightly arthritic hip…

Time

8h27m

Distance

23.1km

Speed

4.4km/h

Ascent

600m

Descent

450m

, , and others like this.

went for a hike

October 2, 2026 at 05:26

Camino Ingles Neda to Mino Day 2

Camino Ingles Day 2

Neda to Miño

16.8 miles & 2045ft of elevation!

We had planned to only go as far as Pontedeume today, but as a tactical move decided to push on to Miño. There are 6 official stages on this camino, and albergues at those stages can get…

Time

8h16m

Distance

26.0km

Speed

4.4km/h

Ascent

560m

Descent

560m

, , and others like this.

went for a hike

October 1, 2026 at 06:28

Camino Ingles Day One Ferrol To Neda Galicia Spain

Camino Ingles Day 1

Ferrol to Neda - 9 miles

Beautiful weather for our first day of walking. We left our hotel in Ferrol around 8.30am and made our way out of the city skirting past the naval base and dockyard.

Navigation was easy, the water was to our right…

Time

4h20m

Distance

14.3km

Speed

4.5km/h

Ascent

120m

Descent

130m

, , and others like this.

went for a hike

September 30, 2026 at 08:37

Camino Ingles Day Prelude (Ferrol)

Camino Ingles Prelude

Tomorrow we set off on the first day of the Camino Ingles. If all goes well it'll take us 6 or 7 days to walk the 70 miles (113 km) from Ferrol in Northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela.

We arrived in the city last night in…

Time

0h35m

Distance

1.18km

Speed

3.7km/h

Ascent

20m

Descent

0m

, , and others like this.

and others went for a bike ride

September 24, 2026 at 16:52

Bideford Bash

Time

3h28m

Distance

51.6km

Speed

17.6km/h

Ascent

390m

Descent

380m

, , and others like this.

and went gravel riding

September 17, 2026 at 17:02

Listening Post Gravel Ride

Time

3h39m

Distance

36.8km

Speed

16.7km/h

Ascent

330m

Descent

290m

, , and others like this.

and others went for a bike ride

September 17, 2026 at 17:02

Thursday night loop

Time

3h35m

Distance

36.3km

Speed

18.4km/h

Ascent

250m

Descent

250m

, , and others like this.

went for a hike

September 13, 2026 at 11:12

Hartland Quay, Blackpool Mill Beach & Spekes Mill Mouth Waterfall — North Devon

Time

4h06m

Distance

6.83km

Speed

4.1km/h

Ascent

180m

Descent

180m

, and like this.

September 14, 2026

The weather looks very hectic is the hike medium or hard ending up with Sandford cider and cream tea wicked John

and went gravel riding

September 12, 2026 at 08:04

WaterMouth Cove Gravel Ride

Time

4h53m

Distance

52.9km

Speed

16.6km/h

Ascent

800m

Descent

760m

, , and others like this.

went for a bike ride

September 6, 2026 at 09:53

Pre Dartmoor Devil Trg

Time

3h53m

Distance

49.5km

Speed

15.0km/h

Ascent

610m

Descent

610m

, , and others like this.

September 7, 2026

different soup stop this year!

and others went for a bike ride

September 3, 2026 at 16:48

A huff and puff to Wetherspoons followed by a glide home

Time

3h22m

Distance

33.4km

Speed

20.5km/h

Ascent

100m

Descent

100m

, , and others like this.

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