Showing results for "Nick" in Travel Writing & Commentary

There is a fine line between optimism and stupidity. Sometimes I wonder whether I cross that line too often. But what is life without a little risk? It's too easy to sit back and avoid all jeopardy and discomfort, and I suppose that's all right as long as you're comfortable with a life without spice. Life is short enough without wasting it away on the couch.

There are times when sitting on the couch in front of the TV seems infinitely preferable to rolling the motorbike out of the garage for a ride or putting the boots on to go for a hike, yet it’s rare that one regrets the effort. In this collection of motorcycling road trips, garage misadventures, bike reviews, and reminiscences, I try to convey my joy of riding, even when things don’t always work out perfectly. Life is short. The time is now. Do it while you still can.

In the spring of 2021, as the UK's latest pandemic lockdowns were lifted, Nick Butter set out from the Eden Project to become the fastest person to cover every mile of Britain's mainland coastline on foot. Battling the most extreme winds Britain had seen in 100 years, days of torrential rain and the unrelenting hills of Western Scotland and Cornwall, Nick suffered two broken bones and countless injuries, whilst taking on two marathons a day, every day, for 100 days.

As we age, it would be so easy to let the "what ifs" intrude. What if it rains? What if my bike breaks down and there’s no cell phone service? What if my joints hurt, my backside aches, and I get cold and miserable? I’m too old for discomfort and uncertainty. There is a multitude of ways we can talk ourselves out of doing the things we’ve always loved.

The magnificent Danube both cuts across and connects Central Europe, flowing through and alongside 10 countries: Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany. Travelling its full length from east to west, against the river's flow, Nick Thorpe embarks on an inspiring yearlong journey that leads to a new perspective on Europe today. Thorpe's account is personal, conversational, funny, immediate, and uniquely observant - everything one expects in the best travel writing.

Join Nick as he hikes the length of Wales, hitting all the high spots. Then follow him up the spine of England on the Pennine Way, through brutal February weather. Lastly, follow Nick across the North York Moors at night, then on across the country to the Cumbria coast. As if the snow, rain, and endless miles weren’t enough while hiking, jump on the back of the motorbike and ride from Scotland to Devon via Norfolk, dodging hypothermia, then through the Lakes, the Pennines and Wales.

Familiar roads. Familiar Places. It's easy to get stale riding the same old routes. Sometimes it hardly seems worthwhile to pull on all that motorcycle gear, start the engine and head out. Why bother? It is easy to tire of the road. Cold weather and occasional roadside troubles are all part of the pleasures of riding. Don't let the little things get you down. Sometimes all it takes to overcome the feeling that you've ridden all those roads too many times is a slight change in perspective and attitude.

That Tracks Podcast was born out of a bond that two dads formed in being fathers, traveling with their families, and discussing theme parks. Both Nick and Tim live in Central Florida and are surrounded by some of the most iconic theme parks in the world! Tim, aka @thetimtracker, is a YouTube vlogger and Nick, @thethemeparkdad, has his own social media channels. We both cover theme parks and travel through our channels, with a whole lot of influence of our lives in being fathers. This podcast has been designed to discuss all of that. From silly and inspiring moments of fatherhood, to theme park...

In Outlandish, acclaimed travel writer Nick Hunt takes us across landscapes that should not be there, wildernesses found in Europe yet seemingly belonging to far-off continents: a patch of Arctic tundra in Scotland; the continent's largest surviving remnant of primeval forest in Poland and Belarus; Europe's only true desert in Spain; and the fathomless grassland steppes of Hungary.

Nick Neely chronicles his 650-mile trek on foot from San Diego to San Francisco, following the route of the first overland Spanish expedition into what was soon called Alta California. Led by Gaspar de Portolá in 1769, the expedition sketched a route that would become, in part, the famous El Camino Real. It laid the foundation for the Golden State we know today, a place that remains as mythical and captivating as any in the world.

Story of Miami is a journey into the hidden past that surrounds the Magic City.

A whistlestop tour around the world in the company of author, Nick Hammond. A host of people, places, amazing stories and plenty of laughs – accompanied by the gentle aroma of a fine cigar.

In the first 20 years of the 21st century, New York City has been convulsed by terrorist attack, blackout, hurricane, recession, social injustice and pandemic. New Yorkers weaves the voices of some of the city's best talkers into an indelible portrait of New York in our time - and a powerful hymn to the vitality and resilience of its people.

Bound for Distant Seas begins sailing author James Baldwin's epic tale of his second circumnavigation. His story is seasoned by his adventures during his first circumnavigation in 1984-86 as told in Across Islands and Oceans. Alone with little money aboard Atom, his now-engineless 28-foot sailboat, James embarks on his odyssey without the comforts and equipment most sailors consider essential.

For many years Sierra Leone and Liberia have been too dangerous to travel through. With their wars officially over, Tim Butcher sets out on a journey across both countries, trekking for 350 miles through remote rainforest and malarial swamps, pursuing a trail blazed by Graham Greene in 1935. Weaving history and anthropology with personal narrative - as well as new discoveries about Greene - it is as exciting as it is enlightening.

Instead of scaling the Himalayas, trekking across the Antarctic or traipsing through the Brazilian rainforest, Robbie Coltrane has set himself a uniquely British challenge. Armed with a map, a classic car and a sense of adventure, he'll be exploring strange and exotic parts that are a bit closer to home. By venturing away from the tourist fast-track and on to the B roads of the UK, he'll be criss-crossing the winding back roads of our nation to discover all the people, places and events that make up Incredible Britain.

Comedian and broadcaster Arthur Smith plays tour guide to fifteen well-known personalities, as they visit places that are meaningful to them and remember pivotal moments in their lives. Through genial chat, humorous banter and gentle probing, he discovers just what made these locations so special and significant—and opens the floodgates to some amazing personal stories.

Abstract Thought, hosted by Nick Abstract, discusses how to stay inspired as a creative, ways to navigate the business of art, and what to make of the art world in the modern era.

During the spring of 2020, the whole world was hiding from the Covid-19 virus. In Ontario, we did not experience the complete lockdowns which were enacted in parts of Europe, where people were required to stay in their homes with quarantines rigorously enforced by the police, so it was still possible to get out riding, as long as one was sensible and took appropriate precautions.

"You'll never make it!" With encouragement like that, author Mickey Thomas, in a fit of youthful testosterone, and with meticulous inattention to detail, decided to embark on a once-in-a lifetime 3,400-mile bicycle trek from Montana to Alaska. While riding through knee problems, illness, homesickness, infatuation, bad weather, and meeting a host of quirky and hilarious characters, Mickey, and his group rides over some of the roughest roads and most desolate scenery in North America. Along the way, he discovers an inner strength as well as a new physical stamina he never had.