Introducing Ailie and Dave

The Trip

New Zealand being pretty much as far away as possible from dear old Blighty, Ailie and Dave had their pick of a huge number of countries ‘on the way’ home but, after much deliberation, decided to go for Japan. Why the Land of the Rising Sun?

There were plenty of countries in the mix but, say Ailie and Dave, “we wanted to cycle somewhere varied with interesting culture as well as beautiful scenery and with hills but not too much snow”. With mountain passes along their route, they have decided to cycle from south to north; arriving in the cooler part of the country after the snow has melted. Another big plus about Japan? Their hot springs; known as ‘onsens’. “What”, says Ailie, “could be better than an onsen to soothe aching muscles at the end of a long day’s cycling?”. It’s hard to imagine!

With a rough route planned out, they will meander about 2000km from Kagoshima to Tokyo with 50-100km days and at least one rest day per week. They’ll camp but throw in a few traditional Japanese inns - ryokans - which are small, family run bed and breakfasts with communal baths, tatami floors, and guests wandering around in yukatas (summer-weight kimonos), for the experience. They’ll meet Ailie’s godmother for a trek halfway through but, apart from that, the only things set in stone are their flights into and out of the country and the emergency noodles that they will carry with them “at all times”. Other than that they’ll always have a first aid kit, a paper map and a bar of chocolate in their panniers; three items that will get most pedallers out of most pickles. This pair set off on their trip a couple of weeks ago (read part one of their blog here) and it looks like they're already having a great time. 

We'll be following along as Ailie and Dave wiggle their way up Japan. Give them a follow on  @dailieadventure to track their progress. Ganbare!