I’m flying to Moab, Utah today.
One of the best outdoor adventure towns of the world.
March / April should be excellent weather for hiking.
There are 19 in our group — so far. Should be FUN. 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
BEST Bermuda Rail Trail VIDEO
By BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Over the past few years I’ve spent a lot of time on the famed Bermuda Rail Trail. Hiking, running, cycling.
Sound wonderful? A long day hike on tropical islands. 🌴
However … there are a number of sections where you must walk busy roadways to regain the trail. And the Flatts bridge was not yet opened February 2023.
Without question, Rick’s new video is the most comprehensive online. In fact, if you watch all 10 minutes, you may feel there’s no need to actually do the adventure yourself. 😀
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (11min)
If that’s too long, I have a 1-minute teaser VIDEO alternative.
Our recommended itinerary starts with a ferry to Dockyard and continues past the official trail end in St. George’s — making it much longer. AND we recommended side trips to forts, light houses, and beaches along the way. BEST is to do the Rail Trail over 2 or more days.
The Bermuda Railway was a 21.7-mile (34.9 km) common carrier line that operated in Bermuda for a brief period (October 31, 1931 – May 1, 1948). …
More than 10 percent of the line was elevated on 33 separate structures of timber or steel construction spanning the ocean …
It was said to be one of the most expensive rail lines built …
In 1984, 18 miles (29 km) of the defunct rail line’s right-of-way were dedicated as the Bermuda Railway Trail for hiking …
Electric Trike on Vancouver Island Trails
Dad bought a Pedego Trike in 2019 for running around Parksville B.C.
Joyriding and doing the shopping.
It’s fun taking it out on the trails.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Range might be as high as 60km on a single charge.
You can pedal manually if you run out of juice. 😀
Video #1 ➙ Arctic Norway – Cycling & Hiking
Video #4 ➙ Cycling the Camino de Santiago
Our #4 video of 2022 was an amazing adventure, the last half of el Camino in Spain.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Video #6 ➙ Norway – Tromsø to the Lyngen Alps
Cycling north from Tromsø the roads are gorgeous and not busy, even in high season. And BestHike editor Rick McCharles had perfect weather for our #6 video of 2022.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Cycling Vancouver Island
Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
My favourite month in Canada is September.
Weather is still good. Yet the tourists have mostly headed home.
I’d always wondered if it was possible to cycle logging roads — then bushwhack to the trailhead of Della Falls on Great Central Lake.
As expected, it’s nearly impossible. I never made it. 😀
But I’d wanted to do a gear check on my old Ghost touring bike in any case. Della Falls was an excuse to get out into the wilderness.
The only official campsite in the area is Lowry Lake. Very nice. But I passed by too early in the day. So ended up wild camping 2 nights.
Logging is horrible on Vancouver Island. Very few people see the vast swaths of clearcut hidden away from pavement.
BUT they certainly make the island wilderness accessible for anyone on a good bike.
I ended up camping 2 nights. The first on a sand bar in the Ash river. There are more bears than people in this part of the island. I thought I’d keep myself well clear of any animal trails.
The second night I pitched on a quiet lake where I’d stayed twice in the past.
My meandering route ended up looking something like this.
Vancouver Island is fantastic.
My Arctic Norway Cycling & Hiking Highlights
BestHike editor Rick McCharles
Though I had to cancel my planned 3000km bikepacking adventure after SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) left my bike box at Heathrow for over a month 🤨, I still enjoyed my 4-5 weeks above the Arctic Circle.
Check my short HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
FREE Wild Camping in Norway
Report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles
I hiked and bikepacked Norway for many weeks summers of 2018 and 2022.
Norway IS expen$ive. The best way to lower your holiday costs is to sleep FREE in your tent.
A longstanding law called allemannsretten (loosely translated as ‘the right to roam’) allows everyone to wild camp virtually anywhere in open country, for free.
Langøyene island, a 15-minute ferry ride away from Oslo, has grassy glades to pitch up in, right next to the fjord. Sognsvann lake, north of Oslo, is another good spot. …
CAMPING IN NORWAY: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE
That sounds GREAT.
However — it’s a small percentage of Norway that is both flat enough and dry enough to pitch a tent. I was happy I carried a foam sleeping pad as well as my air mattress. I put it UNDER the tent to keep everything a little drier.
If you can’t find a good free spot, it’s easy to locate one of the 1,000 or so paid campsites.
Protection from the wind is another problem. I did hear of wind breaking tent poles. It’s often gusty.
A hiker had recommended this free spot in Sommarøy. Ideal. Wooden tent pad with protection from the ocean wind.
I like having a picnic table to organize gear and sit down for meals.
This was the closest free site I could find near Svolvær. No picnic table.
Here are a few more typical sites.
Last night tenting, I found my MSR Hubba™ NX Easton Syclone tentpole had broken … somehow. It’s the most unreliable part of MSR tents, along with their lightweight zippers.
My favourite campsite was Uttakleiv Beach, Lofoten. But this cost $20 / night. It’s the trailhead for the Veggen and the more popular Mannen climbs.
Cycling the Great Himalaya Trail
Mangal Lama, professional mountain biking guide from Kathmandu, is currently solo riding the Nepal section of the Great Himalaya Trail — as high as possible. About 70 days.
Locked-down at home due to Covid-19, he decided to try to be first to complete the #GHTonWheels, and bring attention to the imminent dangers of climate change.
Click PLAY or watch his story on YouTube.
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