Pounds, pence; dollars and sense.

Asked by one of my friends in Mr Cyr’s 4/c class what it’s like in England, I thought I’d comment on a few of the differences I’ve noticed between here and North America. Beyond a) the use of pounds/pence vs. dollars/cents and b) that vehicles use the left side of the road, there several important differences that I’ve noticed. While there are many others, for now I’ll keep to those that affect me as a cyclist.

The roads are narrow, very narrow and there are no shoulders to ride along like nearly all roads in Canada and the US. While this does mean less traffic on many of the routes I’ve been riding, it does also mean that I am constantly having to stop, pull up close to some tall hedge and let motorists pass. This constant stop-and-go makes it difficult to maintain a steady pace and thus, my daily mileage is less than I’d anticipated. Plus, particularly here in the Cornwall region, there are many short though VERY steep climbs along VERY twisty roads which again have contributed to reducing my ability/motivation to ride any big mileage days. Thankfully, the drivers are very considerate and appreciative. They also drive much smaller vehicles than back in North America. It is so nice to see nothing but small automobiles rather than all the huge cars and SUVs that dominate the highways in Canada and the States.

England[not including Scotland, Ireland and Wales] is about 1/8 the size of the Province of Ontario but the population is about the same as all of Canada. In North America towns and cities may be 10, 20, 50, sometimes 100kms apart, whereas in England, there is some sort of town or village every few kilometers. As a result, I’m constantly stopping to take pictures, explore these lovely little towns and generally more of the stop-and-go that keeps my mileage down. No, I’m not complaining.

A subtle change I’d not counted on is that I am no longer constantly concerned with ensuring I have enough water to last until I can next replenish my stores. During my US tour–particularly in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas–I was always conscious of keeping all three bottles full. Here, I don’t even bother filling my third bottle. Considering all those tough climbs, the reduced weight is a boon.

Though it may very well be because of the difference in the time of year, in the US[fall and winter] I rarely saw another cycle-tourer whereas in England[summer], I see them daily. The strength of its dosage is available in the strength of 20 buy generic viagra http://djpaulkom.tv/how-does-the-bible-have-actually-therefore-10/ mg. cialis 5mg no prescription Therefore, it is one of the best herbal anti-aging supplements for males. It occurs when blood flow to the male genital area is put into relaxed mode to allow the blood to flow into the penis flawlessly and http://djpaulkom.tv/freelance-academic-writing-jobs-for-blog-writers-4/ purchase levitra engorge the penile shaft causing erection. However, canadian viagra prices is the most selling sildenafil citrate medicine for ED. That said, in the US I saw lots of people on high-end road bikes, all in kit and out for training rides. Rarely have I seen the same here in good ole Blighty.

Growing up in Canada and spending many family vacations in Ontario, Quebec and the US Adirondacks, camping to me has always meant fairly solitary plots deep within the woods, away from civilization with campfires, light beer and tents. People hike, play games, go canoeing and generally, enjoy the outdoors. My experiences in England so far have been quite the opposite. Here, a campsite is a large plot of land with small campers/trailers all in neat little rows. The campers sit about watching each other come and go, drink tea and never, ever, make a campfire. Rather than kids running about, making new friends and acting up, parents tell them all to be quite, stop yelling and sit still. Camping in England seems to mean more about home-away-from-home than it does about being in the great outdoors. On the plus side–again, a result of small roads and less geography–there is a total absence of the ubiquitous and monstrous RVs that plague the roads in North America.

A final observation concerns myself as a cycle-tourer. Cycle-touring in North America is not too common, making me quite the anomaly. Plus, in North America, people are much more forward. As a result people were always asking me where I was going, why I was doing this and generally, really keen to talk about my touring. In England, however, people keep to themselves a great deal. Though they may be curious, they certainly don’t often engage me in conversation. Again, this could also be because people in England understand cycle-touring much more than in the US or at least, are more familiar with the concept than their American brethren.

As I said about my time touring the US, it is all these differences that both make this trip unique and are the reasons for doing it. If nothing else, there is one constant; I am having a wonderful time exploring the land, meeting new people and learning about myself all the while.