Martin on the moto: Warmth

Wednesday. Although it hadn't rained in the night there hadn't been any wind either and the tent was wet outside and inside - but it had served me well over seven nights camping in wintry conditions and was worth the investment. It's a Hilleberg Nallo by the way and is designed for four-season use. I'd been planning on buying one for some time but did it on impulse after seeing the wintry post-Easter forecast. And it was good that I did: the tent I'd used in Turkey (Coleman Phad X3) just wouldn't have stood up to the strong weather conditions experienced in Scotland. More disappointing was the sleeping bag (Cumulus Quantum) - rated to give good warmth down to minus 6 degrees, but it didn't do it for me and I had to pick up a cheap fleece liner for it after the second night.

In order to avoid a very boring motorway journey I decided to do some cross-country riding to begin with: via Alston to Barnard Castle across a B-road pass which climbed into cloud and up to 600 metres. It turned out to be the best part of the day. After hitting the A1 the weather turned very nasty and there was torrential rain right through Yorkshire and Derbyshire, then intermittently all the way back to London. The temperature gradually crept up into double digits, though, and I have to admit it was very nice throwing off all the riding garb and getting back into the warmth of home. A really enjoyable holiday though - if I'd had this weather in France or Spain I'd have been disappointed, but it was all part of the Scottish experience and I returned refreshed after 1,800 miles, looking forward to the challenges of the coming term.

Naturally my thoughts will turn to the summer break soon. Where to go after last year's epic? Or should I abandon the motorbike and have a very healthy cycling holiday? Or something completely different? We'll see...