Eat, Sleep, Cycle: A Bike Ride Around the Coast of Britain

by Anna Hughes

For Anna, a cycling enthusiast, the decision to ride 4,000 miles solo aroundthe coast of the UK wasn’t that hard. But after epic highs, incredible lows,unforgettable scenery and unpronounceable place names, her simple idea turnsinto a compelling journey of self-discovery, and an eye-opening insight into whatmakes the island where she lives so special.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Cycling

320 pages, Paperback

First published March 2, 2015

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Hughes is a bit of a bicycle nut, she has worked as a mechanic in the past and for the cycling charity Sustrans for a while, but one thing that had been a burning ambition for a while to do was to cycle the 4000 miles around the coast of the UK. An easy decision to make, but this was to be the most challenging thing she had undertaken. Taking some time out from her job, and with a budget of £10 a day, she sets off from Tower Bridge in London. The first day is a bit of an emotional roller coaster, on a high because she is starting, and physically drained because it dawns on her just how hard it is going to be. However, her tenacity means she sticks with it and the routine of eat, sleep and cycle begins to take over.

This is a journey of discovery too; not only does she realise her physical limits, but as Hughes cycles, she encounters the delights of our beautiful coastline. And some of the warts… A lot of the time on her journey she is solo, but at various points she is joined by family members and friends and every now and again, complete strangers for one or more days. Travelling up to 100 miles a day by bike uses a lot of energy, replenished by large portions of fish and chips. Most of the time the weather is kind to her, but every now and again it does its worst and she has several days getting soaked and in Wales struggles through the last couple of days of a hurricane as it hits the UK. There are the obligatory midges in the far north of Scotland, and she damages a tendon at one point, but otherwise her journey is injury free.

This was an enjoyable book to read. Hughes writes in a chatty style, I liked the diary style too with the start and stop place and miles covered for each day that she cycled. She is not afraid to talk about the pain, suffering, the highs and lows and the sheer exhilaration of her journey. Mike Carter undertook the same trip which he wrote about in his book, One Man and His Bike, and even though the must have taken a very similar route and went along the same roads in some places, he had a totally different set of experiences. It goes to show that travel writing is as much about the person undertaking it as the places that they go.

[Darren Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of those books you keep reading not for the enjoyment of it, but merely to get to the end. Thought it lacked any real depth, was more just a daily account of events. Not bad enough to quit half way through, but nearly so.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read! I love cycling but have never taken on anything particularly challenging. Anna has truly inspired me to push myself that bit further.

[Anthony Frobisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

To undertake a round Britain cycle ride, following the coast, mostly solo, battling hills, wind, illness, and a punishing schedule takes a lot of fortitude. Having cycled John O'Groats to Lands End, a 1000 mile route in 10 days, I can only applaud Anna Hughes...4,000 miles of ups and downs, literally and figuratively. It a massive chapeau to have planned, organised and completed such a huge ride.
The book itself is a snapshot into the daily rides, where places, history, people are glimpsed rather than detailed. In my opinion the book could have been a little more fleshed out to make an even better encapsulation of what such a ride entails and the incredible island we live on.
Anna's writing is at times lucid and descriptive, captivating and expressive. Yet at others times it feels a little scant and lacking. There are numerous occasions where the word 'curve' appears! Possibly a stricter edit may have been beneficial.
Yet, overall it is an enjoyable read and you do get the sense of the struggles, the joy and pleasure of cycling, an appreciation of our beautiful coastline and its rugged appeal. You definitely feel the achievement and remarkable accomplishment of circumnavigating the British coastline.
Chapeau again Anna Hughes. Chapeau indeed.

[audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just like the author, I too, eventually made it to the end.

[Goodreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anna Hughes set herself the challenging goal of cycling around the coastline of mainland Britain. Having familiarity with various parts of the British coast and also being a cyclist, I really looked forward to reading this book. Unfortunately I was disappointed: whilst her goal is admirable, her writing is not.

Much of the book is a list of where she cycled to, what she ate, and of the state of the weather and wind. It lacks depth, both regarding observations of the people she meets and of the coastline and places she visits. I struggled to finish it.

However, the book is not all bad and gives some insights into what it is like to undertake such a big ride, and Anna should be commended for achieving her challenge.

[Stuart Threlfall · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, but the last part of the trip from Cornwall back to London seems a bit short on content.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

With travel and specifically "journey" books there's always a danger that it basically just says, "Then we went here, then we went here, then we went here".
This book suffers a little from that but it's still pretty interesting with some nice descriptive prose.

I like how the author started out as a bit of a newbie (I thought she said near the start that she was a cycling instructor but maybe I misread that part) but slowly became more and more hardened to the journey, and more experienced.

I personally would've loved some wild camping parts but I also like that she was so unapologetic about not wanting to camp.

Some of anti nuclear stuff felt a little ill-informed, especially coming from an environmentalist, and riding around with an iPod on is a bit irresponsible.

I don't think I'd have enjoyed this as much if I hadn't cycled a lot of the same roads and experienced similar crappy weather myself, but if you're a keen cyclist then it's worth a read.

I love that she didn't have to leave the UK to complete such an amazing journey. One of her cycling buddies in the book summed it up well - "You are undertaking an extraordinary journey in a place that is quite ordinary"

Also, I loved her love of Fish and Chips

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a cyclist, I have great respect for anyone who takes on a long-distance challenge like this - and if they can write as well as Anna Hughes does then it's a perfect combination. She doesn't shy away from the tough parts - the days when she just doesn't want to ride, or the physical and mechanical problems that crop up.

Hughes meets lots of interesting folk and it's a feel-good read with the hospitality she receives from complete strangers who are either part of her Sustrans/Green Party networks or who simply get in touch through social media.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't finish it because it reminded me too much of my time in the UK and that made me sad, but as cycling memoirs go, it's not as strong as either South Away (Hackinen) or Felicity Cloake's one about France. I'm not sure quite what it is, but I found those more engaging--maybe it's a pacing thing? I feel like the days speed by in this book.

[Nik · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read that perhaps focuses more on the journey than the cycling itself. I agree with what some others have said, you do wish she’d slow down a bit & enjoy the experience more, but nonetheless it’s a massive achievement!

[Stephanie Hands · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much just a diary of all the places she visited on her impressive bike ride. The fact that she didn't bring any spare inner tubes or have her bike set up properly for her at the start baffled me!

[Clyve Baddeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read I wanted to be on the road with her she made it so appealing

[Chris Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, made me want to see all the places she went, made the whole thing feel possible.

[Anthony Rogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring

[Caroline Mather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read...sad to finish it. Felt like I was pedalling away with Anna, inspirational. My only question...Will there be any more books detailing your adventures. We'll done Anna 👌🌈❤

[Keziah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read that made me want to go on many an adventure🚴🏼‍♀️

[Duncan M Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely inspiring read.

[Liz Birchall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this especially the parts of Britain that I've cycled through too.

I would like there to have been more detail all the way through as well as at the beginning.

[Joe Héffernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna's book is a light and entertaining account of a cycle around Britain in 72 days. I read this book shortly after reading Mike Carter's book "One Man and his Bike" which is also a cycle around the coast of Britain. Even though they both cycled similar routes their experiences and motivations could not be more different. Anna is a girl on a mission with dead lines, driven by arriving at pre-arranged nights with friends and connections. Also she is constantly in awe of the feat she is completing, which wears thin after a while. Mike Carter just seems to meander around the place, enjoying hospitality with out a care in the world.
Overall it is an entertaining book , and is most probably how people would complete such a feat : pre planned with deadlines and impressed with your achievement. I give it five stars as it is exactly what it says in the title "Eat, Sleep, Cycle"

[Diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Drivel. Yet another person who takes on a challenge and thinks that makes them a writer also. Not only can she not write, but the story isn't even interesting, and the challenge is poorly executed.

[Belle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually I get through a book in a matter of days and with less than 320 pages this should have been a quick read but it took me 5 weeks to get through it. It was interesting and it did inspire me to go and visit some of the wonderful places that Anna had travelled through (albeit I could never cycle it!), so I really don't know why I had to force myself to pick this book up.
Having said that I did feel that the last stretch from Devon/Cornwall to London was written in a hurry and rushed compared to the rest of the journey. I gave this 3 stars rather than 2 because I would find the book handy as a helpful little travel companion especially to NE England and Scotland, as Anna did a great job of describing these beautiful locations.

[John Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book with great potential that fails to deliver. The problem is neither the scale of ambition of the task (to cycle round Britain's coast), instead it is the lack of understanding of who is doing the cycling and why.

The frustrating lack of depth to the writing is revealed at various moments - such as suddenly encountering her Welsh family holiday history - where her rich writing and personality suddenly breaks through.

Read this book to inspire you to get out and active on your bike. For that alone it is worth your time.

[Bob Jamieson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit of a slog to finish this in the end. Really just becomes a list of place names past a certain point. Somewhat disappointed.

Although I did enjoy the author's irrational fear of riding past nuclear power stations.

[Jemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will make you want to hop on a bike and head out yourself.

[Andrea Mcfarlane previously james · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little book for someone who wishes they had the nerve and fitness requirements to cycle around Britain but knows they never will!

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly an in depth exploration of the feeling of cycling around the UK coast and sometimes it rather turned into a list of lunch, but overall enjoyable and pleasant enough.