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This podcast takes a light-hearted look at my epic 1000-mile cycle journey through France from the Mediterranean coast to the English Channel at Dieppe. Well, it was great fun even though at times I felt I'd overstretched myself. In this podcast I am assisted by my very good friends Lorna and Robert. Many thanks to them. 

On 20th May 2025 I began my attempt to cycle over 900 miles (actually it ended up as 1000 miles) from the South of France to Dieppe and then back to Lewes in Sussex via the ferry. Whilst I was on my ride, I raised funds for medical and other civilian aid to be sent to Ukraine. 

June 10th was the last day. I cycled for 20 days in total, plus two days of rest. The distance covered was 1000 miles. The ascent was over 14,276 m, that’s 46,837 ft ! !

It’s been a fascinating trip. I’ve enjoyed meeting people on the way and cycled with other cyclists at times. It has been an epic journey in often stunning scenery.

After getting off the night train from Paris at Nice I cycled a short distance along the Côte d’Azur to the place where Napoléon landed in 1815 after his escape from Elba. Then I followed the Route Napoléon, a 325-kilometer (200-mile) historical route from the French Riviera at Golfe-Juan, near Cannes through the Alpes-Maritime and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to Grenoble. Beautiful crystal clear views of breath-taking scenery and some very steep climbs through the mountains! 

From Grenoble I cycled into the Massif Central, but first following the River Isère cycle path and then the River Rhône (Via Rhôna). Then turning up into the hills, firstly on an old railway track, followed by very steep climbs to the source of the River Loire (1,350 m.  4,430 ft) in the Cévennes range at the foot of Mont Gerbier de Jonc. The route then follows the Loire River from a tiny stream to a large river, at Orleans. This River Loire route is a journey of about 603 km (375 miles).  The book by Mike Wells ‘River Loire Cycle Route’ was of immense help guiding me through all of the twists and turns at the initial stages of the route. I then joined the EuroVelo 6 (EV6) at Nevers which takes you onto long stretches of canal path and on top of river ‘levees’. I had travelled from beautiful mountainous landscapes and scenery through to alluvial plains.

My route now left the River Loire at Orléans, and I cycled to the cathedral city of Chartres following the River L’Eure valley to the River Seine and up over the hills to Forges-les-Eaux where I joined the Avenue Verte to Dieppe. 

I'm immensely pleased to have completed this cycle ride at the age of 78. It spurs me on to do other epic cycle rides! I used an electrically assisted bike.

For more information go to: https://ient.me.uk/2025/04/11/france-south-to-north-cycle-ride-2025/ 

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 An amazing 1960s adventure across Europe trip  

This podcast is dedicated to my great friends Graham Brooks and Pete Jeffries who sadly now passed away. My adventures with them will always live in my memory,

In 1967, three young friends—Pete, Graham, and me, (narrator of this podcast) — set off on an adventurous road trip from England to the Italian Riviera. Graham, mechanically gifted, owned a striking Sunbeam Rapier, cream and red with dual carburettors, which became our chariot across Europe. For me, a working-class lad from Aldershot, such a journey was almost unheard of; foreign holidays were still a luxury reserved for the wealthy or the “jet set.” Our plan, hatched over a few pints in a Guildford pub, was to drive from Dover, through France and Switzerland, across the Alps and into Italy, ending at Alassio on the Italian Riviera.

In the Summer with eager anticipation, we boarded the Dover–Calais ferry and began their trek along France’s straight, tree-lined ‘Routes Nationales’ roads. Our first stop was a small village café thick with smoke and the scent of Gauloises. A ham sandwich, cognac, and a primitive ‘toillette’ behind the back wall of the café set the tone for rustic encounters to come.

Mechanical trouble struck near Dijon when the car’s dynamo failed. Fearing disaster, we were rescued by friendly locals in berets who led us across town to a parts shop which was like an “Aladdin’s cave.” After lunch and pétanque in the square, several smoking mechanics successfully fitted a new dynamo, sending us boys gratefully on our way.

Crossing into Switzerland, we paused on the edge of Lake Geneva where I had the best omelette for breakfast I have ever had sitting outside with a view of the famous Jet d’Eau fountain. Then a picnic in the foothills of the Alps of bread, cheese, and wine—continental flavours new to me. Taking the old Great St Bernard Passup over the mountain rather than the recently opened tunnel, we marvelled at alpine peaks, snow, and perilous hairpin bends before entering Italy.

In the fertile Po Valley, a field of fragrant tomatoes provided an impromptu snack before we wound our way into the Alpi Marittime. A smoky mountain bar introduced us to local farmers who revealed themselves as former WWII partisans—men who had fought Nazis in those very hills. That night, thousands of fireflies lit up the darkness around our parked car, creating a magical memory.

At last we reached Alassio, though I succumbed briefly to sunstroke. Soon recovered, I joined Pete and Graham, who had befriended three beautiful girls from an Italian-speaking canton in Switzerland. With them, we lads enjoyed a midnight swim, seafood feasts on a pier, and a glamorous cliff-top nightclub—though drinks cost a fortune compared to English beer. 

Our adventure continued west along the Ligurian coast to Monte Carlo, where belle époque splendour and luxury yachts dazzled us. A chance meeting with an East End chef in a very posh café provided the comic surprise of a “full English breakfast” overlooking the casino. While Pete and Graham tried their luck inside, I swam at the harbour and socialised with the glitterati. The girls were gorgeous! 

With money running low, we reluctantly turned homeward. Back in Dover, customs officers meticulously searched Graham’s car for contraband tobacco and alcohol—hidden so ingeniously that nothing was found. We lads returned safely home, richer in memories: camaraderie, landscapes, unexpected kindness, brushes with history, and the thrill of freedom abroad in the 1960s.

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The ‘Swinging Sixties’ mixed with ‘apprentice antics’! ….Welcome to my first podcast! It’s about the beginning of my working career in the early 1960s, – recounting some, mostly amusing, experiences from my apprenticeship with the Post Office Telephones.

It’s about the beginning of my working career in the early 1960s, – recounting some, mostly amusing, experiences from my apprenticeship with the Post Office Telephones (forerunner to BT). My thanks to my good friend Jonathan Gilburt for joining me at the microphone. It has made the session most enjoyable. 

When I became an apprentice we were entering the ‘Swinging Sixties’. It was a youth-driven culture but I didn’t know what a massive revolution was taking place around me.

Morris Mini car sales exceeded one million in 1961…… It became the iconic young person’s car throughout the ’60s and ‘70……The Rolling Stones were formed in 1962…….. The Beatles got to number one in 1964…….. Mary Quant launched her miniskirt in 1966…… Carnaby Street became the place to be seen……. The Ban the Bomb campaign grew in strength with numbers being swelled by young people……  Sexual liberation was on its way.

But I joined the boring old Post Office Telephones!  However, it turned out to be the beginning of a fascinating, enjoyable and challenging career. It set me fair for a great 45 year career during which I travelled the world!  At the start, the mix of outdoor life and technology suited me. My first job was with a labouring gang erecting tall telegraph poles in the countryside. Working in the beautiful countryside in places like Frensham, Bentley and Crondall was just up my street………… My initiation started ‘pranks up a telegraph pole’!

After leaving the gang I worked with a guy who had spent much of his time as an area telecoms engineer in various remote parts of Africa. He took things very steady, –  at one point in a lazy sunny summer I found him asleep under a tree! He often left me working whilst he popped up to the country pub – it was ‘happy valley’!

My second initiation was climbing giant radio masts – once was enough for me!

I met some great guys, – one was a former paratrooper who fought at Arnhem in WWII. If you have seen the film ‘A Bridge Too Far’ you will know what I mean.  Then there was the Post Office technician who everyone thought was an ex Guards officer. He spoke with a very posh accent. He had actually been a corporal in the Army! He sold fresh fruit and veg from his van in the works yard! I breakfasted in style with him at his girlfriend’s apartment on more than occasion! Cool!

I was embarrassed on one visit to a customer by an old lady who fixing her own phone! But I got a lovely cup of tea!  It was ‘the case of the kettle of water’!

Later on in this podcast I relate the story of ‘apprentice antics’ at Bletchley Park Training centre! We all know this as the WWII spy centre now, but we didn’t know that at the time in the 1960s. A game of card brought me into conflict with the infamous Post Office Special Investigation Branch who, in recent years, have been linked with the Post Office Horizon scandal. 

On a more serious note you might be interested in an online article I wrote about these events at Bletchley Park

Enjoy!