Plans change

Tonight we’ll be staying in a campsite which isn’t exactly what we had planned/anticipated for first full day of cycling in Scotland. We love wild camping and we were looking forward to a few days in nature after a week in bustling Newcastle.

Plans change and for the last two days my Long Covid has been giving me a bit of trouble, so a very short day’s riding and a campsite will allow us to recoup a bit.

Many of you will know but I got poorly with Covid in July 2022. I was in bed for a week with flu-like symptoms and then tried to go to work the following week when I felt a bit better. I managed one week at work before being off sick again with fatigue, heart palpitations, breathlessness and brain fog. It took me 6 months of recovery and then a phased return to full time hours over the following 12 months. On occasion I still get the fatigue and brain fog which can affect my day to day activities.

Cycling about rarely bothers my Covid and is unlikely to bring on symptoms. The biggest trigger is stress and a busy brain. Although we slept well in Newcastle and rode very little (on light, unladen bikes), the whole week was spent thinking through options to reduce weight, repacking, trying to work out where to donate/post things to, how the post system works when you don’t have an address, hunting for specific tools/bike gear/bags. Yesterday, we also had the added stress of getting bikes on trains and I was already feeling a bit rough before we arrived at Newcastle station. All of this thinking is a sure fire way to tire me out. (I find walking which we did a lot can also tire me out too.)

As well as making me feel physically rubbish, Long Covid also makes me grumpy. I am no fun to be around and see everything very negatively, partly because I feel like I only have enough energy to survive, not deal with issues, make decisions or analyse information. I don’t get jokes anymore, barely have the energy to talk to people and anything above regular cycling activities (hill starts, technical descents, navigating disconnected cycleways) is almost beyond comprehension. This is frustrating for Sam as I can’t be relied upon for navigating, struggle to make decisions and my bike riding skills are reduced to pushing up hill.

The last week has also been tiring for Sam and a combination of our moods, tiredness and lack of direction meant the best thing for today was to cut it short and make things easy for ourselves by staying at a campsite with facilities.

That all being said, cycling in itself was an important part of my recovery. A short, easy cycle was a way to start to build up my fitness after spending weeks and months in bed. Getting connected again to nature, the community and normal life was all enabled by the bike - even if it was initially on the back of the Tern and then on an e-bike, before I could get back to fully propelling myself again.

Our tour is great for reducing stress because all we have to think about is eating and sleeping. Usually this is straightforward but in a new country (even if that’s the UK), things are a bit different in terms of opening times, where you can sleep, shops, toilet locations etc, which needs a bit of adjustment. Out of the 10 weeks we’ve been on the road, I’ve had around 5-10 days where I’ve felt a bit rough but these last couple of days have taken a bit of a toll.

This hasn’t stopped us and wasn’t a reason to not try a big cycle tour. Obviously this is only my experience of a relatively new and poorly understood condition. Long Covid affects people in so many different ways and I’m really grateful that I am still able to do the things I love.

Tonight we’ll get showered and rested. We’ll also plan the next few days in a bit more detail so that we don’t have to think so much whilst on the road or make snap decisions, both of which are a bit more tiring. Planning will also include options for resting and altering distances to make sure that I’m feeling well enough.

There’s also live music on at the campsite bar if we’re feeling up for it. If not, plans change and we’ll see what tomorrow brings.