The Big 'Let's sell our cars and take buses/ebikes instead' thread (warning: probably very dull)

First.Aspect

focuszing723 said:

He'd only be able to see the pub when he goes passed it. I mean what's the point of designing a boat where you can't see where you're going? Now a Kayak, that's proper river transportation that is.

focuszing723

First.Aspect said:

focuszing723 said:

He'd only be able to see the pub when he goes passed it. I mean what's the point of designing a boat where you can't see where you're going? Now a Kayak, that's proper river transportation that is.

Ah yes.

briantrumpet

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

BTW, @First.Aspect, the university rowing club is by the outer bypass, and uses the Exeter Ship Canal down to the Double Locks pub.

Yes, the city club uses the same stretch from the other end. It seemed a really nice place to have to go to on a Sunday morning. However, we've ended up being closer to Plymouth and it's going to be too far to get to Exeter.

I'm not that distraught to be honest - that canal is fairly narrow and very twisty.

More rain that side of Dartmoor (1025mm v 825mm), but nice area all the same. And yes, no racing on the canal as far as I've seen, no doubt for that reason.

First.Aspect

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

BTW, @First.Aspect, the university rowing club is by the outer bypass, and uses the Exeter Ship Canal down to the Double Locks pub.

Yes, the city club uses the same stretch from the other end. It seemed a really nice place to have to go to on a Sunday morning. However, we've ended up being closer to Plymouth and it's going to be too far to get to Exeter.

I'm not that distraught to be honest - that canal is fairly narrow and very twisty.

More rain that side of Dartmoor (1025mm v 825mm), but nice area all the same. And yes, no racing on the canal as far as I've seen, no doubt for that reason.

Bit wetter than that I think. But 20-25% more sunshine hours than were I am now. And probably 3-4degC warmer. I think I will cope. Also looking forward to slightly less wind.

briantrumpet

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

BTW, @First.Aspect, the university rowing club is by the outer bypass, and uses the Exeter Ship Canal down to the Double Locks pub.

Yes, the city club uses the same stretch from the other end. It seemed a really nice place to have to go to on a Sunday morning. However, we've ended up being closer to Plymouth and it's going to be too far to get to Exeter.

I'm not that distraught to be honest - that canal is fairly narrow and very twisty.

More rain that side of Dartmoor (1025mm v 825mm), but nice area all the same. And yes, no racing on the canal as far as I've seen, no doubt for that reason.

Bit wetter than that I think. But 20-25% more sunshine hours than were I am now. And probably 3-4degC warmer. I think I will cope. Also looking forward to slightly less wind.

Yeah, when I looked at climate averages when thinking about holiday periods, having had the suggestion of John O'Groats, my French place gets about 2400 hours of sunshine p.a., and JoG about 1100, despite its summer day length being much longer. I turned down the offer of the journey north, you'll not be surprised.

And having looked at the farming climate comparisons between Devon & Scotland in the past, in effect Devon has a summer that is two months longer, climate-wise.

First.Aspect

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

briantrumpet

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

First.Aspect

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

briantrumpet

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

Heard of it, but not really registered where it was, probably as I've never had any intention of going there, or any interest in it whatsoever. I suspect the joys of the top of Scotland will be something I'll never appreciate, in any sense.

I suppose I'm impressed that anybody at all inhabits it, and even more so if they do so out of choice.

First.Aspect

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

Heard of it, but not really registered where it was, probably as I've never had any intention of going there, or any interest in it whatsoever. I suspect the joys of the top of Scotland will be something I'll never appreciate, in any sense.

I suppose I'm impressed that anybody at all inhabits it, and even more so if they do so out of choice.

You need to like rain to live there, that is for sure. But a west coast trip is worth doing once in your lifetime. So is a trip to the Outer Hebrides. It is only by getting to these places - which is harder than a lot of places in Europe - that you appreciate how different it really is.

webboo

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

Heard of it, but not really registered where it was, probably as I've never had any intention of going there, or any interest in it whatsoever. I suspect the joys of the top of Scotland will be something I'll never appreciate, in any sense.

I suppose I'm impressed that anybody at all inhabits it, and even more so if they do so out of choice.

I would suggest you are missing out on something special especially as you appear to be a man of culture 😉.
Go to somewhere like Knoydart or other such as Lewis and the like and contemplate how people managed scrape a living yet produce such a vibrant culture

briantrumpet

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

Heard of it, but not really registered where it was, probably as I've never had any intention of going there, or any interest in it whatsoever. I suspect the joys of the top of Scotland will be something I'll never appreciate, in any sense.

I suppose I'm impressed that anybody at all inhabits it, and even more so if they do so out of choice.

You need to like rain to live there, that is for sure. But a west coast trip is worth doing once in your lifetime. So is a trip to the Outer Hebrides. It is only by getting to these places - which is harder than a lot of places in Europe - that you appreciate how different it really is.

I've been to Oban, twice, and as long as it's not raining comme vache qui pisse, it is other-wordly, and that's not even close to the remoteness of barely-inhabited west coast sites/sights.

I'll admit I'm not an avid traveller with an appetite to visit all the beautiful places in the world (and I know that Scotland has many), so I'll probably go to my grave ignorant.

Second thoughts, definitely ignorant of pretty much everything and everywhere, but might get to know a couple of places passably well and appreciate them in all weathers.

First.Aspect

webboo said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

Heard of it, but not really registered where it was, probably as I've never had any intention of going there, or any interest in it whatsoever. I suspect the joys of the top of Scotland will be something I'll never appreciate, in any sense.

I suppose I'm impressed that anybody at all inhabits it, and even more so if they do so out of choice.

I would suggest you are missing out on something special especially as you appear to be a man of culture 😉.
Go to somewhere like Knoydart or other such as Lewis and the like and contemplate how people managed scrape a living yet produce such a vibrant culture

This.

The sad thing for me having been here nearly 20 years is that the perception of Scotland in the rest of the UK is the shouty indignance of Glasgow and the central belt.

If you go south to the borders or north or west, it's an achingly nice place to be.

Except for the midges.

First.Aspect

And the weather.

pangolin

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

There's not exactly a lot going on at Dunnet Head either.

focuszing723

You can't really swim in the lochs either because of monsters, especially the Ness one.

TheBigBean

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

I've been to Timbuktu. If I'm honest I might not have bothered if it wasn't for the name.

webboo

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

Heard of it, but not really registered where it was, probably as I've never had any intention of going there, or any interest in it whatsoever. I suspect the joys of the top of Scotland will be something I'll never appreciate, in any sense.

I suppose I'm impressed that anybody at all inhabits it, and even more so if they do so out of choice.

You need to like rain to live there, that is for sure. But a west coast trip is worth doing once in your lifetime. So is a trip to the Outer Hebrides. It is only by getting to these places - which is harder than a lot of places in Europe - that you appreciate how different it really is.

I've been to Oban, twice, and as long as it's not raining comme vache qui pisse, it is other-wordly, and that's not even close to the remoteness of barely-inhabited west coast sites/sights.

I'll admit I'm not an avid traveller with an appetite to visit all the beautiful places in the world (and I know that Scotland has many), so I'll probably go to my grave ignorant.

Second thoughts, definitely ignorant of pretty much everything and everywhere, but might get to know a couple of places passably well and appreciate them in all weathers.

Landscape and music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJC_TxThbfU

briantrumpet

First.Aspect said:

webboo said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

Heard of it, but not really registered where it was, probably as I've never had any intention of going there, or any interest in it whatsoever. I suspect the joys of the top of Scotland will be something I'll never appreciate, in any sense.

I suppose I'm impressed that anybody at all inhabits it, and even more so if they do so out of choice.

I would suggest you are missing out on something special especially as you appear to be a man of culture 😉.
Go to somewhere like Knoydart or other such as Lewis and the like and contemplate how people managed scrape a living yet produce such a vibrant culture

This.

The sad thing for me having been here nearly 20 years is that the perception of Scotland in the rest of the UK is the shouty indignance of Glasgow and the central belt.

If you go south to the borders or north or west, it's an achingly nice place to be.

Except for the midges.

Hmm, I suppose I set a high bar, when these are on a walk from my front door and there are no midges, and it's melons & peaches rather than turnips & swedes. I could adapt the saying about "if one is tired of London, one is tired of life". I'll never get enough of this.

focuszing723

I think it's a shame the mountains aren't higher in Scotland so they could be a bit more guaranteed with snow for winter tourism (especially given the warmings). I been to Aviemore as a kid skiing and it was great fun.

Pross

First.Aspect said:

webboo said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

Heard of it, but not really registered where it was, probably as I've never had any intention of going there, or any interest in it whatsoever. I suspect the joys of the top of Scotland will be something I'll never appreciate, in any sense.

I suppose I'm impressed that anybody at all inhabits it, and even more so if they do so out of choice.

I would suggest you are missing out on something special especially as you appear to be a man of culture 😉.
Go to somewhere like Knoydart or other such as Lewis and the like and contemplate how people managed scrape a living yet produce such a vibrant culture

This.

The sad thing for me having been here nearly 20 years is that the perception of Scotland in the rest of the UK is the shouty indignance of Glasgow and the central belt.

If you go south to the borders or north or west, it's an achingly nice place to be.

Except for the midges.

I’m not sure that’s true. I think many think of the wilderness of the Highlands even if it is based on a picture on a tin of shortbread. I’ve only done up to Fort William with a day trip by car to the Kyle of Lochalsh and Skye plus the compulsory Harry Potter train trip to Mallaig and that was nearly 30 years ago now so really want to go back.

webboo

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

webboo said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

Heard of it, but not really registered where it was, probably as I've never had any intention of going there, or any interest in it whatsoever. I suspect the joys of the top of Scotland will be something I'll never appreciate, in any sense.

I suppose I'm impressed that anybody at all inhabits it, and even more so if they do so out of choice.

I would suggest you are missing out on something special especially as you appear to be a man of culture 😉.
Go to somewhere like Knoydart or other such as Lewis and the like and contemplate how people managed scrape a living yet produce such a vibrant culture

This.

The sad thing for me having been here nearly 20 years is that the perception of Scotland in the rest of the UK is the shouty indignance of Glasgow and the central belt.

If you go south to the borders or north or west, it's an achingly nice place to be.

Except for the midges.

Hmm, I suppose I set a high bar, when these are on a walk from my front door and there are no midges, and it's melons & peaches rather than turnips & swedes. I could adapt the saying about "if one is tired of London, one is tired of life". I'll never get enough of this.

I’ve done both this year the Isle of of Lewis in July for the Heb Celt festival quite rainy but amazing music and some of the most welcoming people I’ve met.
Samoens in the Alps in September we went there nearly every year in the 2000’s. Temps in 30’s so a bit different to Scotland. As much as it was a great trip it’s much more of a Disney land compared to Scotland and I know you are going to say the Vecors are different. However when we where there in In 1986 staying with Merge the shepherdess it was fairly commercialised.

First.Aspect

Fair enough. As I've got older I've gravitated more to places I have been to before and find some peace. Like here (not my photo)

briantrumpet

webboo said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

webboo said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

briantrumpet said:

First.Aspect said:

For the avoidance of any doubt, the only thing to commend John O'Groats is that there's a road and a ferry out of it. It is not even the northern most part of the mainland.

To be fair, it wasn't exactly there, but to a softy southerner, it's as mystical as Timbuktu, and the only place I could name on the north coast of Scotland.

Disclaimer - I've been to Inverness, once, but I know that's still quite a long way from the top of Scotland.

You must have heard of Dounreay? Only went once, but anything east of Tongue and north of Helmsdale seemed dull and flat.

If you want extremely.long evenings and other worldly, the geopark is where to head. It really is remarkable up there. Just avoid anything on the NC500 route, which has ruined any sense of tranquility and replaced it with loads of people who rent a McLaren for the day and think they are Richard Hammond.

Heard of it, but not really registered where it was, probably as I've never had any intention of going there, or any interest in it whatsoever. I suspect the joys of the top of Scotland will be something I'll never appreciate, in any sense.

I suppose I'm impressed that anybody at all inhabits it, and even more so if they do so out of choice.

I would suggest you are missing out on something special especially as you appear to be a man of culture 😉.
Go to somewhere like Knoydart or other such as Lewis and the like and contemplate how people managed scrape a living yet produce such a vibrant culture

This.

The sad thing for me having been here nearly 20 years is that the perception of Scotland in the rest of the UK is the shouty indignance of Glasgow and the central belt.

If you go south to the borders or north or west, it's an achingly nice place to be.

Except for the midges.

Hmm, I suppose I set a high bar, when these are on a walk from my front door and there are no midges, and it's melons & peaches rather than turnips & swedes. I could adapt the saying about "if one is tired of London, one is tired of life". I'll never get enough of this.

I’ve done both this year the Isle of of Lewis in July for the Heb Celt festival quite rainy but amazing music and some of the most welcoming people I’ve met.
Samoens in the Alps in September we went there nearly every year in the 2000’s. Temps in 30’s so a bit different to Scotland. As much as it was a great trip it’s much more of a Disney land compared to Scotland and I know you are going to say the Vecors are different. However when we where there in In 1986 staying with Merge the shepherdess it was fairly commercialised.

The only thing I suppose I miss there is the sense of wilderness, of which Dartmoor gives a taste (Vercors is a completely different kettle of fish, no wilderness to speak of). But then I remember that Dartmoor is only a modern wilderness, and only partial at that: it is treeless because it was pretty well inhabited for hundreds of years, and then was a site of quite a bit of industry, railways and all, in the 19th century. And one is never far from a village. Scotland is just on a different scale and wildness.

You tend to forget the commercialised aspect when in the Drome out of season (which is most of the year), and appreciate the hard history that remote villages experienced until the arrival of trains and motor cars in the 20th century, if you make the effort to go off the beaten track.

webboo

I would be so bold as to suggest as to take trumpet and head north. What’s the worst that could happen, you could get wet or eaten alive by the wee beasties. Or you could spend a day hills drop in to a pub, get out the trumpet and not have to buy a drink all evening.

focuszing723

First.Aspect said:

Fair enough. As I've got older I've gravitated more to places I have been to before and find some peace. Like here (not my photo)

Camusdarach Beach, where some of Local Hero was filmed?

First.Aspect

I think it's the white sands at Morar.

My favourite spot is just down the road at Rhu and amongst the islands off the shore there. You can see Rhum, Eigg, Skye, Munro's on the mainland, a seal colony, otters, the Hogwarts Express and all while on a white beach.

Pross

First.Aspect said:

I think it's the white sands at Morar.

My favourite spot is just down the road at Rhu and amongst the islands off the shore there. You can see Rhum, Eigg, Skye, Munro's on the mainland, a seal colony, otters, the Hogwarts Express and all while on a white beach.

I remember passing them all whilst on the Hogwarts Express. The beaches were like something from the Maldives, could be quite the holiday destination in 50 years with global warming!

briantrumpet

webboo said:

I would be so bold as to suggest as to take trumpet and head north. What’s the worst that could happen, you could get wet or eaten alive by the wee beasties. Or you could spend a day hills drop in to a pub, get out the trumpet and not have to buy a drink all evening.

Too much to do south - and it's about the same distance, and I love it just too much. While I'm still fit, I want to do riding excursions to Italy and the Med, want to catch the train to Venice, and possibly Sicily too.

First.Aspect

briantrumpet said:

webboo said:

I would be so bold as to suggest as to take trumpet and head north. What’s the worst that could happen, you could get wet or eaten alive by the wee beasties. Or you could spend a day hills drop in to a pub, get out the trumpet and not have to buy a drink all evening.

Too much to do south - and it's about the same distance, and I love it just too much. While I'm still fit, I want to do riding excursions to Italy and the Med, want to catch the train to Venice, and possibly Sicily too.

The riding isn't great in a lot of the north, tbh. Main roads or out and back roads. If you aren't in to walking or floating, it's not necessarily the place for you.

But what it has that you don't get in the Med is tides. That makes a coast so much more interesting.