www.josiedew.co.uk

I was still at primary school when I developed an overpowering urge to travel. I also fell out of a fast moving vehicle and, as a result, rather inconveniently developed a lifelong aversion to cars. Then, when I was eleven, I started cycle touring: around the Isle of Wight, around Wales, to Land's End, the Lake District, Scotland. I rode my bike every day to school and back (20 miles) plus after school rides which often topped my daily milage to the 40 - 50 mile mark.

The best thing about school was riding my bike there and back. So, as I loved cycling and had always enjoyed cooking, I set up a small catering business when I was 15 (cooking and delivering three-course multi-storeyed meals by bicycle and cycle trailer) which I worked at full time when I was 16.

As soon as I got some money together I cycled to Africa. That was in 1985. I had cajoled Ward, my non-cycling Liverpudlian mega tea-drinking boyfriend, into coming with me. After realising on the ferry from Harwich that I had left his four month supply of Tetley tea bags at home (which did not go down well) we set off from the Hook of Holland (where we spent several long-winded hours getting lost looking for a place called Doorgaand Verkeer (on-going traffic) before sallying forth through Belgium (flat), Luxembourg (flatish with lumps), France (French), Germany (Black-Forest flavoured), Switzerland (v. lumpy), Italy (long), Tunisia (hot), Algeria (sandy). We had hoped to reach Morocco but Ward had picked up something that felt at home in his intestinal department so we curtailed Africa and cycled home through France.

Here's how my chequered cycling career progressed:

1986: Cycled with Ward (whose inner workings were now working) through France, Andorra and Spain. Planned to reach Morocco but one day away from catching ferry to Tangier, a van crashed into Ward on the Costa del Sol and he landed on his head before ending up in intensive care in hospital. We had to get flown home. Morocco had to wait.

1987: With Ward put off cycling (I couldn't understand why) I found myself setting sail for foreign parts alone. First time abroad by myself. Thought I wouldn't survive more than two weeks on my own. Ended up cycling 7000 miles in six months through Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Lapland, Finland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Switzerland and France.

1988: Cycled with Mel (my brother's non-cycling girlfriend) through Spain and Portugal to Morocco. Endured Saharan locust invasions, ogling Arabs and tree-climbing goats.

Later in the year, I cycled with Red'ed (a Canadian cycling friend I'd met in Iceland) around Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

1989: Aboard my first made-to-measure mount (a hot pink super-shiny Roberts) I rode from Katmandu across Nepal's hilly Himalayas before plunging down into India. Lots of noise, lots of chaos, lots of people, lots of dahl, lots of rats, lots of dubious water supplies. But very nice.

Later in the year, I rode a wheelchair bicycle (looked like a conventional bicycle after having nose-dived into a conventional wheelchair) from Land's End to the other end and onto the Orkneys, raising money and wheelchair bikes for Barnados.

1990: Took my aging (but young at heart) mother cycling around the Channel Islands for her birthday. From there she returned home while I cycled off across France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania (just after Ceaucescu was shot), Bulgaria (where a mad man did very unpleasant things to me) and into Turkey. Had planned to cycle through the Middle East to Egypt but Iraq invaded Kuwait, and as I didn't fancy scud missiles landing on my tent, cycled home through Greece, Italy, Sardinia, Corsica and France.

1991: Planned to cycle across Canada to Alaska but got an offer to write a book (The Wind in My Wheels) so cycled around Nova Scotia and the British Isles instead.

1992: Cycled around Hawaii (lots of palm trees) and across the USA (lots of tornadoes) and eastern Canada (lots of logs).

1993: Cycled across northern France with my Mum before riding from Vancouver down the west coast of the USA and on through Mexico's Baja peninsula.

1994: Found myself cycling around Japan instead of New Zealand and marooned in a typhoon.

1995: Found Japan such an enjoyably odd place that decided to go back via Hong Kong and a corner of China, followed by a stormy stomach-churning voyage across the East China Sea by sailing ship.

1996: Cycled around Ecuador.

1997 - 2000: A wonky knee put paid to my cycling for a long time so got into heavy duty writing instead.

2001: Started cycling 5000 miles around the coast of England and Wales until my knee broke down. (Included overshooting into France for a bit).

2002: Finished cycling around the coast of England and Wales. (Got very wet). Total miles: 5041

2003: Cycled 1000 miles following the coasts of Holland, Germany and Denmark on my way to the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). At least, that was the idea. But then I went a bit off course and found myself cycling around Ireland. I then went off course even further by riding onto a Russian freighter (big storms, broken engine, failed rescue attempt) which over the next 2 months transported me from France to New Zealand via the Panama Canal.

2004: Spent nine months cycling around New Zealand. (Got very wet. Again). Sailed on board a German freighter in a Force 10 gale from New Zealand to Australia. (Got extra specially wet. And seasick). Knee broke down. Again. Flew home from Melbourne.

2005: So far have spent the year at home writing book and cycling 30-50 miles a day. Am missing getting wet.

2006: Got pregnant but kept cycling. Gave birth to mini cyclist (just after returning from bike ride) and kept cycling in fits and starts in any spare moment. Wrote New Zealand book at night.

2007: Still cycling every day. Half way through year Molly completed her first 1500 miles strapped to back of bike.