Tour (TT column 23.09.13)

It doesn't seem a whole year ago that we witnessed the Tour of Britain flying through Tavistock, it also doesn't seem a year ago that I knew nothing of cycling. Unfortunately the route didn't pass our doorstep directly this year but from the amazing crowds seen at the Haytor finish it proved the Devon supporters were still out in force. As you can imagine I was keen to watch at least part of the Tour, only I couldn't make it to Haytor so the next best thing was a trip over the bridge to Wales. There is something contradictory with driving to spectate a cycling event; I was keen to avoid this although realised that a 130 mile round trip on my bicycle after a month of no exercise was maybe a little too ambitious. I compromised and cycled from a town just accross the border. After a few hours in the pouring rain accompanied by various debates as to where we were I was starting to wonder what I was doing, I'm glad to say the sun came out on Caerphilly Mountain just as the Tour of Britain arrived. We got double the value for our money- or our effort - as the cyclists had to climb the mountain twice, once was enough for me though.

It wasn't just in Wales that I experienced some damp cycling. After a month away I wasn't going to let the rain dampen my spirits, although maybe I should have let it influence my route. I set off towards Widecombe in the fog and wet, this wasn't a problem until I got a little disorientated, lost all phone reception and then had a dreaded puncture. I had no choice but to attempt my first ever repair, unfortunately after an unsuccessful effort I had to be rescued and am yet again indebted to my father.

Back in Blighty (TT column 16.09.13)

It is time to return to reality. After a few days of being at home I must stop comparing everything back to my holiday; the fact that the temperature has halved and the cost of an hour long Thai massage is the same as a coffee back here, will soon be forgotten. Yes I have the holiday blues and it seems that I might not be alone as I've been told that the summer is now over. It's not all depressing though, I was delighted to leave the mosquitoes behind, apparently my blood tastes far too good, okay now I'm running out of other disadvantages.

As much as I found it difficult to return home there was plenty of sport to get excited about last weekend. At a local level I was involved in the Ecover Blue Mile being held in Plymouth; it was refreshing to see so many people taking part in the various water based activities and engaging in raising awareness of ocean conservation. It was primarily aimed at participation but with the presence of two London 2012 gold medallists all of the competitions soon heated up. I must admit my role was purely land based and probably a good thing as the refreshing waters of Plymouth sound might have come as a shock after the thirty plus degrees I've become accustomed to.
Staying with the Olympic theme there were more serious events happening over the weekend and we saw the crowning of two new British World Champions in triathlon and canoeing. The wave of sporting success we saw a year ago is showing no signs of ceasing.    

Taiwan is a fair distance east, meaning two flights are needed to reach the Southern city of Kaohsiung. A changeover in Hong Kong was suggested by the agency and this got me thinking, how about extending this from a few hours to a few days on my return trip. After studying the world map I decided to take this idea a little further, the route looked to brush over Thailand, one phone call later and I had a flight via Bangkok with a two and a half week stopover.

I hear summer continues at home, so i hope I won't make you too envious when I mention that I am currently on a stunning Thai Island in the Gulf. I am sitting just a stones throw from the beach as I write, and ironically the internet here on this relatively undeveloped island is far stronger than that of ours in Merrivale. This has got me thinking, what business could I set up and run from here; well it's always nice to dream.

Planning has not been high on my agenda, I arrived in Bangkok and let my adventures begin. The little bit of research I managed did warn me about the current rainy season, I think the authors of these articles have never lived on Dartmoor. In nearly two weeks I have witnessed a handful of short warm showers, although I do hope I haven't jinxed the remainder of my stay. Not only am i here in the 'off season' I have also missed the infamous full moon party this month. There is no need to feel sorry for me as it is blissfully quiet and more importantly ridiculously good value.

Island life (TT column 09.09.13)

It never ceases to amaze me how small this world can be, and when travelling this is often exaggerated. Not being a city girl, one day in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok was enough for me so I headed south west to the Gulf islands. My first stop was the most developed island of the three, Koh Samui. I arrived with no prior knowledge of this island, just a few recommendations I'd picked up on my long journey there. As I previously mentioned the internet is impressively efficient so I logged on to share my location with friends; only an hour after arriving I had discovered that someone's brother lived on this island and was keen to show me the sights. You can never beat a bit of inside local knowledge, we were soon off to the eye opening food markets, the clearest beaches and the hippest bars.

As much as I was craving a relaxed beach holiday I also need an amount of adventure so I headed on to discover another two islands. After plenty of time to relax - even though I seem to have the ability to switch off automatically - it was time to make the most of what this part of the world can offer. As you probably know by now I'm always looking for a new challenge so the sport of Muay Thai seemed an obvious choice. I've never attempted any martial arts - the closest comparison I have would be fencing - so it was a completely new concept and one that I thoroughly enjoyed despite the consequential bruises. The other activity I enrolled on is more commonly associated with holidaying on a Thai island. I headed to the sea for the far more relaxing 'sport' of scuba diving and enjoyed the underwater wonders the Gulf has to offer.

On my way home (TT column 02.09.13)

Taiwan is a fair distance east, meaning two flights are needed to reach the Southern city of Kaohsiung. A changeover in Hong Kong was suggested by the agency and this got me thinking, how about extending this from a few hours to a few days on my return trip. After studying the world map I decided to take this idea a little further, the route looked to brush over Thailand, one phone call later and I had a flight via Bangkok with a two and a half week stopover.

I hear summer continues at home, so i hope I won't make you too envious when I mention that I am currently on a stunning Thai Island in the Gulf. I am sitting just a stones throw from the beach as I write, and ironically the internet here on this relatively undeveloped island is far stronger than that of ours in Merrivale. This has got me thinking, what business could I set up and run from here; well it's always nice to dream.

Planning has not been high on my agenda, I arrived in Bangkok and let my adventures begin. The little bit of research I managed did warn me about the current rainy season, I think the authors of these articles have never lived on Dartmoor. In nearly two weeks I have witnessed a handful of short warm showers, although I do hope I haven't jinxed the remainder of my stay. Not only am i here in the 'off season' I have also missed the infamous full moon party this month. There is no need to feel sorry for me as it is blissfully quiet and more importantly ridiculously good value.

Taiwan (TT column 25.08.13)

Did I mention last week that any routine might have gone out of the window? Well if it hadn't then it certainly has now, although this time I have the valid excuse of a seven hour time difference. I'm writing this whilst sat in my hotel room on the thirtieth floor listening to the intermittent creaking as the building resists the strong typhoon winds it's being subjected to. I have travelled east to Taiwan for the senior Modern Pentathlon World Championships where these extreme weather conditions are nothing unusual for these parts of Asia in August.

You might have noticed that my season has been rather void of modern pentathlon competitions and I've filled a lot of this extra time with my new found love, cycling. Whether competing in full pentathlon competitions or not I have always loved to run so these past few months have been painfully frustrating for me after I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my shin. I won't bore you with the details but it basically means I must not put impact through that leg, thankfully cycling is not detrimental to its healing and I've therefore managed to maintain sanity.

That probably leaves you asking what am I doing at the world championships; I was invited out here to Taiwan as part of the commentary team for the host broadcaster. Due to the weather conditions this competition has been so interrupted I haven't been envious of those competing. Things were looking very bleak on the women's final day when the torrential tropical rain showed no sign of ceasing, the only option was to postpone the whole event and return the following day for the riding and combined phases. Thankfully the strong winds and high temperatures dried the ground sufficiently and there was a competition to commentate on.

Ready steady chop (TT column 18.08.13)

As a result of a couple of midweek weddings added to journeys between London, home, Bath, Leeds and Manchester any routine has gone out the window. Other than the amount of time spent on the road - which annoyingly trebles this time of year thanks to the SW being such a popular tourist destination -  I am not complaining, it has been action packed with fun.

The journey back home was not initially in the plan until I had an offer I couldn't refuse, the fact it involved food made it an easy decision. I was flattered to be invited to participate in Plymouths' Flavour Fest as a guest on their version of Ready Steady Cook. It wasn't until after I'd signed up that I discovered my opponent has been an actual food critic in the past, luckily though it came down to the impressive skills of the celebratory chefs the Tanner brothers. I was soon given the role of assistant although James Tanner's reaction to some of my 'dicing' (he politely referred to the finished product as chopped) hinted that I might have actually hindered rather than helped with the amazing final dishes. I was given a slight chance to redeem myself in a second round in which I and fellow guest had the challenge of arranging one dish, something I felt a little more skilled at. Decorating the plates and making delicious looking food was one thing, the most important part though was the tasting and that was by far my greatest input.

I made the mistake of heading north on Saturday afternoon, if you have the choice never do that during the summer holiday season. Sat in static traffic on the M5 I was wondering what I was doing but it was all worth it as I got to compete in a triathlon. Okay I had better admit it was just one third as I did the cycle leg for the bbc five live team, but I am certainly keen to do a full one soon.