Seek Travel Ride
Bella Molloy
<p>Seek Travel Ride shares the stories and experiences of people who have undertaken amazing adventures on a bicycle. From crossing state borders on a bikepacking trip, or mountain ranges during an ultra cycling race, through to traversing countries or continents on a transformative bicycle tour; through our guest interviews we seek to share that spirit of adventuring on two wheels with our listeners.</p>
- 1 hour 31 minutesCycling Scotland Solo: Wild Camping, Bothies and the Hebridean Way | Sheelagh Daly
Ever wanted to take a bike adventure through Scotland? This episode is for you!
Guest Sheelagh Daley shares her experiences cycling Scotland's Highlands and the Hebridean Way. This was a trip she planned specifically to challenge herself to wild camp and tackle off-road routes solo. She had ALL the weather, sunshine, rain and of course wind.
Find out about Scotland's Bothies, what it's like to wild camp solo, taking ferries between the islands on the Hebrides, and why Sheelagh says she could return to Scotland for all her bike adventures and be happy.
Be sure to follow Sheelagh to keep up with her adventures. here are links to her instagram - @sheelagh.daley and also her awesome YouTube channel.
Links mentioned:
- Sheelagh's first STR episode
- The Hebridean Way
- Pictish Trail on bikepacking.com
- Log Drivers Waltz route episode with Jen
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music28 March 2026, 6:00 am - 15 minutes 28 secondsCycling in Mongolia and Bucket List Destinations.
This week, listeners Juan Pablo and Paula share a day from their cycling adventure in Mongolia which has to be one of the most remote and rewarding places you can ride a bike on this planet. You can keep up with their adventures via their instagram channel - @juan.pablo.toro
I also opens up about my own bikepacking bucket list, and throws the question out to you: where is the destination you're dreaming of? Where would you go if you could go anywhere?
Also mentioned this episode: A Life in Tandem — the incredible documentary following Luke Grenfell-Shaw, diagnosed with incurable cancer at 24, who set off to cycle 20,000 miles from Bristol to Beijing on a tandem bike. Watch it here.
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
👉 Zorali
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- Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music24 March 2026, 6:00 am - 1 hour 40 minutesCycling the Length of Africa: Morocco to Cape Town with Daragh Cronin
Daragh Cronin booked a flight to Marrakesh before he even owned a bike. He had no cycling background, no camping experience, but he had a goal to ride the length of Africa from Morocco to Cape Town.
Just over 200 days and 13,500 kilometres later, he arrived. In this episode, Irish adventurer Daragh talks through the mental and physical reality of cycling Africa's west coast: navigating borders, battling food poisoning, riding the notorious iron ore train in Mauritania, the strangers who became lifelong friends, and what it was like to finally arrive at the Cape of Good hope
This episode was recorded when Daragh was days away from his next challenge: cycling from Cork to Everest Base Camp to raise funds for the Children's Unit at Cork University Hospital. Be sure to follow him on instagram - @roaminwithcronin and you can check out his fundraiser here.
Other guests mentioned in this Episode:
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music21 March 2026, 6:00 am - 28 minutes 18 secondsThree Months Cycling Europe Every Year: How Alison Fullerton Does It
What does it actually take to spend three months a year cycle touring through Europe? This week, Alison Fullerton shares how she and her husband make it happen every single year . She talks about the budgeting, the fitness worries, the accommodation, navigating trains with bikes, and the mindset that has turned their bike adventure dreams into a yearly reality.
The thing I love is that Alison and her husband are retirees and they are making this work for them, but her tips are relevant regardless of your age
If you've been telling yourself a big cycling adventure isn't possible yet, or isn't possible anymore, Alison's story might just change your mind.
Follow Alison on Instagram: @loose.spokes
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music17 March 2026, 6:00 am - 1 hour 24 minutesCycling Iceland’s Ring Road with Skis on Your Bike: Cody Cirillo
What happens when you strap skis to a loaded bike and set off to cycle 1,700 kilometres around Iceland in winter? Skier and filmmaker Cody Cirillo did exactly that on a trip he took with his good friend. What's more he also documented the whole experience in his film A Hundred Words for Wind.
Cody is a professional skier who's chased remote lines in Mongolia, Morocco, and Iceland. In recent years he's started cycling to his ski terrain instead of driving, something we have called ski bikepacking. Using human powered forms of travel has now completely changed how he experiences the places he travels through.
In this episode we cover:
- How ski bikepacking started — including his first trip from Telluride to Utah, off the couch, on a wobbly Walmart rack
- Iceland's Ring Road in winter : The brutal crosswinds, iced roads, blizzards, and dealing with it on 50kg loaded bikes
- Tips and tricks for surviving headwinds when skis add extra sail area?
- Breaking eight ribs, a scapula, and puncturing a lung weeks before departure and why Cody went anyway
- The vinarbröð, hot dogs, Snickers, and tortellini that held the whole thing together
- What it feels like to park your bike roadside, hike for hours in ski boots, and ski a line down to the ocean
- How going slowly created the human connections that made the trip
- Turning a 40-day expedition into a film — and why that was harder than the riding
**Links:**
- Cody on YouTube and also Instagram - @Cody.Cir
- A Hundred Words for Wind — Cody's documentary
- Steph Devery's ski bikepacking episode
Check out Old Man Mountain's new Manzanita Handlebar Cradle
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
Follow us on Social Media!
- Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
- Facebook - Seek Travel Ride
- YouTube - @SeekTravelRide
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music14 March 2026, 6:00 am - 29 minutes 40 secondsCycling Japan and Korea: Bears, Hiroshima and a Solo Round the World Bike Tour
Ever camped in bear country in Japan? Brian Sampson has. This is his second update from his mission to cycle every destination in 1000 Places to See Before You Die.
In this episode Brian shares stories from cycling through Japan, including encounters with bears and wild boars. He also shares his experiences exploring the Hiroshima Peace Museum. From Japan Brian crossed into South Korea, where herides the famous Four Rivers trail and shares the buzz of cycling in the huge city of Seoul.
Brian is now heading into China. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss what happens next. You can follow his journey on Instagram at @brian.sampson4 and his blog.
If Japan or Korea are on your cycling bucket list, you might also love Terri Jockerst's book Biking to Busan, her nine-month solo ride through Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
And if you haven't seen it yet, come ride with me, Claire Wyatt and Marta Ballús in the Pyrenees over on the Seek Travel Ride YouTube channel.
Check out Old Man Mountain's new Manzanita Handlebar Cradle
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
Follow us on Social Media!
- Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
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- YouTube - @SeekTravelRide
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music10 March 2026, 6:00 am - 1 hour 27 minutesShe Cycled 4,500km Around the UK to Play Every Single Gig: Sarah Small
What would it look like to tour a concert by bicycle?
Sarah Small is a viola da gamba player who did exactly that. Between May and July, she rode across the UK with her instrument on the bike, playing concerts in village halls, churches, community spaces, and remote locations. Along coastlines, across islands, as far north as the Hebridean Way and the Shetland Islands, bringing live music to places that rarely see it, under her own steam.
We talk about the logistics of carrying a fragile instrument by bike, the warmth and generosity Sarah encountered when she arrived having ridden to get there, and why taking music to people rather than the other way around changes something about the experience. We also get into sustainable travel, what cycle touring does to your sense of self, and that particular hit of confidence you didn't know you needed until a bike adventure handed it to you.
Sarah also shares her experience using low-impact transport options, including the SailLink ferry between the UK and France.
You can follow Sarah's future adventures via her instagram - @SmallSarah
Check out Old Man Mountain's new Manzanita Handlebar Cradle
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
Follow us on Social Media!
- Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music7 March 2026, 6:00 am - 27 minutes 3 secondsCycling Scotland to China via the Silk Road | Helen Watson
Imagine cycling from Glasgow to China for your honeymoon! Well that's exactly what guest Helen Watson did with her husband Ed, back in 2010. That extended honeymoon turned into a huge 15-month adventure across Europe, the Balkans, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and into western China.
Helen gives us an insight into what it's like to use cycling as a way of moving slowly through cultures, and about what it feels like to experience places that are often reduced to headlines. She shares powerful stories of hospitality in Iran and Syria, including an experience which left her husband needing treatment in a Tehran hospital.
Helen has recently published a book about this journey, Tea and Grit: A Bicycle Journey Along the Silk Road
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Old Man Mountain
Big thanks to Old Man Mountain for supporting this episode of Seek Travel Ride.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
Follow us on Social Media!
- Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music3 March 2026, 6:00 am - 1 hour 44 minutesCycling Vietnam to the UK: A Year on the Road | Matt Whitley
What is it really like to cycle solo from Vietnam to the UK?
In this episode, I’m joined by cyclist Matt Whitley, who set off from Ho Chi Minh City in March 2025 to ride home to the UK. Nearly a year into the journey, Matt shares stories from riding solo across the Tibetan Plateau, Central Asia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Europe.
We talk about the intensity that comes with taking long-distance bike travel, choosing the remote mountain routes, managing mechanical issues when you are far from help, as well as how Matt was able to share parts of the journey with his Dad and sister.
Be sure to follow Matt via his instagram - @Matty.Travelz
Check out Old Man Mountain's new Manzanita Handlebar Cradle
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
Follow us on Social Media!
- Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music28 February 2026, 6:00 am - 35 minutes 31 secondsBikepacking the South Island of New Zealand | Rebecca Gross
Ever wanted to cycle the South Island of New Zealand?
Rebecca Gross shares an honest update from her time bikepacking the South Island. It was a bikepacking trip shaped by relentless rain and freezing summer temperatures. This led to long days of riding chasing weather windows that would allow for side quests such as hiking around Mount Cook. From Te Araroa sections and west coast gravel to the high mountains around Mount Cook, the final days of riding saw her and partner Javi ride into Paradise near Queenstown.
A must listen if cycling in New Zealand on the South Island is on your own bucket list.
Be sure to give Rebecca a follow via her instagram - @Rebecca_Grb
Check out Old Man Mountain's new Manzanita Handlebar Cradle
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
Follow us on Social Media!
- Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music24 February 2026, 6:00 am - 1 hour 42 minutesUltra Cycling with Lotti Power: Racing, Training and Life Beyond the Start Line
Ultra cyclist Lotti Power has completed the Atlas Mountain Race, the Hellenic Mountain Race, and the Silk Road Mountain Race in a single season. Often the youngest rider on the start line, Lotti did not come into ultra cycling through a traditional racing background. Instead she embraces the idea of learning by doing and it has to be said it has served her well!
Lotti first came into long distance riding through the world of Audax. What began with brevets and Paris Brest Paris quickly opened the door to much bigger ideas, She signe up for the Transcontinental and decided to take race the Trans Pyrenees as a team of two with her dad as preparation!
Since that she has gradually pushed herself into taking on more remote and demanding terrain.
A defining part of Lotti’s story is how she travels. She rides to start lines, carries a minimal setup, often sleeps without a tent, and makes decisions as she goes. That choice shapes how she trains, how she approaches events, and how she responds when things get complicated, whether that is punctures, heat, long stretches of desert, or the mental weight of being far away from friends and family.
In this conversation, we talk about learning ultra cycling by doing it, standing on a podium she never expected, and trusting herself in situations where there is no clear plan. Lotti shares how riding to events has influenced every part of her racing, and why she believes motivation and time matter more than experience or labels.
Be sure to follow Lotti via her instagram - @LottiPower
Check out Old Man Mountain's new Manzanita Handlebar Cradle
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
Follow us on Social Media!
- Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
- Facebook - Seek Travel Ride
- YouTube - @SeekTravelRide
Leave me a voicemail message
Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music21 February 2026, 6:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App