After months of buying light and compact kit - it was time to test it. Home - through Brittany - and back.

David spent most of the winter 2019 researching lightweight and compact kit. A regular customer of https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk and Taunton Leisure. He had also got his touring bike in April but we had only managed a long weekend to friends in Leicestershire carrying a more decadent load of clothes, shoes and fizz! So a summer break to load the panniers properly, get camping and cover some distance was required. 

At this stage I didn't yet have my touring bike but that wasn't important because I won't be carrying much - and what I am could easily be attached to my summer bike. We set off from Bath and rode to the ferry terminal in Portsmouth for the overnight sailing to St Malo. After Pizza in Portsmouth and a couple go G&Ts it was to bed in our cabin. Rested we arrived in St Malo to glorious sunshine and set off for 130km cycling to our first camp site. Test erected and made homely within minutes followed by one pot haute cuisine (not sure this will be available on the Bolivian AltoPlano!). In total we spent 6 days in Brittany, cycling for 5 of them and arriving in Roscoff on Bastille day. We had cycled a fair way and were so tired we slept through the firework display. Next morning it was Roscoff to Plymouth, arriving early afternoon. We then cycled to the South Devon coast in time to see the final few overs of the New Zealand vs England World Cup Cricket Final. Needless to say not the relaxation required to prepare for the 100 miles home the next day! However, we made it. Glorious days of sunshine and cycling. Kit and bikes worked well. Humans were a little exhausted though. Need to keep the mileage to no more than 100km a riding day, with a rest one day out of three in South America - overdid it a little with over 900km in 8 days of cycling with only one rest day!