Allie and Roger

I met Allie and Roger in December when I was Cycle touring on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. One of the first things that I noticed about them was that they had a very small Trangia (camping cook set). My trangia is suited for 3 – 4 people whereas theirs was for 1 – 2 people. When I originally bought my trangia I really didn’t think, the larger trangia was cheaper than the smaller one, so I went for the cheapest which has quite basically meant that I’ve been lugging cookware around with me that is just far too big for me and it just takes up too much space.

So I started to wonder whether I could do a swap with them. Luckily Allie and Roger were thinking the same as their Trangia was far too small for them. Allie and Roger are actually originally from Derbyshire and so we’ll be able to swap pots around when we all get back to the UK.

It was fun riding with them, they are such lovely people. I got to spend Christmas Day with them. They started their cycle tour in New Zealand and they cycled the whole length of the country. They’re actually on a tandem so I spent most of my time envious of the extra pair of legs that they had on one bike, they are speedy. I did try drafting them one day and gave up after a short while and met up with them in the evenings. They are also extremely minimal with what they’re carrying, so another thing that I was envious of.

They are on a world tour for a year. New Zealand was their first stop. I got to catch up with them again when they arrived in Auckland before flying to Chile. They haven’t planned anything yet for after Chile. How cool is that? Central and South American countries are great as most do not require proof that you are leaving the country at the end of your visa, so no need for an onward ticket, another thing that I’m envious of, at the moment I’m visiting countries that need an onward ticket.