A Russian national living in Derry hit the road recently to travel 350 kilometres through England by bicycle.
Ildar Galimov has lived in the city for the past four months. But rather than spend the summer here, he decided to head off grid.
Ildar put the wheels in motion and embarked on a one-man adventure which saw him cycle and camp first in Liverpool before shifting gears for Manchester, Sheffield and finally Birmingham.
Due to his limited financial means he had to be completely self-sufficient. So he took with him a small array of pots which enabled him to cook and wash.
Following his return to Derry, Ildar said, “I wanted to do something that would be good for my health and where there would be beautiful views.
“Each evening I chose a safe place near water and near trees where I knew there would be no problems. And there weren’t any problems. I was ready for any dangers that might come up but thankfully none did.”
Meals consisted of things that could be cooked with relative ease like potatoes. Wild fruits like blackberries and raspberries also formed part of his diet as did avocadoes and bread which he purchased when the opportunity arose.
The only hiccup Ildar encountered on his lone odyssey was a broken bicycle chain. But even that proved to be a minor hurdle thanks to some local generosity.
“At one stage the chain on my bike snapped and I ended up walking 15 kilometres. But someone saw me and asked if they could help. There was a lot of that along the way, people being friendly and helpful.
Ildar’s travelling companion, his trusty bicycle.
“It was a beautiful trip and to wake up in the morning and look out of my tent at the lovely mornings and to cook in the wild along the rivers, it was very special.”
Another sunset on another day on a magical journey.
