The aeroplane and the U-turn…

I don’t fly. Haven’t done for years. It’s not that I don’t like flying; quite the opposite really as I believe the aeroplane is one of mankind’s most incredible achievements. I’ve adored and been in awe of them since I was a child. I can still recall the reverberations in my chest as the Vulcan’s shadow swept over us at one of Barton’s many airshows; whilst the excitement of my first trip on a passenger jet remains a vivid memory*. I never fail to be moved by the sound of a Rolls Royce Merlin, and almost weep with emotion when I see, hear and feel Typhoons ripping through Lakeland valleys.

So what’s the problem? The environment. Air travel dumps so much CO2 and pollutants in to the atmosphere. Even vapour trails are contributing to global warming. I know that cruise ships emit even greater amounts of CO2, but not many people take multiple cruises each year. And of course I still drive a car and ride a motorcycle… but air travel seemed avoidable for me. Not that I have anything against those who fly regularly, but we are lucky to live in such privileged times and I do think we should understand the impact our travel has on the environment and our changing climate.

But hey, here I am in Mallorca, and it’s not like I swam here! I thought long and hard about this; I didn’t really want to fly, but there are things I want to see and do and, with not knowing how long I’ll stay well for, I do have a sense of urgency to do these things. I was thinking of riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats, or maybe the Wild Atlantic Way, but it was likely to be cold and wet in early March. My body really needed some sunshine and vitamins; not rain and cold. So a few clicks later and I was booked on to a cycle training camp in Mallorca. Not even Boris Johnson found U-turns this easy 🙂

*It was during the summer of 1978 when a 10 year-old Andy and his beloved Nan boarded the Super One-Eleven to Zurich.