'Riding Out' by Simon Parker: A spoiler-free book review

'Riding Out' by Simon Parker is actually the first cycling-focused book that I have ever read. As someone who is based in the UK and is keen to read other people's experiences of cycling and bikepacking around the country, this book caught my eye.

Official synopsis

The remarkable and inspirational true story of how one man battled grief and anxiety, one pedal stroke at a time, on a 3,500-mile adventure around Britain

In March 2020, as Britain entered its first lockdown, Simon Parker's life fell apart; his travel journalism career vanished overnight and shortly afterwards he received the tragic news that a close friend had died. With a long-suppressed anxiety disorder starting to rear its head, he turned to the only therapies he knew and trusted: travel and exercise.

Setting off on his bike from the northernmost point of Shetland with only a sleeping bag and a camping stove, Simon would end up cycling 3,427 miles around Britain. En route, he would meet hundreds of resilient Britons, who were all, in their own way, riding out the storm just like he was. Even in his gloomiest moments he began to see that a chink of light was never too far away.

Riding Out is a story of optimism and hope, and a ground-level portrait of Britain as it transforms from a country in crisis to a nation on the mend. From Shetland to the Scillies, Dover to Durness, Simon learns that life's sharpest corners are best navigated at the gentle pace of a bicycle.

About the author

Simon Parker is an Oxfordshire-based travel writer, newspaper columnist and broadcaster who has reported from over 100 countries. He’s sailed and cycled from China to London for the BBC, cycled the length of Scandinavia for Amazon Prime, and hiked every known route to Machu Picchu for The Telegraph.

My review of 'Riding Out'

The main reason for picking up the book in the first place is because I wanted something that touches on bikepacking, focuses on biking and nature and it's based within the UK. I was also in a mood for a real-life story that has a bit of story-telling and takes you on a journey, literally and figuratively speaking. It also helps that it touches on mental health, which is one big factor on why I started to cycle more.

This book fits the bill.

I have hankering to try out bikepacking one day, obviously on a smaller scale than what Parker accounted in this book, which is cycling the length and breadth of the entire United Kingdom.

As a successful travel journalist, his career came to halt when the first COVID-19 lockdown was announced in March 2020. During that time, Simon Parker was overwhelmed with anxiety and the only thin he could think of doing is to hit the road on wheels by going on from the northernmost point of the Shetland Islands, Muckle Flugga lighthouse, towards Lands’ End.

I'm in awe of anyone who does this. Since I felt like I'm on the journey with him, I felt his pain, visited many places and sold many places to me that I'd like to visit. But also how much your body has to go through in order to survive the hardships and challenges that comes along the way. It's a remarkable physical feat

The book also reminded me of my own mental health struggles and how I depend on my bike to overcome. Not to mention a reminder of how difficult it was to go through the lockdowns that we all had to live through and find our own coping mechanisms along the way. It turns out that "lockdown bikes" or "lockdown cyclists" were a thing, presumably to help get through the periods of extreme hardships during the pandemic.

What you don't get from this book is an equipment list or a step-by-step guide on how to travel across the UK. It's more about the feeling of being on the bike with him and the combination of pleasures and challenges that comes with it. There are some honest discussions about the mental health struggles and griefs that he has faced. He was very open about those personal moments.

It's also really sad to hear about how parts of the UK were abused by tourists. For example, the NC500 route in Scotland has exploded in popularity in recent years. On the one hand, it's great for local economy and to promote the country while showcasing its outstanding beauty. On the other hand, the infrastructure is not equipped to deal with it, many people did not follow the "leave no traces" rules that exists in Scotland, local people have suffered because of neglect from local authorities and toursts, and it created heavy traffic full of larger than necessary mobile homes.

But there are also some heart-warming moments like how many people have been following his progress and then offering hospitality to him.

Verdict and rating

I'm not sure if I will ever have the gut to do something like this (I'm guessing most people think the same). But reading the book has allowed me to be on a journey with him and understand what it took for him to do it. It may sound adventurous and somewhat glamorous. But it's not without its extreme low and difficult points.

But I love the fact that he was very raw and open about his mental health struggles, the pains and hardships that he faced in his journey, the extreme joy that came alongside it, and the high and lows of bikepacking across the UK. It's a really enjoyable read without being too strenuous or dry to follow.

I've read a few travel books in my time and this is one of the better ones out there as it's not dry and drags on. It probably helps that the author is a professional travel journalist, which gives him a significant competitive advantage.

4/5 stars - ★★★★☆