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Steve Roach
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Cycles, Tents and Two Young Gents Kindle Edition

by Steve Roach (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 out of 5 stars 69 ratings
Cycles, Tents and Two Young Gents
A Continental Adventure

Two friends embark upon an expedition through France, cycling from Cherbourg to Perpignan. Over the course of almost 1500 kilometres, they battle through the relentless heat and encounter vampire flies, angry restaurant proprietors and a host of European characters that have made France their playground for the Summer.

Along the way, they also contend with a rapidly diminishing cash supply, numerous dodgy camp sites and encounters with various French nutters. They are also forced to deal with perhaps the most difficult obstacle of all - each other!

A test of friendship and endurance, ‘Cycles, Tents and Two Young Gents’ puts you right alongside the hardy adventurers as they complete their grueling journey – the only difference is you won’t finish the expedition with saddle sores and an empty bank account!

This book is available as part of the collected travel writing of Steve Roach – the large format deluxe illustrated paperback ‘Terra Firma Travels’ is now available on Amazon, featuring the following four books all bundled together:
:
Cycles, Tents and Two Young Gents
STEP IT UP!
Next Time, We’re Flying Somewhere Sunny
Mountains, Lochs and Lonely Spots


About the author:
Steve Roach works in multiple genres including travel writing, fiction and illustrated children's books (with artist Simon Schild). With a large selection of books garnering impressive reviews, Steve's output is diverse, sometimes thought-provoking, entertaining and always interesting.

Working within the Independent market gives Steve the freedom to explore some unusual ideas and avoid being pigeon-holed. Without the marketing resources of a mainstream publisher, readers have to search out Steve's work but once they have they usually stick around to see what's coming next. A number of Steve's books have reached the #1 spot in the bestseller charts on Amazon in their respective categories. During the last 3 years, nearly 50,000 people have read his work. For an 'indie' author, this is a tremendous achievement.

www.steveroach.co.uk
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  1. Print length
    177 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    16 July 2011
  4. File size
    784 KB
  5. Page Flip
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  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005D5CLFY
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 784 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 177 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    3.7 out of 5 stars 69 ratings

About the author

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Steve Roach

Steve Roach

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I’m a Worcester, UK based author with books in a number of genres including horror fiction, micro street art, retro gaming, travelogues and illustrated children’s books. I have over 200 four-star and five-star reviews for my books on Amazon. For an independent writer, I feel that’s a decent achievement.

My travel books are light-hearted and fun, covering such journeys as a three-month road trip around North America, a grand tour of Europe in a VW Campervan and a month-long cycling trip through France from Cherbourg to Perpignan. They bring the ‘get-up-and-go’ attitude to travel and represent the sort of experiences ordinary people have when doing similar things. I have no production company behind me, no personal assistants to organise meetings or events in advance – I just get in a campervan, or get on a pushbike and go, and then tell you what happens.

My fiction is usually quite dark, often with horror elements. My period fiction (such as ‘The Whaler’, or the ‘New Orleans Trilogy’ which was set during the days before, during and after the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster) usually involve intense bouts of research to bring in authentic background details.

I’ve also written children's books, working in collaboration with the late artist Simon Schild.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
69 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this travel book highly amusing and a great holiday read. The writing quality receives mixed feedback, with some finding it easy to read while others criticize the writing. Customers appreciate the book's pacing, with one noting how it pulls on youthful memories.

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27 customers mention ‘Enjoyment’27 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly amusing and entertaining, describing it as one of the funniest travel memoirs they've read.

"This book is like a breath of fresh air, funny and easy to read. I will certainly be looking at other books by the same author...." Read more

"...Some of their experiences - and petty squabbles - are highly amusing but the book concentrates a bit too much on this aspect of the journey and..." Read more

"...From the first to the last, every single page was a thrilling read and full of life. I wish there had been more of it...." Read more

"A fantastic read from start to finish.Not overly informative on the cycling front but thats not what this book is about...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Ease of use’3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to use, with one mentioning it's hard to put down.

"...For me, this was a nice, easy, holiday read." Read more

"Easy book to pick and put down and I really enjoyed it. There didnt seem to much if any planning about this trip and I think it adds to the tale...." Read more

"Easy to pick up and hard to put down. Read like it was one of my own holiday adventures (disasters)" Read more

3 customers mention ‘Pacing’3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one describing it as a light-hearted tale that evokes youthful memories.

"...the first to the last, every single page was a thrilling read and full of life. I wish there had been more of it...." Read more

"...There are fall laugh out loud moments and it also pulled on my youthful memories and I ended up wishing it was me telling the story...." Read more

"This is not a serious travel book - but a light hearted tale of a real blokey trip across France. It made me laugh several times...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Writing quality’4 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book, with some finding it easy to read while others describe it as bad.

"This book is like a breath of fresh air, funny and easy to read. I will certainly be looking at other books by the same author...." Read more

"its a shame its sooo badly written. its like its been written by a ten year old. i was enjoying the story though. i just had to give up" Read more

"...I was not disappointed. This is an easy to read book, although in places feels that you are reading Steve's travel diary rather than an..." Read more

"...This is a poor example in each case. The prose is also very laboured...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Amarilla
    5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommended
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 August 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book is like a breath of fresh air, funny and easy to read. I will certainly be looking at other books by the same author. Some travel books try to be funny or try to be informative about places or try to be like other authors or too professional in their writing style, but this book is light hearted and entertaining in it's simplicity. Simply it is about two young men on a cycle adventure across France. The character of the author shows through in way that is very honest and not at all pretentious, one can't help but like the young men. The author could certainly make a living from travel writing and I would not hesitate to sign him up if I were a publisher of books or travel magazine. I urge Steve Roach to never stop writing.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Simon McCool
    4.0 out of 5 stars What a great read, never though it would be this good.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 November 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I bought this book as I have recently got back into cycling and thought it would have some inspiration for my planned trips. I was not disappointed.

    This is an easy to read book, although in places feels that you are reading Steve's travel diary rather than an edited story.

    The main characters are a classic odd couple and as Steve writes he makes no excuses for the differences between himself and J.

    The story is based around an ambitious plan to cycle from Cherbourg in northern France to Barcelona in Spain, with a trip to Ibiza as a treat. The boys are unsupported have limited funds, basic equipment and on the surface a carefree attitude. Their appetite for fast food, cigarettes and beer (whiskey for J) are only outweighed by their tenacity to keep going and get as far as possible.

    One of the things I noticed was missing was details of the bikes, no detail on technical specification, performance or anything other than the fact that they are using bikes and they get a puncture or two. This is the essence of the story, it is not a travel guide it is an inspirational story with bicycles as a by-line.

    Steve's description of the places and people they meet is superb, France is a hard country to crack, and this story shows just how hard it can be.

    I loved Cycles Tents and Two Young Gents. I have travelled extensively in Europe, on bicycle, motorcycle and camper, and have experienced a lot of the things that Steve and J experienced.

    Read this book now, and forever be aware that when you travel you do not need to be guided just inspired.
    12 people found this helpful
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  • Bandersnatch
    3.0 out of 5 stars Funny but a little introspective
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 September 2011
    Verified Purchase
    An enjoyable read about two rather disorganised young men who plan to ride through France and Spain but only get as far as Perpignan. Some of their experiences - and petty squabbles - are highly amusing but the book concentrates a bit too much on this aspect of the journey and adds little to our knowledge of the fabulous countryside they pass through.

    An enjoyable lightweight read and reasonable value for money.
    5 people found this helpful
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  • Sue and Paul
    2.0 out of 5 stars petty and rather sad - no gents here
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I know I will get no 'was this helpful?' votes for this review but I found this book immature and boring.
    Travelled through France on a bicycle with a 'friend' the author hardly gives any details of the countryside he travels through, the people of France and the villages and towns he just ignores.
    His book quickly boils down to putting up his difficult tent, beer drinking, describing his companions bad habits - nose picking, feet picking, rabbit killing with a stone - just to see if he could (yes it angered me too), to the author's love of schoolboy wind-ups. Throwing each other's kit over a nearby fence turns into a full on nasty physical fist fight between the two. They then discover by cycling off early in the morning they can avoid paying campsite fees. Other than that it's all about locating pizza's for dinner or cooking up the 'horrible' french tinned food.
    Like the author, I love Bill Bryson and his dry, observant sense of humour, but sorry Steve hopefully your cringing behaviour may mature into more subtle humour and a more varied, insightful description of where you are travelling. This ended up a book about two little boys through France.
    I feel really sorry giving such a bad review but really wish I hadn't bothered buying this book.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Cyclist
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Stuff!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 November 2011
    Verified Purchase
    It has to be said that I am not an avid book reader. I'll buy a book, read a dozen or so pages, put it down and more or less forget about it. This however, was an entirely different story. This is my 3rd kindle purchase and I absolutely loved it. From the first to the last, every single page was a thrilling read and full of life. I wish there had been more of it. I laughed out loud more times than I can remember. After several years of not cycling, I am looking forward to a new bike early next year and I am planning on doing some minor touring myself. Its books like this that only make that dream more appealing. My hat's off to the gentlemen who did this tour and wrote about it. Buy it now! You wont be disappointed.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Author of Vic's Big Walk
    4.0 out of 5 stars Comparing Notes my Own Journey and Book
    Reviewed in the United States on 8 December 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I read a lot of travel books but must admit I bought this one because in many ways the trip made by these two young men was similar to my own. They cycled from the English Channel to Perpignan on the Mediterranean coast. I actually live not far from Perpignan and went the other way, to the Channel. They cycled, I walked. And while they abandoned their projected journey (to Spain) at Perpignan, I crossed the Channel and carried on walking to Northern England. They had no training and little planning for their trip, I trained for two years and walked in all a total of 17.5 million steps. My route was macro- and micro-planned.

    Perhaps the biggest difference between the two trips is that they seem to be barely out of their teens - Vic's Big Walk was planned to terminate on my 70th birthday.

    Our routes crossed in 2 places - one was Brantome, one of our favourite places in France, and Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, a place famous because a dismantled saint was allegedly reassembled there.

    One thing is clearly the same - we both wrote a book about our journey.

    The book is an entertaining read. But I wouldn't try it at home - if you want to do something like this, planning, preparation and training are essential.
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