A Time Of Birds: Cycling Across Europe To Istanbul With Helen Moat

Would you cycle across Europe on a ‘sit up and beg’ bike with little experience and no map reading skills? Helen Moat talks about how her adventure unfolded in an inspiring interview that will have you reaching for the guide books and considering where you could travel next.

Helen Moat is an author and freelance travel writer for Wanderlust and BBC Countryfile, originally from Northern Ireland. Today we’re talking about her latest book, A Time of Birds: Reflections on Cycling Across Europe.

Show notes

• Making the decision to plan a cycling trip without much experience
• Taking time to enjoy the journey
• Starting off on the flats near the Danube and the Rhine
• Restoring one’s faith in humanity by staying with strangers while couch surfing
• Facing fears about the journey
• Choosing the wrong bike for the ride
• Slow travel and seeing the world from the seat of a bicycle
• Travel as a time of healing

You can find Helen Moat at her website here and her books on Amazon.

Transcript of the interview

Joanna: Helen Moat is an author and freelance travel writer for Wanderlust and BBC Countryfile, originally from Northern Ireland. Today we’re talking about her latest book, A Time of Birds: Reflections on Cycling Across Europe. Welcome, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Jo. It’s good to talk to you.

Joanna: Thanks for coming on. So the book is about cycling to Istanbul with your son, which is super adventurous.

Why did you decide to take this trip? What led to it?

Helen: I think it was a moment of pure madness to tell you the truth. And actually, when I first had the idea, I mentioned it to my brother who really is an excellent cyclist. And actually, at that point, I didn’t really cycle, I like walking but I never cycled.

When I told him that I was planning to cycle the Istanbul, he looked really puzzled and he said, ‘But Helen, you’re a walker, you’re not a cyclist.’ But I had read a book by a guy called Nick Kant, who had walked to Istanbul in the footsteps of Patrick Leigh Fermor. And I thought, ‘I’d really love to do that.’

I was in a job I wasn’t very happy in but I couldn’t leave at that point but imagined it was something that would keep me going. And maybe three years down the line, I could take off and do this trip. And I figured that walking would take too long. So I decided, ‘Yes, I’ll cycle it.’ So that was the reason why I decided to do this trip, and a midlife crisis, I think.

Joanna: It was interesting that you went with your son though in the end. You mentioned your brother there.

How come you ended up going with your son? And how was that, because doing things with family can be good and bad!

Helen: First of all, I’m quite a sociable person. So I didn’t really fancy doing it by myself. I’m not that adventurous. But secondly, I’m really rubbish at reading maps, and so my son is just brilliant. So he was actually 15 when I first mentioned it, and I said, ‘Yeah, would you cycle to Istanbul with me?’

And like any other 15-year-old, he said, ‘Yes, okay,’ thinking it would never happen. And then when he left school at 18, I mentioned it again, and he’s such a lovely guy because he had made this promise to me, he decided he would keep it. He just didn’t tell any of his friends he was going cycling with his mum because that wasn’t cool.

Joanna: I can imagine!

How long did it take you?

Helen: Well, to be quite honest, a long time, it took us three-and-a-half months. But I did a degree in German at school, so I had friends in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. So we really took our time and we made sure we looked up the sights along the way.

We stayed with friends for a few days. So I really doddled, going really slow but that’s the way to cycle as far as I’m concerned.

Joanna: Absolutely. So let’s think about some of the highlights because three-and-a-half months, I imagine a lot of it was just pedaling.

Crossing the Austrian Danube. Photo By Helen Moat

What are some of the highlights or things that surprised you along the way?

Helen: We left on the 1st of May, right at the beginning of spring, well, not right at the beginning, but close to the b...