Category: Hayling Islander articles

This is the article we submitted for the April edition of the Hayling Islander. The published article was subject to editing by the Islander.

Spring has sprung! What better way to banish those winter blues and get fresh air and exercise than a bit of cycling?

Did you know Havant has one of the best cycle touring clubs in the country? If you have a bike and reasonable confidence riding on roads, our Cathedral Challenge rides are a great introduction.

They’re friendly, led by experienced ride leaders, and they’re not races – we don’t leave people behind. Last year our oldest rider was 84 and our youngest was 11.

Continue reading “Take the Cathedral Challenge”

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This is the article we submitted for the March edition of the Hayling Islander. The published article was subject to editing by the Islander.

It’s common knowledge that cycling can boost your health. It’s 20 times more likely to benefit you than not. But it can also boost your wealth, by replacing car, bus or gym costs.

If you have a bike, you can start saving today. But even if you don’t, with new bikes starting from £100, it could pay for itself in no time.

Continue reading “Save money – ride a bike you’ve serviced yourself”

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This is the article we submitted for the February edition of the Hayling Islander. The published article was subject to editing by the Islander.

Spring is not that far away. Will your bike be ready? Winter is tough on bikes, whether you ride them or they’re sitting idle. Rain and salt on the roads plays havoc with the chain, gears and other metal parts. Tyres go soft.

If you haven’t checked yours for a while, now is a good time to think about servicing it. It’s easier than ever to do it yourself. The Cycle Hayling website ‘Get Cycling‘ menu offers help, or you can use YouTube.

Continue reading “Time to get your bike ready for spring”

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This is the article we submitted for the January edition of the Hayling Islander. The published article was subject to editing by the Islander.

A New Year, time for New Year Resolutions. Riding a bike is a great way to get fit for the new year, and burn off some of those Christmas calories.

Winter sales are a good time to pick up a bargain bike – don’t wait until spring. You really don’t need to spend a lot of money. For everyday cycling on a flat island, a cheap bike will get you there almost as fast. And you won’t be so worried about it being stolen.

Continue reading “Ride a bike to get fit and burn off some of those Christmas calories”

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This is the article we submitted for the December edition of the Hayling Islander. The published article was subject to editing by the Islander.

Congratulations to Colin Hill and the Hayling Ferry for winning Havant Small Business of the Year, and Greatest Contribution to the Community. Very well deserved.

A bike over the ferry is the perfect way to get to Portsmouth, and when I’ve used it recently, it’s always been full of cyclists. It’s a lovely ride along Hayling and Southsea sea fronts, and pretty safe.

A huge factor in its success has been sticking to the timetable, so you can be sure of making an appointment.

Continue reading “Hop on the Hayling Ferry with your bike”

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This is the article we submitted for the November edition of the Hayling Islander. The published article was subject to editing by the Islander.

Did anyone go to the Portsmouth Glow Ride in October? Hundreds of cyclists, from age 3 upwards, cycling along a Southsea seafront closed to traffic, just after sunset, with bikes lit up like Christmas trees. Lots of kids and families. Magical! Lots of smile-miles that evening. And back before the ferry stops. Do try it next year.

If you’d like to cycle around the island, but are put off by the busy roads, don’t assume you have to ride the same route you’d drive. Take a look at a street map. Hayling is crammed full of quieter roads that often run parallel to the ones we drive on. Quieter means safer, more enjoyable and more smile-miles.

Continue reading “Get on a bike and get in your smile-miles”

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This is the article we submitted for the October edition of the Hayling Islander. The published article was subject to editing by the Islander.

If you have a child at Mengham Junior School, they’ll have seen Cycle Hayling run their school assembly at the start of their Bikeability training week.

We were delighted to see so many children walking and cycling to school, and that the school is already ‘Silver’ in the national sustainable travel scheme, Modeshift STARS, modeshiftstars.org.

Please do encourage your children to help the school get to ‘Gold’.

Continue reading “Let’s encourage our kids to cycle to school”

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This is the article we submitted for the September edition of the Hayling Islander. The published article was subject to editing by the Islander.

Thanks to all the Cycle Hayling supporters and newbies who braved the strong winds for our social ride on the evening Friday 19^th August. We started and finished at the Olive Leaf, as the wind was too strong to make it to the Ferry Boat. A great chance to meet up and chat, and welcome our new supporters.

Autumn can be a great time to cycle – it’s a bit cooler for a start. If you’ve ridden your bike this summer, keep on pedaling – it’s a great way to keep in shape and get fresh air. Here are some ideas to fit cycling into your busy schedule.

Continue reading “Beat the traffic – ride to school or work!”

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You may have seen Cycle Hayling’s monthly column in the Hayling Islander free newspaper. We’ve been doing it since October 2016. If you didn’t see the originals in the paper, here’s our back catalogue. They’re as published – I’m afraid they do edit and cut our copy to fit space available and their editorial preferences, but hey, it’s still good exposure for cycling.
Continue reading “Cycle Hayling in the Hayling Islander free newspaper”

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