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This blog was set up to record memories of our cycle trip from Iceland to Greece and Morocco over seven months from  July 2015.  We’re now expanding it to record some memories of other adventures – including hiking the Jordan Trail in 2024.

Our cycle through europe was our first big cycle trip, and, to be honest, we had no idea what we were in for when we started out. Neither of us had ever attempted anything like this before, and Alli had barely ridden a bike since she was a child. When we talked to people at home in Australia, they thought we were crazy, and I think few thought we’d make it.

It was incredibly challenging, both mentally and physically, but probably the best thing we’ve ever done. The people, the landscapes, the cultural experiences and the sheer simplicity of life on the road had us addicted.

We called the site 4ks an hour. Why? Firstly, because when we started preparing for the trip we took our bikes out for a few fully-loaded overnight tours. Not surprisingly, progress was slow. On one particular weekend away we spent a whole day cycling up steep hills on gravel roads, peddling not much more than 4ks an hour. This wasn’t particularly good for morale, so we turned it into a bit of a joke. The second reason is because our intention was to take seven months off and take the time to really see things… we wanted to take it slowly, meet people, breathe in the landscapes and the towns, and give ourselves the flexibility to see where the journey took us.

We set up the blog so that we could keep a record of the journey for ourselves, but we hope you might enjoy reading it as well!

How to navigate?

There are a few options for navigating around the site:

  • The ‘latest blog’ page is pretty self explanatory.  It will show the most recent post at the top of the page, and you can scroll to the bottom to see older posts.
  • Click on one of the recent posts that show up on the left hand menu, then navigate to posts before and after by clicking the ‘previous post’ or ‘next post’ at the bottom of the entry.
  • See posts on Pastries, specific countries or on random stuff using the main menu.
  • Choose a date on the calendar to see the entries posted on that day (days with a post will show up as orange).

16 thoughts on “Home”

  1. I like the name. I remember being down about 9kms an hour from Bangkok to Cambodia when we were unfit after Olive died. No hills, flat narrow road but a strong headwind. And yes it gets better.

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    1. A map??? I’m just getting the hang of the blog. We’d like to add a map eventually, but our tech skills need to improve a little first!

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    1. Machines are up and running. The elephant didn’t make it, but we managed to pick a pair of hippopotamuses! The camper trailer is a treat, although a little squishy with the hippos, wine collection and 50kgs of pastries.

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  5. Hey guys! Just spent an hour in a coffee shop using your blog as an excuse not to go back out in the rain…. Love it! Particularly the entire category dedicated to pastries (matts idea per chance?). Hope things are still going smoothly and those hot tubs in hofn (or hof-*hiccup*) were everything you hoped they’d be!! I will be a devout follower for the next 6.5 months- as a thank you for introducing me to dried pancake mix.
    All the best!!
    – that Canadian you couldn’t get rid of.

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    1. Hey Serena. Glad we gave you an excuse to stay warm for a little longer! And yes – pastry blog is definitely matt’s baby. We’ve just spent some very wet days in the East fiords. Hoping you’re doing better in the Myvatn hot springs.

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    2. Hey Serena, hope your weather is better than ours. Our tent is currently sitting in a large pool of water and it’s still raining. Despite this we’re still hanging in and having a good time. We spent today in the pool at Eskifjörður soaking in a hot tub and trying to forget how wet and cold the camp site is!

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  6. hello my best friend iam from morocco do you remember when i meet you before in my small village igherm with your wife by bicycle frankly you are adventure people because you travel from australia to morocco finaly iwill meet you next time if you want bye bye

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  7. Hi Guys, thanks fopr buying the spoon today. The useful guy to look at is expertvagabond.com (Matthew Karsten) Nice guy. Now based in LA with his new wife.Cheers Matt (AKA spoonguy.au)
    Also see link

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Tales of our cycle touring and hiking adventures