What’s the best thing about living on Hayling Island?

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

I’d say there’s nothing to beat cycling home over the bridge, with the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. Try it! And if you commute off the island by car, why not try it with a split car-share?

What’s a split car-share? Car-sharing is great in theory, often easier in the morning, but much harder to co-ordinate coming home. So why not split it? Share in the morning, and put a folding bike in the boot to cycle home!

You’ll go green, cut traffic and get fit. And the money you save on the car will pay for the folding bike in no time. If riding over that bridge doesn’t put a broad smile on your face, then I’m afraid you are beyond help. See the rest of our web site for more info.

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Take the Cathedral Challenge

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.

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Save money – ride a bike you’ve serviced yourself

This is the article we submitted for the March 2018 edition of the Hayling Islander, with some additional photos and videos. 

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.

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Time to get your bike ready for spring

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.

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Ride a bike to get fit and burn off some of those Christmas calories

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.

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Are you 55 or over?

According to the Hayling Islander, Havant Borough Council has been awarded a £147,000 grant from the National Lottery’s Sport England to promote sporting activities by residents aged 55 or older.

HBC is looking to find out from you what kind of activities it should support. If you are in that age category and would like to see HBC help you get into cycling or other sporting activities, please complete their questionnaire.

Hop on the Hayling Ferry with your bike

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.

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Hayling Island traffic consultation

Havant Borough Council is conducting a short consultation about traffic on Hayling Island. This includes a section about cycling and a specific question about use of an all-weather surface for the Billy Trail.

You can get printed copies of the questionnaire at the library or the community centre, or you can complete the survey (which is just 21 questions) online at www.havant.gov.uk/hayling-survey.

Completed surveys have to be in by 10th December.

Get on a bike and get in your smile-miles

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.

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Portsmouth commits to 10% of transport budget on cycling

Portsmouth City Council has just voted to commit at least 10% of its local transport budget to cycling. It’s a real watershed moment. 

Many of us cycle in Portsmouth. Being flat and a student city, it’s big on cycling and has pretty good cycle infrastructure (compared to Hayling, Havant and the surrounding area). But it’s also pretty big on accidents, so there’s lots more to do.

It’s a tribute to the tireless campaigning of PompeyBug, the Bicycle User Group, also known as Portsmouth Cycle Forum. And to Cycling UK – our national team was heavily involved, so it’s great to see what our subscriptions help to pay for.

If you want to see Havant and Hampshire commit to the same, just sign up here (it’s free!).

More details at: www.cyclinguk.org/blog/watershed-moment-portsmouth-council-back-space-cycling . Well worth reading.

Our local Cycling UK branch has many members in and around Portsmouth, (although we mostly ride from Havant). We’ll be holding the council to it, and making sure it leads to real improvements in cycling, not just a spinning class 🙂