The humble bicycle: Passport to a lifetime of adventure

When Dervla Murphy was still a child, she was secretly planned a trip to India: “On my tenth birthday a bicycle and an atlas coincided as presents, and a few days later I decided to cycle to India.”

For my tenth birthday my parents gave me a second-hand bicycle and Pappa [her grandfather] sent me a second-hand atlas. Already I was an enthusiastic cyclist, though I had never before owned a bicycle, and soon after my birthday I resolved to cycle to India one day. I have never forgotten the exact spot, on a steep hill near Lismore, where this decision was made. Half-way up I rather proudly looked at my legs, slowly pushing the pedals around, and the thought came "If I went on doing this for long enough I could get to India" (Wheels within wheels: autobiography)

Twenty-one years later, she made good on that dream. The diary she kept while riding through Persia, Afghanistan and the Himalayas inspired her book Full Tilt.

"Travel light, and bring poetry"

Dervla Murphy advised aspiring cycle tourers to 'travel light and bring poetry'. And having explored India with her 5-year-old daughter, Murphy wrote of the benefits of travelling with a child:

A child's presence emphasises your trust in the community's goodwill. And because children pay little attention to racial or cultural differences, junior companions rapidly demolish barriers of shyness or apprehension often raised when foreigners unexpectedly approach a remote village.

Win a Dervla Murphy book

To mark the anniversary of Dervla Murphy's death, we have four copies of her book Full Tilt to give away. To be in with a chance of winning the book, which chronicles her solo cycling trip from Ireland to India, leave a comment at the bottom of the page we'll pick four names next week.

The ethical choice

The ETA was established in 1990 as an ethical provider of green, reliable travel services. Over 30 years on, we continue to offer cycle insurance , breakdown cover and mobility scooter insurance while putting concern for the environment at the heart of all we do.

The Good Shopping Guide judges us to be the UK's most ethical provider.

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