Trans African Cycle. Preparation.

I initially wanted to walk across Africa from Namibia in the west to Tanzania in the east to keep my adventures on each continent similar.  It took me a good month of route planning with google maps and strava to plot a route and I spent much of the last months of 2024 doing this. I was helped by very rare accounts of walking in these areas and inspired by an amusing book called “Traversa” by Fran Sandham. Eventually the route was established and it was to be  a journey of 5000 km, which I estimated  would take 180 days.

There were a few problems I would have to overcome as I went. The first was the very arid conditions on the Skeleton Coast and then the northern Kalihari. I thought I might have to go without water refills for 4-5 days at a time and this would mean taking up to 20 litres. There was no way I could carry that on top of all my hiking gear which would also be at least 25 kilos, once all the camping, medical, repair and electronic kits were added on.  45 kilos, if I could still carry it, would certainly make my hike prone to injury, slow and purgatory. It would be a very unenjoyable slog at best. I had read about people trekking across deserts and they all seemed to use carts. I spent the next month designing a cart. Ideally it would be made of aluminium for weight and there were a  few of these I could buy off the shelf. Mostly they were adaptations of bicycle trailers. However they looked remarkably flimsy and I am sure they would fall to pieces in no time and then I would be stuck with a broken trailer and 50 kilos of luggage.

The only way I could be sure to get a solid and robust trailer was to design and build one myself. I made a prototype out of hardwood, bolted brackets and bicycle tyres. It was certainly solid but I quickly realized that unless the tyres were enormous or I was a lot smaller there would always be a very steep angle on the bed of the cart. The wheels also needed to be much wider to roll over sand and gravel rather than cut into it.  Undeterred, I started to design a metal one. I dismissed the idea of an aluminium one as they were difficult to weld and would be impossible to get it fixed anywhere in Africa as aluminium welding is very specialized. It had to be made from mild steel so I turned my attention to that still full of enthusiasm.

I decided to make a cage where all my luggage would go and have the pulling bars coming out from the top of the cage. This would mean the cart was always at a more level angle.  The two poles at the front would attach it to my harness. Ironically the same harness I used in Antarctica to haul the pulk across the ice would now be used in the Kalihari Desert. It would be plus 40 rather than -40 centigrade on this trip. For the final balancing of the cart I could use the water containers and other weighty items so there was just a small downward pressure on my harness. Naturally all the heavier items would also be placed at the bottom to keep the centre of gravity low. 

I had read and heard from a few people who had done trips with carts that the weakest point is the axle. It was always the point of failure; be it the bearings, the spindle or the frame it was attached to.  The off the shelf bike trailers all had a wheel with a spindle on one side which just pushed into a tube on the frame leaving the outside of the wheel unsupported. That was certain to fail. So I designed mine with a support on each side. I then had two wheels built with a sealed hub from a BMX bike. The spindle and bearings were well sealed so there was no chance of grit and dust getting in and the bearings were replaceable. I had fat tyres on the wide rims and thick spokes on the wheels. The wheels were superb and they bolted onto the frame on each side of the wheel and were strong. The cart would not fail here.

I ordered the metal and wheeled out my welder. However after a day I realized I was well out of my depth and was just making a mess of the welds. The welds I had made were completely untrustworthy. It was a major disappointment. I had to find a professional to do the job. Through a friend of a friend I eventually got in touch with Thomas Boileau. He said very modestly he should be able to do it after the Festive break in January. I ordered some more metal sections to replace the ones I had made a mess off and then went to see Thomas in early January.

Thomas was a wizard. He had all the equipment and really knew what he was doing. He even used lasers on the construction to make sure everything was at right angles and slowly built the cart up over a couple of days only doing the final welds when everything was tack welded in place. He made an excellent job of it and I was very pleased with the completed chariot. The pulling arms were adjustable and could slide in and out of the top edge of the frame and each side was attached with two bolts. I had a go of pulling it around the street where his workshop was and it performed really well, even with one of us sitting inside it. On the level you barely feel the 100 odd kilos in the cart but as soon as there was an incline the going got tough and I had to lean forward and strain.

I brought the cart home and lined it with light plywood to make a box which would be somewhat protective to my gear and a small container at the bottom of the box to put in the 20 litres of water in the three bladders. I would be able to get everything I needed into the cart as it was 120 litres except for the two very light weight foam mattresses and these would go round each pulling arm when it was extended a bit more than the photo below. I now could start ordering the equipment and footwear needed for this expedition. Much of this was done by researching the internet – but it was no easy task to find for example non gore-tex comfortable boots for the desert or a tent which had two doors with mosquito nets. However, slowly I managed to find everything I needed.

Another major consideration in the preparation was how to stop ill health overwhelming me.  Inevitably this will be due to poor water quality, contaminated food or insect bites as vectors for a host of diseases.  I have to take precautions against all of them.  I will have a water filter which will just remove the bacteria,  protozoa and contaminated sediments from the water. I will also need a water purifier to kill viruses, so I will also have to take enough water purification tablets to do 1000 litres.  Before I even collect water from a natural source I will also have to strain the water through coffee filters to remove the worst sediments which will stop the filter getting clogged up so quickly and reduce the maintenance of them. 

Insects are not just a nuisance but a vector for a host of diseases.  It is impossible to prevent getting bitten entirely but there are a host of measures I can take to prevent getting swarmed by them. Firstly I will be wearing long baggy trousers and a loose long sleeved  shirt. I will also wear a wide rimmed hat with the possibility of putting a net over it for the worst places. Secondly I will spray all my clothes in a permethrin solution to repel insects chemically.  There is a trade off here as by using too much permethrin I will endanger my own health from the very substance itself.  In addition to that I will also use DEET based repellants in areas where there are concentrations of insects.  These measures will help protect me against mosquitos, ticks, flies and even freshwater snails.  However despite all the precautions there are bound to be some insects which get through and I had a wide range of vaccinations. These include: 

•   MMR (Mumps, Measles and Rubella). 2 Vaccinations
•   DTP ( Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio). 1 Vaccinations
•   Cholera. 2 Drink doses
•   Typhoid. 1 Vaccination 
•   Dengue Fever. 2 Vaccinations
•   Rabies. 3 Vaccinations
•   Yellow Fever. Previous Vaccination (2006 and 1987) 
•   Hepatatis A. 2 previous vaccinations (2008)
•   Pneumococcal. 1 Vaccination
•   Meningitis ACYW. 1 Vaccination
•   Malaria.  160  daily  Malaroff tablets. 

A full list of my fist aid kit is HERE. It includes various painkillers, a few antibiotics, simple treatments for cuts and burns, protection from insects, protection from the sun (especially for my lips) and some skin care for chaffing and infections.  I have also included a sterile needle pack with various needles, syringes and a Cannula in case I need these at a local hospital. It is a full and comprehensive kit but I can only take it at long as I have the cart. If I had to ditch the cart then I could vastly reduce the first aid kit so it is a more manageable kilo or so and not the 2.5 it is now.

There are a few other wildlife hazards, notably predators and snakes.  Occasionally the route I will take goes through wildlife protected areas and even National Parks. It would not be feasible to bypass such areas such as the Bwabwata National Park in Namibia, or the large contiguous Game Management Areas and National Parks astride the Luangwa River in Zambia. These areas might have regulations where I am forced to take a local guide to allow me to proceed. In these circumstances the local guides will not only help keep me safe but also teach me about the nature and the cultural landscape we are passing through. Previously on trips to Africa I have been forced to have guides and they have generally been a benefit. Occasionally they are armed but usually with an old gun. I will also take two canisters of Pepper Spray which I will attach to the bike and have inside the tent. I carried and once used Pepper Spray while hiking in Wyoming and it is very effective not only against aggressive wildlife but also dogs and humans. 

Snakes are also something to consider and there are some 10 serious venomous species. Contrary to popular belief all of them will shy away from conflict – even the black mamba given the chance. There is always the danger that one might suddenly provoke one by intruding into its habitat, like lifting a log for a fire or moving a stone for a campsite and then if they can’t get away they will defend themselves. It goes without saying you need to be aware that you might disturb a snake and I will have to have my wits about me the whole time. However snake bites are extremely rare. It is also worth noting some 40% of snake bites occur where the victim was a drunk male. I will just have to be aware, in the same way as when I go into a city at home there are buses, cars and lorries whizzing past and any could kill me. But if I follow protocols and stay on the pavement and am aware when crossing the roads I will avoid harm. To this end I will not be taking any anti-venom,PANAF-Premium™, with me as it has to be stored below 30 centigrade. Scorpions are another thing to be aware of. 

During the winter I had been collecting all my equipment together and collecting the camping gear, repair kits, the small electronic kit and some clothing to protect me from the hot sun. The camping gear was a freestanding inner tent, largely made of mosquito netting, 2 man tent with flysheet which would be thrown over the top of it. This waterproof outer flysheet has a large entrance on each side that rolls up and allows airflow through the tent. When I am staying in local lodges or hostels I can pitch the flysheet in the room and use it as a mosquito net leaving the fly in the bag. The tent with the fly up would also deter animals, like hyena, sniffing around the tent during the night as they are wary of what’s inside. I would also have pepper spray in the tent in the very unlikely scenario an animal got too close for comfort. Under the tent I would have some Tyvek house wrap as a ground sheet protector to prevent the groundsheet getting damaged by sharper stones, but it would do little to prevent the long sharp acacia thorns everyone has warned me about. I would sleep on an air mattress which I fully expect to puncture a few times – but in all fairness that type has never let me down before even after 100 nights of camping on the dirt and gravel during the PCT.  This air mattress would convert into a seat to allow me to sit up in the evening and write the blog.

My repair kit was mostly made up of inner tubes and spares for the cart. There were also other items like a multifuel maintenance kit, repair patches, glues, spare head torch, sunglasses and a few other items like tools for wheel maintenance and puncture repair. It made up a hefty 4 kilograms in all. The electronic kit was largely two solar panels, some battery banks, a small folding key board, a satellite locator beacon and position transmitter, many cables and my phone and GPS watch. This in all came to another 4 kilos. Everything was mountaining up and so was the weight.

Towards the mid February I had most items in place and was ready to go. All I needed to do was wrap up a few legal ends at home, get all my paperwork in order and clear my intray and then book the ticket to Windhoek. However I started having doubts and these doubts led to anxiety. I would wake up at 0300 in the morning worrying about things and not get back to sleep. Some of these worries were to do with legal chores and paperwork and they could be solved but were taking longer than I thought, But most of the worries were of the actual trip – would the cart hold up and would it be a dreadful burden to pull it under the hot sun, would I get attacked by animals during the night, would I be safe from people who saw my cart as a bounty chest.

I spent much time trying to convince myself it would be fine and did further research. It seemed there were very few people who had walked it and they mostly stuck to the larger roads which I wanted to avoid.  There were however quite a few accounts and even videos of people who had cycled it and these were very useful. It seemed the main problem with the cart was it would be slow and people would always know where I was. Even people a day’s walk ahead would know I was coming.  Anyone or any animal could follow me quite easily as I trundled along at 4 kilometres an hour doing perhaps 25-30 kilometres a day. I was very vulnerable.

Some of the cycling videos also showed straight dusty roads disappearing across the dry plains as they went over the horizon. There would be stretches where I could walk 2 days without changing direction once as I pulled the cart along a gravel road. The more I considered the walk the more dubious it became. For virtually every night for 2 weeks I woke up in the middle of the night and worried about it until dawn.  I could imagine myself walking along the tracks with the occasional friendly 4 wheel drive vehicle going past a few times a day while I plodded along and the very occasional cycle tourer also sauntering past me doing 60 kilometres a day. I thought I would resent that and say to myself “why on earth am I not doing that ?” . The answer was it would not fit with my “7 continents – 7 adventures” ethos so I had to walk like it or not. However with more sleepless nights and daytime worries I was reluctant to book my ticket. I eventually realized I was not committing to going and this was a crushing disappointment after I had spent so much time and money preparing for it.

It then hit me that actually cycling across Africa on my own, keeping to rural roads was actually an adventure after all and it was worthy enough to be my adventure on the African continent. I felt a surge of enthusiasm about doing it and it all now made perfect sense. I spent a week pouring over more blogs and videos of people who had done various parts of the trip and they inspired me and filled me with enthusiasm. The only problem was I did not have a bike which would undertake such a trip. Indeed I have done very little cycle touring and knew virtually nothing about it. On research it seemed it would take 6-8 weeks to get a bike ready and I did not have that long to wait. However a few people pointed me in the direction of a bikeshop virtually on my doorstep called ProjektRide. I went round to see them and was immediately impressed with their knowledge and competence. One of them, Dylan, was also South African and had spent years in his youth travelling around much of the area I wanted to cycle through. Andrew put together a quote and said he could build a suitable bike in a week rather than the 6-8 weeks others offered.

Before I finally decided on whether I would use a bike to cross Africa I thought it best to go on a short overnight cycle tour in the Scottish Highlands. I planned a 2 day, 130 km loop, in Perthshire with 1000 metres of ascent each day. I loaded my older bike up full panniers to simulate the weight I might have in Africa and set off in great weather. I was surprised how I managed the trip although I have to push the bike up two steeper gravel sections. I enjoyed the trip and while I did not find it easy I knew I would get cycling fit as I did more of it. Despite my relative inexperience with cycle touring I felt confident I would be able to make a longer trip. On the strength of this I returned home and went back to ProjektRide to order the expedition bike. It would have a steel frame, a 14 speed Rohloff gear hub and 100 litres of paniers.

The bike was ready in early April. Andy chose the best parts to go into the construction and Dylan, the South African who was familiar with the roads and tracks I would be going on, built the wheels and put the frame together. It has both seatpost and handlebar suspension but no fork or frame suspension. That was provided by the 2.25 inch tubeless tyres. The frame was a steel alloy Surly Krampus which has a reputation second to none.  The pannier racks front and back were steel Surly racks which were very solid.  There were no mudguards as it would be the dry season and they would probably get in the way. The front crank set just had a single smaller sprocket and this drove the rear hub which was a renowned Rohloff hub with 14 internal gears. This meant there was no vulnerable derailer to get bashed – but if the gearbox went wrong I would have no chance of fixing it.  When the bike was finished I thought it looked really solid. Even the rims had eyelets where the spokes attached to prevent them splitting. 

There was still a lot I had to prepare and fine tune with the equipment. I was perhaps a bit too pedantic with my equipment and spent hour upon hour choosing it online, getting confused with the various conflicting reviews of it. There was simply too much choice. At one stage I had six different tents in my house which I ordered online all of which looked suitable on paper but in the flesh had various flaws. Five went back to the shops and I went for a sand coloured Fjallraven Abisko Friluft 2 which was well made and had great ventilation options and also had a freestanding net inner. I have made an extra ground sheet for the tent from the very tough Tyvek housewrap, which will stop sharper stones abrading it – but it wont stop the acacia thorns. The other luxury I will take is an Exped air mattress in a protective sleeve which folds into a chair so I can sit up in the tent and write the blog every night when I am in the tent. The sleeping bag I am taking is a synthetic one rated to plus 2 centigrade. It might get colder, especially in the desert, so I have a light duvet jacket to sleep in on those nights.  

For cooking I am opting for a small Primus Omnifuel stove. The reason I am taking this stove is because it can simmer, which is rare amongst multifuel stoves. It is also renowned to work well on kerosene which is the most readily available fuel in Southern Africa. I also intend to use an open fire when possible but it is seldom easy to find dry fuel and conditions at every campsite. I will take two small stainless pots to cook on which will tolerate the abuse they will get – better than aluminium or titanium pots. 

I will hope to buy food in small shops every 3-5 days. It seems the most common food available is a maize meal called nshima which is a porridge like staple, beans and various vegetables. The beans will be difficult to cook so I have been experimenting with bringing them to the boil and then putting them in a preheated thermos flask for half a day. They continue to cook well like this and just need a quick boil to finish them off. Water should be available every 2 days or so, especially this year where the rains in the Kalihari have been plentiful, and I have the possibility to carry 5 litres on the bike. I will purify it with a filter and then tablets if taken from a river but most villages have a hand pump where clean water comes from bore holes and this is clean. 

A lot of the weight in my panniers come from three kits, my first aid kit, my repair and maintenance kit,  and my electronic and gadgets kit. The first aid kit I have covered above in detail and it weighs in at about 3 kg in all. The repair kit covers various tools, a spare chain, 2 extra inner tubes and an extra tyre, brake pads and various patches to mend punctures, tears in the tent, broken tent poles or clothing, and tie wraps, etc. This kit weighs about 4 kg and I have been through it many times to try to whittle it down further. In addition there is a small puncture repair kit to sit in the saddle bag for flats during the day. 

My electronic and gadgets kit is also about 4 kilos. It contains 3 battery banks each of 20,000 mAh, which I can fully charge at lodgings or guest houses every few days if they have power. Otherwise I have 2 small 14 watt solar panels which I will strap onto the top of the back panniers. One is a spare but the other will almost fully charge an empty 20,000 mAh battery from empty in the full course of a sunny day and this will give me 3 full charges of my phone. I don’t think I will have an excess of power but enough so as to not worry about it. 

These battery banks will not only have to keep my phone going but also a small action camera mounted on the handle bars and my lightweight drone. The latter is power hungry but not the camera. I will also have a Garmin bike GPS with the entire route broken into 10 sections each of about two weeks. This will be more useful than a paper map (which I am also taking) and I have spent a few days plotting the route on Strava and googlemaps to find an interesting and rural journey, keeping to the smaller roads and tracks as much as possible. Finally I have a GPS satellite transmitter which will send a signal every 10 minutes to a satellite and then down to the map on this website (the green “map” tab). Most of these electronics are superfluous but just make for a better journey and certainly better documenting it – however they weigh an extra 5 kg in all. 

By 20th of April I had taken the bike for a few trail runs both unloaded and loaded and it felt good. I was especially pleased with the gearing and even going up a steep hill fully loaded there was a gear to spare. However, I was going at walking speed in that gear. It meant I did not have great high gears if I wanted to go more that 20 km per hour but I would imagine I would never need to go faster. The guys at Projektride had done a great job. The only thing I was wary of was the weight. The bike was 21 kg and the panniers were another 33 kg. With food this would mean nearly 60 kg in total in addition to me.

By the 20th April I was ready to book my ticket but still had two unconnected issues to resolve. Firstly my 94 year old mum’s fibula fracture to heal sufficiently so she could weigh bare on it and move around her flat. Secondly for the postman to deliver the hastily applied credit card. I would hope both are resolved in the next few days so I can book my ticket to Windhoek around the 5th May and then get to the coast at Swakopmund to start cycling on the 10st May. The bike is ready for its final checks and then to be put into a large cardboard box to go out with me. The team at Projektride gave me an hour-long lesson in taking the bike to bits and then how to put it back together again when I arrived in Namibia and insisted I video all the procedures. 

This would give me 130 days to complete the 5800 km trip – an average of just over 40 km a day, albeit on rougher gravel roads.

At last it was time to fly on the 5th May. However the second leg of the flight, from Frankfurt to Windhoek, was delayed for 18 hours as the plane broke down. So it was a night in a perfunctory hotel in Frankfurt courtesy of Lufthansa. When I did arrive in Windhoek it was nearly midnight instead of early in the morning. In a rush I had to squeeze my bike box into a sedan taxi and drive to Windhoek while I searched for a hotel which was still open. I found one in the quiet suburb of Eros called the Safari Villa Hotel. The check in was smooth and quick and I was soon asleep.

When I woke I realized it was a very nice place indeed. As I was eating breakfast the owner, Marieke, appeared and we chatted. I told her my plans and she said she could help me do my errands. So later in the morning she drove me some 5 km into Windhoek to the gun shop so I could get some pepper spray and also an air klaxon for deterring dogs and drunks.

She showed me around the centre of Windhoek and took me to a car rental business, Namibia2Go, where I rented the only vehicle they had which would take the box. I would pick it up tomorrow, load the box and drive to Swakopmund to find another hotel with a ground floor bedroom where I could put the bike together. It was just a 24 hour rental so I had to be efficient. She dropped me back at her hotel.

Later that afternoon I walked back into Windhoek, which took a good hour under the hot sun. Once there I saw the church again, went to the Independence Museum and wandered around the leafy gardens of the government building. The Independence Museum was mostly about the SWAPO led fight to gain independence from South Africa, although there was much about the quite brutal German colonial period too. I noticed that in virtually every photo of Sam Nujoma, the political leader of SWAPO and the Father of Namibia, he was smiling. As recommended that evening I went to Joe’s Beerhouse, an institution in Windhoek and popular with tourists and locals alike.

The next morning I met Ellen. She lives in Windhoek and runs walking holidays in Namibia with her company called Wild Cherry Adventures. She had been instrumental in alleviating my worries about my African Adventure some 3 months ago. We had a coffee and she gave me loads of good information before driving me to the car rental.

I could have stayed in Windhoek longer but also needed to get to the coast and put my bike together. The drive down was quite varied. As I left Windhoek I went across the high veldt grassland with the ripened gold grasses swaying gently as the afternoon breezes buffeted them. But then as I reached half way and began to drop down to the coast it became very arid and devoid of vegetation. It took a good 4 hours to do the journey.

On reaching Swakopmund I again fell on my feet and found a cheap, quirky old fashioned hotel which also had a wing which operated as an old folks home. I got a large ground floor room which was perfect for my needs. Later that evening I unpacked the bike and was pleased to find nothing was damaged.

The next day I had to buy yet more pepper spray, a hunting knife, some food, paraffin and some malaria test kits, similar to covid ones. With that done I returned the car and walked back to the quirky Hotel Prinzessin Rupprecht and put the bike together. Generally it was easy but it took a while to get the dashboard on the handlebars and then mount all the gadgets on it. I had a few more excursions into the lovely Swakopmund. Again I could have spent an extra day or two here enjoying its salubrious vibe but I needed to get started on my cycle. By midnight I was ready and everything was prepared.

 

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