Solo bike journeying; with and without a predetermined route

Finn, James (2016) Solo bike journeying; with and without a predetermined route. Masters dissertation, University of Cumbria. Item availability may be restricted.

PDF - Accepted Version Restricted to Registered users only Available under License CC BY-NC Download (934kB)

Abstract

This research examined experiences when journeying solo on a bicycle. More specifically, it was interested in the effects a predetermined route in one instance, and having no route in the other, had on these experiences. The study adopted a qualitative autoethnographical methodology located within the interpretivist paradigm to make sense of the experiences of the two approaches to journeying. The first journey, with a route, took place in Europe, following a trail from Bilbao in Spain to St Malo in France. The second journey, without a route, happened in Tasmania, Australia, beginning in Devonport on the north coast and ending in Launceston. Findings suggest differences in the way the landscape was perceived and interacted with. When overwhelmed by the new and unfamiliar place, the route not only offered direction, but also a sense of purpose. However, being without a route encouraged interactions with other people who became participants in constructing the journey ahead. There were also aspects that were consistent between both journeys. For instance, both journeys initially lacked, and later established, an identity as a journeying cyclist. When following a route, this was a result of feeling supported and directed by the route itself, whereas in the journey without a route, it came after accepting and embracing the unfamiliar surroundings. The journey with a route took a new turn in its latter stages, when the route prompted feelings of confinement, and a change in the weather led to the route ultimately being abandoned.

Item Type:	Thesis/Dissertation (Masters)
Departments:	Academic Departments > Science, Natural Resources & Outdoor Studies (SNROS) > Outdoor Studies
Additional Information:	Dissertation presented in part fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Master of Arts in Transcultural European Outdoor Studies, University of Cumbria, 2016.
Depositing User:	Anna Lupton
Date Deposited:	24 May 2018 13:40
Last Modified:	12 Jan 2024 15:02
URI:	https://insight.cumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/3850