the leaving of Darlo

My name's Dean Clementson (though I prefer Deano) and in September 2011 I set off to cycle to Australia. Probably Australia, anyway.

I left my job (whıch I didn't like very much), I left my home town and my friends and famıly (whıch I like a great deal) to go cycling...somewhere.

When I left England I had only vague destinations in mind: Istanbul, where I would apply for visas for the next stage (and decide whether I wanted to continue); India, which I'd always wanted to visit; Australia, where there wıll be a total solar eclipse in November 2012. East.

It was probably very naive to set off with no visas and such a vague plan, but on Sunday 11th September 2011 I rode south from Darlington towards the ferry at Hull. As I was crossing the Wolds at Market Weighton, climbing away from the Vale of York with the sun settıng behind me, the last rays of the setting sun on my last full day in England touched my shoulders and lit the huge full moon which was risıng ahead of me, calling me east. I was off.