Some quick advice on cycling in Amsterdam including what to know, where to cycle and how to do it safely. There are also some tips for cycling how the Dutch cycle and why the biking culture in Amsterdam is such a success. Read more

For the last three years on NewMan's birthday we have gone on a bike ride.In 2011 it was on mountain bikes in Koh Racha, Thailand. In 2012 it was through a busy, Christmassy London. And last year, we cycled from the beautiful Bruges to the err, less beautiful Zeebrugge. Read more

"Tring! Tring!" In the Netherlands, when you don't have a bell you make the noise yourself. I've mentioned before how on bikes, bells aren't used to alarm or warn of an impending doom or to bemoan somebody's mistakes. Bells are a gentle way of saying "Mind how you go, read more

Falling in love the first time is a free, easy and full-on experience. You give yourself completely full of  an innocent need to embrace; fear lingers but is all too easily left behind.Falling in love the second time has none of the same abandon and progresses in awkward jolts read more

A short history of Dutch cycling; why it's so important, how it came to be a world leader, and conversely, why it's not that much of a "big deal". Read more