Dervla Murphy

For me I'm sure the most amazing positive from the Blackmore birthday meet was hearing about this incredible lady for the first time. I can't possibly do her justice here but, for example, she was the lady who decided at age ten to cycle from Ireland to India, and she did, although as an adult, not a ten year old! 

Her Wikipedia entry is here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dervla_Murphy

If you have any interest in cycling and/or adventure travel please do read her most famous book "Full Tilt", which I have only just started and I'm already completely absorbed by it! So much so that I mentioned it in a conversation on the way home, via Worcester Station. I had a rear puncture on my (puncture resistant) Schwalbe Marathon tyre! A gentleman came out of the house opposite where I stopped and offered every assistance, including coffee in his house. It turned out that he and his wife are just selling the house to start a round the world cycle tour! They each have a Vulcan bike, custom made in Birmingham, with Rohloff and belt drive. I told him that the same morning I had just started reading "Full Tilt" by Dervla Murphy and I enquired if he had bought his revolver yet... (read the book!) He knew the book and we had a good laugh!

I could have chatted all day but I had a train to catch...