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Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 12:36pm
by Sweep
Am aware that this post might seem somewhat mean-spirited but am afraid that I couldn't stop myself as a release.

Came across it on a damp afternoon trying to research a reasonable route from Rome to Civitavecchia.

I suppose I should thank him for some pointers on that at least, but this chap seems to have spent the entire trip with a small notebook to hand.

http://danmcqueen.me/05BikeRomeNice.htm

If truth be told I was always a bit wary of going on CTC trips for fear of ending up with folks like this. :shock:

Please tell me you aren't like this.

From a frazzled sweep

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 1:02pm
by jamesgilbert
That is awesome :lol:

I prefer to imagine people like this with a dictaphone rather than a notebook.

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 4:39pm
by horizon
You haven't read his home page.

Actually, these odd, small facts can be quite useful years later. Even if you keep a diary or take photos, these are only generalisations about your trip - the price of a beer might be interesting. I wouldn't put them in a trip report though.

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 5:54pm
by Sweep
You are a very calm and pleasant person horizon.

Just a tad too much detail I think - the seat number he sat in?

I am afraid to look at that home page.

What awaits me?

You are probably right about the dictaphone james - i thought of a notebook because of someone i used to know. Years after we lost contact we bumped into each other on an inter city train and nattered. He was getting off before me and as the train pulled into his stop he took out a small notebook and wrote something in fine handwriting. I asked what he was writing. He looked at me as if I was insane and said "the time the train arrived of course"

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 6:07pm
by skicat
If you look at his homepage you will see that his travel journals and other entries dried up in November 2012 :(

As an aside, I do know someone who keeps a log at that level of detail about his skiing trips. But given that he doesn't write those up in public journals, I have no idea what the information is retained for.

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 6:51pm
by mercalia
GCSE English Comprehension question.

1) When he folded his underwear how many creases did he make? How many pairs did he take on holiday and how many times a day did he change them and at what times?

2) What is the total volume of water or other liquids he bought/consumed during the whole holiday?


3) At what time did he go to the loo on the 3rd day of his holiday?

4) And finally for an A*, how many times did he give a clock time whose last digit was a prime number?

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 6:59pm
by Cunobelin
Sweep wrote:You are a very calm and pleasant person horizon.

Just a tad too much detail I think - the seat number he sat in?

I am afraid to look at that home page.

What awaits me?

You are probably right about the dictaphone james - i thought of a notebook because of someone i used to know. Years after we lost contact we bumped into each other on an inter city train and nattered. He was getting off before me and as the train pulled into his stop he took out a small notebook and wrote something in fine handwriting. I asked what he was writing. He looked at me as if I was insane and said "the time the train arrived of course"



Actually makes sense.... friend of ours does the same and reckons to get about 10% off his season ticket each year

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 7:35pm
by Sweep
But the train wasn't late.

I did actually ask why he recorded it.

He said for his own personal future reference.

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 7:37pm
by simonineaston
Dear Frazzled,
if you didn't like it, you didn't have to read it all...

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 9:52pm
by Slowroad
It shows you don't need a google gadget to record your life 24/7!
A treat for a social archaeologist of the future.

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 7 Apr 2014, 7:45am
by Sweep
simonineaston wrote:Dear Frazzled,
if you didn't like it, you didn't have to read it all...


:)

thanks for your concern Simon

I didn't - just the small bit I read made me feel as if I'd read the Bible by numbers.

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 7 Apr 2014, 8:07am
by TonyR
After all that meticulous accuracy he misses out the most important fact of all - the street address of that ATM where he got €200 for $2. I wanna go there!!! :wink:

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 7 Apr 2014, 8:50am
by Sweep
TonyR wrote:After all that meticulous accuracy he misses out the most important fact of all - the street address of that ATM where he got €200 for $2. I wanna go there!!! :wink:


Yes I noticed that - the mixture of detail and lack of attention is bizarre.

He writes that Olbia is the capital/main town of Sardinia - it's not, it's Cagliari where he went.

And I know the road between Villasimius and Cagliari - I have no idea what all those Roman remains are he is on about.

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 7 Apr 2014, 12:40pm
by Dudley Manlove
I can't think who I'm paraphrasing, but for me at least this applies tour blogs/reports in general:

"It is fun to bang in a nail, it is not fun listening to someone else do it."

The only slight exception I can think is comparing notes and opinions of the same place. Maybe there is some jealousy in it, but I just can't get interested in other peoples tour reports!

Re: Tour report to make you scream?

Posted: 8 Apr 2014, 7:06am
by Sweep
I know what you are getting at Mr Manlove but I think you are being a tad unfair.

I find a fair few blogs* I come across rather interesting and also a good way of checking practical stuff to do with a route - I'm not referring of course to details of which seat someone sat in, the exact time they got up on each particular day, the volume of urine to the exact cc they relieved themselves of after breakfast - the one I linked to was a an extreme example.

* I can recommend bigjim's log of his mis/adventures.