From the International Dictionary of Cycle – errandonnee; everyday tasks undertaken by cycle
Every year, Mary G of the hot blog Chasing Mailboxes runs two wonderful 
challenges to get riders out tto enjoy the everyday simplicity of being a-wheel. They are coffeeneuring in Novemberand errandoneuring in March. Me and the Bird had a ball completing the 2017 coffeeneuring challenge. I’m still debating what I liked most about the coffeeneur – the really brilliant sew-on patch or the excuse to ride and visit 7 coffee shops in 7 weeks, consuming 7 mochas minimum. So participating in the 2018 errandonnee challenge was a no-brainer, staritng 20thMarch and ending 12 days later
Me and her generally run household errands by bike or bike with trailer, so we would be doing something that we enjoy and are adept at. As with anything that ends in ‘-euring’ or ‘-donnee’ there are a few simple rules to make things more interesting. For this, the main rules are 30 miles need to be covered over the course of running 12 errandonnees and you couldn’t score any category more than twice. The categories are;
Personal care
Personal business
You carried what!
Arts & entertainment
Store
Non-store
Social call
Work
Peaceful everyday actions
Wildcard
The Bird commutes by bike to work Monday through to Friday but a trapped nerve causing severe drop foot meant that during the errandonnee window, there was no commute by bike. Despite this, we did enough errandonnees for the challenge;
| Personal care | Doctors appointment | Pharmacy |
| Personal business | Bank | |
| You carried what! | Small tree & groceries | Garden Centre goodies |
| Arts & entertainment | ||
| Non store | Post Office | recycling |
| Social call | coffeeneuring | |
| work | ||
| Store | Health food shop | Supermarket |
| Peaceful everyday actions | Ruff stuff in suburbia | photography |
| Wildcard | Harrow Civic Amenity Site |
Every task used the ever-faithful Scotti withTardis-capacity old Karrimor panniers and the Gecko collapsible trailer.
Peaceful everyday actions – we loved this category. Running errands by bike 
helps give a sense of peace, relaxation and wellbeing that other methods of transport don’t. Riding the rough stuff bridleway to the garden centre had the tranquility of the countryside while still in the outer limits of greater London. A moment of peace that most locals don’t get to enjoy while whizzing around in their cars. We are privileged to live in Pinner which dates back to forever and is a combination of old and newurban living. The opportunity to stop, admire, exhale and capture the historic and natural beauty of the area are always present; opportunities that the Bird always likes to take. The errandonneur let her again celebrate the arrival of spring with clumps of daffodils on the local farm.
Errandonnee distance – 40 miles
| 20 March 2018 | 5.0 | |
| 21 March 2018 | 15.1 | |
| 24 March 2018 | 30.2 | |
| 27 March 2018 | 15.5 | |
| 65.8 | km |
For the full set of photos click here
Three wheels again. This time a little spot of errandonneuring in Uxbridge in Middlesex. Despite its now modern appearance, two shopping malls etc. it is very old – dating back to the Saxons and mentioned in the Doomsday book. Uxbridge has been a spot for royalty to stay, a garrison town for Cromwell and an out-of-town staging post for coaches when they were pulled by horses. Click 
especially triking down a lumpy, bumpy bridlepath (the Pyghtle) in Denham a small village on the outer limits of Uxbridge. The errandonne was to collect some yarn from the Uxbridge Wool Barons for an afghan currently being crocheted by the Bird. This was successfully accomplished and now time to bag a coffeeneur; one with a difference. We had the delightful company of a coffee plant while the Bird partook of mocha and GF chocolate brownie.
A complete change of riding pace as we swapped out three wheels for two little wheels that folded for the next couple of coffeeneuring rides. A kind of mini-adventure to the 
in my books are all good things. The only downside was a day at the office first. As work is such a tedious place, I spent the day in the Carradice Brompton bag until it was time to collect DaisyB (our Brompton) from the cycle shed and head over to Paddington Station. It’s not a bad ride through Paddington bear country and along the Grand Union canal which drops you right by the station. As we hadn’t seen Paddington in the Portobello Road during our ride, we figured we’d check the station. Bingo, there he was, so we took the chance for a coffee with him before boarding our train.
A day a-wheel on the Origami ride promised plenty of coffeeneuring opportunities. A leisurely day out on folding bikes (usually with little wheels) where the accent is on decent coffee, honest food, real ale and good company. The Great Malvern ride didn’t disappoint.
the composer Edward Elgar. Famed for riding the district on a Sunbeam bicycle, we acquainted Elgar with a more modern steed. Then woosh, down the hill to the railway station to meet the Origami peloton and score a cappuccino for #coffeeneuring 4 before a slow but enjoyable day a-wheel with old and new friends.
Post Office postie: “Who’s Timpsie?”
coffee and another errandonnee stop. With an off-road excursion (the Harrow area has retained a lot of its very old bridleways), we rolled up to the Wyvale Garden Centre and finally coffee plus wild bird food and spring bulbs. With panniers bulging, we pedalled off home with our 2017 #Coffeeneuring completed.
This took us a-three-wheels from Chez Hirondelle into the glorious London Borough of Hillingdon. With the Bike Butler, we pedalled out to watch the 
standard carbon bling types. Of course tricycles are unquestionably included. We watch five mates from the 
This was sans me as the Bird did this one on her way to work on two wheels. I was of course on the sofa waiting for the weekend to arrive and with it, cycling. I do have to say that this was a most essential coffeeneuring outing. The Bird’s work tea supplies were getting precariously low. So a visit to the tea and coffee specialist store Whittards was essential. This particular Whittards is located in Portobello Road, London in deepest Paddington bear country, although the Bird has yet to spot him visiting Mr Gruber for buns and tea. A purchase of Russian Caravan and 1864 black tea was stashed in her pannier bag to take back to the office.
I’m back and on three wheels again. Destination, the Marlboro Athletic Club cycling club’s lunch stop via a spot of coffeeneuring. Unlike the previous two coffeeneurs, we get the fantastic autumn colours of the Chiltern Lanes. Given that I want a decent coffee shop, not a Costa or similar, we decided that Amersham is our elevenses destination. The Bird does indeed find a coffee emporium that isn’t Costa and we spend a pleasant half hour on a comfy sofa with the Bird supping a very good Mocha.
pedal on to Chesham to meet the Marlboro. A peloton of 9 members of the modern day Marlboro with not a bike between them has gathered for lunch. This includes the Great Barry Parslow. First Brit to ride PBP (in 1966) and then goes on to finish four more until his failing eyesight stopped play. 
Barry has many randonneuring exploits on trike, including PBP and the Trafalgar-Trafalgar 3,100km permanent from the tip of Spain to the centre of London. Barry finished the cup of coffee that brought us to half way in this challenge; a privilege indeed on coffeeneuring 2017.
