Explorer Tile Tales – keep the faith

Discover how British explorer tile hunter and Vicar Graeme kept the faith to secure precious VeloViewer Explorer Tiles by using the currency of chocolate and the powers from above! 

Over to Graeme…..

My story is one of an exchange of chocolates for a tile. I’m a Vicar and was working in a parish near Hull. I had a meeting with the Bishop one lunchtime, and then planned to go tile gathering on the way home. There was one tile on the south of the Humber I wanted, but it was at the bottom of someone’s garden. I knew another person had already sneaked down there in the night, but I wanted to be more honest. I let slip to the Bishop of Hull that this was what I was doing after our meeting. 

So I knocked on the front door of the house and when the couple answered I explained all about tile hunting, and that I’d like to give them some chocolates in order to walk to the bottom of their garden to claim my tile. I also gave them the Bishop of Hull’s best wishes. I think they were confused. I think they were under the impression the Bishop of Hull had sent me to the bottom of their garden. As non-cyclists or VeloViewer users they didn’t understand, but seemed to believe I was on a mission from God.

Graeme featured in his VeloViewer cycling cap

Graeme’s adventures were certainly deserving of a VeloViewer casquette and we were intrigued to know more about his love of cycling – hopefully inspiring others to set new challenges for the season ahead. Find out more right here.

Your bike of choice
I consider myself a long distance road cyclist, but in the last few years friends have taught me that just because the road ends, the ride doesn’t have to.

I love all my bikes! They each have a purpose, like having different shoes for the office, for dancing, or for hiking… but each of my bikes has a metal frame. I like to think they’re robust enough to deal with whatever the road surface – or lack of it – throws at them.

Your Explorer Score 
I subscribe to VeloViewer because it gives me the data that matches the riding I do: enjoyable exploring. My Explorer Tile scores are not as impressive as the top performers, but I’m happy with my Max Square of 27 and Max Cluster of 3135. A lot of cycling data is about performance, but I’m interested in joy and liberation… not easily measured. I do love the end of year infographic that shows me how many times I’ve climbed my nearest peak, or what far found place I might have reached if I’d cycled in one direction all year.

What’s your next planned adventure?
I’ve just come back from a 10 day cycle camping holiday around Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, and now I’m looking at what rides I need to do to complete my Audax ‘Randonneur Round the Year’ for 2024.

Do you have your own stories to tell about your own VeloViewer Explorer Tile hunting? Email us at veloviewer@gmail.com and you could win a VeloViewer casquette.

 

 

0 thoughts on “Explorer Tile Tales – keep the faith

  • What a brilliant story!! Veloviewer is such fun, it’s great to hear of others’ exploits – and a lovely bit of reflection in there too. Thanks !

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