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We worry about grams ... then there is Clara Wilkes ...

David

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
First one in 2005 from Moissac, France.
Hi all - I have often wondered about the whole cutting grams, going as light as .. (I do it too!!) .. thinking about the "real" world with soldiers on the march and what they carry .. Roman legions ...
now I have discovered Clara Wilkes - and she puts us all to shame. No special and expensive 'outdoor costumes' (no gears on that bike either!)
Oh my ... and here is me posting on other threads about not buying backpacks that weigh 1.2 kilos when you can get one that weighs 900gms ... oh dear ..... I hold a candle to my shame!

photo taken in 1915 when she was nineteen.

"A determined young woman, dressed in practical travel attire, navigates her heavily loaded bicycle along a scenic route. The year is 1915, and her spirit of adventure is as vibrant as the landscape she traverses.
In the summer of 1915, Clara Wilkes was not the typical young woman of her time. While others were content with the comforts of home, Clara yearned for the open road and the thrill of discovery. At just 19, she had already planned a solo journey that few would dare to undertake—a tour of the countryside on her trusty bicycle.
Her bike, though heavy with supplies, was her ticket to freedom. Laden with a tent, a small cooking set, and a few essentials, the steel frame groaned under the weight. But to Clara, it was more than just a mode of transportation; it was a symbol of her independence and courage.
Each morning, she would set off at dawn, the early light casting long shadows on the winding roads. The world around her was awakening—birds singing, leaves rustling in the breeze, and the distant sound of a stream trickling through the forest. As she pedalled, the landscape changed from rolling hills to dense woods and then to wide-open meadows, each new view more breath-taking than the last.
Clara’s journey was not without its challenges. The roads were rough, often no more than dirt paths, and the weight of her bike made every incline a test of strength. But she welcomed each challenge with a smile, her eyes alight with determination. Every mile brought her closer to something new—a village she had never visited, a mountain she had never climbed, or a river she had never crossed.
At night, she would find a quiet spot to set up camp, often near a river or under the shelter of tall trees. As the stars emerged, Clara would sit by her small fire, the warmth a comfort after a long day of travel. She would write in her journal, capturing the day’s events, the people she met, and the thoughts that filled her mind as she explored the world on two wheels."

467151743_1348679343213350_3593781989826093596_n.webp
 
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A determined young woman, dressed in practical travel attire, navigates her heavily loaded bicycle along a scenic route.
Thanks, @David, for posting this fascinating introduction to Clara's travels.
Her "practical" travel attire baffles me, and I wonder if she occasionally encountered any rain while packing up her "kit" in the mornings.🤔
 
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Well, 1915 and all that .. can't see her getting away with trousers but I bet there is an oilskin somewhere!

I think gender clothing was more fixed back then .. I am always amazed at how much female history never made it even into the newspapers, let alone history books - what it must be like to be female today and know that I cannot even imagine.

_98654320_gettyimages-3292698.webp
 
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The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Where was she travelling David? All the web pages I could find give the same information but nobody mentions where.
She seems to have been cut from the same cloth as Dervla Murphy (who came along later).
No idea, I searched too - is possible she didn't exist, though does seem like a real photo but fiction or fact, still inspiring I think. AI says she was real, said Europe so think France as mentioned the war.
 
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It still is in some ways: you should hear Mrs. Purky ranting and carrying on about the absence of pockets in women's pants.
Or even their trousers and skirts. After my successful foray into installing "pit-zips" in my Altus I am now taking commissions for pockets in skirts from my daughter and they are SO easy to install.

Women's apparel did use to include pockets of course:

1731941422640.webp

worn on the hips of course, not on the "fanny".
 
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Aside from the weight issue, I can only partly imagine how difficult it must have been for a woman of her age, in those days, to do such things, deciding for herself and without looking anyone in the face. I can imagine how many people regarded her as crazy, unconscious, or even a scandal. Instead, she was just a brave and independent person, decades ahead of others. No technical clothes, no advanced gears. Not even... gearbox!

Hats off - of straw, perhaps - toward people like her!
 
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That's why I find it comical some of the almost irrational extremism of gram reducing done by some pilgrims walking the Camino. Drilling holes in toothbrush handles and tearing pages out of guidebooks. 😆
It's the Camino, not the north face.
Medieval pilgrims walked it wearing heavy wool whilst being chronically dehydrated and malnourished.
 
If you believe this story, you'll believe anything.
Yep, maybe something fake. But this probably apply to 99% of what you read in this forum too. Maybe you never walked Le Puy - SdC, Podiensis, Frances, Invierno 2012-23. Nevertheless, we give some room to trusting others, in the hope there is something to learn anyway.
That's why I find it comical some of the almost irrational extremism of gram reducing done by some pilgrims walking the Camino. Drilling holes in toothbrush handles and tearing pages out of guidebooks. 😆
It's the Camino, not the north face.
Medieval pilgrims walked it wearing heavy wool whilst being chronically dehydrated and malnourished.
when I look at a picture of former Antarctic explorers, like Shackleton, Mawson, Scott, etc., I wonder, based on the experience I gained there, how they could do that. Hauling a sled with 100 kg of cargo for half a km on Antarctic ice, with today's equipment and clothing, in decent weather conditions, on level ground, and fed by a modern diet, is a tremendous effort. Yet these people have traveled thousands of kilometers doing it.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Yep, maybe something fake. But this probably apply to 99% of what you read in this forum too. Maybe you never walked Le Puy - SdC, Podiensis, Frances, Invierno 2012-23. Nevertheless, we give some room to trusting others, in the hope there is something to learn anyway.
😳 Wow, I take issue with this. All of my own Camino walking "Live threads" have been 100% truthful and I have never thought otherwise of anyone else's account of their pilgrimages.
I am normally a very trusting person, so hope I have not been gullible or duped when reading posts on this forum.
 
😳 Wow, I take issue with this. All of my own Camino walking "Live threads" have been 100% truthful and I have never thought otherwise of anyone else's account of their pilgrimages.
I am normally a very trusting person, so hope I have not been gullible or duped when reading posts on this forum.
Of course I trust you and any one else here. Why shouldn't I? But the message I commented on made fun of the person who wrote the initial message in this thread and all those who commented afterwards, as if we were all gullible, which is not very nice in my opinion.

My apologies if I have been misinterpreted or if I have misinterpreted myself the message I commented. I let to the moderators to decide if my message should be removed. Sorry about that, eventually.
 
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Yep, maybe something fake. But this probably apply to 99% of what you read in this forum too.
I take it that you speak from personal experience. Perhaps you might tell us which three of the nearly 300 posts you have made so far haven't been fake. I would love to know.
 
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I take it that you speak from personal experience. Perhaps you might tell us which three of the nearly 300 posts you have made so far haven't been fake. I would love to know.
again: I do not think that 99% of what is written here is fake. Absolutely! Sorry if I have been not clear. I think that if one assumes that "If you believe this story, you'll believe anything." the same can be said about almost everything online.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
…and where are the men wearing skirts, apart from Scots, Greeks, and….
Scots and skirts?? For shame pelerine. I saw a sign when I was in Glencoe, Scotland last Spring. "KILT".....What happened to the last person who called it a skirt" :) ;)
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
I've done a lot of long-distance cycle-touring.

If the bike in that picture tipped over, getting it upright again would be almost impossible for even a very strong determined person.

Any gust of wind would affect balance a lot.

And with that load, pneumatic tires would get snake-bite punctures quickly on the rough roads of the era.
 
A nice story, however I doubt its veracity. There is no reference I can find except for this photograph, even on sites about famous women cyclists, and if you look closely her left foot is pedalling in thin air without the pedal being attached to the bike. This error and the clarity of the photo suggest AI generated.
 
Join the Camino cleanup. Logroño to Burgos May 2025 & Astorga to OCebreiro in June
A nice story, however I doubt its veracity. There is no reference I can find except for this photograph, even on sites about famous women cyclists, and if you look closely her left foot is pedalling in thin air without the pedal being attached to the bike. This error and the clarity of the photo suggest AI generated.
Well spotted - I've heard of cotterless cranks but never crankless cotters!
 
AI generated.
Story and photo are doing the rounds on Facebook. Both story and photo may not be older than September 2024. An amazing number of people believe it and are inspired. Somebody described it as AI-BS. It's just the start. Plenty more to come.

PS: The story is too long for social media. Most people will look at the photo and read only the first few lines of the story. Immediately followed by "like" and "share". ☺️
 
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Whether she existed or not David, the key for me was age. And at 19, I too could have marched with a 40 lb. backpack and ran marathons, and played at a national level in a team sport. But alas in my 70’s, yes, I unapolgetically need to obsess on the weight of everything I am carrying ,or even, sometimes need to send stuff ahead. Such is life….😉
 
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A nice story, however I doubt its veracity. There is no reference I can find except for this photograph, even on sites about famous women cyclists, and if you look closely her left foot is pedalling in thin air without the pedal being attached to the bike. This error and the clarity of the photo suggest AI generated.

No brake cables either. And worst of all .... no bell ... which everyone knows is the main giveaway.

Off topic. Was talking to my son about AI as he has access to the test site for the newest commercial offerings. He demonstrated some of the features including asking AI to 'roast' him. It was funnier than some stand-up comedians.
 

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Yep, maybe something fake. But this probably apply to 99% of what you read in this forum too. Maybe you never walked Le Puy - SdC, Podiensis, Frances, Invierno 2012-23.

Hmm, didn't you say just an hour ago, you "think that polemics, even the most subtle ones, should be nipped in the bud"

That doesn't apply to yourself, then?
 
No brake cables either. And worst of all .... no bell ... which everyone knows is the main giveaway.

Off topic. Was talking to my son about AI as he has access to the test site for the newest commercial offerings. He demonstrated some of the features including asking AI to 'roast' him. It was funnier than some stand-up comedians.
No cranks at all here! It's the little things that give it away like 7 fingers on one hand or two knees on the same leg . . . but some of them are frightfully good,
 
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Story and photo are doing the rounds on Facebook. Both story and photo may not be older than September 2024. An amazing number of people believe it and are inspired. Somebody described it as AI-BS. It's just the start. Plenty more to come.

PS: The story is too long for social media consumption. Most people will not have read more than the first few lines and viewed the photo. Immediately followed by "like" and "share". ☺️
It was the "summer of 1915" that gave me pause for thought. Mind you it was the era of "a good thick skirt, a waterproof and a large umbrella" (Gertrude Bell) so anything was possible.
 
A nice story, however I doubt its veracity. There is no reference I can find except for this photograph, even on sites about famous women cyclists, and if you look closely her left foot is pedalling in thin air without the pedal being attached to the bike. This error and the clarity of the photo suggest AI generated.
Yeah... I was going to say the same... but go busy with stuff..
There's a ton of this stuff on the web now... Here we call it "AI Slop" and while it might be conceptually harmless, it does waste enormous bandwidth... and sometimes there are trojan issues with widely circulating items, so I do just try to stay away from it all.
 
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Here we call it "AI Slop" and while it might be conceptually harmless, it does waste enormous bandwidth... and sometimes there are trojan issues with widely circulating items, so I do just try to stay away from it all.
Thank you for your contribution, @Perambulating Griffin. I didn't know that there is an established term for it: "AI Slop". I know now. It is discussed in news articles and has an entry in Wikipedia:

AI slop is low-quality media - including writing and images - made using generative artificial intelligence technology. It has been variously defined as "digital clutter", "filler content produced by AI tools that prioritize speed and quantity over substance and quality", and "shoddy or unwanted AI content in social media, art, books and, increasingly, in search results".

I am not concerned about virus carrying software when I see this stuff online. It is this latter point - that this stuff becomes part of human "knowledge" and turns up in search results where it is not presented as what it is, namely feeble attempts in literature and art but as a distorting and misleading historical "fact", whether supposedly inspirational or not.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Was talking to my son about AI as he has access to the test site for the newest commercial offerings.

I guess that your son had the photo of this girl on a bike generated by AI? It's impressive. Are the hands and feet often a give-away or did he have it done like this on purpose? 😂

The Clara Wilkes Intrepid Young Female Cyclist of 1915 story appears to be not much older than two months and was perhaps fabricated in September 2024. There is a similar story that was published on Facebook (where else?) in July 2024 - see below. I did not investigate it further. Perhaps it is "true". But look at the fingers of her hands, and the feet and the pedals. Presumably produced at the same AI factory?

I give you Mary Collins, a 19-year-old from a small town in Pennsylvania, The Intrepid Girl and Her Heavy-Loaded Bike: A 1915 Journey.
Presumably more fictive inspirational crap.webp
 
I have recently been noticing these AI generated overviews on some of the things I google search. At least they are now letting us know, which I appreciate.
View attachment 181091

AI photos are great fun - like the Clara Wilkes one - but they aren't human so they make silly mistakes - the Clara photo for instance .. a few mistakes, my favourite is - can you imagine that much weight on the rear of a bicycle without the rear tyre being flattened?
 
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Thank you for your contribution, @Perambulating Griffin. I didn't know that there is an established term for it: "AI Slop". I know now. It is discussed in news articles and has an entry in Wikipedia:

AI slop is low-quality media - including writing and images - made using generative artificial intelligence technology. It has been variously defined as "digital clutter", "filler content produced by AI tools that prioritize speed and quantity over substance and quality", and "shoddy or unwanted AI content in social media, art, books and, increasingly, in search results".

I am not concerned about virus carrying software when I see this stuff online. It is this latter point - that this stuff becomes part of human "knowledge" and turns up in search results where it is not presented as what it is, namely feeble attempts in literature and art but as a distorting and misleading historical "fact", whether supposedly inspirational or not.
Absolutely agree about the distortion of historical fact… it’s a way of twisting people’s perceptions and appealing to nostalgia and sentiment (I have seen my share of inane images of a supposed couple who fought the odds and lived happily on modest means for 70 years until dying together… with their 7 fingered hands and 5 feet shared between them, extra knees etc). An environmental disaster on par with blockchain mining and, as you note, the chipping away at what is real, supplanting it with convenient fantasy…
I am surprised I have not encountered more slop about *locations* to visit. Perhaps others on the forum have, but I do dread the idea that there could be pilgrimage slop out there.
 
I have recently been noticing these AI generated overviews on some of the things I google search. At least they are now letting us know, which I appreciate.
View attachment 181092
Beware the Beastie that is AI Overview. There was a report in the UK a week or so ago of somebody who clicked on a link in one overview and was taken straight to a scam site. Apparently AI Overview doesn't do much checking on content, it just scrapes the internet and repackages what it finds. Remember GIGO? Garbage In, Garbage Out.
 
Beware the Beastie that is AI Overview. There was a report in the UK a week or so ago of somebody who clicked on a link in one overview and was taken straight to a scam site. Apparently AI Overview doesn't do much checking on content, it just scrapes the internet and repackages what it finds. Remember GIGO? Garbage In, Garbage Out.
I hear ya, Jeff. I actually beware of anything AI. I see it as Regurgitated Ramblings...RR.
 
Train for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island March 16-19
I hear ya, Jeff. I actually beware of anything AI. I see it as Regurgitated Ramblings...RR.

Well. Yes and No. The underlying LLM is OK and getting better. The issue is that the training material (the internet) is so full of nonsense/scams/off the wall theories, that GIGO applies.

If you have a clean database of vetted and comprehensive content, like this site then a LLM would be able to answer most questions, even the obscure ones, with high levels of accuracy. So well moderated sites with deep levels of information on a specialist subject could be valuable. All you need is $billion LLM.
 
The sycophantic tone of the article aroused my suspicion. There are, however, several well-documented female touring cyclists dating from the late nineteenth century. The American writer Elizabeth Robins Pennell, for instance, crossed the Alps on a tricycle in the 1890s, albeit accompanied by her irascible husband, the artist Joseph Pennell. Her accounts of their various travels are well worth reading.
 
The sycophantic tone of the article aroused my suspicion. There are, however, several well-documented female touring cyclists dating from the late nineteenth century. The American writer Elizabeth Robins Pennell, for instance, crossed the Alps on a tricycle in the 1890s, albeit accompanied by her irascible husband, the artist Joseph Pennell. Her accounts of their various travels are well worth reading.
Neat... and yes... many years ago I attended a Victorian Studies conference (with spouse who was presenting) and went to a session about the advent of the camera, the relatively new genre of naturalist writing, and *mountain climbing* in the French Alps. Fascinating to see the confluence of cameras and new types of shoes, and infrastructure to support ladies in multi-layered skirts, tweed blazers, etc hauling their cameras and tripods and large, leather backpacks up to Chammonix and Mont Blanc in order to write the stories and provide the photos that would go back to urban audiences in London and Paris (mostly). It's not my field so the details of the. adventure writers escapes my memory now, but the topic was fascinating to me.
 
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Neat... and yes... many years ago I attended a Victorian Studies conference (with spouse who was presenting) and went to a session about the advent of the camera, the relatively new genre of naturalist writing, and *mountain climbing* in the French Alps. Fascinating to see the confluence of cameras and new types of shoes, and infrastructure to support ladies in multi-layered skirts, tweed blazers, etc hauling their cameras and tripods and large, leather backpacks up to Chammonix and Mont Blanc in order to write the stories and provide the photos that would go back to urban audiences in London and Paris (mostly). It's not my field so the details of the. adventure writers escapes my memory now, but the topic was fascinating to me.
I have a particular affection for Gertrude Bell: explorer, linguist, Arabist, archaeologist, diplomat, political officer, mountaineer . . . There's a story about how she and two guides roped themselves to a mountain in a blizzard with no shelter for 48 hours and how she "eased off" on her mountaineering after that. Lots of people have heard of Lawrence of Arabia but sadly few know of Gertrude "Queen of the Desert" Bell.
They DO still make them like that, they just never get the coverage.
 
Here’s my contribution to the loaded bike thread – 2019, not 1915.
I’ve cropped his face because he might not want me sending his image into cyberspace.
Well, it might be 2019, but after "Clara" it looks very suspicious to me for several reasons that I will not mention. If it is real, maybe it was just a one-off for a photo, and they laughed about it afterward.
 
Fail to prepare? reduce your risk by buying this book full of practical info.
2nd ed.
Well, it might be 2019, but after "Clara" it looks very suspicious to me for several reasons that I will not mention. If it is real, maybe it was just a one-off for a photo, and they laughed about it afterward.
Seeing is believing in this case. I met this guy in Nimes. And no motor.
 
Seeing is believing in this case. I met this guy in Nimes. And no motor.
I was skeptical because I didn't see a trailer wheel being pulled behind the bicycle, but apparently it just wasn't in view.

EDIT- Did you watch him ride his bike away, or at least watch him get on or off. That would be quite a "feat" in itself.😂
 
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Dervla was real. Worth joining a library to catch her stories...
Indeed. I use the Libby reading app along with my local library card - 39,000 books plus free access to a slew of magazines. There are four of her books available her in Kent and I borrowed Full Tilt (again) a couple of days ago. She was extraordinary.
 
There is an online bicycle museum. The website also sells vintage bicycles, including some from 1915. I had a look (https://onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk/date_tax/1915/). Mostly bikes for men but also a few for women. There are links to some background info about life in 1915.

This is what women on bikes did in 1915: they cycled to "war work"; they staged protest actions in their fight for the right to vote. It was a time that would bring enormous social change but not thanks to fictive young women in school girl outfits on an overloaded bike in an overly romanticising "inspirational" story.

There is some more quite interesting information on this Online Bicycle Museum website about women and bikes in the year 1915 other than this poster and the news cartoon. Among other things, the info that the more vocal Suffragettes were rich women: in the strict class system of the day, only upper class women had any chance of being heard, especially by parliament. The All-Black Golden Sunbeam for Ladies was one of the most expensive ladies’ bicycles of the era, a model much favoured by those who could afford it. Gertrude Bell, mentioned earlier, was also born into a wealthy family, which enabled both her higher education and her travels. This does not diminish her achievements. But a 19 year old Clara, with her ticket to freedom from nowhere to nowhere, eyes alight with determination ... pu-lease ... :cool:

Quote: But, of course, it was WW1 that actually resulted in voting rights for women. In a display of patriotism, Emmeline Pankhurst instructed the Suffragettes to stop their campaign of violence and support in every way the government and its war effort. The work done by women [doing men’s jobs to free them for active service as well as becoming nurses, drivers etc in France] in the First World War was vital for Britain’s war effort. In 1918, the Representation of the People Act was passed by Parliament.

Women on bikes in 1915.webp
 
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Indeed. I use the Libby reading app along with my local library card - 39,000 books plus free access to a slew of magazines. There are four of her books available her in Kent and I borrowed Full Tilt (again) a couple of days ago. She was extraordinary.
You are such a star! I have just found my pin number for my library card, by phoning the most wonderful Lexicon Library in Dunlaoghaire ( yes, do try to pronounce it 😈). The melifluous accent of Ruadh, the assistant, was so easy to follow.. well, he got me my pin number and now I am in Libby. I could save a fortune now, except I love to promote my favourite online bookstore in Galway.
I have, as ever, many other things to do, but why bother? It is Friday, nobody wants to do much of a Friday afternoon.. and Libby is going to be my new friend for the next while. I look forward to being able to have library books without paying fines if I am unable to finish reading them because I am on the forum!
😈😈😈
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
Here’s my contribution to the loaded bike thread – 2019, not 1915.
Here's mine. I learned about this first hand from the owner during a lecture at work c. 1990. A human powered (105 gears) 580 pound (260 kg) bike and trailer with $1,000,000+ of equipment.

YouTube video id: dItCJUuFY4U

More for the geeks, he typed up to 100 words a minute, while riding, using a gizmo on the handlebars that allowed him to type in binary. Here's the YouTube video id to a hour lecture on the Behemoth: llEIEILXCy0
 
Here's mine. I learned about this first hand from the owner during a lecture at work c. 1990. A human powered (105 gears) 580 pound (260 kg) bike and trailer with $1,000,000+ of equipment.

YouTube video id: dItCJUuFY4U

More for the geeks, he typed up to 100 words a minute, while riding, using a gizmo on the handlebars that allowed him to type in binary. Here's the YouTube video id to a hour lecture on the Behemoth: llEIEILXCy0
Yet another star. Thanks. I can always count on you. Mister. And Mrs Peg! She is real, by the way, people. We met in Epic, really!
 
…and where are the men wearing skirts, apart from Scots, Greeks, and….
...the terminology varies, but arguably, the cossack is a dress. Sarongs are common in the SW Pacific islands, and in SE Asia...
Then there are the frock-coats and high heels of the Renaissance men.... clothing to show that one did not have to do labour. I walked for a bit on my first camino with an older man wearing his saffron kilt...
Why Euro-Americans are so very resistant is a puzzle...
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
You are such a star! I have just found my pin number for my library card, by phoning the most wonderful Lexicon Library in Dunlaoghaire ( yes, do try to pronounce it 😈). The melifluous accent of Ruadh, the assistant, was so easy to follow.. well, he got me my pin number and now I am in Libby. I could save a fortune now, except I love to promote my favourite online bookstore in Galway.
I have, as ever, many other things to do, but why bother? It is Friday, nobody wants to do much of a Friday afternoon.. and Libby is going to be my new friend for the next while. I look forward to being able to have library books without paying fines if I am unable to finish reading them because I am on the forum!
😈😈😈
Can't beat a real, paper book but Libby is very useful - pleased to have introduced you to each other!
 
There is an online bicycle museum. The website also sells vintage bicycles, including some from 1915. I had a look (https://onlinebicyclemuseum.co.uk/date_tax/1915/). Mostly bikes for men but also a few for women. There are links to some background info about life in 1915.

This is what women on bikes did in 1915: they cycled to "war work"; they staged protest actions in their fight for the right to vote. It was a time that would bring enormous social change but not thanks to fictive young women in school girl outfits on an overloaded bike in an overly romanticising "inspirational" story.

There is some more quite interesting information on this Online Bicycle Museum website about women and bikes in the year 1915 other than this poster and the news cartoon. Among other things, the info that the more vocal Suffragettes were rich women: in the strict class system of the day, only upper class women had any chance of being heard, especially by parliament. The All-Black Golden Sunbeam for Ladies was one of the most expensive ladies’ bicycles of the era, a model much favoured by those who could afford it. Gertrude Bell, mentioned earlier, was also born into a wealthy family, which enabled both her higher education and her travels. This does not diminish her achievements. But a 19 year old Clara, with her ticket to freedom from nowhere to nowhere, eyes alight with determination ... pu-lease ... :cool:

Quote: But, of course, it was WW1 that actually resulted in voting rights for women. In a display of patriotism, Emmeline Pankhurst instructed the Suffragettes to stop their campaign of violence and support in every way the government and its war effort. The work done by women [doing men’s jobs to free them for active service as well as becoming nurses, drivers etc in France] in the First World War was vital for Britain’s war effort. In 1918, the Representation of the People Act was passed by Parliament.

View attachment 181154
Extraordinary website - thank you. For those who would like an insight into pre-WW1 cycling (sadly from a man's POV I would recommend Jerome K Jerome's "Three Men on a Bummel" as they meander trough Germany - he was amazingly prescient.
 
you should hear Mrs. Purky ranting and carrying on about the absence of pockets in women's pants.
…and where are the men wearing skirts, apart from Scots, Greeks, and….
Here.

Hiking skirt with pockets, six! And all big enough to hold a Brierley guidebook. Lightweight nylon used for mountain trails. New versions are a bit longer.
1000016238.webp

Kilt, no pockets. Heavier and warmer but useful for walking in the local woods. On the first walk I took with it I met a guy who wore one for his wedding. This one was designed for casual wear though. This picture was taken on my only mountain hike with it (on the Appalachian Trail).
1000016239.webp
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
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Hiking skirt with pockets, six! And all big enough to hold a Brierley guidebook. Lightweight nylon used for mountain trails. New versions are a bit longer.
View attachment 181165

Kilt, no pockets. Heavier and warmer but useful for walking in the local woods. On the first walk I took with it I met a guy who wore one for his wedding. This one was designed for casual wear though. This picture was taken on my only mountain hike with it (on the Appalachian Trail).
View attachment 181166


1732301032911.webp
And Peg? 🧐

Hands up! Almost sorry for derailing thread. 😇
 
Extraordinary website - thank you. For those who would like an insight into pre-WW1 cycling (sadly from a man's POV I would recommend Jerome K Jerome's "Three Men on a Bummel" as they meander trough Germany - he was amazingly prescient.
For a woman’s point of view on cycle touring in the nineteenth century, I refer you to Frances Willard, Annie Londonderry, Fanny Bullock Workman, Elizabeth Robins Pennell. As for the predictable and unanticipated hazards of cycling in a voluminous skirt, Kat Jungnickel, ‘Bikes and Bloomers’ (2018) and Hannah Ross, ‘Revolutions’ (2021) both provide engaging accounts of prototypical road rage and harassment from male drivers, and indeed from non-cycling women. While kilts might offer practical attire for male walkers, skirts could, and occasionally did, provide a handhold for pulling a woman off her bike. No wonder the rational dress association gained as much momentum as these women on wheels!
 
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For a woman’s point of view on cycle touring in the nineteenth century, I refer you to Frances Willard, Annie Londonderry, Fanny Bullock Workman, Elizabeth Robins Pennell. As for the predictable and unanticipated hazards of cycling in a voluminous skirt, Kat Jungnickel, ‘Bikes and Bloomers’ (2018) and Hannah Ross, ‘Revolutions’ (2021) both provide engaging accounts of prototypical road rage and harassment from male drivers, and indeed from non-cycling women. While kilts might offer practical attire for male walkers, skirts could, and occasionally did, provide a handhold for pulling a woman off her bike. No wonder the rational dress association gained as much momentum as these women on wheels!

All true - and they were vanguards, and so long ago. What isn't mentioned today is one of the main reasons that females cycling at that time was such a scandal, and it is to do with saddles.
You will have noticed that historically females always rode horses side saddle? On specially made saddles? ... even in our times our late queen rode side saddle at such formal ceremonies as the changing of the guard?

It was to do with the hymen - back then virginity in a female at marriage was sacrosanct and riding a horse in the male way it was feared that the hymen could be broken so that on her wedding night the husband would doubt her virginity .... and bicycles came at a time of great change in society .. the beginnings of that long change that would move females from being possessions to being 'people' .. so riding as a male on saddles on bicycles had the same 'problem' and was an unspoken sexual scandal - what if the hymen was broken!

So ... the females who rode bicycles in the very early 19th century? was obvious to regular society what they were ... I leave you to put in the words ...
Nonsense today, of course, but back then? How brave they were - so much more brave than we can see now .. they weren't just riding bicycles, they were breaking centuries of fixed 'female as possession' society.
I honour them all.
 
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It was to do with the hymen - back then virginity in a female at marriage was sacrosanct and riding a horse in the male way it was feared that the hymen could be broken so that on her wedding night the husband would doubt her virginity .... and bicycles came at a time of great change in society .. the beginnings of that long change that would move females from being possessions to being 'people' .. so riding as a male on saddles on bicycles had the same 'problem' - what if the hymen was broken!
For exactly the same reason, I had a pretty hostile reception when I rode my bike around the remote town where I worked in the UAE, including having bottles thrown at me, verbal abuse, and even cars being driven at me. So, that attitude is still alive and well in some parts of the world.

However, the local (female) teachers I worked with had great fun riding my bike around the (walled) car park at our school, reliving their childhood memories.
 
Hi all - I have often wondered about the whole cutting grams, going as light as .. (I do it too!!) .. thinking about the "real" world with soldiers on the march and what they carry .. Roman legions ...
now I have discovered Clara Wilkes - and she puts us all to shame. No special and expensive 'outdoor costumes' (no gears on that bike either!)
Oh my ... and here is me posting on other threads about not buying backpacks that weigh 1.2 kilos when you can get one that weighs 900gms ... oh dear ..... I hold a candle to my shame!

photo taken in 1915 when she was nineteen.

"A determined young woman, dressed in practical travel attire, navigates her heavily loaded bicycle along a scenic route. The year is 1915, and her spirit of adventure is as vibrant as the landscape she traverses.
In the summer of 1915, Clara Wilkes was not the typical young woman of her time. While others were content with the comforts of home, Clara yearned for the open road and the thrill of discovery. At just 19, she had already planned a solo journey that few would dare to undertake—a tour of the countryside on her trusty bicycle.
Her bike, though heavy with supplies, was her ticket to freedom. Laden with a tent, a small cooking set, and a few essentials, the steel frame groaned under the weight. But to Clara, it was more than just a mode of transportation; it was a symbol of her independence and courage.
Each morning, she would set off at dawn, the early light casting long shadows on the winding roads. The world around her was awakening—birds singing, leaves rustling in the breeze, and the distant sound of a stream trickling through the forest. As she pedalled, the landscape changed from rolling hills to dense woods and then to wide-open meadows, each new view more breath-taking than the last.
Clara’s journey was not without its challenges. The roads were rough, often no more than dirt paths, and the weight of her bike made every incline a test of strength. But she welcomed each challenge with a smile, her eyes alight with determination. Every mile brought her closer to something new—a village she had never visited, a mountain she had never climbed, or a river she had never crossed.
At night, she would find a quiet spot to set up camp, often near a river or under the shelter of tall trees. As the stars emerged, Clara would sit by her small fire, the warmth a comfort after a long day of travel. She would write in her journal, capturing the day’s events, the people she met, and the thoughts that filled her mind as she explored the world on two wheels."

View attachment 180950
She is one tough and amazing pilgrim!!!! Great story and thanks
 
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EDIT- Did you watch him ride his bike away, or at least watch him get on or off. That would be quite a "feat" in itself.😂
I did! But he didnt get out of the saddle. At first when I approached him I thought he was a ‘biker ’ because he looked the part of a Hell’s Angel. Very friendly guy, though. From California – dare I say ‘of course’? Bronzed, bearded and riding in the rain.
 

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