As you have made it here, I assume you have bought a copy of my first book detailing my attempt to cycle around the world: At the Whim of the Open Road. If so, thank you!
Alternatively, if you have illegally downloaded a copy of the e-book, then shame on you! Nah, just kidding, money is tight these days and I’m just happy someone is reading it, so I hope you enjoy it as well!
Due to the high printing costs of photos (and Amazon even charging per megabyte for delivery of ebooks), I have decided to instead direct you to this series of online galleries.
Below are fifty of my favourite photos which show off some of the incredible scenes I was fortunate enough to witness during my wild journey from Limerick to Sydney.
Fifty photos is probably more than enough, however if you want a more detailed glimpse into my daily life on the road, feel free to click on the “Photos by Chapter” link below. This will bring you to a series of more detailed albums, split into the 19 chapters of my book. If you want to view photos of my journey while reading the book, this would be the best option.
All galleries are available both on this website and on Flickr, so you can pick whichever version you find easier to navigate. If using this website, clicking on any photo will open a gallery where you can navigate through each album by using left/right arrows.
Links to each gallery are below. I hope you enjoy!
A large, impending storm closing in around me as I race across the countryside of northern FranceCarefully traversing snow-covered tracks east of Jena, GermanyA snapshot of the icy conditions and heavy traffic I faced during my winter days in PolandOur view of the historical Lviv skyline from our perch on the ridge of the sloping roofThe sun shining on the snow-draped fields of south-western UkraineWaking up to the incredible sight of my tent and bicycle draped in snow in rural MoldovaSunrise over the fairy chimneys of CappadociaThe beautiful snow-patched wilderness as I progressed into Eastern Turkey with Rob and JoshRob admiring the scenery near the summit of a 2,190-metre pass in Eastern TurkeyEnjoying a beautiful sunset over the Caspian Sea at Babolsar Beach in IranOne of the many kind Iranian families who invited me into their homes for lunchThe stunning facade of Mir-i-Arab Madrassah in the ancient Silk Road city of Bukhara in UzbekistanThe old road from Dushanbe to Kalai-kumb in Tajikistan, now a forgotten dirt trackA Tajik shepherd posing for a photo with his massive flock of sheep behindFollowing the old Soviet road along the Panj River, with the green mountains of Afghanistan on the far sideThe height of the cliffs plunging both the road of Tajikistan and the track of Afghanistan into shadowThe mighty peaks of Afghanistan on the opposite side of the Wakhan ValleyKim and Mark descending the last, rough section of the Khargush Pass before joining the smooth tarmac of the Pamir HighwayKim photographing a herd of yaks grazing outside a remote chaihana along the Pamir HighwayKim with the Pamir Highway stretching away into the distanceMy three companions pedalling across the vastness of the Pamir PlateauMatthew drinking some hot tea in the family home near the summit of the Ak-Baital Pass while we waited for the storm to passMark and Matthew fighting up the first pass out of Karakul with a dust devil and some ominous clouds in the backgroundThis young kid challenged us to a race down the hill upon entering Kyrgyzstan. He won easily.One last look back at the glorious Pamir Mountains from the Kyrgyz sideThe Milky Way visible behind Kim’s tent. Starry nights like this had been the norm ever since entering Central AsiaA parting shot of the wonderful Altai landscape as I close in on the last Russian village of Kosh-AgachChasing my shadow eastwards across the plains of Western Mongolia towards the village of TsagaannuurThe view back down the valley from my first wild camp in China with the Milky Way hanging overheadThe icy shores of Sayram Lake in Xinjiang, Western ChinaPedalling through ice and snow on my way up an unforgiving 2,250-metre pass in Central ChinaThe golden temple of Meishan situated in Sichuan province, Central ChinaThe stunning jungle and karst peaks of Laos which made for such joyful cycling after a tough ride across ChinaThe picture perfect scene I had been dreaming of all across China finally coming to fruition on Koh Rong Sanloem. Absolute bliss.The huge, golden stupa of Shwedagon Pagoda in the centre of Yangon, MyanmarThe sun and hot air balloons rising above the temples and the mist of Bagan, MyanmarThe beaches of Tonsai and Railay near Krabi, ThailandTrying out the newest look in cycling fashion during the intense monsoon rains of MalaysiaA very happy and surprised man to have somehow made it all the way to Singapore!Clément stopping to photograph yet another section of the idyllic tropical coastline of SulawesiA striking sunset to end one of our many wonderful days in SulawesiThe ever cheerful kids of SulawesiThe alignment of the sun timed itself perfectly to provide us with this lovely group shot of Matthew, me and ClémentThe multi-coloured Kelimutu crater lakes, high in the mountains of Flores island, IndonesiaCruising alone along the dirt of Australia’s Oodnadatta Track with 160 kilometres still to go before the next settlementChasing my shadow eastwards, further into the wilderness as the sun begins to set over the OutbackJess and Elana taking in the exceptional view over Melbourne, AustraliaTaking in the gorgeous coastal views at the Great Ocean Road’s “12 Apostles” near Melbourne, AustraliaMe and Elana with the postcard-perfect Great Ocean Road in the backgroundA final shot of me and Elana with Sydney Harbour in the background. It was the most difficult of choices to leave this relationship behind, but the long open roads of South America and Africa were calling.
Hi William,
I’m still reading the book.I’m at the Dushanbe/Pamirs section. I’m really enjoying it. I’ve read over 20 long distance cycle journeys mainly round the world adventures. This book is possibly my favourite !
I’m mainly a hillwalker/trekker but one day I’ll break out on a long distance cycle.
When will part 2 be released ?
Hi Manus, thanks so much for the kind words on the book. I really appreciate the comment, and I’m delighted to hear you’re enjoying it so much. I’ve already written the draft of part two, but there’s a large amount of editing still to do. Editing the first book took a huge amount out of me (the joys of self-publishing!), and since then I’ve been struggling with some health issues. So my plan is to spend this summer and autumn getting back to full health and then I’ll attack the editing this winter with the aim of releasing the book next summer. Apologies for the delay, but hopefully it’ll be worth the wait. Hope you enjoy the rest of my book, and best wishes on your own long distance cycle some day. Wishing you all the best. Slainte!
Hi William,
I’m sure it must take a lot of time and effort getting to the final draft.
I’ll look forward to it.
I hope you’re back to full health again soon.
Hey Will, at home with a fractured ankle reading your book for the third time. Just want to say it’s been a huge inspiration. Ferry’s booked for a 2 week trip in the Pyrenees next summer – not exactly the Pamir highway, but not bad for a 17 year old! Just wanted to say I love the book and can’t wait until part 2.
Thanks very much for the kind words, Sean! I’m delighted to hear it’s inspired you. When I wrote the book, I really hoped it would inspire other people to set off on their own adventures, so that’s wonderful to hear.
The very best of luck with your two weeks in the Pyrenees. I only started cycle touring at 18 with a 6-day trip around Kerry, so you’re getting off to a more adventurous start than I did! At 17 it takes a lot of courage to set off on a foreign adventure like that, so fair play! It sounds like it’ll be an amazing trip. Enjoy!
Irregular Adventures 
Hi William,
I’m still reading the book.I’m at the Dushanbe/Pamirs section. I’m really enjoying it. I’ve read over 20 long distance cycle journeys mainly round the world adventures. This book is possibly my favourite !
I’m mainly a hillwalker/trekker but one day I’ll break out on a long distance cycle.
When will part 2 be released ?
Slainte, Manus.
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Hi Manus, thanks so much for the kind words on the book. I really appreciate the comment, and I’m delighted to hear you’re enjoying it so much. I’ve already written the draft of part two, but there’s a large amount of editing still to do. Editing the first book took a huge amount out of me (the joys of self-publishing!), and since then I’ve been struggling with some health issues. So my plan is to spend this summer and autumn getting back to full health and then I’ll attack the editing this winter with the aim of releasing the book next summer. Apologies for the delay, but hopefully it’ll be worth the wait. Hope you enjoy the rest of my book, and best wishes on your own long distance cycle some day. Wishing you all the best. Slainte!
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Hi William,
I’m sure it must take a lot of time and effort getting to the final draft.
I’ll look forward to it.
I hope you’re back to full health again soon.
Take care, Manus.
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Amazing book, Will! What an incredible journey! Really enjoyed reading it!
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Thank you Sam, it’s always great to get comments like this. Delighted to hear you enjoyed it so much!
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Hey Will, at home with a fractured ankle reading your book for the third time. Just want to say it’s been a huge inspiration. Ferry’s booked for a 2 week trip in the Pyrenees next summer – not exactly the Pamir highway, but not bad for a 17 year old! Just wanted to say I love the book and can’t wait until part 2.
Respect from Galway, Sean.
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Thanks very much for the kind words, Sean! I’m delighted to hear it’s inspired you. When I wrote the book, I really hoped it would inspire other people to set off on their own adventures, so that’s wonderful to hear.
The very best of luck with your two weeks in the Pyrenees. I only started cycle touring at 18 with a 6-day trip around Kerry, so you’re getting off to a more adventurous start than I did! At 17 it takes a lot of courage to set off on a foreign adventure like that, so fair play! It sounds like it’ll be an amazing trip. Enjoy!
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And apologies, forgot to say best of luck with the recovery!
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