How long is a piece of string ? This is our first real cycle journey and have no idea what to expect.

Although our route over the four months will be in the region of about 4500kms, I can't see us cycling much over 2500kms. We plan to use trains, busses, songthaews, boats etc to fill the gaps, particularly when the going gets tough.

The current plan is for the first part of the journey to be by train down to the Petchaburi area to do some bird watching (did I mention that we are birders ?) We will use our bikes to get to the birding areas of Khaeng Krachan National Park, Laem Phak Bia and Pak Thale but will be based in Petchaburi for the first few days.

Then by train again to Phitsanoluk where the real cycling only starts.

Chiang Mai via Sukhathai with some birding at various places around Chiang Mai.

The boat from Tha Thon to Chian Rai and boat again down the Mekong to Luang Prabang.

If we make as far as that and still be on the planned route I'll be very surprised so I'll stop making predictions at this point.

We hope it will mostly be be short hops of 50-80 kays three or four days a week with the possibility of a few longer days in Laos and Cambodia. The rest days will hopefully be spent birding, eating and other stuff that farangs with too much time on their hands get up to.

How fast ? We'll have to see but we hope that by starting before sunrise we can get most of the cycling days complete by midday (the possible 100+ kay ones could be a problem).