My husband loves a road trip – I’m more of a trains person. But I have to admit that some of the stuff we do - outdoor weekends away in more remote places, bike events and some of our holidays with a lot of camping gear would be a bit tricky without some kind of vehicle.

Meet Julia Hobson, mountain bike guide, who shares her joy at high and wild places on two wheels with us. Her company, Endless Trails, puts together breathtaking trips in the Alps and the Highlands of Scotland for small groups of riders. Julia is one of the few British mountain bike guides with the coveted French Carte Professionelle as well as the highest level of qualification as a UK Mountain Bike Guide. Her skills as a guide and host, planning stunning routes, then pathfinding and weather watching for her group, make irresistible adventures and unforgettable memories.

Trying out fabrics and making prototypes is one of the best bits of Fold+Rºll-ing. I want to make something as versatile as the Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy towel - but even more useful because you can roll stuff up into it and carry things around. This is a little project from my making things up workshop - a waterproof, towel-lined version with some extra features too!

The words noone wants to hear on a 1400km rail journey: ‘Problème technique’. Rail delays are not unusual but the knock on consequences can be either barely noticeable or - when you’re traversing the continent - throw all the plans up in the air. When the SNCF Frankfurt to Marseille train went rogue it put a spanner in the works…

Whilst one of the great pleasures in life is sitting a quiet corner of a good café which services well-cooked food, and watching the world go by, it’s not always practical. There are places where the cafes don’t exist, aren’t open when needed or are too expensive to frequent too often, times when lunch may need to be more hurried, a fridge full of leftovers that must not be wasted or a diet that needs to be stuck to carefully. Packed lunches are the solution to all these scenarios.

The unassuming beginnings of a lifelong love affair. The bike train liaison is one of the best.