10 years ago, in November 2016, I travelled to Marrakech, leaving the main square of the Djemaa El Fna, a hive of snake charmers and snail soup stalls – in the shadow of the Koutoubia mosque – and setting off on my bike, amongst horse carts and mopeds, into the High Atlas mountains on a route I’d pieced together from a Michelin map. It was a shock to the system, and despite the stunning scenery, the overall experience was probably slightly out of my comfort zone at the time.

Eventually, my appetite for adventure returned, however, and in early 2020, mere months before the coronavirus pandemic took hold of the world, I spent a month in Vietnam, cycling between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The day I set off from the 8 million- peopled Hanoi was one of the most stressful days I’ve had on any trip, as I looked out of my hotel room window, watching an endless stream of scooters streaming past in the pouring rain. But, I had 1200 miles to cycle in 21 days, there was no choice but to join them on the road. It was a massive relief when – after 30 miles – I finally broke free from the city’s confines, and, ultimately, the trip was an incredible experience, and probably the most rewarding one I’ve had so far.

So, after I’d returned from January’s outstanding exploration, of the Carretera Austral in Chile, and started to consider options for another sojourn this year, I decided to look east once more, to the island of Taiwan, the thought of which was no longer as daunting as it would have been before my previous trips.

In its favour, Taiwan is home to an extensive bike network, and the concept of the Huandao, around the island cycle ride as a rite-of-passage for the local people. On top of that, it is home to a large proportion of the world’s bike-manufacturing industry, largely due to mega-brands Giant and Merida being built there; and also being where the frame for my own Thorn Club Tour bike was constructed.

With the island famed for its beautiful coastlines, towering peaks, volcanoes and geothermal baths, stunning Buddhist and Taoist temples, and its eclectic pan-Asian cuisine, a mixture of Chinese, Japanese, South-East Asian, and Western influences, I decided to form a route – largely based around the prescribed 600 mile Taiwan Route 1 loop around the island – but altering some parts to take in the north and south coasts, and swapping out the busy west coast cities for the 3000 metre plus mountains of the interior – altogether a grand total of around 900 miles, to be covered in 3 weeks. Hopefully it will be enough to be getting on with…

• bikepacking