~ Field Notes ~

Bikepacking expedition number 2: exploring an underwater prison building!
Murru Prison, freediving, rummu, rummu adventure, rummu freediving, gravel bike, Estonia, Ämari Pilots’ Cemetery Estonia, Ämari Pilots’ Cemetery, Estonia Tallinn, bikepacking, Bikepacking Estonia, Bikepacking Europe, tomb raider, Tallinn Estonia, Rummu sunken prison, Rummu prison, Rummu quarry, Silk Road mountain race, silk road mountain race (SRMR), digital nomad, digital nomad visa Chris Shirley MA FRGS Murru Prison, freediving, rummu, rummu adventure, rummu freediving, gravel bike, Estonia, Ämari Pilots’ Cemetery Estonia, Ämari Pilots’ Cemetery, Estonia Tallinn, bikepacking, Bikepacking Estonia, Bikepacking Europe, tomb raider, Tallinn Estonia, Rummu sunken prison, Rummu prison, Rummu quarry, Silk Road mountain race, silk road mountain race (SRMR), digital nomad, digital nomad visa Chris Shirley MA FRGS

Bikepacking expedition number 2: exploring an underwater prison building!

My second bikepacking expedition to prepare me for the Silk Road Mountain race comes quite possibly as a result of playing too much Tomb Raider as a teenager when I hear about a sunken prison building in the middle of a lake that’s around 40 kilometres away from Estonia’s capital city, Tallinn that I’m exploring as a digital nomad.

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My first bikepacking expedition - Riding to Keila waterfalls near Tallinn, Estonia
bikepacking expedition, expedition, adventure, cycle touring, digital nomad visa, digital nomad, Eurovelo cycling routes, Eurovelo 11, Keila River, keile-joa, keila waterfalls, Estonia, Tallinn, conditioning, fitness, live more vibrantly, bikepacking, Silk Road Mountain Race, silk road mountain race (SRMR) Chris Shirley MA FRGS bikepacking expedition, expedition, adventure, cycle touring, digital nomad visa, digital nomad, Eurovelo cycling routes, Eurovelo 11, Keila River, keile-joa, keila waterfalls, Estonia, Tallinn, conditioning, fitness, live more vibrantly, bikepacking, Silk Road Mountain Race, silk road mountain race (SRMR) Chris Shirley MA FRGS

My first bikepacking expedition - Riding to Keila waterfalls near Tallinn, Estonia

In my quest to train for the Silk Road Mountain Race, I decided to squeeze in an 80-kilometre, 2-day mini bikepacking expedition during the week to test out my bike’s setup, find gaps in my preparation, build conditioning and more fitness, experience Estonia’s summer temperatures, and see what kit I might need for bigger bikepacking trips (like tackling the 500-kilometre Eurovelo 11 route that I want to do later this year).

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Learning to fly: What it’s like to enter ‘the gig economy’.
Going freelance, no performance bonus, no medical care, no holiday entitlement, no more paid sick days, no more guaranteed monthly income, Oxford Circus, Philosopher, Martial Artist, Actor, Bruce Lee, skydiving, wingsuit, London, organisational politics, freelancer, full-time job, handcuffs, golden handcuffs, freelance community, Learning to fly, freelance, the gig economy, Gig economy, digital nomad, professional resilience Chris Shirley MA FRGS Going freelance, no performance bonus, no medical care, no holiday entitlement, no more paid sick days, no more guaranteed monthly income, Oxford Circus, Philosopher, Martial Artist, Actor, Bruce Lee, skydiving, wingsuit, London, organisational politics, freelancer, full-time job, handcuffs, golden handcuffs, freelance community, Learning to fly, freelance, the gig economy, Gig economy, digital nomad, professional resilience Chris Shirley MA FRGS

Learning to fly: What it’s like to enter ‘the gig economy’.

Around 4 months ago, I decided to join the freelance community. I wanted control of everything in my life.

Earlier this year, I had decided to leave a career in the military and start a new path in a London-based global media organisation. Life was simple – you just turn up, do your job, don’t rock the boat too much, go home, get paid, buy nice things. It’s that straightforward. But simple isn’t always the best and by now, I’d had enough of my life being defined by a safe career path that led to an unknown horizon.

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