Cycling in the young TE Lawrence’s Letters

Normandy, Brittany and the Loire, 1907
The young TE Lawrence, later of Arabia, wrote two letters on his 1907 trip to France, which ran east from Le Havre through Normandy as far as Beauvais before heading south and west via Chateau Gaillard and Evreux (where he wrote on 11th August) and then west to Coutances, close to the ferry port for Jersey, where the rest of the family were on holiday. Here he dropped off his father, who had been accompanying him, presumably trying to instil some good habits into his energetic tearaway of a son before letting him go – the young Lawrence promptly then headed off on a huge ride south to the Loire Valley, 400 miles in eight days on rutted gravel roads and a heavy steel bike. After that he continued to Brittany, where he revisited and photographed many of the castles that he had visited the year before with his schoolfriend CFC ‘Scroggs’ Beeson. See more about his 1906-7 trips.

There is no record of what ‘luggage’ the young TE Lawrence used to carry his belongings on his bicycle (and remember that on this trip he also was carrying a foldable camera and tripod). Interestingly, gear was available that looks very like today’s bike-packing gear (including top-tube bags and frame bags, though not sausage-shaped seat-stem packs), but it is more likely that he was using panniers. Either way, space was at a premium…

From his letter of 11th August 1907 written in Evreux

“Tell Miss Wright that her shirt is going on excellently: the washing has been quite simple, & quite satisfactory; in fact the only superfluous piece of luggage I have is a pocket handkerchief, which so far has not been employed. Also the little woollen vest has had no calls upon it. I really think I am approaching the solution of the baggage question. Stockings only are a little heavy. Ask Miss Wright how that could be improved; I mean by detachable feet etc. Kind regards to Miss Wright & Nelly, & love to self & worms. Will try to get A. some more stamps. Ta Ta. NED

Father is very well, hardly any neuralgia. He is having déjeuner at present.”

His second letter was sent from Mont St Michel two weeks later.