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Nathan Millward
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The Long Ride Home: From Sydney to London (The Postman Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Nathan Millward (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 679 ratings
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This is the story of my 35,000 kilometres ride from Sydney to London on a 105cc Honda called Dorothy. It was journey of nine months, through eighteen countries, with barely any planning, hardly equipment, just setting off one day and hoping that somehow I'd make it to the other side of the world.

The book was originally released by HarperCollins in Australia where it is known as Going Postal. This is the international release, with a few changes to the text and a list of images and videos at the end. Hope you enjoy.
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 2
    The Postman
  2. Print length
    240 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    January 15, 2012
  6. Reading age
    14 - 18 years
  7. Grade level
    4 - 12
  8. File size
    495 KB
  9. Page Flip
    Enabled
  10. Word Wise
    Enabled
  11. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  12. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006Y9B2QW
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 15, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 495 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 679 ratings

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Nathan Millward

Nathan Millward

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
679 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Jim Lundy
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Story of Will and Determination. Plus it's A great read!
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2013
Verified Purchase
What a great surprise and find. After reading another motorcycle adventure story, Chasing Che, I wanted something similar. The author's lack of planning and dependency on the generosity of others reminded of me when I was in my 20s. But more importantly it showed that most people throughout the world are honest, helpful and caring people. It renewed my faith in mankind and rekindled my desire to get back on my bike and just take off for destinations unknown. I just don't think I'll do it on a 105cc posty!! Great adventure. Great book.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Adventure
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2021
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This is a book you feel like you are there when reading. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for all the time and effort it took to get your story to those of us that had no idea you were out there. All the best to you and Dot the Postal Bike.
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Tony S. Bittle
4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth the purchase.
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2013
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I recently purchased, and have always been a fan of the Honda CT-90 motorcycles. After not being able to obtain this book in hard copy, I purchased the book for my kindle. I found the book interesting, but not overly exciting. It was a good-steady read. I'm glad that I bought it.
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J. B. lll
5.0 out of 5 stars Personal adventure
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2023
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Good adventure with lots of twists and turns due to riding such a small bike and all the different places that he went. Enjoyed it.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible journey of discovery
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2021
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I love adventure.. as a philosopher..i sometimes think that i love these diet of things because i can't really do them myself.. but life is a journey! I am also a Motorcyclist. I love small bikes and my favorite over the years was one not so different from Dorothy. (A 125cc Honda) that was reliable transportation for me for 20 years.
I think that travel that lets people see and experience the places they visit, is a wonderful thing.. but like a Hobbit..i am awfully stuck im my comfort. In Terry Pratchetts Disc world.. an ancient "hero" is asked what is the best thing in life. His fellow heroes make extravagant claims like "seeing your enemies defeated!" While Cohen says, "soft toilet paper".
But i love adventures..and i can go on lots of them.. multiple times, and stay in my warm bed, never fight anxiety and my wife makes great meals! Love Nathan's books! Read them.. they are full of "interesting times! "
One person found this helpful
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Glenn
5.0 out of 5 stars A real journey
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2022
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I appreciated this more than most overlanding stories. Nathan pushed himself toward a destination. He gave himself very little time for sightseeing, or being a traditional tourist. The outcome was never assured.

He did something few would have thought possible. And it was cool!
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Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2020
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Quite an interesting journey and a good read.
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pomfrog
5.0 out of 5 stars Down to Earth nitty gritty warts and all adventure
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2015
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I thought this an open, enthusiastic report on the adventure where you not only had vivid descriptions of the exercise but also the emotions, highs and lows experienced. In some respects it gives encouragement to others who have the balls to go out and do their own trip and at the same times outlines the likely hazards and disappointments the will face. Very enjoyable read. Thanks.
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Top reviews from other countries

Galveston Knitwear
5.0 out of 5 stars Travel writing with Soul
Reviewed in Germany on April 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
brilliant read, could have tagged along with Nathan for much longer - great travel writer and solidly recommended - thanks!
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Sabyasachi Dey
5.0 out of 5 stars Raw and open hearted
Reviewed in India on June 3, 2020
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The first time I heard of this guy and his daring adventure .. I thought what most people on hearing about this would think - a 105 cc 2 wheeler ! Seriously man ... Either you're too stupid or damn gutsy. Jokes apart, what a read. There were so many places where I could place myself standing ... The Steppes, in East Timor, in China, the outback, back in England. Really gripping. I am sure by now that the reason why you wrote this book wasn't to just 'write a book'. It was much more intense, everything laid bare ... The way it was. And that my friend takes a heart - hats off and take care.
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Terry
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Entertaining Book!!
Reviewed in Canada on May 20, 2014
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One of the best books of this type I have read. I would recommend it to anyone interested in motorcycle touring.
The photos and videos really added to the book. (Links at end of book).
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Mr. Thomas S. Hunt
5.0 out of 5 stars Long Way No Prep
Reviewed in France on October 30, 2015
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A great read I was with you all of the way the sort of adventure we all want to do. Had to be a Honda!!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't plan, just ride...!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2013
Verified Purchase
Adventure motorbikers are rough, tough guys and gals, out there in the wilds, relying on their own resources? Right? Er...maybe.
Sydney to London...The Long Ride Home by Nathan Millward is a motorcycle adventure, a bright enjoyable read, with good descriptions of some challenging riding and some pithy insights. It all starts with an Australian girlfriend called Mandy; an ex-postie bike, a little red 110 cc Honda; and the spontaneity of a young Englishman.
Deadlines, threats, risks. Fear. These are the kinds of things that might come to mind when planning a long motorcycle adventure trip through many exotic countries. Some can spend forever planning - the over-planning of the dreamer who ultimately never manages to go on the big trip. But maybe it is easier to sail past all of that; avoid doubt and indecision; and just get out there. To quote Nathan - `I had the only planning you really need - to be certain that it's something you have to do. Not want to do, because that's not enough.'
And although the lack of planning was often endearing, it contributed to some of the difficulties Nathan met along the way. The untried, un-serviced, bike bought through eBay; the last minute dashes to meet visa deadlines; heel-kicking for days after missing the rare ferry.
What do you need for the ultimate `please yourself, take your time, meander about' adventure trip? Nathan seems at times to have had little in the way of protective gear, images of crashes tell a story. Tools? Um ...forget the tyre levers. Wild camping? Yes, tight budget. Camping equipment? Err ...maybe a sleeping bag. Tent?
To quote again from Nathan - `no commitments, nothing to go back to, no job, no kids, no mortgage.' Thankfully there are still credit cards to help carry the burden! And our intrepid rider still had to contend with the sweet impact of his interactions with his family back in the UK, delaying telling his mother that he had started a ride by motorbike back to the UK.
The Long Ride Home contains much good descriptive prose. An early image is the culture shock on arriving in East Timor after flying out from Darwin, contrasting the poverty in a post-war torn country with the wealth imported for the benefit of the UN peacekeepers. Then there are the descriptions of the altitude problems, mainly for the bike, going over the Himalayas on the Manali to Leh Highway. The difficulties in mending a puncture on the high pass, holding tools with frozen hands, being forced to ride into the hours of darkness searching for refuge. And Nathan certainly didn't shy away from attacking the more challenging roads. There was the beauty of the Karakorum Highway leading up out of northern Pakistan into China, running the gauntlet, riding alone almost on sufferance through the Swat valley where the welcoming friendliness encountered elsewhere had given way to a brooding mistrust.
Alongside the big challenges, the book is, at times, also imbued with a certain naivety. The `you guessed it' consequences for the camera left in the shower-room for safekeeping. The willingness, almost a preference at times, to ride through hours of darkness, whereas the soothsayers among us might point out that this is the time of most danger on unfamiliar roads.
Nathan speaks of sipping flavoured tea with other travellers at the lodge in Malaysia while enjoying movies. He watched `Into The Wild', but hoped for a better ending to his own adventure. I had read the book recently. Maybe Nathan's decision to grow his beard and not to comb his hair was a nod in the direction of Chris McCandless, the young American who starved to death in the wilds of Alaska on his great adventure. Although there are some similarities, the contrast between the two young men and their different adventure experiences is quite sharp. I guess Nathan wanted his independence but didn't really want to break away. For Chris McCandless it wasn't just a rite of passage - he truly wanted to escape from his family - finishing high school to meet his parents' expectations; leaving on his big trip without telling anyone where he was going; covering his tracks; letting his family suffer knives to the heart through not knowing where he was; giving away his family inheritance money; burning his cash; eventually abandoning his car and living the life of the hobo.
I admire Nathan Millward's honesty in telling his tale. With his low budget trip he succeeded in achieving things many of us never get to do in a whole lifetime.
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