Three Men on the Bummel

First published in 1900, Three Men on the Bummel is Jerome K. Jerome’s much-loved sequel to Three Men in a Boat. This time, the trio trade the river for two wheels and set off on a cycling tour through the Black Forest.

Eleven years older and now settled into married life, George, Harris, and the narrator, J., decide they need a change of scenery. Fondly defined as a “Bummel” – a roundabout wander with no particular end in view, other than the assured return home at the end of it – the three pack up and point their bicycles towards Germany. Unsurprisingly, trouble follows close behind: contrary machines, baffling timetables, the small uncertainties of travel in a foreign country, and the gentle chaos that follows them wherever they go.

If Jerome’s first novel was a love letter to the river, this sequel is an affectionate account of travel abroad. Full of warm humour, it captures the strange joy found in unfamiliar customs, the comedy of not quite understanding the rules, and the pleasure of being slightly out of one’s depth. Beneath all this, it is a brilliant piece of travel writing, running sharp with an observant curiosity for Germany and the draw of the unknown, open road.

Complete with L. Raven Hill’s original illustrations, Three Men on the Bummel continues the much-loved story of three friends and one more journey together. A joyful ride for those who paddled along the Thames with them originally and hoped the journey need not end there, as well as any reader with the spirit of adventure and a fondness for far-off places