The Cycle Path

Long, Slow and Wiggly

In 2004 DUNCAN MACKAY took

A SLOW, wiggly, cycle ride around the longest straight line in Britain…

Before embarking, he wrote the following.

I am about to undertake a journey exploring the idea of ‘slow’ as opposed to ‘fast’. From Culver Point on the Isle of Wight to Cape Wrath in Sutherland I will be meeting people and visiting places to tease out the simple pleasures of life and what makes us happy. A voyage of positivity to the heart of Britain’s soul. A counterbalance to life in the fast lane. An exploration of the gears that make both rural and urban communities tick...slower. My route is a wiggly noodle around a kebab skewer straight line through our changing country. My quest will be made on a folding bicycle and the pace will be a dawdle. There are lots of speed records for cycling but this is a first for Britain. SLOWness in action on a folding bicycle.

Cycling the longest ‘straight line’ in Britain on a folding bicycle to promote sustainable transport and to celebrate the philosophy and practice of SLOWness

.... for sustainable transport solutions...

Groups like Sustrans, Cyclists Touring Club and Transport 2000 have been working for many years to make transport more responsible to people. Most of us have been rushing the other way and acquired bigger, faster and more numerous motor vehicles. Yes, me too. And getting more obese and unhealthy in the process. However, a few years ago, I swapped my company car for a folding bicycle and now I bike and train to work. I feel fitter, more energised and I have voluntarily taken one car off the congested road network. My big idea is that if this can work for me then it might work for others. Even if just a few people in every place close to the rail network did this then a ripple effect would take place. Heck, if the Dutch, Danes, Italians, Swiss and Germans can do this then so can we. To publicise this simple idea I have succeeded in winning an UnLtd Millennium Award. For maximum impact I have chosen to undertake a spectacular journey through Britain on a folding bicycle...up hill and down dale, through town and country; from A to B; from here to there (and back again) .

... with the concept of SLOW and Common Ground’s ‘local distinctiveness’

As members of Europe’s hardest working and most stressed out nation we seem to be rushing ever faster away from the things that make life enjoyable. We want good regional food & drink, traditional local produce, cultural events, strong communities and all aspects of what campaigning group Common Ground refer to as ‘local distinctiveness’. These are things that make all places special and their communities proud.

As an UnLtd Millennium Awards winner I will be celebrating these ideas and aiming to connect communities together as I travel from the Isle of Wight to Cape Wrath. I also want to gain first hand experience of good ‘slow’ practice where it is already working and to assist its gentle transfer to others. I will be constructing an A to Z of local distinctiveness as I travel.

The Italians invented la dolce vita and now the SlowFood and CittaSlow (SlowCity) movements to keep alive the embodiment of what really constitutes the good life. The origins of much of this can be traced to places where gastronomy is still the way of life and both culture and commerce support its’ furtherance.

On my route I hope to unite places that are similar but economically or socially disparate. Places where rural and urban renaissance might occur through ‘slow’ tourism for instance. Respect for places and people (whilst enjoying the pleasures of wild fungi foraging, black puddings, Staffordshire oatcakes, local beers, ciders and perries, dinosaur bones, celidhs, cairngorms and single malts) is an essential component of this quest.

If your jounalistic interest has been whetted then you can join me en route; before the event, at the start/finish, or post-ride. If you want, you can ride along too! Contact can be made via my PR partner John Rennie or direct. Progress will be reported on my Back-Up Trust website (www.bmycharity.com/longslowandwiggly). .

Read Duncan's reports from each day of his journey in the CYCLE LOG

THE ROUTE
THE TIMETABLE
THE LOG
ABOUT DUNCAN MACKAY
DUNCAN'S MOTIVATORS

DONATE www.bmycharity.com/longslowandwiggly