Cycle Touring Festival - 1st-3rd May 2015

The inaugural event of the Cycle Touring Festival is to be held at Waddow Hall near Clitheroe, Lancashire on the first weekend of May. It should be a great weekend for all things to do with adventures based on two wheels. Workshops, speakers, films, rides etc. all in the great countryside of the Ribble Valley - a classic cycling location for both on and off road.

Tickets available now:

Leaden skies

Solstice day. Grey and 'mild for the time of year'
Incentive gone, sapped by midwinter gloom
Fitness ambition playing off against lie-in mentality
Saddle and fireside chair, magnets of opposing poles
Roast dinner, stew and broth, winter comfort not for the athlete

Forty year old Christmas songs repeatedly invade
Incentive enough to brave dank, dark wind
Familiar cafes, steamed up windows beaming lighthouse salvation
'Tis the season to keep warm, keep jolly, keep trying, to keep on
Don't give up, give in, days are getting longer

Somehow a night ride seems appealing
Feeling elements but not what's missing
Focus easier, isolation complete
Rhythmic breathing, cyclic pedalling
View - a mere vignette, just enough - it'll soon be summer!

Bunting time

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Lancaster, will visit Blackburn tomorrow to perform the annual Royal duty of handing out Maundy Money at the service in Blackburn cathedral. Symbolic of Jesus washing the disciples feet, the Maundy service, is the only time her Majesty personally hands gifts to commoners.

I won't be able to join the throngs of onlookers but I did cycle down to see how the preparations are going. Darwen street has been resurfaced (it was planned, apparently) and now the street cleaners are busy sprucing up the surroundings.

Janapar - Tom's bike trip

In November we had our annual trip to the Kendal Mountain Festival to watch adventure and outdoor films. There's a large emphasis on climbing and mountaineering but there is also plenty of other content for those on two wheels, water sports enthusiasts and outdoor folk in general. They all fascinate me and I find the whole weekend an enjoyable escape from the onset of a dark British winter. This year, the film that stood out for us was Janapar. Ostensibly a bike trip around the world but really a love story that searches into one's soul to find what motivates our life decisions. This beautifully crafted film is highly recommended. Tom Seymour of the Guardian Bike blog reviewed the film but if you want to avoid the spoilers, watch the film first.

Janapar: Official Trailer from Janapar Film on Vimeo.

Tom Allen, the creator of Janapar, has an excellent blog called Tom's Bike Trip that should be an inspiration to anyone harbouring the slightest notion of getting away from mundane every day life and having a world adventure. His advice is stop thinking about it, just do it. Check out Tom's Bike Trip for inspiration on bike travel and what it can mean to your life.

Give and take

That's all it needs - a little understanding about sharing the road. Some people don't get it.