I have cycled to China and to Cape Town, to the Atacama and Alaska. Can I get some of that travel experience, I wondered, without leaving home? Will I get that sense of being transported to a new world merely by going places I have never been within my own country? I don't know where I will sleep tonight, don't know who I may meet tomorrow. I have no roots, history or connection here. So all those ingredients are here. But is it true? Of course I have roots: I have lived here for most of my life. So is this ride a mere shadow of the joys of exploring many time zones away? And if that is the case, is the compromise worth it to reduce our addiction to flying far and often? (One of the ironies of travelling the world is that those of us who love it and therefore travel a lot cause the most damage.) Can a simple, relatively local journey spark my curiosity? Can I persuade myself to amble and follow my nose rather than handing ahead on a mission? Can this ride compare in any way to the epics of my youth? Questions, questions, questions for my first day on the road...,! (Plus hiding from storms under trees and bridges and garages, weariness, sore lips and voracious hunger. Some things never change!) #yorkshire #blog #goniceplacesdogoodthings #neverstopexploring

Imagine the day when you cannot ride a bike any more. When you cannot even leave the house without help. Cycling Without Age takes old people out for rides on this fabulous ebike. Last week Theresa took a 100-year old lady for a spin! Theresa needs some help though: someone with a van in Calderdale who can occasionally move the trike for her. And someone to help with admin, emails etc. ("probably someone's mum", suggested Theresa.) If you'd like to help in any way, please visit @cyclingwithoutagecalderdale or https://ift.tt/2Zuf24M @sustrans - please would you very in touch with Theresa with any advice? #yorkshire #blog #goniceplacesdogoodthings #neverstopexploring #cycling #ageuk #calderdale