The Otesha Project

Derby was the location of our long awaited mid-tour retreat. Our vision of it being an emotional and physical recuperation were fulfilled as we rolled along the sweeping gravel driveway to discover a Jane Austen-esque estate complete with horses, a lake, afternoon tea and a man- servant (Alfie you’re a legend!!). Unfortunately Mr Darcy was away on business.

After a restful nights sleep on the manicured lawn we awoke to some meditative yoga led by Hannah. Having removed the knots from our cycle weary bodies we thought a team building exercise in the guise of an Otesha pyramid would be fun! It lasted all of three seconds before a crumpled heap of bodies shouting “my arm, my leg, my hip” ensued. The fun continued down at the lake. Our vision: crystal waters, Borris the boom box and his finest tunes and a picnic lunch. The reality: a cesspool six inches deep with algae, topped with stinging wasps and hissings swans. Undeterred Sarah was the first brave soul to wade neck deep into the delights of Derby’s leisure facilities, closely followed by Robin and Kerry. Ellie and Hannah took a different approach gliding in on their lilos. We doused both them and our tupperware’s in citricidal that evening.

Alongside these frolics we had time for quiet reflection both on our progress so far and looking forwards, gearing our minds and bicycles towards the epic journey to Leeds. We set off bright and early, dominating the Peak district and its unending hills. As the hours passed and pedals turned we were all safe and tucked up in our sleeping bags by the respectable hour of 3am!!! Going in a 2 mile circle through deep foliage didn’t yield the fastest progression. The following day we partook in the 10^th Breeze Festival in Armley Park, Leeds. Morning Choices was received with a rapturous response. One of the festivals aims was to ‘party without pollution’ so Otesha felt right at home, as we put our Lance Armstrong legs to good use, powering a DJ set up inside one of the Marquees.

One of the highlights of the Lejog tour has been the number of quirky places and interesting people we’ve encountered en route and East Rounton was no exception. Pulling in after 62 miles we pitched our tent among the chickens. The owner had taken it upon himself to convert an old barn into an art studio, showcasing local talent. It was pretty awesome to view all the depictions and sculptures of the surrounding countryside, from still life to real life as we ate our morning porridge.

Ellie and Robin were keen to descend on Newcastle, spending the cycle there getting into character perfecting their Ant and Dec jordi accents. Way –ey!! The 70 mile journey was picturesque along the East coast, restoring our faith in cycle path terrain. No journey is ever hitch free through as team one discovered arriving at the Tyne river crossing tunnel, with a lift out of action and broken down escalator the prospect of carrying 4 bicycles, pannier laden and big zip down 350 stairs was not plausible. Onto the next green method of transport  the ferry was considered but with none in sight Becky, Ruth, Louise and Mike loaded their bicycles onto a trailer and hopped in the car shuttle service, ready to face the treacherous crossing to arrive safe and dry in Newcastle. Another town, another workshop, we packed up our tools and set off to deliver another energy filled bicycle maintenance workshop. Those 37 punctures to date had proved handy practice. However beyond this it turned out to be more of a workshop for some of us as the Newcastle kids showed off their bicycle knowledge. Ellie how do you use a bicycle pump again??

Thalia and her sweet talking ways had organised our enforced fun evenings entertainment with a private film showing at a local anarchist cinema. The set up was run by volunteers and consensus s decision making ( a thing or too we also know about) and we reclined in comfy chairs enjoying locally brewed cider at their in- house bar. The following day we cycled on to Alnwick spurred on by Louise’s song “500 miles to John O Groats, All we need is OATS, OATS, OATS”!!