Leah's cycle tour tales

14th December 2011 by

A guest blog from the lovely Leah Kirby of Tartan Trail 2011. Find out what motivated Leah to join an Otesha adventure, and the impact it’s already having on her life just a few short months later.

Otesha had been a long time coming; during my years at university I had been involved and committed to a number of projects with the Permaculture Society and worked for the conservation charity the Fairyland Trust. Several friends had taken part in previous Otesha Tours and I was totally intrigued by the challenges of a cycle tour adventure, communal living and performing! In my daily life I enjoyed trips to the allotment, used my bicycle to wheel around the city and recycled at home. I even made my own draught excluder dog called Trev!

But for me what was integral to my motivation for coming on tour was the opportunity to facilitate educational outreach – to work with and mobilise young people to make them aware of the impacts their choices had on the world around them.

I was a bit overwhelmed by the thought of performing and leading workshops in the school, but by the end of the Training Week I not only found myself playing the lead role in the play, but also kitted out with lots of fantastic skills in workshop facilitation, consensus decision-making, conflict resolution, public speaking, essential bike maintenance and was updated with some sustainable know-how from the trusty Otesha Handbook and numerous discussions on anti-oppression, organic food and wind-turbines!

Before we knew it our Tartan team were wheeling into Edinburgh to start our mammoth journey across the Scottish hills and through the twinkling lights of the cities.  Indeed living 24/7 with twelve others can make for a bumpy ride, but by working together using consensus and open discussions we managed to work through the problems we encountered.

Running the workshops turned out to be LOADS of fun and the young people we worked with were delighted and engaged with both the play and workshops, the teachers would tell us how amazed they were that the children had been completely absorbed in the adventures of Gilly. It was also extremely rewarding to receive such high praise after the workshops with one child shouting out ‘It was fandabudosi!!!’

When I think about the impact tour has had on me, I realise how much confidence I have gained public speaking coupled with developing sensitivity to dealing with people. I am currently searching for work and I find myself far more confident when meeting new people or facing a nerve-racking interview. I have also noticed the difference in my physical fitness and how much more energy I have to complete daily tasks as well as continuing to enjoy cycling everyday! I also am trying my best to avoid big supermarkets opting for the local green grocer and finding seasonal and where I can organic produce, as well as getting my staple grains/tins from workers co-operative initiatives.

Being a tour member has inspired me to get the wheels rolling for my own project ideas, which I hope to make a reality – it now feels far more possible with the help and support that is available from the Otesha Team and Alumni Support.

I wish to work with a friend who specialises in textiles to run workshops to unravel and reveal the processes at play within the textile industry, developing a series of workshops that stand up against throwaway culture by re-conceptualising daily objects and utilising reclaimed fabrics and traditional craft processes.

I was directly inspired by the fashion workshop on tour and the need to share my love of making tetra-pak wallets! It was also a visit to Starter Packs community initiative in Glasgow, which had a profound effect on me. Sarah and her loyal team found practical approaches to recover the symptoms of social marginalisation ­– poverty and homelessness. By providing packs for individuals going into new homes, basic items that we generally regard as fundamental to a dignified standard of living.

So not only was the organisation a benefit to people, it was coupled with awareness to the environment as most of their furniture, fabrics and crockery had been donated, reclaimed and thus recycled. It was the textile studio at the back of their store that captured my imagination – the piles of beautifully textured/patterned reclaimed fabrics – which had me desperate to grab some scissors, a needle and thread and get crafting!

Without my two-wheeled Otesha journey and meeting so many inspirational people from many walks of life, what I might have thought of as just a dream has transformed into a feeling of empowerment – to recognise my ability to carve out my own path and help to create the more sustainable world I wish to see.

Summer 2012 Cycle Tour applications are now open – find out more and sign up here.

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Cycle into Summer 2012

5th December 2011 by

Do you want to make the world a better place next summer? Silly question, here’s your chance to become part of a sustainable mobile community…

Join one of Otesha’s fifth birthday summer cycle tours! Pedal across the UK visiting schools and youth clubs, organic farms, fascinating sustainability projects and plenty more. Join an inspirational team of other volunteers, excited to share and learn anything and everything about environmental and social sustainability. Get skilled up in everything from bike maintenance to consensus decision making and learn lots about sustainable and group living.

This year we’ve got three thrilling tours on offer, and a few firsts in the world of Otesha cycle tours. I suppose you want to know what the firsts are don’t you? Well, we have:

  • our first ever food-themed, three-week cycle tour
  • our first ever cycle tour performance of the Otesha play in London
  • a tour for anyone over 18!

And now you probably want to know where and when we’re going, don’t you?

Six week performing, workshop-delivering, wondrous cycle tours (age 18-28):

  • Totally Coastal …does what it says on the tin! This tour will stick close to the picturesque coastline of south-east England. Pedalling across lowlands and up and down small hills, the team will be heading to the heart of East Anglia before venturing into London for our cycle tour debut in the capital, and a grand finale performance! (15th June – 28th July)
  • Western Quest Whiz around the west on your bicycle this summer.  Starting in south Wales, this tour will pedal a wee way north into England and then back south through the rolling hills of Somerset and Devon before meeting the pirates of Penzance. (10th August – 22nd September)

Three-week, food-themed, workshop-delivering, volunteering and learning extravaganza (age 18+):

  • Tastetastic! Lick your lips and get in gear for our first ever food tour. Tantalise your taste buds on our Tastetastic! tour as you pedal across southern Scotland for three weeks exploring food sustainability. (4th – 25th August)

If you’re 18+  and passionate about creating a sustainable future, then we’d love you to ride with us. It’s first come first served, so apply early if you want to guarantee a place.

Watch this space for tales from our cycle tour alumni. In the meantime follow the links on this blog to find out lots more on our website.

If you have any questions or would just like to have a chat about the tours, then give us a call on 020 7377 2109 or email cycletours@otesha.org.uk. We always love to hear from you.

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Balkan beats: adventures in slow travel

26th October 2011 by

Last month, I packed my bags and temporarily ran away from home. This post is a collection of a few favourite moments on the road. It’s also an ode to two-wheeled travel, local food and the art of hospitality.

Better than a free lunch

In Slovenia, we took a wrong turn out of Ljubljana and suddenly went off our map. Completely lost, we knocked on the door of a house that looked friendly enough. And before we knew it, we were sitting in the kitchen of our new friends, Darja and Frank, drinking coffee, practising our broken Slovenian, looking over maps and talking about their upcoming plans for a trip to Tibet. It turned out that we were on the wrong side of a pretty sizeable hill, so after feeding us lunch, Frank loaded our two-wheeled steeds into his horse trailer and drove us over the mountain, plonking us down in Grosuplje, where we were supposed to be, and pointing us in the right direction.

The next day, we were befriended by a retired couple, Nadja and Marjan, while resting at the side of the road a few kilometers away from the Croatian boarder. They wouldn’t hear of letting us carry on without feeding us some homemade cherry wine and coffee. This, of course, turned into a four hour lunch where we gorged ourselves on fresh walnuts, salad, stuffed peppers and potatoes, all from their garden, and drank delicious local wine. (And then had to cycle up a giant mountain in the fierce afternoon heat- ugh.)

The amazing hospitality of the people we met along the way will stay with me for a long time, as will the amazing food. Time and time again, we found ourselves in front of heaped plates of figs, cheese, vegetables and walnuts, being encouraged to eat as much as we could. As far as I’m concerned, the Balkans are filled with doting grandmothers who feed you till you burst and fun-loving uncles who break out the rakjia (a local kind of schnapps) at every possible occasion, including breakfast. More than once, I had to secretly tip my 8am shot glass into the bushes! Whenever we enthusiastically used our favourite Slovenian-Croatian-Bosnian-Montenegran word, “dobro” (which means “good”), our hosts would invariably point at a tree or plant or cow and explain that the food came from their own land.

In Croatia, we cycled through the interior of the country for three days before hitting the coast. Far away from the tourist path, we passed through amazing desert mountain landscapes and pedalled through tiny villages where tiny old women shelling corn on their front porches would wave and smile, and groups of men sitting in front of cafes would yell hello and good luck, and ask where we were heading (at least we think that’s what they were asking….our Croatian was broken at best). For me, the best moments of the trip were those little interactions – the small moments that reminded me why I love bicycle travel so much. Cars and trains put barriers between you and the places you move through, but on a bike you can talk with everyone as you pedal by.

Our second night in Croatia, we were heading towards the amazingly beautiful (but very overcrowded) Plitvicka lakes. As the clock edged towards 6:30 and the shadows got longer, we started our daily search for somewhere to stay. We’d been advised not to wild camp because of land mines left over from the war in the 90s, so we started looking for signs for sobas, rooms that people rent in their houses. We stopped in a town that was mostly deserted, with trees growing up through abandoned houses and buildings with obvious bullet holes, the first time we’d seen real evidence of the war. We saw a sign for an organic farm and stopped to chat with the farmer. After buying his amazing secret superberry juice and sampling some delicious lavender cookies, we got to talking. It turns out he was a counter-terrorism pilot during the war. He thought that war was madness, but as he put it “when people come at you with guns, you either leave or you fight. I couldn’t leave, so I fought”.

Over the next month, as we travelled down into Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania and finally to Greece, we heard so many different stories of war. I came away convinced that there are as many perspectives as there are people living in the Balkans. This is certainly a complex part of the world, with many surprises and contradictions. One thing is sure – for people who value hospitality so deeply, it must have been excruciating to shut themselves off from so many of their neighbours, schoolmates and bordering countries for all those years during the war.

Their challenges now are different – whether to join the EU, how to fend off cheap agricultural imports, how to keep young people from leaving the country in search of jobs. Like many of us in the UK, the young people we met were uncertain about their future. Our last few days in Greece really brought this message home, with people telling us about 50% salary cuts and mass emigration to other EU countries.

As I packed up my bike and boarded the boat back to London, the thought stuck with me that we’re at an economic turning point and we really are all in this together. And then I came back to find occupied stock exchanges in cities all over the world, but that’s another story for another blog….

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Tartan Trail – The Finale

27th September 2011 by

The long feared cycling day proved to be wet and challenging from the start- perhaps due to the tail-end of a certain hurricane (cheers America).  We lost Colin very early due to an exploded tyre (don’t worry, we found him again!) as we headed over the mountainous moors in gale force winds and driving rain. It was hard to keep eyes open in the rain, however we managed to keep our spirits high by singing silly songs (ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIIIIIFE!) and making impromptu and secret stops to tea rooms. Luckily, no-one was swept away in a cyclone and we all made it, limbs intact, to the Allanton Peace Sanctuary just outside of Dumfries.


Looking rather wet and bedraggled we chanced upon the lovely Glenda, and later on Uma, who ran the Peace Sanctuary. Taking pity upon us Glenda ushered us into the Sanctuary’s rather lovely mansion and very very very kindly gave us all beds in dormitory rooms usually housing groups coming to work on various social, environmental and philosophical aspects of peace. She later told us she wouldn’t have been able to sleep if we were all out camping in the hurricane! Equally exciting we were given the use of a really homely kitchen and dining room and… showers and a washing machine. So much luxury I almost cried. Our time in Dumfries was spent doing the usual Otesha activities – we performed at a primary school, and did workshops at a secondary school. This proved to be a bit scary as teenagers tended to have grumpy faces on, but we all agreed that the workshops were of utmost importance as the pupils were our target audience and tended to understand the themes a bit better, even if they seemed less engaged. We also had the honour of volunteering as marshals with the first stage of the ‘Tour of Britain’, a cycling race similar to the Tour de France. Despite a cold and wet wait certain people really enjoyed watching some rather fine pairs of legs whizzing past!! At the same time there were questions about whether the amount of support vehicles (30 vehicles for 90 riders plus whole police cavalcade) was wholly necessary.

We were all very sad to leave Glenda, Uma and all the others at Allanton Peace Sanctuary, but good times must come to end and we mounted our faithful steeds for our last cycle ride as a group (sniff sniff). And what a final ride it was! After leaving Dumfries we cycled south down the bird filled river and along the wild looking estuary. Long flat stretches provided gentle rides for some and racing tracks for others! After passing the infamous town of Gretna (no- there weren’t any Otesha marriages I’m afraid) we reluctantly passed into England and headed to Carlisle.

We arrived in high spirits to the tranquil organic farm belonging to the determined farmer Susan Aglionby, which was to be our final destination- a field to camp in, and a classroom in which to meet and cook. Susan runs the farm with the help of intern Emma, producing both cattle and lamb (which I’m told are very tasty from Colin, Arthur and Andres) but also runs environmental education and support work with young and vulnerable people.

The next morning we spent a lovely time in the local school. We decided to go all out in our finale performance, which resulted in numerous onstage giggles. Despite this the messages definitely came across and we all had A LOT of fun in the process!!! After the wonderful time in the school we returned to base for a walk around the farm with Susan. Despite some conflicting views on vegetarianism the whole group was very impressed by the amount of work she puts in to her organic venture. In return for her generous hospitality we did some work weeding her yard, aided by Colin’s music and discussions about how best to change people’s behaviour. That night many of us patronised the local pub to sample ale and take part in Mike’s pub quiz, quite unsuccessfully.

And so, the final day had arrived. A big sadness hung over the group, but I think everyone was looking forward to the future, whether it was seeing family and friends, starting new jobs, going on foreign adventures or getting back to their beloved rugby club. Iona from the Otesha office arrived to help us wrap up, giving feedback, sharing our experiences of tour and talking about our futures. That night the cooking team excelled themselves with a 3 course meal from around the world. Everyone dressed up in their finest exotic finery, played games and exchanged secret friend gifts, and reveled in each others company for the last time. The next day we all exchanged sad goodbyes, promises to stay in touch and all boarded trains to pastures new.

So here we are, it’s all over. I’m sitting in my parents’ warm and dry kitchen in Wales reminiscing about the amazing adventure we all went on. Of course there were low points – group conflicts, punctures, rain and boredom of porridge. However the highs far outweigh these. Lifelong friendships have been made, and experiences and lessons have been learnt. Thinking about the young people we have reached is phenomenal – hundreds of kids heard our messages about how little actions can have massive impacts in the world and will hopefully think about this as they grow up. Not only that but I think many in our group will really address the same issues in their own lives, whether it be eating organic food, obtaining recycled and second hand goods and clothes or buying fairtrade bananas. I’m just off now to catch up with some old friends so I shall have to leave it here. Will I be borrowing the car to drive the 2 miles to town like I usually do? Hell no! I’m gonna get on my faithful bike and cycle with the wind in my hair, reminiscing about all my two-wheeled adventures!

Thanks for following our blog! Love, Peace and Bicycle Grease! Over and out.

Luciana (Goose), on behalf on the Tartan Trail massive- Colin (Coljop), Dina Dino, Jenny Tree, Jenny A, Catherine (Hunter Gatherer), Kimberley (Eco), Zoe (Zo-ane), Leah (L-pop), Arthur (Arty), Andres and Lucy Colbizzle xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Many thanks to the Postcode Trust for their generous support of this project which has enabled us to reach over 1000 children and young people across Scotland.

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Tartan Trail – the penultimate journal entry (a.k.a. part 6)

27th September 2011 by

So we left you with tales of chips in Tupperware and big hills en route to Glasgow. On arrival we were greeted with great gusto by Roz and Alice who quickly showed us into their big cosy house. To top off their already fab welcome they cooked us all an amazing curry and introduced us to the ancient Glaswegian tradition of sock-wrestling (i.e. ripping off someone’s sock by any means possible). Andina bravely took on Arthur and unfortunately lost, although she took half of his sock along the way. Next day we attended a community sustainable transport event and had lots of silly fun trying to master the crazy bikes they had hired. After which we upped-sticks to Toryglen community centre where we pitched our tents outside then had dinner on a REAL table (!!) kindly laid and decorated by the owners of the centre. We had fine fortune to meet a former Oteshite Kerry.  She cooked us Cranachan, a traditional Scottish pudding that brings new life to porridge by adding whisky and (soya) cream.

Whilst in Glasgee we volunteered for an inspirational social welfare charity called Starter Packs, run by the upbeat Sarah. She and her team work tirelessly in a deprived area of Glasgow to provide support for people moving into social housing with nothing, upcycling furniture and providing other basic supplies. After a day working in their bustling charity shop and offices all were inspired by their ethos and passion for helping those on the edge of poverty.

During our time in Glasgow we delivered workshops and our ever-improving play to two primary schools in the local area, kindly organised by the fabulous sustainable community project Urban Roots. Fun was had by all, despite the occasional language problems (in Glasgow ‘why’ means ‘how’, which took a bit of explaining). We also visited a lively and enthusiastic Woodcraft Folk group in Scotstoun where we all amused ourselves recreating more ‘truthful’ enactments of adverts in our ‘Admania’ workshop.

I think everyone learnt a lot from Glasgow, especially working in more deprived areas where perhaps sustainable living is not top on people’s agendas. Despite the obvious problems the group was very motivated by the inspiring work of organisations such as Urban Roots and Starter Packs.

With this is mind we set off for a rather undulating ride to our next destination – Coalburn, an ex-mining community south of Glasgow. Despite some minor (or major) map reading errors and some very wet dejected Tartan Trailers, we were welcomed into the Talamh housing community, and very kindly given a warm and dry caravan to sleep in (it was a bit like sardine at bedtimes but we were very accustomed to each others snoring by now). Talamh is a community of around 15 people, housed in a house, caravans and trucks. It is an amazingly tranquil place with various organic gardens, woodland and fields. We were happily supplied with an outdoor kitchen, complete with a gas oven (!), sink and firepit- our host Anna and other residents popped by occasionally with homegrown veg and fruit, and freshly foraged mushrooms. The next day we all had a very well deserved day off. Some chose to explore the area on their two-wheeled steeds, some took a leisurely shower at the swimming pool, while others lazed around and did absolutely nothing in the rarely seen sunshine. The next day we performed and workshopped at the local primary school- which as usual went rather well. One kid swore “I’m never gonna buy a non-fairtrade banana again!”. Then, after a day of work exchange (plum picking and weeding) we all bedded down early for the longest cycling day yet- 50 (ish) miles to Dumfries.

T.B.C….

Many thanks to the Postcode Trust for their generous support of this project.

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Pinhole Pedalling

22nd September 2011 by

A couple of weeks ago, in true Otesha style, I went on a wee cycling adventure.  I joined Sam (LeJog) and Louise (LeJog and East Coast) for week three of their travels, pulling a giant camera (distributed between two heavy trailers) across the south-west.  We battled wind, rain, and a fair few hills to set-up a three-metre-square camera obscura, into which curious passers-by were then invited.  The project used photography to celebrate beautiful and diverse landscapes…..and let’s not forget bikes.  After a week of idyllic rural landscapes we reached Bristol and visited the wonderful Bristol Bike Project…

We made lots of bicycle portraits (of bicycles and their owners/creators), you can see them and read more about the ride and our visit on the Pinhole Pedaller blog!

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Moving Planet – Sept 24th

2nd September 2011 by

All over the world people are taking to the streets. March, cycle or skate and join the call for the world to go beyond fossil fuels.

Hop on to www.moving-planet.org to find an event local to you or even register your own one. They’ve got a great website with loads of resources and support, from printable posters, stickers and t-shirt graphics, through to guides on how to organise an event and get a whole school involved.

During the day Moving Planet will be delivering a clear and strong set of demands:
- Science-based policies to get us back to 350ppm
- A rapid, just transition to zero carbon emissions
- A mobilization of funding for a fair transition to a 350ppm world
- Lifting the rights of people over the rights of polluters
More details on the demands here moving-planet.org/demands

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The Third Epic Tartan Trail Tour Journal

30th August 2011 by

Why hello there, Tartan Followers

We last left you as we made our journey towards the big bright lights of Edinburgh. Whatever happened we hear you ask??

We were welcomed immediately by Ali (an Otesha alumni) and her other wonderful housemates. We rejoiced in sharing their very cosy house with them and pitched our tents in a higgildy-piggildy fashion in their garden. By the end of our stay most of us had migrated inside with our sleeping bags because of everyone’s generosity. We also enjoyed the rare luxuries: a stove, oven and easy access to a well needed shower.


We had traveled to Edinburgh as the Fringe festival was dominating the city, and the highlight of our agenda was that we were going to have our debut performance on the Royal Mile.  This prospect began to fill us all with excitement and fear and we got on with rehearsals, occasionally interrupted with thunderstorms and hail. Staying with Ali meant we were a short cycle ride away from the city centre so on the day of our first performance we donned our Otesha t-shirts and cycled into town, a tangible feeling of being a part of something bigger struck the group. The Royal Mile was bustling with performers all strutting their stuff and working hard to keep a crowd. We found our spot, did a classic Otesha energiser (the banana game!!) and started the day. Our energy was fantastic but given the setting we found we had passers-by strolling right through Gilly’s bedroom. We set to work on adapting the play to make it a bit more Fringe friendly.

We found help with this challenge from a surprise source – Ben- a friend of a housemate was keen to get involved and debuted his song ‘we’re all gonna die’. Some were dubious at first but the whole group became enthusiastic to the irony and we invited Ben to join our play and bring his musical talent.

Ben also brought the rain; the next day the rain poured down. But in true Tartan trail fashion we sang, acted and danced through it, having an amazing uplifting time.

We grabbed our free time where we found it and ventured out to see what else the Fringe had to offer. We found comedy, street performance and free events. Somehow we found time to also visit a city farm, a stark contrast to Whitmuir’s values and approach to farming. The city farm’s main purpose is to allow diverse groups to see animals in their environment.

We left Edinburgh with a fond farewell to our hosts, armed with an amazing herbal first aid kit from Ali, almost taking one of them with us for a jolly. We traveled over the Forth bridge and to new ventures. We spent our next night at the Ecology Centre and Earthship at Kinghorn Loch. Our home for the night was a yurt! A new experience for many of the group. The Ecology Centre was a project originally set up to engage young people with their environment, run by voluntary members of the local community. The earthship itself was the first of its kind in the UK, made from tyres to be super insulated, running on solar gain (no heating needed) and renewable energy.

After a night’s sleep in the yurt we embarked on some work exchange at The Ecology Centre to help out our hosts – weeding was their task of choice but weeding ragwort quickly turned into playing in a massively idyllic field by the sea with two very very cheeky ponies. Later that night the playing continued as we went to a BBQ of a friend of the centre. The vegan diet was not entirely maintained by all…

After the BBQ we cycled on a few short miles to Kircaldy, and took up residence in a vast church hall, we were all hyper at the thought of turning the rooms into bedrooms and again using the luxury of a kitchen. The mood was particularly high given the news that Arthur had got his A- LEVEL results and would now be going to the University of East Anglia (well done Arthur!!)…

Here we must leave our adventures but please read on in the next edition of the Tatarn Trail adventures! Love from Luciana Banana, Leah-Pop, Jenny Tree, Jenny A, Lucy Colbiz, Zoe, Kimberley (Eco), King Arthur, Colin-der, Dina the Dinosaur, Andres, and Catherine xxxxxxx

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Look behind you!

25th August 2011 by

We like our cycle tour members to stay safe and sound on the road.  We would wrap them up in cotton wool and bubble wrap, but that’s probably not very sustainable and definitely would get a bit sweaty.  So instead, we make sure they’re seen and can see….behind them.  But mirrors are notoriously difficult – they’ve been known to snap and end up being more of a hazard, or they just won’t fit on the handlebars in a place that allows you to see behind you!  They’re certainly no replacement for safely being able to check behind you for traffic, but they help!

Here’s a little blog from TravellingTwo.com all about which bike mirror to choose for touring, and why you should get one anyway:

A rearview mirror is one of the best things you can do to improve your safety while bike touring.

Just like in a car, a rearview mirror lets you see at a glance what’s coming up behind you, and react accordingly if a car is going too quickly, or not giving enough space as it passes.

Which mirror should you choose? Our favourite is the Take A Look mirror, but no single mirror is perfect for everyone. Some prefer helmet-mounted mirrors, others like a mirror that goes on the bicycle and in each category there are many different designs.

Click here to go straight to their blog and read about all the options…

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Tartan Trail Adventures: part two

23rd August 2011 by

Hello hello hello

Warm welcomes to the second installment of Otesha’s Tartan Trail adventure!  What a whirlwind training we had at the wonderful Whitmuir Organic Farm... Flooded out of our field within the first few days we relocated to our new home – a big dry barn, camped up near the pigs and later joined by an army of baby turkeys, who we’d helped herd into the neighbouring barn to tweet to us through the night.

We had a varied programme, from our first read through of the script, to conflict resolution workshops, to bike maintenance, to writing up our food mandate: what to eat and where to buy as agreed by the team.  Tartan Trailers will abide by a “flexigan” – flexible vegan – diet, buying as locally and organically as feasibly possible!

There was a whole lot of laughter and new friendships were made – including jolly moments jamming with guitars, a tambourine and our new friend Doug (a charming bloke in charge of Whitmuir’s livestock).

A highlight of the week was our first excursion with the trailers – off we tootled to Penicuik where we indulged in long hot showers (the first in FIVE days!).  Well… let’s make this an honest blog… two thirds of us indulged in cleanliness whilst the remaining four continued to delight us with their “natural” odours since bike repairs took priority. We certainly were smelly but happy campers.

Training week concluded with a magical day with Calu, Edd, and Iona who organised an impromptu treasure hunt, which had us running across fields, scouring chicken sheds, and creeping into a teepee, until we discovered an antique treasure chest filled with delicious fairtrade chocolate and a mysterious invitation to don our glad rags for a delightful dinner party, accompanied by instructions to bring along bike lights…

It is important to note at this point that the Tartan Trailers’ “glad rags” include face glitter, underwear over muddy trousers, “dresses” created from sarongs and many other exciting bits such as ….wait for it…a CLEAN shirt.

…De de dah….  and our team were bestowed with our upcycled Otesha t-shirts in an array of colours, followed by a jolly knees up and our very first one minute bike light disco!!!

Phewee – what a week! It was then a farewell to Edd and Iona, and a day off before the big pack up and goodbye to Whitmuir farm as we mounted our two wheeled steeds and swooped towards Edinburgh with our first performance at the Fringe in sight!

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