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UK ECO-Trip 2004 opens for bookings
The rolling alternative transport event in Northumberland will accept only 40 participants...
For several years now the ECO-Trip has brought together people interested in alternative, ecological transport. Events have run in Finland, Switzerland and the Netherlands - and in 2004, the event comes to the UK. Organiser is well-known recumbent tricyclist Ken Davison: [email protected].
There's plenty more about the ECO-Trip idea, and past events, at the multilingual website: www.ecotrip.info. We'll have a report on the 2003 Netherlands event next issue.
As in previous years, numbers at the ECO-Trip in Northumberland will be limited (to 40) to keep it sociable and manageable, and it's also intended to be an international event - so riders from beyond the UK are especially welcome. The event usually attracts plenty of recumbent riders, but it would be particularly interesting to see solar, electric and other futuristic forms of ecological vehicles travelling with the group. Regular media appearances are arranged: one of the aims of the trip is to raise awareness of ecological transport alternatives.
Ken has sent us these preliminary details: get in touch with him if you'd like to get involved.
***********
The preliminary plans for the ECO-Trip Northumberland 2004 are as follows (BUT ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE):
- Sunday 25 July 2004 (approx 50 kilometres)- the Trip starts in North Shields at approximately 11:30 am (the time will be set to allow people to arrive that morning on the ferry from IJmuiden - the ferry lands about 2 kilometres from the start point). The route will be along the banks of the Tyne (so it will be relatively flat - not something that will be repeated on subsequent days) to a night stop near Hexham.
- Monday 26 July 2004 (approx 50 kilometres)- the Eco Trip will head west to visit the Roman Wall before retuning east and heading up the North Tyne for a night stop at Bellingham.
- Tuesday 27 July 2004 (approx 65 kilometres)- the route this day will head north west
across remote moorland to Otterburn and Elsdon (to visit a cyclists cafe) then head up and over some big hills to Rothbury and on to Wooler for the night .
- Wednesday 28 July 2004 (approx 50 kilometres)- this day will include a ride over the border into Scotland before returning to England at Norham for the night.
- Thursday 29 July 2004 (approx 40 kilometres)- this day there will be a ride to local places of interest, but people will be free to take a rest day as we will again spend the night in Norham.
- Friday 30 July 2004 (approx 85 kilometres)- the route will head south following the spectacular Northumberland coast and the night will be spent near Amble
.
- Saturday 31 July 2004 (approx 55 kilometres)- the last day and the route will continue down the coast back to North Shields, hopefully arriving in time for people to catch the ferry back to IJmuiden.
The plan is still preliminary and costs have not yet been finalised. Please contact me at [email protected] to make a preliminary booking.
For more information on Northumberland, see www.visitnorthumbria.com, and for more on cycling in Nortumberland, see www.tynebikes.org.uk.
This plan will let those who want to attend Cyclefest 2004 in Lancaster to link the Eco Trip and Cyclefest into a single trip. Cyclefest 2004 runs from the evening of Wednesday 4 August 2004 to the morning of Monday 9 August 2004 (more details soon on www.cyclefest.ucsm.ac.uk). There would be 4 days after the end of the Eco Trip before the starts of Cyclefest - it is possible to cycle from North Shields to Lancaster in 2 days, but that would be a difficult ride, especially if carrying camping gear - so 3 days would be more sensible (and there are conveniently located Youth Hostels at Edmundbyers and Kirkby Stephen), which would leave an extra day - this could be spent in Newcastle (again there is a Youth Hostel) or people could chose to go on a longer route to Lancaster. This does mean that people will be in Lancaster at the end of their second week in England, so they would either have to get the train from Lancaster to Newcastle (not necessarily easy - the train companies do not make it easy travelling by train with a bike, and if it is a large or unusually shaped one it is even harder and probably impossible for the part of the trip between Carlisle and Newcastle) on Monday 9 August (or miss the last day of Cyclefest if they want to get the ferry on Sunday) on add on a few extra days to cycle back to North Shields. The trip to Cyclefest WILL NOT be part of the Eco Trip.
*****
Posted on 04 July 2003
Your comments ...| From: John Turvey ([email protected]) on 04 July 2003 |
| Ken has been daft enough to put me in charge of route planning - I intend riding the trip on my Greenspeed trike with an 11 inch bottom gear, so expect lots of hills (as well as getting lost occasionally) (though some people may claim it is more regular than that, I still maintain it is only occassionally) (even after I travelled due south from Northallerton on a bright sunny day when my planned route was north west) |
| From: . (.) on 05 July 2003 |
| Is this revenge for the 100km+ day that was really a 100mile day in Holland? |
| From: JT (as above) on 05 July 2003 |
As if I would be that cruel, vindictive and petty minded.
(But then again, I know some pretty rough tracks on the section betwen Rothbury and Wooler - I have been over these on my Peer Gynt - but there was a LOT of pushing involved.) |
| From: ken davison (ginger.davison20002btopenworld) on 06 July 2003 |
14 have already put their names forward.
hostels,villages halls,and scout huts,to sleep in
and good company,what more could you ask for,the pirate. |
| From: Norti Rascal (@hmp.com) on 07 July 2003 |
Another event that clashes! Spokesfest, CoC Week, Eco Tripo and a week before Cyclefest. Come on you guys, sort it out!
Norti |
| From: ken davisn (ginger.davison20002btopenworld) on 08 July 2003 |
| sorry about the clash of events,the y.h.a can not accomadate the first three weeks of july, bcause of the school booking,also the eco trippers may like to go over to Lancaster, for their last event,next year.ken |
| From: RtH (@cyclemagic) on 08 July 2003 |
| Is it really to be the last CF? |
| From: Seamus ([email protected]) on 09 July 2003 |
That's what John Bradshaw was saying at the York Rally.
It's all the guff with insurance, rising costs at the college, and nonsense like 'Risk Assessments' the kiss-of-death for organised events.
The only way around it would seem to be to provide an accommodation venue, Y.H., campsite or whatever, and leave it as a group of friends at one place organising themselves. However with the developement of no-win-no-fee lawyers even that is unlikely to work in the event of an accident. |
| From: ken davison (ginger.davison20002btopenworld) on 10 July 2003 |
can I add one more dutch rider to the eco trip list.I have not told them about hilly Northumbria
should I keep it a surprise.the pirate |
| From: sprocketbender ([email protected]) on 11 July 2003 |
| Tell me about it. I've just been asked for a risk assessment and £5m insurance for an event we're not even going to and over which I have no control....The world's gone mad (some time ago...) |
| From: ken.davison (ginger.davison20002btopenworld) on 14 July 2003 |
| I now have a list of 20 people interested in joining the eco trip. will confirm places. later at the back end of the year.of the 20. 8 are from over seas,hoping to make it 50% from abroad and 50% from this country.the pirate |
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