News
Way of the Roses fundraising ride
Sustrans is looking for 30 people to take part in an exclusive three-day ride along the full 170-mile route to raise money to support walking and cycling in the UK.
Organised by cycling holiday specialists Saddle Skedaddle, this first fully supported ride of the Way of the Roses route is Friday 20 May to Monday 23 May this year.
The trip costs £345 per person – including three nights’ accommodation, all breakfasts, lunch, evening meals and snacks on the way, plus luggage transfer, a support vehicle, return transfer to York or Bridlington stations, free Sustrans t-shirt and experienced ride leaders. Participants will also be expected to make a minimum donation of £150 for Sustrans. Sustrans supporters’ team will offer advice and resources on how to raise money through sponsorship, events and more.
Find out more about the ride at www.skedaddle.co.uk or by contacting (0191) 265 1110 - info@skedaddle.co.uk
Route opening
To mark the opening of the route, and help celebrate the 15th anniversary of the National Cycle Network, the whole 170 miles of the Way of the Roses route was ridden on Saturday 11th September. Sustrans patron and local lad Wayne Hemmingway rode the 35 miles from Morecambe to Settle with the sustainable transport charity’s National Cycle Network Development Manager Martin Brunt and nearly 50 other cyclists, after a send-off from the Mayor of Lancaster.
Further along the route, other cyclists called in at The National Trust’s Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal property to present the new Way of the Roses Cycle Route Map. The route comes right through this World Heritage Site.
Martyn Bolt, the CTC’s Cycling Development Officer for North Yorkshire, sprinted (rather like his Jamaican namesake) the whole route in 12 hours, which sets the record for the fastest crossing so far. He even caught up with the group riding from York to Bridlington just before the promenade finish - helmeted Martyn is standing under the Way of the Roses sign next to the Mayor of Bridlington, who’d just been presented with some red Lancashire roses.
Route signing latest
Some neat route signs are up along the Lancaster / Lancashire section of the route and in the East Riding of Yorkshire. While the rest are being installed there are some temporary signs where no previous National (or Regional) cycle route has existed. Between Clapham and Winterburn National Route 68 signs (part of the Pennine Cycleway), between Winterburn and Appletreewick Yorkshire Dales Cycleway signs are there to follow. More of the permanent Way of the Roses signs will be appearing in the coming weeks. The new Way of the Roses map is now available.
Press coverage
Back in June, Sustrans organised a ride for journalists. The Saturday Guardian then featured the route in its 24th July Travel supplement, and the Yorkshire Post magazine recently published their piece. The route’s also been in The Times, Health and Fitness magazine and Cycling Active, and there’s more to come.
Public Art
Matt Baker, a nationally renowned artist working in public spaces, has been commissioned to develop a series of linked artworks for the Way of the Roses. Matt says: ‘there is huge potential here to use art to compliment the special identity of the route’. The art project will comprise works for the either end of the route but also aims to add something to the overall experience throughout. Matt is also looking at links with existing and planned art and cultural activity along the route, and is keen to hear from anyone with ideas and information – info@mattbaker.org.uk ...when he’s not out on a training ride.
