Epic flight free journeys

January is the most popular time to book your summer holiday, with deals and special offers flying at you from all over. To help you to Stay Grounded this year and avoid the nightmare that is traveling by plane, we spoke to some fantastic people who undertook some epic journeys and guess what, not one of them included a airplane! Be inspired by their travels this week as you follow our Epic Flight-Free Journeys series.

At the heart of the Otesha Project UK is a programme of extraordinary summer cycle tours in which volunteers saddle up for up to six weeks and put low-impact living into action: they cook, eat, sleep, eat and live on the road together, delivering workshops at schools and visiting fascinating sustainability projects along the route. Applications are now open for the summer 2012 tours. Here, past tour member Matt Wicks tells us about his experience on a 700-mile Otesha cycle tour.

Back in 2008 I saw an advert for the ‘Wild West’ cycle tour. I applied, raised sponsorship, and in August found myself in a field in Brigstock, where I met the 17 other participants. I was excited but nervous - I had never done anything like this before and was way outside my comfort zone.

My main interest was cycling. The previous summer I had cycled to Paris with friends and had a lot of fun. I also already had a keen passion for the environment, and was lucky to be able to take six weeks off from my job as an energy advisor. The tour turned out to be a great opportunity to meet new people and share experiences and knowledge.

For the next six weeks I worked, played, cooked, ate, and cycled with such a loving, interesting and fun group of people - everyone very different, but equally passionate about wanting to make positive change in the world. Friends for life.

Along the 700 mile journey we met so many inspiring and generous people, we camped in some wonderful locations, and ate so many fantastic meals. We performed and held workshops at schools, and at youth groups, communities and festivals through the Midlands and Wales. As a group we learnt about sustainable living through skill sharing, and through visiting permaculture farms, social enterprises and one Tracey Island style energy research centre. We also learnt about bike maintenance, cooking for large groups and consensus decision making.

Although the tours are run and organised by the Otesha team, you still have room to influence and shape the way the groups lives, from the food you eat to the route you take. We cycled in groups of four or five carrying everything we needed in panniers and our three trailers named Bob, Not Bob and the Slug. What freedom!

Our first week of cycling was pretty intense. We traveled all the way from Brigstock in the East Midlands to Crickhowell in the Brecon Beacons, some 150 miles as the crow flies. I think we probably cycled almost double that as we weaved our way with visits to projects in Leicester, Coventry and Worcester en route.

We arrived in Crickhowell for the the Green Man Festival where we were due to perform our play only for the second time since training week. All went well (apart from the rain and mud!), we sang, danced, and had much merriment. From there we headed to St David’s in Pembrokeshire, then to Carmarthen, Swansea and finally Merthyr Tydfil.

For me the most daunting part was performing the ‘Morning Choices’ play. I was no theatrical type, in fact I was so worried about this side of the cycle tour that I blanked it from my mind - well, until training week anyway. I did it, and although I may not be found at the local dramatic society just yet, this was a great experience. The buzz of performing was something I had never felt before, at least not since my year 6 school assembly!

Since taking part in the Otesha tour I have joined the board of trustees. I have continued cycle touring, and I have been involved in a number of local projects. I will always look back with great fondness on the Wild West tour 2008.

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Has this tickled your two wheeled taste buds? Fancy riding across the UK, thesping, teaching and meeting new people? Take a look at the Otesha summer cycling tours and have a summer holiday with a difference this year.

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