This was a tryout for the idea of a live music bike ride and it felt like a real success. I would like to take it further by publishing the ride for others to follow but of course it’s important to consider what worked, what didn’t and fine tune the plan. (more…)
Otley to the Topic Folk Club in Bradford. Via Ilkley Moor, Keighley, The Worth Valley, Cullingworth and Thornton.
The 5-day ride started by passing through some very affluent areas of West Yorkshire, especially the spa towns of Ilkley and Harrogate. Otley was much more down to earth and from here on we were firmly in the Industrial Woollen District. But still plenty of fine countryside as well as a great deal of historic interest.
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Knaresborough to Otley Folk Club via Harrogate and the Washburn Valley
In Knaresborough we stayed at Ebor Mount Guest House, an interesting very old building with comfortable beds and an excellent breakfast, especially because we had a choice including kippers. (more…)
So the aim is to ride for 5 days between 5 folk music clubs in West Yorkshire ensuring live musical entertainment every evening as well as an interesting scenic ride each day. It’s based on the Folk Music Map, a crowd-sourced resource which I moderate and which currently shows nearly 800 live folk music events around the world, particularly in the UK where folk music clubs are very common. I wanted to see whether the map could be a basis for sustainable tourism that promotes cycling and live music.
Seven League Boots 