Autumn Gathering
Friday 29 September – Sunday 1 October 2023
Waddow Hall, Clitheroe, Lancashire
We held an autumn gathering in 2023 at Waddow Hall in Clitheroe, Lancashire. It was attended by approximately 120 people and was a wonderful weekend of sharing stories and experiences.
Weekend programme
Saturday
| 9:00 AM | Welcome and plenary | ||
| 10:00 AM | Traws Eryri: an off-road adventure through the wilds of North Wales | Explore the timeless mysteries and rugged mountain landscapes of North Wales on the brand new Traws Eryri trail. This 200km bikepacking route links vast forests, stunning scenery and fascinating history using ancient tracks, Roman roads and deserted lanes. Sophie Gordon from Cycling UK tells tales of what the route is like to ride, and how the charity put it together. | Sophie Gordon, Cycling UK |
| 11:00 AM | My Charity Rides… do I know where I am? | My four unsupported, solo charity rides. | Gillian Sheath |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch Ultralight kit session | Join Joe and his mum Bridget from Weirdos on Bikes to talk about ultralight kit. | Weirdos on Bikes |
| 1:00 PM | Lunch Route planning: Ireland | An interactive session to share knowledge and experience about cycle touring in Ireland. | |
| 2:00 PM | Pamir Highway | Exploring the roof of the world | Chris Walbank |
| 3:00 PM | SteLa Tandem, a record breaking ride around the world | On 5th June 2022 Stevie and Laura: SteLa Tandem, set off from the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin with the aim of setting a new mixed tandem circumnavigation record. 180 days later, and after battling monsoons, sickness, border closures and motorcycle collisions they arrived back where they started on the 1st December in a blizzard. They will be talking about the trials and tribulations of their trip and what it took to implement a record breaking ride around the planet on a bicycle made for two! | Laura Massey-Pugh |
| 4:00 PM | Route planning: Baltics | An interactive session to share knowledge and experience about cycle touring around the Baltics. | |
| 4:00 PM | Tent walkaround | Informal walk around the campsite so people can show us their camping set-ups. | |
| 5:00 PM | The Edge of Schengen | Riding to Turkey and back in the ‘new era’ | Jack Peterson |
| 8:00 PM | Touring bike catwalk | Brought your touring bike? Come and show it off in this world-first Touring Bike Catwalk show. | |
| 9:00 PM | Open mic | You have 5 minutes to tell us your cycle touring story. You’ll never find a more supportive audience so no need to feel nervous, just get involved! | You! |
Sunday
| 9:00 AM | USA: Unknown quantities | Despite never having toured before, Anna Welch set out to explore a route 3,700 miles long across the varied landscapes of America to find out what cycle touring was all about. | Anna Welch |
| 10:00 AM | Cycling the Parenzana Trail and a trip over the Alps | Joining Croatia, Slovenia and Italy the Parenzana Trail gives an off-road route on the Istrian Peninsula. This was followed by a trip over the Alps following some of the Munich-Venice cycle route. | Tim Sanders |
| 11:00 AM | Route planning: France | An interactive session to share knowledge and experience about cycle touring in France. | |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch Burnham Boy | What has the bicycle done for me? From founding a cycling club in 1953 to the present day. | Peter Lumley |
| 1:00 PM | Lunch Building a touring bike | This talk will explore how we are constantly building our bikes, always looking for the ideal build, constantly swapping components in the search for comfort or simplicity or durability. We will tour through the life of one bike from its off the peg spec through several iterations. | Daniel Gauld |
| 2:00 PM | Route planning: Wales | An interactive session to share knowledge and experience about cycle touring in Wales. | |
| 2:00 PM | Bivvy bags | Join Tim to look through his vast selection of bivvy bags. | Tim Moss |
| 3:00 PM | The Pearl of Africa on a Pair of Peugeots | Marcus and Kirsty take on the rough roads of Uganda using two bikes that were destined for the scrap heap. Along the way they discover an incredible, diverse country with a huge heart. | Marcus Mumford and Kirsty McGaul |
| 4:00 PM | Portugal uncorked | Portugal’s scenic, quiet old N2 road spans the country’s less-visited heartlands – and you can easily get there with bike, without flying. Plus bonus: the Latvia End to End (spoiler: flat, trees, wild swims). | Rob Ainsley |
| 5:00 PM | FESTIVAL CLOSE |
The event was run at cost. Ticket prices covered our overheads (camping and catering costs, venue hire, speaker travel costs, insurance and a small margin for error).