Cycle Touring Festival 2024
Friday 3 May – Sunday 5 May 2024
John Ruskin School, Coniston
In 2024, the Cycle Touring Festival found a new home: John Ruskin School in Coniston, Cumbria. 150 people got together to share stories over a drink or two, surrounded by the beautiful fells of the Lake District (at least, when they were visible through the mizzle). We also had a special family session on the Sunday afternoon: a festival-within-a-festival. See what we got up to below.
Weekend programme
Saturday
| Time | Main hall | Classroom |
| 9am | Welcome & festival opening | – |
| 10am | Building bicycles to last, building bicycles sustainably Richard Scrase | Exploring Cuba and a south to north tour of Mexico Pauline & Hugh Symonds |
| 11am | Cycling Every OS Map in Numerical Order Mark Wedgwood | – |
| 12pm | Cycling sustainably Libby Bowles | Short trips ideas generator |
| 1pm | LUNCH | LUNCH |
| 2pm | Touring with a hammock : A trip through Northern Europe Catherine Cannon | Cycling the Via Rhôna (film & discussion) Andrew Sykes |
| 3pm | Sri Lanka,North to South and places in between Neil Wheadon | CYCLE TOURING FILMS |
| 4pm | Touring a Poetry Show by Bike from Bristol to Berwick-upon-Tweed Caroline Burrows | CYCLE TOURING FILMS |
| 5pm | Touring bike catwalk | – |
| 6pm | DINNER – food by Joeys, tarp pitching, music by Rain of Animals | – |
| 7pm | DINNER | – |
| 8pm | TheBigRecord:UK – Capturing the sound of the UK on two wheels Paul Cheese | – |
| 9pm | Open mic | – |
Sunday
| Time | Main hall | Classroom |
| 9am | Yoga for cyclists Lou Curry Bike bodge jobs on the road (dining hall) Ghyllside Cycles | Cycling north along the Finnish-Russian Border Julie Coldwell |
| 10am | The coast is my compass Martyn Howe | Bikerafting show and tell Marcus & Kirsty |
| 11am | Talk cancelled | Making your own gear Tarps, tops and even bikes |
| 12pm | LUNCH | LUNCH |
| 1pm | Myanmar: a tandem ride through the land of the Golden Pagoda Marcus & Kirsty | Family cycling |
| 2pm | 1970s touring… in 2024 Rob Ainsley | Family cycling |
| 3pm | Taking Thunderbolts to the Sea Henry Barrkman | Family cycling |
| 4pm | Festival close | – |
Key information
- Tickets cost £100 for the weekend, which included 2 nights of camping, dinner on Saturday night, self service tea/coffee/squash throughout the weekend and entry to all talks/events. Day tickets were also available (£50 Saturday or £35 Sunday). Entry to just the family session cost £20 per family.
- Campers had access to a toilet block, portable loos and basic (communal, gender-segregated) showers.
- The event was run at cost. Ticket prices covered overheads (camping and catering costs, venue hire, speaker travel costs, insurance and a small margin for error).