The Plan

Ok so by now you may have seen the title, that's the plan. Edinburgh to Paris by bike. I hope to achieve this in 4 days, a rate of 200miles a day, more or less.

Why am I doing this?
I mentioned to my friend in Paris, Karim, that I wanted to do something impulsive. I wanted to do something just for the sake of doing it. At exactly that moment I knew that it had to be cycle to Paris for a beer (a monaco to be precise). Why? I don't know. Paris and the bicycle had strong links for us when we were there and, well, it just seemed like the right ammount of effort for a friend.

Clearly as this was a lot of effort for a drink with one friend I realised that I would also need to go through Bedford on the way to visit my other best friend Rob.

Once this was decided I once more thought about what I was planning on doing. It seemed a little selfish to go all the way to Paris for two beers that I wouldn't even be buying so I decided that I should raise some money for a worthy cause whilst I was at it.

So, what would that cause be?

The Beltane Fire Society. Created in the 80s to celebrate traditional festivals through street theatre, they have grown into an international community of creative individuals. They provide the city of Edinburgh with events which are attended by thousands of people from all over the world. The society provide these fantastic events with no funding from the City itself, each member being responsible for providing what little money they can. Thus, the Beltane and Samhuinn performances exist in a perpetual state of uncertainty, yet every year they scrape through with another amazing performance. I'd like to raise £2,000 for this organisation, a token to help them with another year.

Obviously Edinburgh to Paris will take more than one day so I will 'couch surf' on the way. This means I will attempt to sleep in strangers houses as I travel.

So to recap, I'm going to cycle from Edinburgh to Paris, via Bedford because I have two friends who believe in me (enough to buy me a beer) and a worthy organisation that will benefit from any money raised, enabling them to entertain thousands more people over the coming years.

P.S. This will take place the last week in May. Keep posted with updates here.