Lessons from slow travel: one Greenhouse colleague’s fundraising long-distance cycle from London to Istanbul
At Greenhouse, as part of our dedicated mission to deliver social and environmental impact, we’re firm believers in slow travel – even offering our employees a ‘slow travel’ holiday benefit of additional annual leave for taking the train, not a plane. And, of course, we love some active transport; walking, cycling, kayaking – any way of really participating in the journey.
None more so than our consultant David Mason, who is currently on summer sabbatical, long-distance cycling 4,000km from London to Istanbul. David is undertaking the beautiful but gruelling journey to raise £4,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society, which supports people living with dementia. He’s already halfway to Istanbul and more than halfway to his fundraising goal, to which you can contribute here. Check back for regular updates from David on his travels, and read on to find out what endurance cycling for over six weeks is like…
How long does it take to cycle from London to Istanbul?
“How long does it take to cycle from London to Istanbul? Well, if you’re 61, reasonably fit and want to enjoy the journey, I reckon about six and a half weeks. After 15 days of riding, with 1,500km under my belt, I’m currently in Austria and, if all goes to plan, I expect to reach the Bosporus at the far end of Europe on 9 October. I also hope to have raised £4,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society, around a pound for every kilometre. “I fell in love with multi-day cycling six years ago when I did the Ride Across Britain, a fully supported ride from Land’s End, Britain’s southernmost point, to John O’Groats, the most northerly point of the mainland. I loved travelling slowly across my country, experiencing it in a way you never can in a car, feeling the hills and descents, the wind, the sun and the rain, watching the landscape change, coming across unexpected moments of beauty, like Sunday clouds hanging in a Devon valley as the church bells ring."
