It’s almost time for Leitrim Cycling Festival, 2018.

June 22nd -24th.

We’ll have cycling adventure talks, art workshops, cycle picnic, music, a scary-go round, bike olympics, circus fancy dress, cycle theatre, and of course some cycling through lovely Leitrim!!

A weekend of celebrating all that is good about the humble bicycle. The festival has a particular emphasis on leisurely cycling and normalising cycling as an everyday pursuit.  You don’t need a high-end bike to enjoy cycling.  If there’s air in your tyres, a little oil on your chain and your saddle is snug you are ready to go!

The festival starts on the Friday night at The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton Co.Leitrim, with Cycling Adventure Tales from Mary Russell and William Bennett.

Mary is a Dublin based writer who has written The Blessings of a Good Thick Skirt, a book about women travellers and explorers, and My Home is Your Home, her account of her travelling through pre war Syria on bike and foot.

William recently completed his round the world cycle which took over three years.  He has cycled over 58,000 across five continents.  He’ll be talking about the exhilarating highs and crushing lows of such an adventure.

On Saturday we will have lots of bike hijinks and family friendly events, we will be based at the Castle Cafe, Manorhamilton. From 3.30 we will have a mini cycle tour taking the scenic route from Manorhamilton to Dromahair where we will have an over night campout.  It’s a great opportunity to get a taste of what it is like to power your own journey and sleep under the stars!

Sunday, we will have the Great Greenway Cycling Circus Carnival at Dromahair! There’ll be a parade of cycles, a fancy dress, gazebo big top tea time slow, bike race and lots more!!

 

Mary Russell and her beautifully written books My Home is Your Home and The Blessings of a Good Thick Skirt.

William Bennett will be wowing us with some epic tales of his adventure around the world.

Music by the Knotted Chords.

Artist and inventer Paddy Bloomer will be bring his Scary Go-Round to the Festival.

The Greenway, Dromahair, Co.Leitrim. It really has been a great success since it has been opened last year.

We’ll be retracing some of the routes cycled by William Bulfin during the turn of the 20th century
He cycled around the Irish countryside chronicling life  in rural Ireland and nothing escaped his keen observation!

“If you have a week or a fortnight to spare you could make Drumahaire your headquarters, and take a new route each day for a cycling trip of 20 or 30 miles around.It is an ideal place to spend a quiet time, far from the roaring crowds of the cities. There is no noise, no hurry or worry. Perfect quiet, perfect ease, beautiful scenery.” 

I’ll see you at the weekend!!

Find out more at www.leitrimcyclingfestival.com