“The mid-point Pause” 

3,000 miles, 100 choirs, 50 days, 2 wheels, many co-riders… 

Days 31 & 32: Guildford to Canterbury (via South London) 

‘mid-point’ stats: 

• Distance Covered: 1,939 miles – equivalent to travelling from London to Donetsk 

• Height Climbed: 108,700 feet – that’s 3 Mount Everests on top of each other 

• Choral foundations visited: 70 

• % of total route completed: 66% 

Canterbury: Birthplace of English Christianity; Seat of the most senior Bishop in England; final day of riding in 2025 before pressing ‘pause’ on my Choral Pilgrimage until next March.   That pause is more to do with the lack of daylight hours over the winter and the fact that there’s still the day job to do, but I won’t lie, I’m glad to be waiting until the weather is a little less tempestuous before picking up the pilgrimage! 

As it happened, I arrived on Friday 3rd October, which also coincided with the announcement of Sarah Mullally’s appointment as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. It was a joyous day to be in the city though I’m fairly sure the swathes of news reporters and TV crews around the Cathedral were there to greet the Archbishop Designate rather than the arrival of a damp and mud-splattered cyclist. 

As the route from Guildford to Canterbury took me via South London, I was largely on roads I’ve cycled on frequently. Stopping at Croydon Minster felt particularly close to home and it was brilliant to hear from Justin Miller (Director of Music) and Canon Andrew Bishop about how funding from Cathedral Music Trust is supporting the development of their vibrant choirs over the next few years.  They do wonderful work in what is sometimes a challenging urban context, a big shift from the more rural locations I’ve been visiting in recent weeks.  Familiarity with the route as I made my way into London allowed the mental freedom to start cogitating on the ride as a whole.

One of the first realisations is that the 2,700 miles I’ve been talking about is something of an underestimate. Given that I’m already 150 miles ahead of the planned distance so far, it’s time to recalibrate, meaning that the revised total looks to be a wonderfully round 3,000 miles – I like the ring of that!  

Further reflections were crystalised on arrival in Canterbury, where I was warmly greeted by Torin Brown, Pilgrim Officer at Canterbury Cathedral and Ian Roberts the Music & Liturgy Administrator for visiting choirs. What a marvellous opportunity to pause ahead of the winter break in my Challenge and to reflect on the fact that this undertaking isn’t merely a cycle ride, isn’t simply a ‘challenge’; it’s a pilgrimage. 

Talking to Torin, I was able to put into words what had been percolating over the previous 32 days in the saddle; of how the value for this Choral Challenge is in the journey, not just the destination and of how profound moments aren’t always to be found in profound places.  Having now visited 70 remarkable, unique, beautiful places on my ride, I can make this last point with confidence. Yes, the buildings and music have been magnificent and glorious – markers of this country’s unique contribution to architecture and to choral and organ music. But some of my most meaningful moments so far have come in unlikely situations: communing with a herd of cows in Pembrokeshire; setting off from Thirlmere at sunrise and getting the Lake District all to myself for two hours; a brutal hill-climb on the Isle of Man rewarded by the most spectacular of sunsets; stopping at an isolated house in the hopes of a quick water-bottle refill, only to have to drag myself back onto the road following copious quantities of cake and tea. 

You can watch some of my conversation with Torin here: 

Talking to Torin also drew me back to the original purpose of the ride – visiting all of the places the Trust has funded and the musicians who make music in these places. I’ve talked about this aspect previously, but it’s worth re-stating: the great joy of my Challenge has been in meeting so many amazing people.  70 places have been visited and that equates to hundreds and hundreds of people, from individual musicians or clergy to entire choirs! I have loved meeting everyone, but equally, so much time on the road has meant I’ve missed my family. In fact, that absence from home has been the hardest part of the ride, harder even than the physical challenge. 

Then again, if it were easy, it wouldn’t be pilgrimage. 

Likewise, if the creation of cathedral music were easy it would maybe lack some of the profundity that makes it so valuable.  Riding miles and miles across hills and in all weathers takes effort and it takes time. But the payoff in experience is worth it. That choir you hear in Evensong doesn’t just become remarkable overnight – it takes weeks, months, years of practice on the part of everyone.  But there, also, the pay-off is worth it.  

Our choral tradition engenders such deep devotion not just because the music itself is beautiful but because of the labour – ongoing hard work and effort – in creating it, not just for the big moments, the royal events and the state occasions, but on a cold and wet Tuesday in February when Christmas has come and gone.  It takes effort and willpower for everyone to gather together in a place as pilgrims to witness, to worship and to wonder.  

It seemed fitting that, on departing Evensong, the news reporters had dispersed, the rain had abated and, it its place a bright rainbow framed Canterbury Cathedral – giving hope for what is to come next year, both for the Archbishop Designate and for my own pilgrimage.