artsyhonker | Project idea: Bike Pilgrimage

I had this idea before but didn't write down my ideas.

Basic plan:
-find other musicians-who-cycle: maybe four to six.
-cycle 30 to 50 miles per day, visiting churches
-put on concerts at the churches. The churches keep the proceeds. In return they give us dinner, somewhere to sleep, breakfast
-individual cyclists can do charity sponsorship thang
-we could do lunchtime stuff too
-not everyone has to be there entire time
-not everyone has to perform every night
-whole thing lasts about 2 weeks, leaving London on a Sunday afternoon and returning Saturday 13 nights later

It would be a bit of work to organise but it ought to be possible.

Musicians would need to play small, light instruments, or sing. We'd need to do some rehearsing and planning beforehand.

This is a very rough draft post but please do comment with suggestions, ideas, and so on.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

artsyhonker

Further thoughts:

-Norfolk is mostly flat.
-Pete (from church) is Good At Bicycles and likes the idea and would like to come along.
-Are there traditional pilgrimage routes/sites we should try to visit?
-It would make sense to include music about journeys, music about pilgrimage, music dating from pilgrimage times, and so on
-Paper publicity -- try to get each church to do their own publicity for their concert? Have a "stock" flyer they can fill in details on? Also a list of other performances.
-Online publicity -- twitter, church websites, my blog, etc
-Does this warrant a separate website?
-Possibly record the concerts, put an album out at the end. CC BY-SA of course.

From:

yrieithydd.livejournal.com

-Walsingham is obvious pilgrimage destination in Norfolk
-I'm not a fan of charity sponsorship personally
-Would 1 week be more practical?
-Personally I'm probably not enough of a musician. Indifferent alto and out of practice flautist who basically plays for Taizé. Also recorders have been played
-Sung compline good

From:

artsyhonker

I think one week would be harder, to be honest; at least, it would require a reduction in scope. But I'm open to the idea of some people coming along for a few days at a time rather than the whole trip, as long as I know far enough in advance and don't ever end up traveling on my own.

Walsingham is obvious, yes, but I'm not sure about asking to be put up overnight by the community there.

I would plan repertoire based on available resources: being out of practice is something that might be sort-able in a year. What would be harder, in your case, is doing any sort of rehearsal with others before the pilgrimage itself. I think this would be necessary -- unless you have some unaccompanied flute repertoire you'd like to dust off!

From:

juggzy

And the lovely Reverand Richard Cole has a parish in Norfolk, somewhere, I believe. He could maybe help suggest destinations.

From:

artsyhonker

Has he? I thought he was in Finedon, Northamptonshire, which is, er, a bit out of our way...

I have quite a list of destinations now (see other comments) but will need to actually get in touch with churches and convince them that this is a good idea!

Thanks for the signal boost, though. :)

From:

artsyhonker

Places to visit, as suggested by Twitter hivemind:
@losthaystacks:
Southwold - St Edmunds church (lush & I can prob persuade them to let you play organ) plus Adnams brewery. What's not to like?
oh and South Cove Church. One of few remaining with thatched roof.

@ClareBryden:
To see the angels at Blythburgh

@Alisonrwebster:
Angel Hotel north walsham where the first agricultural trade unionists hung out? Methodists mainly. Arch and edwards

@quakerpen:
Cell of Julian of Norwich. Bcos she attended to the Spirit, not to power. Thomas Paine statue Thetford bcos sceptical democrat.
And Burston Strike School - Christian Socialists.

@S_Cat:
Norwich cathedral. Beautiful.

@GarzoHugo:
Ely Cath (tawdry), Little Gidding (Ferrar, Herbert, Eliot), St Wendreda's March (angel roof), Peterborough Cath
All Saints Turvey (crucifixion fresco), St John Bap Barnacle (Saxon sculpture), St Kyneburgha's Castor (old stuff)...
Soham Abbey (St Felix), St Peter's Bradwell-on-Sea (oldest English church), St Mike's Copford (Byzantine paintings)
St Botolph's Hadstock (well, Britain's oldest door!), Waltham Abbey (amazing), Walsingham, St Benet's Abbey (undisolved ruin)
St Julian's Church Norwich and Norwich Cath.

@MustardSeedUK:
Southwold, for Adnams Ales & beach huts; various coastal churches inc. Kessingland, for architecture & abandoned communities

[Protected, lives in Bury St Edmunds]:
come see me? Nearby Cathedral you might want to play in.

@sososlowly:
S. Nicholas Salthouse is my must see - extraordinary lighthouse perched right on the coast #bikepilgrimage #jealous
Also S Margaret's Cley a little way along the coast is unexpectedly beautiful. #bikepilgrimage

@DrBattyTowers and @flossrev
St Leonard's Lexden is where they put up with me.
yes... come to us!

@VivienneU
Burgh Castle (by Breydon Water) for St Fursey and early Christianity. Also great picnic site.

@goodinparts
the NNorfolk churches with angel ceilings...Blythborough and the like. Amazing buildings, fantastic light. Kings Lynn & March 2

@drlangtry_girl
Colchester, because a friendly tweep would feed me tea and show me around ;)