It was an extraordinary challenge to take on. We were just out of the disruption and isolation of the Covid lockdowns in the UK and were suddenly faced with an untested idea, with a new and diverse group of people, being asked to do something that sounded like a challenge too far - forty two cathedrals in forty two days? By bike?

Reader: we did it. More than 250 of us. And it was a triumph.

It wasn’t just a matter of covering the distance, although that was an achievement in itself. What emerged was a story of true partnership, friendship, endurance, community and discovery; not only of places, but of what people can build when they work together.

Riders of every age and level of experience (the youngest rider was five years old and the oldest, seventy-seven), including cathedral staff, local cycling enthusiasts, bishops and students, joined the relay, with teams carrying a specially crafted baton from one cathedral to the next. Along the way we were welcomed with prayers, cakes, music and blessings, proving how deeply the route linked places and people.

The journey fostered new friendships and partnerships, raised over £5,000 for charities, and reinforced the vital importance of greener, healthier travel. Highlights ranged from joyful moments - ice cream in York, Choral Evensong in Leicester, and being escorted by the Sheriff of Nottingham - to simple acts of kindness and resilience, like helping stranded riders and braving rain-soaked roads in the south-west. The route’s Founder, Shaun Cutler, reflected that the experience was “a magnificent collective achievement,” showing how heritage, wellbeing, and purpose can come together on two wheels.

By the time the baton returned home to Newcastle, greeted with cathedral bells, champagne, and pasties, the Cathedrals Cycle Route had become more than a ride. It was a moving, and enduring, testament to connection, hope, and the joy of journeying together between England’s sacred spaces.