How to get from A to B?

Having worked out where I want to go (Gretna to John O’Groats) I now need to work out the best way from A to B…

Later this summer I’ll be cycling 400 miles through Scotland, highlighting climate change and raising money for the work of Friends of the Earth Scotland. Although I haven’t started riding yet, fundraising has been progressing well – nearly a quarter of the way to my target of £1,000. There’s still plenty of time to chip in!

In my early plans (see previous post) I’d gone with a very simple route: Gretna>Edinburgh>Braemar>Inverness>Tongue>John O’Groats. The idea was to stay away from the busiest roads, while making a fairly direct route north. But one of the advantages of cycling such a long distance is that there is a lot of choice about which route to take: there’s a whole country to cycle through! My friend David who has completed the entire Land’s End>John O’Groats emailed to suggest that I head west a bit and go up the Great Glen. This involves quite a bit of extra distance, but is much less hilly. Peering at a map on my office wall revealed a cluster of chevrons (marking steep hills) near Braemar, so I might well follow David’s advice! If you have any insights on cycling north through the Highlands, do share your wisdom in the comments.

Needlessly hilly? The road north from Ballater goes over some substantial hills…

I like the challenge of finding a good route for a long bike ride. Of course, whichever route I choose, it will still be quite a cycle. This reminded me of the challenge we face with reducing our emissions in time to prevent catastrophic global warming. The sooner we act, the more options we have open to us. If we put effective climate action off much longer, we will be faced with some very unattractive choices. So sometimes, it’s good to identify the best route early, and get going sooner rather than later.

Another point about getting from A to B is that the journey is often about much more than reaching ‘B’. For my bike ride, aiming for John O’Groats gives me a reason to cycle some long days through beautiful scenery. Although I am aiming for John O’Groats, I will not be ignoring all the points in between.

So it is with action on climate change. Some sceptics argue as if we have a choice between the life we’re accustomed to – ‘prosperity and growth’ – and some kind of ‘eco-austerity’. This is a false choice. Firstly, unrestricted prosperity and growth won’t continue if we ignore climate change and our rapid depletion of natural resources. Secondly, many of the best ways of responding to climate change (renewable energy, more active travel, less waste and overconsumption) are good things to do in their own right. An independent report commissioned by Friends of the Earth Scotland shows that Scotland could phase out fossil fuels, meet its own energy needs, and generate revenue from exporting renewable energy. That is a destination we should be aiming for. On the transport front, I read a funny tweet from Pedal on Parliament the other day:

Imagine if there was a vehicle that ran on porridge instead of oil so Scotland could hit its climate targets – oh, hang on… #RPP2

— Pedal On Parliament (@POPScotland) June 10, 2013

So getting to an important destination – carbon neutral transport – involves a very simple and desirable activity: getting more people on bikes. Porridge optional.

So I’m looking forward to my journey, even if it will involve a few hills. I hope more people like you will help me along the way with a small donation. It’s all for a very good cause!