Barking ? No, Rome, actually !

I'm a bit past the age of going on long cycle rides, even if I did do a lot of it as a schoolboy and student : but I do remember that, although it’s great fun, it’s also very hard work – and the idea of volunteering to do 1,200 miles in under a month is, at first sight, barking mad . . . in fact probably well beyond Barking : Dagenham, perhaps !

However, sometimes seemingly mad things are done for a reason which makes them incurably sane : such as making a pilgrimage. The Camino del Santiago, for instance, or walking the Pilgrim’s Way from Winchester to Canterbury . . . but in these days of planes, trains, and coaches, perhaps most of us have lost sight of the concept that making a pilgrimage is really meant to involve some hard work in getting there, as well as the religious aspects of the place of pilgrimage : so it’s truly wonderful to hear of the splendid Treloar family, who have decided that just going to Rome is not enough . . . they’re going to spend July cycling there from Sidcup.

They have set up a blog, Via Romea, as a way of keeping their friends and supporters informed about their journey; so I encourage you to follow their progress, and offer them your prayers, and also to show your support for them by donating to the two charities for which they are hoping to raise money by their trip.