Get on your bike: Sky Ride Leicester

Sign up for up to 50 FREE Led Cycle Rides across Leicester starting in July. Discover the traffic-free Riverside Way, Leicester Blue Plaques Tour, Lost Villages of Leicestershire or a range of other family-friendly rides. Trained British Cycling Ride Leaders will be on-hand to lead groups and offer cycling advice. Find out about a range of rides for all ages and abilities at www.goskyride.com.

See here for a list of Sky Ride Leicester Local Rides: www.goskyride.com/find-a-ride/default.aspx?cityid=6

John Beatty on the Iceland volcano

In February, some of us caught John Beatty on his Wild Vision tour, sponsored by Rohan. Little did we realise that a month later he would be an eyewitness to the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. He was subsequently interviewed by John McCarthy on Excess Baggage, the Radio 4 travel programme.

Bus driver filmed reading while driving

A bus driver has been suspended after a passenger filmed him apparently reading while driving along a dual carriageway in Birmingham. The National Express West Midlands driver was steering with his elbows while holding a small book. The passenger said they took the footage (which has since been posted on YouTube) after getting on the number 61 bus at Selly Oak at 2005 BST on Monday. National Express West Midlands said "immediate action" was taken.

We regularly post about books and reading on this blog but this is definitely not something to try yourself!

Skyride Leicester

On Sunday 30th August, much of Leicester will be closed to motor transport for Skyride Leicester. This is one of five Skyride mass-participation cycling events, where the streets of major cities are closed to other traffic and cyclists take over. Each is a great day out for the whole family where you can meet members of the GB Cycling Team, experience live entertainment, take part in challenges and tricks and - fingers crossed - soak up the sunshine!

The Skyride Leicester route will be open and free of traffic from 10am until 4pm.Highlights of the route include: Leicester's cultural (and traffic light!) hub, the Golden Mile, Historic Belgrave Hall, the eye catching and iconic Space Centre, Abbey Park, and Belgrave Hall gardens (home of the Skyride Entertainment for the day).

GCR Walking Festival

The Great Central Railway is running a Walking Festival over the Easter Weekend (10-14 April), offering a selection of self guided treasure hunt walks running alongside the line. Walkers join the railway at Loughborough, Quorn or Rothley station, and pick up a leaflet with a walk. They spot the clues on the way and get to the next station - then take the train back! Enthusiasts can walk full circle.

Anyone who completes a walk will get a complimentary cup of tea and one walker with the right answers will be drawn out of the hat to win a pair of Saturday lunchtime dining tickets. There are eight walks to chose from of different lengths. You must buy a travel ticket to receive a walks sheet. Walks will be available from Loughborough, Quorn and Rothley booking offices from Friday morning. Some of the paths on the walks might be muddy, so proper footwear is advised.

The GCR also offers more walks in a dedicated guide, on sale at all stations for £2.99.

Carbon Fast Day 36: travelling light

Today's Carbon Fast action is to travel light. We are encouraged to think before we drive and seek to cycle, share lifts with colleagues, or use public transport. Find out more about cycle routes in the UK at http://www.sustrans.org.uk/

We are further challenged to travel light with our possessions and the value we give them. Where may we have more than we need? How can we bless others in need through our abundance? And where we may have need, we should remember God's faithfulness and ask him to be our provider.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" Matthew 6:19-21

Still more on buses as billboards

See Let there be adverts: Christians hit back at the atheist bus for details about three Christian groups which have created their own series of advertisements to run across London buses - the "medium of choice for the battle of beliefs, it seems".

Bus Slogan

I tried out the Bus Slogan Generator... how about this for an answer to the atheists' campaign of there being 'no cod'?

Bus slogan generator

If you have been following the news story about the Atheist Bus Campaign , you may be interested to discover that now you can add your own message on the side of a bus using the Bus slogan generator.

Race with a Difference

A 2-day race to promote good driving habits started this morning, reports the BBC. The winner of the 'MPG Marathon' will be the entrant which gets the most miles per gallon, rather than necessarily arriving first. For a first-hand account of the 2006 race, check out this link. (The Aygo won, with 84pmg. Not bad.)

There are some basic fuel-saving driving tips on the MPG Marathon website. Or, you can read up on some more advanced/radical tips here (spotted on Sigrun's Facebook page a couple of months back - thanks!)

Star in a reasonably-priced TARDIS

A fun idea by staff at the BBC has resulted in a "hilarious mash up of Doctor Who and Top Gear": Star in a reasonably-priced TARDIS. This combines clips of the TARDIS in flight from the show with David Tennant's appearance in Top Gear's Star In A Reasonably Priced Car slot. It shows Jeremy Clarkson talking Tennant through a lap in the TARDIS and when the clip was shown to Clarkson and Top Gear's Executive Producer they loved it and agreed that it could be put online.

National Liftshare Day (June 9th)

National liftshare Day aims to raise the profile of carsharing and encourage and enable more people give it a try. Leicestershare.com (the Leicestershare Car Share scheme) has been set up to make it as easy as possible for you to find a match for your journey. It is free to use and has been designed for both drivers and passengers.

Transport Direct: online journey planner

I'm doing a lot more travelling by train again and have recently discovered the Transport Direct website. It offers information for door-to-door travel for both public transport and car journeys around Britain and aims "to provide you with comprehensive, easy-to-use travel information to help you plan your journeys effectively and efficiently". I particularly like the Check journey CO2 emissions gizmo in the Tips and Tools section.