One of the highlights of the year was launching the Blessing of the Bikes in the Diocese of Exeter. Seeing so many riders come together—many meeting for the first time—reminded me why I have always loved this ministry.

I ran this event in London when I was the Chair of the famous ’59 Club – walking in the footsteps of so many priests before me. I loved how it brought together bikers from all sorts of tribes and how conversations about life, the universe, and everything then flowed.

We were lucky to be interviewed for BBC Spotlight, and as part of the coverage, I was also interviewed on BBC Radio Devon & Cornwall by Mel Osborne on their Sunday morning feature on faith. Photos about the event were featured in The Telegraph and The Times the following morning. You can find all the press, as well as a gallery of photos we took on the day below.

We’ll continue to build up the Blessing of the Bikes over the coming years, creating a space where riders can gather, share stories, make new friends, and receive God’s blessing for the road ahead. Motorcycling can be a deeply communal activity, but it can also prompt reflection on freedom, risk, purpose, and the journeys we all make through life.

My hope is that this annual event will become a fixture in the Devon motorcycling calendar, welcoming everyone from lifelong bikers to those who have only recently discovered life on two wheels. Whether you come for the blessing, the fellowship, the coffee, or simply out of curiosity, you’ll find a warm welcome.

After all, the Church has always met people where they are. Sometimes, that just happens to be in a car park full of motorcycles.

We look forward to seeing you next year. Ride safe, and may God bless you and keep you wherever the road leads.

Coverage in The Times and The Telegraph

Monday 11th May 2026

BBC News Article

Read the full article here.

BBC Spotlight

BBC Radio Devon

Church of England Short

Gallery

No planning day is complete without a solid breakfast, we started our day in London at the Regency Cafe. It was our first visit – BRILLIANT. We got the laptop out and started listing the shrines we wanted to get to… but it was clear we needed BIG maps.

The only place to buy maps is, of course, Stanfords in London. I first went to Stanfords when we were planning out trip out to Russia – they were the only people who carried detailed maps for the places we were planning to visit. This was when they were in Long Acre – a huge shop where dreams of distant shores made you smile as you got lost in the stacks of maps in the basement.

Now, they’re in a cute little place just off Long Acre. They’ve still got a fine selection of maps in the basement, as well as an in-store bespoke printing service, so if it’s not on the shelf, they can almost certainly print it for you there and then. It’s not *quite* the same, but it’s still not an official adventure until you’ve visited and bought your first maps.

After the visit to Stanfords, we headed over to Westminster Cathedral and the lovely people at the St. Paul’s Bookshop… Dan needed to be brought gently into the arms of Our Lady. He’s a died in the wool protestant… which is going to make a joruney around Europes Marian Shrines interesting.

Dan is now equipped with a rosary, and with a little exposure therapy, can stand in front of a statue of Our Lady without shouting, ‘she’s dead!’. We’ll bring him to the catholic side eventually.

The latest map of the planned journey is below, it’s under constant review and will almost certainly not be what we end up doing. Please drop us a line if you’ve got ideas on interesting places for us to visit.

We plan on visiting all the major shrines and a good number of the smaller ones. The pilgrimage will cover just under 8000m and take about five weeks. We’ll be filming the adventure for our YouTube Chanels and who knows, perhaps we’ll convince the BBC this is a good sequel for A Vicar’s Life.

The initial list of Shrines is below, along with an evolving map. If you have any suggestions for those we’ve missed we’d love to hear from you.

Austria
Our Lady of the Bowed Head, Vienna – https://thecatholictravelguide.com/destinations/austria/austria-vienna-lady-bowed-head/
Mariazell Basilica – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariazell_Basilica

Belgium
The Virgin of the Poor, Banneux – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Banneux
Our Lady with the Golden Heart, Beauraing – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Beauraing

Bosnia
The Virgin of Medjugorje – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Medjugorje

England
The Blessed Virgin of Glastonbury, Somerset – https://www.glastonburyshrine.co.uk/
Our Lady of Walsingham, Norfolk – https://www.walsinghamanglican.org.uk/

France
The Three Shrines of Chartres  –https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartres_Cathedral
Our Lady of La Salette – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_La_Salette
Our Lady of the Smile, Lisieux – https://archives.carmeldelisieux.fr/en/la-vie-de-sainte-therese-de-lisieux/la-maladie-de-therese-a-10-ans/la-vierge-du-sourire/
St. Bernadette, Lourdes  – https://www.lourdes-france.org/en/bernadette-soubirous/
Our Lady of Hope, Pontmain – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Pontmain
Our Lady f the Miraculous Medal, Rue de Bac, Paris – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miraculous_Medal

Germany
Our Lady with the Golden Horse, Altötting – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrine_of_Our_Lady_of_Alt%C3%B6tting
The Chapel of Mercy, Kevelaer – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevelaer

Italy
Our Lady dell Guardia, Genoa – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrine_of_Nostra_Signora_della_Guardia
Our Lady of the Rosary, Pompeii – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrine_of_the_Virgin_of_the_Rosary_of_Pompei
Our Lady of Montallegro, Rapallo – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_of_Our_Lady_of_Montallegro
Salus Populi Romani, Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_Maggiore
The Weeping Madonna of Syracuse, Sicily – http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/syracuse.htm
Basilica della Santa Casa – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_della_Santa_Casa

Netherlands
Star of the Sea, Maastrict – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Our_Lady,_Maastricht

Poland
The Black Madonna of Czestochowa – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Madonna_of_Cz%C4%99stochowa

Portugal
The Virgin of Fatima – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_F%C3%A1tima

Spain
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Garabandal – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garabandal_apparitions
La Morentea, Montserrat – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_of_Montserrat
Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral-Basilica_of_Our_Lady_of_the_Pillar

Switzerland
Our Lady of Einsiedeln – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einsiedeln_Abbey

Today we have announced that I have been appointed Vicar of Bovey Tracey St John with Heathfield, & Team Vicar in the Newton Abbot Team Ministry with special responsibility for the parish of St Luke, Milber in the Diocese of Exeter (subject to the completion of all legal formalities).

The formal announcement, which was read out at all the parishes this morning, follows below.

Catherine, Edmund and I have shared the most amazing 4 and a bit years at St. Anselm. I was writing letters and covering masses from October 2019 and was put in officially in July 2020 in between lockdowns. 

It was a tough old time for everyone, but we pulled together and over the last 3 years in particular have seen a huge resurgence in St. Anselm. 

We have re-grown the congregation and worshiping community to over 100 people, we have sorted the finances, we have two new amazing church wardens and a keen PCC. We have a new Mission Priest and we have ‘unsuspended’ the parish – meaning a new Vicar will be with you after I leave.

St. Anslem is in a strong place and I know that my departure will open up new opportunities, ideas, and thinking. 

We now move to a new chapter with the lovely people of Devon. In the short time I’ve had to get to know people I have found a deep faith and a deep love of God and I pray that I’ll be able to follow the Holy Spirit and help people share that love and bring others to Jesus.

My last day at St. Anselm will be Easter Sunday and we hope to start in Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracey shortly after. Moving… well, who knows!

Please pray for the amazing people of St. Anselm and for all of those involved in the move to the new parishes. Please also pray for Catherine, Edmund and I as we navigate the next few months.

ANNOUNCEMENT – For services on Sunday 7th January 2024

It is announced today that the Reverend Matthew Cashmore has been appointed Vicar of Bovey Tracey St John with Heathfield and Team Vicar in the Newton Abbot Team Ministry with special responsibility for the parish of St Luke, Milber in the Diocese of Exeter. Fr Matthew is presently Vicar of St Anselm, Hayes in the Diocese of London.

Before ordination, Fr Matthew worked for the BBC and later for publishing and bookselling businesses in the development of digital communications including digital broadcasting, podcasting production, and e-book publication. Having discerned a vocation to the priesthood, he earned a degree in theology from the University of Durham and prepared for ordination at Ripon College, Cuddesdon. His initial curacies were in Hereford and West London, and he has served the parish of St Anselm, Hayes in West London since 2019.

Subject to the completion of all legal formalities, the Bishop of Plymouth will institute Fr Matthew to the benefice of Bovey Tracey St John with Heathfield and license him as Team Vicar in the Newton Abbot Team Ministry on a date in early April to be confirmed, during a service in one of the parishes at which the Bishops of Plymouth and Oswestry will officiate.

Your prayers are asked for Fr Matthew, his wife Catherine, and their son Edmund as they prepare to move to Milber Vicarage in the spring; for the mission and ministry of St Anselm, Hayes and the people of that parish; and for Fr Matthew’s preparations for this new stage in his life and work as a priest.

The set up has worked really well for me for a long time – it’s done a run to Russia, a journey across Morocco and parts of Australia, and more laterly an off road run from the Med’ to the Atlantic across the Pyrenees.

However, it seems turning 40 has had an impact on my ability to put my pants on whilst being lying on the floor! The last trip left me distinctly uncomfortable and so I started to look for a tent where I could at least sit up, and who knows – perhaps even stand.

The tent market has come on a lot in the last 15 years and there are several options for tents that you can stand up in and pack up / are light enough for good moto travel. The most popular (if bike rallies are anything to go by) is the Lone Rider MotoTent. So much so with BMW GS riders that I was starting to wonder if they came as standard issue with new bikes.

It’s a great design, tried and tested over the years and offers a super generous sleeping space with room to park your bike.

I first looked at something like this at a Horizons Unlimited meet back in 2011 but at that point didn’t appreciate that standing up inside a tent was a useful feature. I also couldn’t square the pack size and weight for what the tent gave you.

Little has changed in the last 12 years and I decided to go looking for something more modern, lighter, and with a smaller pack size.

I turned to cycle touring companies and discovered the great range of tents offered by Big Agnes and was even more delighted to find that they had a tent that offered a place to ‘park your bike’. I’ve never understood why people want to park their bikes in their tent – but I do understand why people want to stand up. I’m not sure why the manufactures don’t advertise that rather than the ‘parking’ feature.

The Big Agnes Wyoming Trail 2 is designed for cyclists rather than bikers but it offers a super lightweight and small pack size that is not that much bigger than my previous tent. I’ve had to move from a 60 litre tail pack to an 80 litre to accommodate that and a new Helinox bed, but that small pack and weight increase had an enormous impact on comfort on the road.

Big Agnes claim this is a three season tent, but I would say it is two season with a third if there are no strong winds. On a recent trip to Salisbury Plain the winds were up and I couldn’t erect the tent. I tried facing it into the wind, away from the wind, alongside the wind – all to no avail. In the end the front of the tent collapsed and bent two of the rear poles and snapped one of the front poles.

This actually highlights three big positives for Big Agnes.

1 – The poles are small and super light.

2 – The customer service when things go wrong is exceptional.

3 – Everything is repairable.

When I got home from the failed trip in Salisbury I contacted Big Agnes who shipped out replacement poles (for a very small fee) from the US without any issue. Initially they shipped the wrong poles… but they fixed it ASAP.

I love that the design of this tent is to be repairable. Everything can be repaired or replaced. It’s a testament to the quality of the materials and design that despite bending poles and snapping one I was able to repair them with the provided sleeve and some tape and continue to use the tent on several trips before the replacement poles arrived.

The tent goes up very straightforwardly and I can do it on my own in about 5 minutes. It takes me 15 mins to get my new set up sorted, including the new cot, seat and table – all of which pack in to the tail pack.

The sleeping space is definitely for one person. There is no way two adults can sleep in the inner without being incredibly friendly. However, the porch size is enormous.

I have never been what you may call a tidy camper…

… I tend to spread out. So the ability to have a porch that contains this has really helped me keep my things in one place! It also gives me a place to be when it is raining and this has extended the times of year I can go away. The cot, mat, and sleeping bag also keep me toasty.

This tent has allowed me to continue camping – in a good deal of comfort – well into my middle age and has extended my ability to camp throughout the year. I’ve had a blast with it over the last year and I’m looking forward to more exciting adventures with it again next year.

Pros

• Lightweight
• Small pack size
• Huge porch area (more than high enough to stand in)
• Comfortable sleeping area with rear exit for night time toilet trips
• Great customer support
• Repairable / easy to source replacement parts
• Easy to erect on your own

Cons

• Expensive
• Not great in strong winds
• Poles will bend fairly easily
• Not a two person tent
• A struggle to call it a three season tent

I’ve had to work quite hard to come up with the cons list, you get what you pay for so I’m comfortable with the price. I’m not 20 and wanting to camp whatever the weather these days so the high winds element is neither here nor there. I’m not sure I’d be willing to trade off the weight / size for stronger poles and I camp on my own (or with my son who sleeps in the porch) for the most part.

As ever YMMV, but for my money this is a great moto touring tent that is ideal for those of us looking for a little more comfort, but still wanting to keep the pack size and weight to a minimum.

But those days are long behind me and these days I like to get a bit more comfort when out and about. My best mate Stace had already made the switch from a down mat on the ground to a cot – and then to a hammock – switching as the environment demands.

When I visited him last year he was using his Helinox High Cot One as his main bed as he was mid-move and was split between two places. He waxed lyrical about how comfy it was… so of course I had to give it a try.

He combines his cot with an exped down mat. It is super comfy and I couldn’t let him outdo me on the camping gear front could I?

So now I have one as well. I went for a super simple green High Cot One. I went for the high version as it adds almost no weight and the extender bars fit within the standard cot bag – but importantly it makes getting up (and down) so much easier – especially for that 3am wee (mid-life comes to us all).

I’ve taken mine a little further however and, just like Stace, I added an exped downmat to the top and then wrap it with the Helinox fleece sheet (which they call a ‘cot warmer’).

This creates an amazingly comfortable bed which is lovely and warm and soft. A far cry from a hedge in a field – but as one very wise camping gear supplier once said to me ‘any fool can be uncomfortable’.

The finished bed is combined with a square sleeping bag which can be used as a blanket or bag and/or a rumple blanket along with an exped and nemo pillow. I’m almost certainly going to change this to two nemo pillows.

It fits beautifully in my Big Agnes Wyoming Trail 2 and adds very little in terms of pack size and weight to my setup. In fact my tent, sleeping cot, table, sheet… everything I need for my camp easily fits inside my trusty Ortlieb 89l Rack-Pack, which means I can get to my camp site, drop my camp and be away very easily.

Ultimately I could have a camping set up that was lighter and took up less space and weight – but at some point comfort becomes more important than showing off how tough you are. I love my new set up and I’ll be writing about the Helinox One Hard Top Table very soon.

My first bike was a CZ125. My father bought it for me when I was in Caerphilly (two valleys over from home) doing my engineering apprenticeship with GE Aircraft Services. It cost £800 and my dad bought it for me because I was stuck in Caerphilly and we had just lost my step-mother to a heart attack. It meant I could get home to him most days and help where I could. It also meant freedom.

In those first early months the bike meant I could be there for my dad, but perhaps more selfishly it meant I was able to be in control of my own life.

If I wanted to run down to Cardiff to see friends, no problem. If I wanted to nip up to see my grandmother in Brynmawr, no problem.

If it was all a bit too much I and I wanted some time to myself, no problem.

It was that final use that really cemented the motorbike into my daily life. The ability to exit whatever situation I was currently in and just go away. It didn’t matter where, but it did matter that it was just me and my thoughts in my helmet.

The utter concentration riding a motorbike means you have to enter into a state of ‘flow‘. The CZ was a sod of a bike to ride. In many ways it was the perfect machine to take me away from it all. Not because it was fast, not because it could take me huge distances, but because it required every ounce of mental focus I could muster to keep it on the road (and I didn’t always achieve that).

In those early years of biking all I cared about was being on the road. The bike was a tool and one I didn’t look after properly. I blew it up less than a year after I had it because I didn’t maintain it properly – so the next bike – an MZ125 was cared for rather more carefully.

In many ways it was the maintenance of this tool that took me away from it all, that taught me the discipline of maintenance in my daily life. I understood how important riding was to me, but not why, and now I understood if I didn’t look after that tool I would loose it.

Without meaning to I’d discovered that my own wellbeing and mental health was something that required constant care and maintenance.

Then came the big bikes. By this point I’d left engineering to pursue nursing (long story), had moved to Birmingham via Swansea and was now in Nottingham (and London) with my wife who I had met whilst presenting the weekend breakfast show on Bridge FM in South Wales. (Never has so much been glossed over in such a short paragraph).

The first big bike was a Honda CBF600.

To ride this machine I’d needed to undergo new training and get a new licence. It was hard work and I failed the first test. But this machine was different to all the others that had gone before it. For the first time it didn’t feel like a tool I was deploying to escape, but a part of who I was.

I’d learned how to keep a bike on the road, how to maintain it, how to ride it – but now I had to learn how it could help me stay on the road, how it could help me maintain my mental health and how it could help me learn how to navigate an increasingly difficult and complex life.

Catherine and I had moved to Nottingham after I had got a new job with the BBC in London (I’d previously been at the BBC in Birmingham). Catherine was applying for jobs in London but they were not materialising and I was trying to live in two cities at once. Commuting on a Monday morning and Friday evening back and forth and camping during the week in a miserable bedsit in Muswell Hill.

The bike became the thing that held everything together. It was on one hand the easiest way for me to get in and out of work and back and forth to Nottingham. On the other hand it continued to be my tool of escape; but now that escape was twofold.

Not only was I able to spend time alone in my helmet (many hours on the M1!) I was also able to go further afield. With the new 600 engine a run out to France was entirely within my grasp and it was at that point that I discovered the joy of planning.

Now my bike could help my mental health as I commuted, and took weekend trips with a tent, as well as being able to expand that sense of wellbeing by planning trips away on the bike.

It may well be that I was planning trips that I would never take, but the action of sitting in the living room with an enormous map of Europe plotting trips and figuring out how long they would take, how much fuel I’d need, where the best place to camp was… extended that sense of wellbeing and joy.

All this planning inevitably led to planning extraordinary trips. Morocco and Russia were the first two insane ideas, both of which happened. In planning those trips I also discovered another great upside of riding a bike – a pleantiful and ready supply of fellow blokes who have discovered this amazing hobby already.

The best bit of discovering all these brilliant blokes was that the only thing they cared about was bikes… not where you’d come from, what job you did, or how much money you had.

If you arrived on two wheels and could talk about motorbikes then you were mates for life.

It was in this period of my life that I made two of my best friends. Patrick and Stace. I joined a bikers group in London called londonbikers.com and we’d organised a curry out at Brick Lane.

I didn’t know many people at that point but I found myself sat next to Patrick and opposite Stace. I inevitably started talking about my plans to ride as far east as I could in three weeks and Stace and Patrick both agreed they wanted to take part. It was your typical drunken curry with delusions of grandeur… but the odd thing was… we actually did it.

The trip was plagued by delays and fallings out. We argued with each other. We shouted at each other. Our bikes broke down. There were crashes. It was far from an ideal trip away with your mates. The difficulty was we’d ploughed too much planning into it and the trip had become something it could never be.

What we learnt on that amazing journey was that our bikes are tools to get away from things, of freedom, of time alone in our helmets – but they were not magic wands to solve the issues we were running away from. We had to tackle those head on.

Patrick and Stace remain two of my closest friends. Despite the fallings out and the arguing and things going wrong… perhaps because of those things.

The planning for that trip started a habit of my planning and running away. In fact in 2008 I did the ultimate running away trick and emigrated to Australia to work for Lonely Planet – leaving Catherine behind in London.

The moment I landed I bought a new motorbike so I could get out exploring and over the next two years I jetted around the world riding my new Yamaha XT and where I couldn’t take that I hired bikes.

A few years later I came back to London and Catherine and I moved to Bledlow in Buckinghamshire where we spent a good deal of time trying to figure out who we were and what was next. It was time to stop running away, and much as we’d had to on the way to Russia, actually deal with the issues in front of us.

That was hard and painful. I was without my bike (it was on a ship heading to the UK from Australia) and in more ways that one I couldn’t run away any more.

The running away aspect of biking may have been taken away from me, but the lessons I’d learnt about maintenance and planning now needed to be deployed in the real world.

After six months the motorbike arrived from Australia and our lives where somewhat calmer. Catherine and I had settled into village life and I’d returned to church after a period trying to be a Buddhist.

It turned out that going back to church in our little village started a chain of events that brought me to discerning a call from God to become a Priest. That journey took the better part of seven years and in that time the bike had gone back to being a tool that enabled time in my helmet to reflect and heal and was no longer being used to run away.

Then came Edmund, my little boy.

To start with I was determined the the birth of my son wouldn’t change a thing. Edmund would be strapped to the back and off we’d go on adventures! But I hadn’t considered the huge impact his being born would have on my riding. My confidence was shot, when I slung my leg over the saddle all I could think of was Edmund.

I still rode, but now only when I really needed space and time alone. It was almost like going right back to the start of my relationship with bikes – it was a simple tool that had some wonderful side effects.

As I entered theological college at Ripon College Cuddesdon we were encouraged to strip away all aspects of our lives to date. This ‘formation’ was designed to enable us to discover exactly who God had called us to be. Put away all worldly things and concentrate solely on God.

It sounds great, and in many ways it was, but this concept only works if you enable people to pick up those things that have sustained their lives to date. The thing about grown ups is that we’ve often figured out what enables, supports and enriches our mental health – and to remove all of that without encouragement to re-engage or find new ways to do so is at best, unhelpful, and at worst down right abuse.

I found myself riding less and less as the all encompassing world of the church surrounded and took over. In the end we decided to sell the motorbike. I can still see it going off on the bike of a trailer and to this day regret it.

But, scroll forward a couple of years and I found myself in London after a fairly horrid time in Hereford in my first curacy. Never was good mental health more vital in my life and never was I further away from it.

That was until I found myself outside Stanmore tube station waiting for Catherine to pick me up after meetings in town.

Under the arches was a tiny bike shop. And outside the tiny bike shop was a shiny 2005 Vespa 125. I bought it there and then on my credit card and rode it up and down the little private road outside with a huge smile on my face… at which point Catherine and Edmund discovered me!

I rode the little machine home with a very cheap helmet and gloves and stored it around the back of our tiny little flat in Belmont. I’d take it out most days and it was 100% fun. I couldn’t really maintain it as such, there was no way I was going to be planning great big trips on it, it was pure joy.

I re-discovered the thing that had kept my mental health in check and in balance for the better part of 17 years… motorbikes.

At first the Vespa was all I needed, especially as we entered the first lockdown and there was little opportunity to go very far. But as the world re-opened that travel bug and long trip desire started to re-appear and I found myself riding the very underpowered Vespa 150 miles to Walsingham for the Priest and Deacons retreat.

This was perhaps not the best idea I’ve ever had. But, I found myself once again riding for four or five hours at a time with just my thoughts and I in my helmet.

I came to terms with some things I couldn’t fix, I put aside things that I had held on to too tightly, I embraced things I didn’t want to embrace.

I returned from Walsingham and was determined to replace the Vespa with something that would enable that kind of space and fun once again.

To my surprise the opportunity to do so came not very long after my mammoth journey to Norfolk in the form of the 60th Anniversary Blessing of the Bikes organised by the ’59 Club at Westminster Abbey.

My friend Dan and I found ourselves invited to the run out from the Ace Cafe down to Westminster Abbey by Fr. Andrew Gough – a long time member of The 59 Club. Fr. Andrew thought the club needed a few more biking vicars and we were pleased to oblige – although I stuck out like a sore thumb on my bright red Vespa!

On the ride down I had been following a bike I’d not seen before. It rode ahead of me through the traffic and for a big bike was doing so with ease and style. The engine noise was stunning and it moved with such grace and poise. I fell in love with the bike as I followed it and told Dan I was going to buy one! I didn’t know what it was or who the rider was… but I wanted that bike.

It turned out to be an Aprilia Tuareg 660 and was being ridden by Saffron Wilson from MCN as part of a long term test with the bike for the paper.

I headed home and without discussing it with Catherine arranged a test ride. I did what all self-respecting bikers do and rang my best mate Stace up and we arranged a date.

I think the smile on my face after just 30 minutes with the bike tells you everything you need to know. The test bike was missing the front screen and the dealership I was testing it with had no idea what it was or how it worked (they really just sold scooters and Aprilia had sent this big bike). Whilst we sat having a cup of coffee half way into the test ride I rang another dealer who I’d spoken to previously and paid the deposit on a brand new bike.

The Vespa went up for sale and the Tuareg was on its way.

Interestingly, with Edmund much older, I wasn’t facing the same crisis of confidence and all I could think about was sharing this wonderful life on two wheels with him.

Catherine was less impressed with that idea and we agreed we’d wait a few years for Edmund to be a little taller and little more sensible before I started taking him out on rides.

That went the same way as many promises made by men to their wives about bikes and within the year Edmund is on the bike – albeit only for very short journeys.

Since then Edmund and I have been to our first motorbike festival and have more planned. We’ve started planning trips together and I once again find myself pouring over maps planning journeys that may, or may not, happen.

The bottom line is I’ve re-discovered the single best way to keep myself mentally healthy. Swinging my leg over a motorbike and heading out into the sunset. The best thing is… I’ve figured out how to do it with my son.

So to all of you who’ve got to know me in the last few years when motorbikes were a minor part of my daily life… now you know why they’re so important to me and why you’re seeing quite so much of them on my socials. It’s a return to my standard place of being.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt in all of this it’s to trust what we discover in our lives helps us along. To embrace it and to never allow an outside influence take it away from you.

Here’s to many more years and miles on the saddle!

I bought these TCX boots whilst my new Aprilia was having its first service. I was hanging out at the retail bit of On Yer Bike up past Aylesbury – always a dangerous exercise for my wallet – and after a summer of bouncing around the city with my good old Dainese boots (great for commuting, less good for short runs in heavy traffic) I wanted something that was a little more versatile and would look better with my new riding jeans.

To be honest I wasn’t expecting to find anything. I’m a size 12 (UK) and have big calves. The reason I was still using my nearly 20 year old Dainese boots (despite hole in the bottom) was because they were just about the only comfy boots I’ve ever found.

I wandered to the back of the shop and looked at all the very lovely shoes, boots, trainers and other quite stylish motorbike accessories and asked the chap if they had anything in a size 12. To my absolutely shock he said he thought he had pretty much everything in a 12, what did I like?

I spotted a pair of stunning brown boots with armour in the right places, a solid sole and laces (would they fit around my calves?) He nipped out the back and came back with a pair in less than a minute. I tried them on and fell in love.

Why the instant reaction? These boots are COMFY. They don’t feel like bike boots, they feel like high end street boots. They’re snug in all the right places, they sit beautifully on my heel and run up the back of my calf like they were custom made.

The laces allow a degree of flexibility, with tightness and space around the upper part of my foot, and the back has a little loop in exactly the right place to pull them up and over your foot when putting them on.

They’re stylish enough to pass for standard boots, so when I’m dashing into town wearing my bike jeans and jacket, I don’t look like I’ve just completed the Dakar. They’re light and breathe well and have been a fantastic pair of summer boots.

But what about the weather? What about winter?

I’ve worn these over a winter in London and through rain, wind, and icy temperatures.

Most recently I wore them on a run up to Walsingham (c150 miles, 3 hours ride) in temps of about 1c-5c. My feet were warm throughout (I suspect more down to the knee length walkers socks I was wearing) and only towards the end did I start to feel cold creeping in. The leather does a good job of keeping icy winds out allowing good socks to do their job of keeping your feet warm.

In rain my feet have remained dry on a 1 hour run, but I suspect they’d give in at some point – I’m not sure I’d wear them for a known wet run of over an hour – or without some sort of waterproof outer.

(UPDATE 19/2/24 – I rode for 4 hours in torrential rain and through flooded roads two weeks ago and my feet remained bone dry… exceptional stuff)

On the recent run up to Walsingham I used them as my only shoes throughout – wearing them everyday as walking boots and you wouldn’t have known they were actually motorbike boots. I walked several miles each day and my feet thanked me for them.

In short I can’t recommend these boots enough. This new range from TCX are not just pretty to look at, not just great motorbike boots, but are also fantastic boots full stop.

If you’re looking to buy a pair I recommend the great team up at On Yer Bike Clothing Store or get them direct from TCX.

I wasn’t riding like I had been – that was mainly because my son had been born at the end of 2012 and my time at home was suddenly far more precious. The bike was sitting there gathering far too much dust and so had to go.

Barley three years later I was coming home from central London on the tube and popped out at Stanmore. Catherine was due to pick me up in the car but was running late. I spent the time looking at some bikes outside a little garage under the arches and before I knew it I’d bought a fabulous little red Vespa.

I’ve been riding that all over the shop for the last three years and have been having a blast. My latest big run was up to the Priest and Deacons retreat in Walsingham, Norfolk. It was on that ride that I think I knew in my heart that it was time for another big bike.

I had a play with a few configurators on various websites but it wasn’t until I joined in with the 59 Club for their ride from the Ace Cafe down to Westminster Abbey for the annual blessing of bikes that I actually saw a bike that I utterly fell in love with.

As we rode into town I sat behind an Aprilia Tuareg 660 – the brand new mid weight adventure bike that is causing a storm in the adventure travel market.

It was solid on the road and was clearly happy in the traffic and the stop start avoidance of a large number of bikes on busy roads.

I got home and immediately googled the bike to discover dozens of reviews that confirmed my observations on the road and went further to say it was brilliant in the dirt and amazing in the twisty a-roads.

Speed forward two weeks and after much agonising (and negotiating) I’ve put a deposit on it. It’s due with me in the coming weeks. I had a test ride last Saturday and it produced the biggest smiles I think I’ve ever had on a bike.

I can’t wait for it to arrive and a new chapter in my biker life to begin.

Bibliography

• Thomas Merton: The Inner Experience, notes on Contemplation
• Contemplation in a world of action
• Spiritual Direction and Meditation & what is contemplation
• New seeds of Contemplation

Thomas Merton – Contemplation. What does it mean to be a contemplative in a world that prizes business and activity. Thomas Merton is a Trappist monk, prolific spiritual writer, and prophetic mystic – who peeled back the veil of monastic life in the 1960s leading to a blossoming of vocation. In this lecture we will be introduced to the wayward soul of Merton, who found faith and Catholicism in spite of himself and see what he can teach us.

Fr Sam McNally-Cross is the vicar of St Thomas, Kensal Town in the Diocese of London. He has completed a Masters degree in Christian Spirituality through Heythrop College, which focused on monastic spirituality and the subjective life of Thomas Merton being rooted in the objective life of the church. He was invited to present his thesis at the International Thomas Merton Conference held in Rome in 2018.In 2020 he began his Doctoral studies at Anglia Ruskin University researching the Promethean Theology of Thomas Mertonand applying it to those who are outside of the church and yet have some natural longing for the Divine. He is a published poet, the editor of the magazine of the Society of Mary and a sometime guest lecturer at St Mellitus College, London and Plymouth.