Here is a set of proposals from some of the folk who’ve been helping plan, but it’s a flexible beast thats ready and willing to respond to new ideas. This is your ride, mold it as you will.
30th- Thursday, Bristol (optional)
This is an extra afternoon for sorting out bike maintenance issues with sportive crew. There is also an hour long ‘introduction to consensus’ workshop on offer, strongly reckomended for anyone who’s not worked this way before, or who’d like to brush up their skills (it would be helpful if you could give us a heads up in advance if you are interested in this session, ring 07595506673). Meet in the Factory squat from 4. Thursday is also the day of the big strike. For those who’d like to take part there’ll be an autonomous march leaving from Kings Square at 10am. Mole and Zoe sorting food that evening.
For directions The Factory click here-
http://freefactory.wordpress.com/about/
1st – Friday, Bristol- Yatton, 15 miles.
8am- Breakfast at the Factory
9-10am, Opening meeting facilitated by Dan. Agenda for the meeting
10- 11am, Collective guided bike checking, pack up our bikes ready to go.
11- 3pm guided tour taking in Stokes Croft squatted social centres/chat about changes to the squatting laws. The Bristol Radical History group will follow this with stories of squatting in the area 20 years ago, and tour of places associated with the slave trade and the victories of the abolitionist movement. Bring packed lunch.
3.00pm Congregate at the Create Centre to start the ride to camping in Yatton. That evening Julie will tell us a bit about the influence of the womens movement on ecological and anti militarist direct action movements. Train station – Yatton.
2nd – Saturday, Yatton-Hinkley 36 miles
- Early birds can check out the silent victory anti landfill campaign in Yatton. Nice flat ride to Hinkley for an introduction to the current campaign against Hinkley C by local anti Nuclear campaigners, and a look at the silent victory against Hinkley B, by Trevor. Riding back 2 miles to Never Stowe to camp. Emilias energy descent game in the evening to look at the practicalities of life without slaves, nuclear, or coal. Train station- Bridgewater (8 miles from Neverstowe)
3rd – Sunday Hinkley to Yeovil 36 miles-
Ride to Yeovil, see the sun set from Wyndam Hill, site of a silent victory against a road for a supermarket. Go to local scout hall for 10 minute short about Wyndam Hill, chat to any locals that have picked up on our invite in the paper to come and share memories over dinner. After dinner starter discussion about food sovereignty and the role of Supermarkets, cash crops and GM with Liz. Staying in hall that evening. Train station -Yeovil.
4th- Monday Yeovil to Tinkers Bubble-
Guided tour of the eco-village, followed by helping with work on the site. Have a group meeting about how the rides going for folk for a couple of hours at some point during the day. In the evening, if it’s raining (so he can’t be scything) Simon Fairley will come and talk to us about the history of Enclosures, if he can’t make it Trevor and Claire will lead this discussion. Performance of the 20 years of Earth First Puppet Show.
5th Tuesday Tinkers to Portland 33.2 miles-
A fairly hilly ride followed by a dip in the sea and minty mushy pea fritters and chips on the beach. Camping accommodation on Portland (on a platau, on a virtual island, next to a prison. All very atmospheric stuff, plenty of firewood available but we all need to arrive in and out of our campaing space at the same time). Portland is the proposed site of Britain’s first biofuel plant. Tashas introduction to Anarchy workshop that night. We can leave our stuff in the camping area over the following day if we don’t want to put tents down. Train station – Weymouth 1-2 miles away.
6th Portland- A demo during the day with locals against the biofuel plant
The NOPE group has run a strong campaign against the new plant, including mass rallies. Construction won’t be started until late July at the earliest, as the company is waiting to find out what government subsidies will be available.
At 11 we’re inviting the media to a public stunt about biofuels.
From 7pm we’ll be in a hall, with food provided and there’ll be a presentation by Claire about the impact of land grabs in Columbia, where palm oil is often sourced, including a short film and a chance to write letters/draw pictures to folk there about the resistance in Portland. Hopefully a live link up with Columbia. Camping that night in the same place as before
7th Portland to Ottery St Mary 52.5 miles-
Camping in the Garden of Chris, a local who was involved in the noisy defeat of the anti A30 campaign ( 01404 812882 ). The A30 was a site of anti roads campaigning in 90’s, the road was built, but the wider road program was scrapped, Swampy emerged. We may want to use it to discuss the media and the battle of the story, and how we’re documenting our ride.
8th Ottery to Tyngrace 27.9 miles-
Silent victory against a quarry which protected 2 rivers, a village, and a bunch of otters. Our hosts (Joy 01626 355913) won’t be available till the next morning so the evening is ours to fill or not fill as we please. wild camping. Train station- Newton Abbott.
9th Tyngrace to Totnes 11.7 miles-
9am start, What happened at Tyngrace by Joy and Dave including a brief intro by Dave on how he used the time won by the occupying the site to lobby for and secure an environmental impact assessment- looking at the symbiosis between lobbying and direct action. Move off 11.30am, ride to Riverford for still to be finalised press call at 3pm.
Silentish victory- the anti GM campaign, looking at the countries biggest organic farm that was protected by direct action. Probably camping in field. Train station- Totnes.
10th Totnes to Landmatters 6.4 miles-
Led local ride with Transition to Landmatters Ecovillage, tour of site from Charlotte explaining their story and their recent success with planning permission, possible discussion about why the system is set up to make it relatively difficult to do similar projects- issues around car culture and planning law. Help out on site. Space for reflection on what we’ve observed over the last 10 days. Bar, party, and performance of the puppet show.
